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Apparently his third wife had a wild, red head of hair...

By Laura Gillis

Pablo Neruda's house is located in Bellavista, the jungle-like bohemian center of Santiago. Even if you don't know who he is you can learn about one of Chile's most beloved and iconic figures on a guided tour. And the house awesome.

The name - La Chasconda- like the rest of the house, is a bit strange. Loosely translated it means a bad hair day. Neruda's third and last wife Matilda, who he built the house for, was known for her crazy red hair. Discreet monuments to their love can be found throughout the house, in window bars and hidden portraits.

Neruda lived in La Chasconda with Mathilda from 1955 until his death in 1973. The house showcases Neruda's eccentric collections, artistic home designs, and his party boy prankster side.

Built slanting upward at the base of Mt. San Cristobal, the house seems a mix between a ship (as it was designed to resemble) and a labyrinth. Starting out in the patio gardens, guided tours lead you through tiny door ways and winding staircases, weaving in and out of three separate buildings.

The first thing you see upon entering is Neruda's space to entertain guests--lots of them. A long table fully set shows Neruda's eclectic esthetic style and sense of humor - the salt and pepper shakers are labeled marijuana and morphine -"a joke" according to our guide. The room really does feel like the hold of a ship - old wood, low ceilings, portholes. The dish cabinet leads into another room - Neruda used to use this secret door to surprise his friends at dinner parties.

It's not only the buildings that are awesomely odd, but also the fact that each is packed to the brim with Neruda's eccentric collections. Random objects dominate every room - apparently only about 25% of his complete collection remains (after his house was raided and trashed by Pinochet's forces because of his connections with the communist party). But, seriously, I can't imagine cramming anymore stuff in these rooms.

Really random and really cool, Neruda's collection reflects his passion for art and objects, as well as his love of traveling (he was a diplomat for several years) there is stuff from everywhere- India, Africa, Russia, Europe, to name a few places. At first, there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it, but after a while, themes emerge - old telephones, wind up toys, music boxes, ashtrays, paperweights, fertility goddesses, ships in bottles.

About 20 minutes into the tour, I realized that there were hands all over the house, in every form, ashtrays, on the door, in sculptures, trays, everywhere. And paintings of watermelons - who knew so many existed? Art everywhere, original works by famous artists such as Pablo Picasso, Diego Rivera and Roberto Mata hung next to works by unknowns - great stuff.

Random rooms decorated in various ways - a sixties retro eating nook with a TV full of silverware next to the guest bedroom, weird looking machines in the bathrooms, a small bar built under a stairway.

Continuously wind our way up the hill, until at the upper deck - or rather the light house - you get a fantastic view of the Andes and the city.

My favorite room is a separate barroom in the garden that looks like it's straight out of Alice and Wonderland - giant clocks on the wall, giant shoes on the floor, weird lamps and stools and portraits of poets.

Neruda was know for his elaborate parties that would last a week, guests coming and going, taking a break and returning the next day, the parties must have been insane, and so much fun.

The tour ends in Neruda's library, also filled with paintings of boats and mast heads of ships. A replica of Neruda's Nobel Prize (for literature in 1971) is displayed a glass case.

Pinochet's forces destroyed the house using the waterfalls and canals that used to run outside to flood the buildings, burning books and Neruda's collection, and slashing paintings (including one by Dali). The Neruda foundation has done a fantastic job restoring the building - you would never know it was subject to such violence.

Neruda picked one of Santiago's hippest neighborhoods to live in - before it was the bohemian center of Santiago. After a tour of the house, check out the neighborhood, packed with cool restaurants, cafés and bars. Bellavista is also one of the best neighborhoods for tourists to stay in…

Laura Gillis currently lives in Santiago, Chile and writes for CHIP - The Chile Information Project

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