Chile

Every fish from Chile's 2,600-mile Pacific Ocean border seems to be for sale at Mercado Central, Santiago's famous fish market. The ornate hall, featuring ironwork shipped over from Victorian England, is packed with fishmongers gutting and selling everything from edible barnacles called picorocos to shelled sea urchins or erozos, to multi-tentacled creatures that I had never seen or heard of before.

On the Saturday I visited with my friend Jose Miguel, the crowds were fierce and people were tugging at us to choose their establishment. Lunch at Mercado Central is strongly recommended at one of the dozen or so restaurants, but we had a schedule to keep and more to see.

Next, we made our way to LaVega Central, the gigantic fruit and vegetable market just a ten-minute walk away over the Río Mapocho. Chile is known for its produce, and at this indoor market everyone from poor families to restaurateurs to wealthy matrons can find something in quantities ranging from a single quince to 100 pounds of them.

While the Mercado Central was more oriented towards tourists, this area is strictly for the locals. In addition to a mind-boggling range of fruits and vegetables, you can also buy pet food, get photocopies made, and pick up chicken for dinner and buy the pot to put it in all at a good price There are stray dogs and cats roaming the aisles and children kicking balls just outside. Visitors beware though: When I pulled my camera out for a quick photo, a flower seller shook her head sharply, warning me to keep it tucked out of sight so I wouldn’t be a target for thieves. Others had warned me to keep a low profile and watch out for pickpockets, though we didn’t have any trouble.

Juan Miguel and I stopped for a cheese empanada to eat on the run as we pushed our way past stalls selling a colorful range of salsas, Chilean papayas and more. We weren’t the only ones eating what we’d just bought. On our way back to the car a man had set up a hibachi and was cooking lunch. It looked pretty tasty. Mercado Central, Ismael Valdés Vergara 900, Parque Forrestal. La Vega Central.—Susan Segrest