Chile Earthquake Help

Sorry, most of this is in Spanish but is important to help all those that have suffered and continue suffering due to the 8.8 Richter Scale Earthquake that hit Chile early Saturday morning:

Donations
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Cuentas Corrientes habilitadas:

En Chile:
Banco Estado
Cuenta corriente Nº 362883
Cruz Roja Chilena
Rut: 70.512.100-1
e-mail: finanzas@cruzroja.cl
Extranjero:
Citibank
Cuenta corriente Nº 9941973331
Código ABA:021000089
Dirección: 153 east 53 Rd. Street 4th floor. New York, Ny 10022
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Rol de Caritas Chile
Caritas Chile pone su cuenta corriente a disposición de la ciudadanía para recibir aportes que permitan paliar el dolor de las víctimas del terremoto sufrido en la madrugada del 27 de febrero de 2010.
Titular : Caritas Chile
Banco Santander
Cuenta Nº 0-082-18-00080-1
R.U.T. de CARITAS CHILE es 70.020.800-1
Email: culloa@caritaschile.org
Más Info: http://www.caritaschile.org
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U.S.A: Donaciones por mensaje de texto. Por favor difundir! Enviar un SMS con texto “CHILE” al 20222 o al 25383 para donar US 10 a Habitat for Humanity o a World Vision.
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UN TECHO PARA CHILE
1) Donaciones por transferencia electrónica:
Cuenta 399409-0 del Banco Santander a nombre de
Fundación Un Techo para Chile, Rut: 65.533.130-1
(2) Donaciones por teléfono:
Llamando al 800 361 000
(3) Donaciones en la cuenta 2010 del Banco Santander
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►► DONACIONES Y VOLUNTARIADO
GREENPEACE A JUAN FERNANDEZ
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Ayuda para Isla Juan Fernández a través de GREENPEACE. Llevarlas a Elías de la Cruz 18, Ñuñoa después de las 17 hrs. Barco parte el miércoles. Comida no perecible y ropa.
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UN TECHO PARA CHILE
Un TECHO PARA CHILE Voluntarios RM ante la emergencia debemos actuar: Este lunes 1 de marzo nos reunimos a las 7:30 am en el gimnasio del Colegio San Ignacio Alonso Ovalle, entrada Vidaurren.
Un Techo para Chile de Santiago a regiones: Voluntarios dispuestos a prestar ayuda civil o a partir en cualquier momento a la 7 y 8va region… necesitamos NOMBRE, MAIL, TELEFONO DE CASA (importante!!!) Y CEL… Mandar datos a iabbott@untechoparachile.cl, daniela.navarro@untechoparachile.org, jose.navarro@untechoparachile.org
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CRUZ ROJA
Donaciones de alimentos, ropa y frazadas
Pueden ir a dejar donaciones a Calle Seminario 973, Cruz Roja Chilena. Lo que más se necesita son agua, pañales y comida.
PRONTO
La cruz roja está próximamente estará necesitando VOLUNTARIOS, para ir a distintas zonas del país. Para los menores de 26 años enviar un correo a juventud@cruzroja.cl Para los mayores de 26 a desarrollo@cruzroja.cl -Indicar nombre, teléfono de contacto, mail, ocupación y SECTOR DONDE PUEDEN AYUDAR (en RM o en otro sector de Chile).
SOLO ENVIAR INFORMACIÓN NO ESTÁN PIDIENDO A LOS VOLUNTARIOS PARA EL DÍA LUNES
http://twitter.com/CruzRojainforma
http://www.cruzroja.cl/
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HOGAR DE CRISTO
HOGAR DE CRISTO Y ONEMI INICIAN RECOLECCIÓN DE AYUDAS: Desde mañana lunes 1º a las 12:00 hrs., se reciben frazadas, pañales, leche en polvo y alimentos no perecibles para ayudar a las víctimas del terremoto. Puntos de recolección: todas las sedes del Hogar de Cristo a lo largo del país, y en Santiago el Colegio San Ignacio El Bosque (Pocuro 2801, Providencia) y el Hogar de Cristo ubicado en Gral. Velásquez.
http://www.jesuitas.cl/paginas/noticias/noticias.php
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VOLUNTARIOS AL JUMBO
Mañaña Lunes 1 de Marzo a las 11 am se necesitan voluntarios en el JUMBO Alto Las Condes donde saldran buses para la central de distribucion en Pudahuel, la idea es ayudar a ordenar todos los alimentos para que puedan salir ese mismo dia a Concepcion y Maule! Cualquier cosa llamar al 9-6793860. Si quieren ir directo la Direccion de la Central de Distribucion de Jumbo en Pudahuel es Av. Nueva Uno 17.580 en el Sector Noviciado. Cualquier duda llamar a Piero Giaretti al 098270968.
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UC
PUC está recolectando víveres y diferentes especias en campus San joaquín y Lo Contador, desde hoy a las 20:00hrs. Ayudemos a Chile!
La Federación de Estudiantes de la PUC recibirá alimentos no perecibles, productos de higiene y pañales, ropa, y agua potable envasada en sus campus de San Joaquín y Lo Contador desde el 1 de Marzo a las 9 am. También la Cruz Roja recibe alimentos no perecibles, agua, pañales y ropa en su bodega en Seminario 973, Ñuñoa.
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UCHILE
La sede FECh ubicada en Periodista José Carrasco Tapia N°9 (Vicuña Mackenna, pasos de Plaza Italia) está recepcionando ayudas para los damnificados por el terremoto. La lista de elementos que estamos recibiendo es: Alimentos, Vestuario personal, Calzado de invierno, Artículos de aseo, Ropa de Cama: Colchones.
http://webfech.blogspot.com/
inscripciones http://spreadsheets.google.com/embeddedform?formkey=dENlYmhvVlkyLUxrTFVuemoteHFRNFE6MA
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UDD
Colecta de ropa, frazadas, calzado y comida no perecibles en la UNIVERSIDAD DEL DESARROLLO de San Carlos de Apoquindo ubicado en Avenida La Plaza 680, Las Condes., desde las 10 am hasta las 8 pm, hasta el 5 de marzo. Traten de juntar lo mas posible y llevarlo. Todo sirve. Toda ayuda voluntaria se acepta.
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UDP
Centros de Recolección UNIVERSIDAD DIEGO PORTALES
- A partir de las 9.00 de mañana Lunes 1 de marzo.
Manuel Rodríguez 343, Santiago Centro
La lista de las cosas que se puede llevar son:
Alimentos: Arroz, Tallarines, Aceite, Café, Azúcar, Leche en Polvo, Té, Legumbres
Higiene: Pañales, Toallas Higiénicas, Jabón, Cepillo y Pasta de Dientes.
Ropa: Ropa Interior para todas las edades (nueva), Ropa de Abrigo, Ropa de todas las edades en buen estado.
URGENTE! Agua potable envasada
Otros Frazadas y Saco de dormir.
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VOLUNTARIADO MINISTERIO DE SALUD
INSCRIBETE ACA PARA SER VOLUNTARIO DEL MINISTERIO DE SALUD (SOLO PROFESIONALES Y TECNICOS DE SALUD)
INGRESA TUS DATOS PARA SER CONTACTADO CUANDO APENAS ESTEN DISPONIBLES LAS CONDICIONES PARA VIAJAR A LAS ZONAS AFECTADAS SERAS CONTACTADO.
http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dE0xY096ZnhUaGtTM3RFTG5VMDR1b0E6MA
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SAGRADOS CORAZONES DE ALAMEDA
Lugares de recepción de ayuda estarán abiertos a partir de este lunes 1 de marzo a las 12:00 horas. - Gimnasio Colegio Sagrados Corazones de Alameda, Alameda Bernardo O'Higgins 2062, Santiago. Sólo se recibirán los siguientes alimentos no perecibles: arroz, leche en polvo,fideos y aceite. No se recibirá vestuario, medicamentos y alimentos perecibles.
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COLEGIO SEMINARIO PONTIFICIO
desde lunes 1, en el colegio seminario pontificio menor ubicado en padre errazuriz 7001, las condes, se recibira comida no perecible en favor de la víctimas del terremoto. Por favor publica este aviso en el muro para darlo a conocer a todos! Por tu colaboración muchas gracias!
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COLEGIO ISABEL LA CATOLICA
A partir de mañana en el Colegio Isabel la Católica (Ricardo Lyon Nº 2855) se recibe arroz, leche en polvo,fideos y aceite, desde las 9:00 am
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LUGARES DONDE SE RECIBE AYUDA
http://maps.google.cl/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=es&t=h&msa=0&msid=103299390633192373139.000480b13b34617d3d1dc&ll=-37.055177,-70.97168&spn=19.218665,39.506836&z=5
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AYUDA DE ARRIBA CHILE!!!
Partimos a Curicó a ayudar a los damnificados con alimentos, agua, construcción, limpieza de escombros y otros, por favor unirse quienes realmente van a ir para poder organizar bien al grupo
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=355053078071&index=1
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►► DONACIÓN DE SANGRE
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El lunes a partir de las 9 y hasta las 17 hrs. estarán habilitados el Ex Hospital Militar ( Av. Vitacura a dos cuadras del metro Tobalaba)y la Posta Central (Portugal #125, metro católica) para la recolección de sangre.
Si tienes dudas sobre poder donar sangre puedes revisar la siguiente página: http://www.bsburgos.org/donacion_de_sangre.htm
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El ministerio de Salud (Minsal) ha realizado un llamado a las personas que puedan donar sangre, para hacer frente a la gran cantidad de personas heridas.
-Valparaíso: Centro de Sangre de Valparaíso
-San Fernando: Banco de Sangre Hospital de San Fernando, en Negrete 1401
-Talca: Centro de Diagnóstico Terapéutico, ubicado al Costado del hospital Regional de Talca
-Puerto Montt: Escuela Nº 6 de Puerto Montt
-Región Metropolitana, Centro de Sangre Metropolitano, Avda. Vitacura (Ex Hospital Militar) y en la Posta Central
Para quienes quieran donar sangre estos puntos atenderán de 09:00 a 17:00 Hrs. En otras ciudades del país se puede donar el los bancos de sangre de los hospitales.
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►► OTROS
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SMS GRATIS
Sin duda la falta de comunicación con los seres queridos es uno de los problemas principales. Por medio de http://evaphone.com/ se pueden hacer dos llamadas vía IP gratis para todo Chile. Otro dato es http://www.smsflick.com/ en donde se pueden mandar mensajes a celulares de manera gratuita.
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ABRIR REDES WIFI
la conectividad en estos momentos es indispensable, ABRAN sus redes hasta que todo vuelva a la normalidad
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BUSCADOR DE PERSONAS GOOGLE
ingresa si sabes algo de alguien, o si buscas a alguien
IDEAL seria que alguien de los sectores afectados se acerque a los albergues, se hagan listas de la gente e ingresarlas al sitio
http://chilepersonfinder.appspot.com/
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CORTES DE CARRETERAS
http://maps.google.cl/maps/ms?hl=es&gl=cl&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=101583086025908752159.000480adeb622070a2cd4
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SITIOS DE INTERES
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http://chilepersonfinder.appspot.com/
http://w2.chileayuda.com/
http://www.onemi.cl/
http://www.cruzroja.cl/
http://www.untechoparachile.cl/
http://www.minsal.cl/
http://www.defensa.cl

Ritz Ball - Santiago 2010

There is a black tie charity ball coming up at the end of the month and having been to many other ones organised by the Australian Embassy, they are a load of fun. Seriously you have a ball! (...and it's not just because I won the return flight to Australia two years running! - Yes, certain diplomats still groan about that - you know who you are!)

Unfortunately I won't be able to go this year since I will be out of Santiago (Clue - Pisco & UFOs) but I have included the details about it below:

Saturday 30 January 2010
Time: 8:00pm
Place: The Ritz-Carlton Hotel (Avda Apoquindo)

Organised by the Australian Embassy

Tickets: $40,000 (Chilean Pesos)
All-inclusive
Pre-dinner cocktails,
Hors d'oeuvres, 3-course meal

Beer, wine & champagne
Cash bar available for other drinks

Live music and DJ

Dress: Black Tie

All proceeds go to charity.
Grand Raffle tickets sold on the night.

Tickets are limited, no door sales.
Ticket and table reservations available from:

Julie Shiels
(Australian Embassy)

Remember... It's for a worthy cause!

Volcanic Traffic Light

Have you ever heard of a traffic light for volcanoes?
Well you can find one in Pucon, Chile.

Downtown in front of the Municipal building (and next to the fire station) you will find a traffic light that lets you know in what state the local volcano, called Volcán Villarrica, is in. Even though the town is wedged between the imposing volcano and the lake, you still may need to check out this traffic light above to confirm that the red stuff spurting from the volcano top is actually lava and not just raspberry sludge.

And to help you figure out what is happening, they have the following sign to let you know what each colour means.



Below is an English translation of the sign above:

Volcanic Risk Alert System
Located in the Municipality Building front Entrance

Green Indicates:
Presence of fumaroles and increase of them
Underground noise and continuous local seismic activity
Glacier cracks
Sulphurous smell

Amber Indicates:
Medium to strong earthquakes
Reddish glows and moderate blasts
Temperature increase in thermal pools
Small lava flows

Red Indicates:
RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!!!! (just kidding)
Strong and continuous seismic activity
Tremor banded seismic swarms
Blasts and Explosions
Pyroclastic flow
Lahar generation

If you live in:
Los Arrayanes – Libertad – Bomberos de Chile – El Claro - Jardines del Claro – Sector Aeropuerto – Villa entre Rios
You must go to: Los Calabozos Alto
And just a random Spanish lesson for your curiosity… Calabozos means Dungeons in Spanish. So your choice is between being the next Pompeian-like attraction curled up on the side of the street or go to a dungeon.

If you live in:
Tres Esquinas – Pucon Centro – Cordillera Alto y Bajo – Prudencia Mora – Aduana – Esfuerzo – Maitahue – Villa Lafquen – Las Vertientes – Las Castaños – Camino Volcan – Antumalal – La Turbina – Las Araucarios – Obispo Valdés – El Bosque – Los Robles – Estadio ...
Basically you are screwed because the lava will get you and turn you into a crispy critter before you can get anywhere safe (just kidding if you hadn’t noticed)
You must go to: La Península

Now if the volcano were exploding with hot rocks the size of cars crashing about you, do you think you would ready need to go to the Municipal building to see if the light were red and then calmly read where you have to go?

All kidding aside, it shows that Volcan Villarrica can be a real threat. Just look at the wisps of smoke coming out of it every day showing how active it really is.

Oh, and if you are interested, there are loads of guided tours that take you up to the crater at a hideous hour of the morning (leave at 5 or 6am). My wife and I did the trek as a part of our honeymoon trip many years ago.

Chilean Presidential Election Street Celebrations

Sebastián Piñera, the guy that owns most of Chile, was elected as the country's next president (2010-2014) after the results of the second decisive round of the election came through on Sunday.

The Left has finally succumbed to the Right after holding power over the last 20 years so of course there was a lot of celebrating in the street. The following video was taken from the middle of the main street of Pucón (South of Chile).


Notice the beeping of horns (typical of any Chilean celebration) and people hanging out of car windows while the carabineros (police) look out without doing anything (probably want to avoid getting lynched by the euphoric crowd).

What do you think about the result of this election?

Pucon Flowers & Elections

Just some flowers to brighten your day!

This is a flower stand on a street in called Caupolicán near the wharf in Pucon. Yes, I am still in Pucon having been a week here though I will be heading back to Santiago tomorrow.

Today is an important day for Chile since the country’s president will be decided in this all important second round. Why a second round (like a boxing match)? Well, the first round held in December was between all presidential hopefuls. If no-one gets a 50% majority then voting goes to a second round a month later between the top two candidates of the first round. This time it is between Eduardo Frei and Sebastian Piñera. It’s hard to say who will win today, it’s going to be very close.

Pichilemu Hotel and Square

I'm currently in Pucon so have some more photos and stuff coming up!

Here are a couple of pages I just uploaded about our weekend in Pichilemu.
Just very quickly... it's a cool place...

This is where we stayed which we recommend: Hotel Chile España
And this is a plaza nearby (mainly photos this page): Plaza Arturo Prat

More coming soon, including about the international surfing competition!

Pichilemu International Surf Championship

For all you surfers and beach lovers out there…

The Pichilemu International Surf Championship 2010 (Campeonato Internacional de Surf Pichilemu 2010) will be held over the next days, specifically the 8th and 9th of January with the closing ceremony on Sunday 10th when the $3.5 million pesos in prizes will be given out. The championship open to both men and women will be at the Infiernillo, Punta de Lobos and La Puntilla sectors of Pichilemu.

During the championship there will be various other activities happening at the same time including a fashion show with well-known national models and a cultural fair with around 70 stands including local handicraft and gastronomy.

We'll be there this weekend so will post some photos / videos later on.

La Esmeralda leaving Valparaiso

The Esmeralda, also known as La Dama Blanca (The White Lady) is the second tallest (48.5m – 159ft) and longest (113m – 371ft) sailing ship in the world. Belonging to the Chilean Navy it is used as the training ship for their cadets (only 50 or so are in training at any one time) and holds up to 333 sailors in total.

On the 3rd of January 2010, the Esmeralda set sail on a journey that will take her over 20,433 nautical miles visiting ports in Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Mexico, United States and Panama. The ship won’t return to Valparaiso until the 8th of August 2010, just in time for the Chile’s bicentennial celebrations.

Below is a video of the Esmeralda leaving port that day:



A little history about the Esmeralda

Building of the ship started in Spain in 1946 though was halted many times, only being completed in 1953. In 1951 ownership of the partially completed ship was transferred to Chile as a part of Spain’s debt payment to the country.

During the Pinochet regime the boat was “supposedly” used as a floating jail and torture chamber for political prisoners. The British priest Miguel Woodward was one of those killed aboard in September 1973.
(I bet you won’t find anything about that on the Esmeralda’s official site!)

For information about the Esmeralda and where it is at the moment (in Spanish), check out their official website: www.esmeralda.cl

Videos of New Year at Valparaiso Chile

These videos are part of the fireworks display you will see if you go to celebrate New Year's in Valparaiso, Chile. I videoed the entire show which lasted just over 20 minutes. Have in mind that the video doesn't do the display justice and that I only shot three of the seventeen launch sites.
So, without further ado... here is the complete fireworks display divided into two parts:

Part One:



Part Two with the grand finale:



P.S. If you sit through the entire two videos, I think you need to get out of the house a little more. :)

Hope the year has started off well for you!

Valparaiso New Year Fireworks Celebration

If you love fireworks then you won’t want to miss the New Year celebration in Valparaiso. At midnight just before the fireworks display kicks off, the first few city blocks from the waterfront get their power cut (sorry for those on an artificial respirator) so that those on the hills can better appreciate the spectacle.

Even though everyone calls it the Valparaiso Fireworks, it is in fact along a display running along a great part of the coast from Valparaiso, past Viña del Mar and all the way to Concón. There are 17 different launching points, most of them from boats in the harbour, and this year the almost US$200,000 spent on the 37 tonnes of fireworks created around 30,000 explosions (I had to count pretty quickly) lasted around 20 minutes. Since 2010 is Chile’s Bicentennial year, the fireworks were mostly of the national colours – red, white and blue – to celebrate Chile’s 200-year anniversary. Interestingly the famous ‘cascade’ of Valparaiso was not done this year… looks like I’ll have to go back to see it next time.

Of course people don’t just come to see some pretty lights in the sky. It’s the partying in the street that makes Valparaiso so much fun. A stage is set up at Plaza Sotomayor, the main square near the wharf, with live bands that last until 8 in the morning. At midnight, the streets are choked with confetti, bottles of champagne spray over everyone (remember to add pineapple ice-cream) and people hug each their family, friends, and whoever else happens to be next to them (depending on the alcohol already consumed some people hug street lights, plants and even try to hug their own shadow).

When to go?
Due to the large number of visitors, about a million, most of the streets of Valparaiso are closed off to traffic around 5pm. Before then, an eternal line of cars jam the roads where families, wedged in between bags, coolers and their dog, sweat for hours in the intense summer heat.
We left Santiago at 8.30 in the morning and found the way relatively easy going, without any holdups, taking only an hour and a half by car. We know of someone that left Santiago at 4.30pm and it took them over 4 hours to get to the coast, again by car. If you go to Valparaiso any later than that, you may just end up celebrating the New Year from inside of a non-moving vehicle.
If you plan to go by bus, make sure you get your tickets beforehand as you won’t be able to find any on that same day. Also, you need to be prepared to pay triple the normal price for buses.

Where to stay?
Unless you like sleeping in the street, as a number of young people do, it pays to get your accommodation organised well in advance. Hotels, hostels and apartments are usually booked out long before the day comes around. Such is the scarcity and expense at the time of year that many people even drive back to Santiago after the display is over.
This year we were fortunate to rent an apartment for the long weekend though it did cost an arm and a leg and few clumps of hair as well. You may look at having to pay more than a month’s worth of rent just to stay somewhere a couple of nights.

Well, after over 12 years in Chile at least I can finally say I saw the Valparaiso fireworks!
(Yes, it was my first time!)

Happy New Year!!!

How did you spend your New Year in South America?

Thanksgiving in Santiago

I am not from the States though I thought some of you may be interested in the following:

Thanksgiving Dinner

Thursday November 26 - 7:30 p.m.

Join us for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner (from the USA) – turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy – even pumpkin pie!

The cost is $3.000 for adults and $1.000 for children, plus a contribution of one item (side dish or appetizer).

All are welcome, but there is limited seating, so get your place reserved soon!

Organised by the Santiago Community Church
Holanda 151
Providencia
Santiago
Chile

Does anyone know of any other Thanksgiving events happening in South America?

What are your plans for Thanksgiving?

Christmas Bazaars in Santiago 2009

There are a number of Bazaars organised by the International Expat community coming up in Santiago should you want to do some early Christmas shopping.

BIG Christmas Bazaar

Tuesday 17th of November from 11 am to 3 pm

Prince of Wales Country Club
Las Arañas 1901, La Reina

Handicrafts, Jewellery, Artists, Baked Goods, Express Massage

ENTRANCE: $1000
All funds donated to Charity

And then there is my favourite Bazaar which is organised by the 'Diplomatic Ladies'...

The International Bazaar organized every year by the ADD (Asociación de Damas Diplomáticas) will be on Saturday 28th of November this year. It will be held in the Parque Ines de Suarez, located between Avenida Bilbao and Calle Vasconia in Providencia from 10am to 8pm.

This year there are more than 25 countries participating with crafts, international cuisine and local beverages. In addition, several countries have prepared unique cultural shows.

Please come and join us - along with your friends and families! It will be great fun and your contribution will help alleviate the needs of several disadvantaged people.

Entrance $1500 pesos per person.
Children under 12 free of charge.

My favourite thing about the Damas Diplomáticas fair are the food stands. There is an amazing variety of food from many different countries. Also the products that are on offer have usually been imported by the embassies or expats especially for the occasion.

Hope you enjoy them!

Winter Carnival - Punta Arenas

If for ever reason you plan to be in Punta Arenas in the middle of winter, try and time it for the same time as the Punta Arenas Winter Carnival. This is an annual event held every August filled with costumes parades, the big decorative floats, lots of dancing and music which is enough to warm people’s spirits during the coldest, darkest month of the year.

It all happens at the Main Square and some surrounding streets with a fireworks display on the final night down near the waterfront (just follow the herd to get there).

I stayed at Hotel Plaza which overlooks the square though unfortunately I didn’t have a decent camera to get better night shots though you can still get a general idea of the carnival vibe from the ones I did take. See them at: Punta Arenas Winter Carnival

I also have some video footage from the carnival which I will publish here when I get time.

Chubby fingers or Trees?

The cemetery of Punta Arenas is not your typical necropolis. It is a fascinating place to stroll around with its immaculately trimmed cypress trees that look like giant chubby fingers protruding from the ground. Some of the mausoleums seem like miniature cathedrals; each one lavishly built to outdo the last.

There are also many urban legends surrounding the cemetery:
Did you know that only one person has ever gone through the front gate, the same person that paid for them to be built?
Do you know why some people visit Sara Braun’s mausoleum every 1st of November?
Do you know who the unknown Indian is? (Of course you don’t, otherwise he wouldn’t be unknown any more)

If you are curious to find answers to these questions and learn more about the cemetery, then visit our recently created page about the Punta Arenas Cemetery.

Oh, and there are plenty of photos there too!

New Panoramic View of Punta Arenas

Our new version of the panoramic view of Punta Arenas as seen from the hill overlooking the city.

This time it was done with a video recorder instead of just the normal camera so the quality of the image is a lot better. Also the panning from one side to the other is a lot slower so you have more time to look at the details.

The lookout from where this was taken is around 7 blocks up the hill from the main square.

Una vista Panorámica de Punta Arenas desde el mirador a 7 cuadras de la Plaza de Armas.



Enjoy!

Flying Whales at Punta Arenas Airport

This is a video I took at the Airport of Punta Arenas in the South of Chile. It is the view from the second floor overlooking the main parts of the airport including what to expect when you go through the exit door after picking up your luggage (if it arrives!).

What makes the airport interesting are its flying whales. Well, they aren't actually flying, they are hanging from the ceiling above everyone. These artistic creations are quite impressive since the whales are made of many individual 'slices' of clear acrylic. See if you can find them in the general overview in the video before I zoom in on them. One of the whales even has a smaller baby whale inside of it. Pretty cool!

Kiss the Indian's big toe

This is a video of the famous statue at the Plaza de Armas (Main Square) of Punta Arenas in the deep south of Chile.

The tradition is that if you kiss the Big Toe of the indian, you will return back to Punta Arenas one day. That's why the video starts with a shot of that very toe and the reason it is so shiny compared to the reason of the statue. I also filmed as I walked around the statue so that you can see it from every side and finally I took some close ups of different parts of the it.

Have you ever kissed the indian's big toe?

Day trip to Puerto Aysen

Last Saturday I visited Puerto Aysén (also spelt Puerto Aisén) which is 65km from Coyhaique in the deep south of Chile. The small town can easily be visited as a day trip from Coyhaique so I thought I’d take advantage of being in the region to check it out.



You can see more photos of Puerto Aysén at:
www.southamerica.cl/Chile/Puerto_Aysen.htm

Including one of a Tsunami Evacuation sign and the reason why it is there.

Hope you enjoy them!

Mapuche Musical Instruments

I was traveling around Chile last week and will be away for most of the rest of the month, basically visiting 12 different cities in the South of Chile.

On Friday I was in Temuco and after a great lunch at ‘El Criollito’ (the sopaipillas they serve before the meal are divine!) in the Mercado Municipal (City Council Market) and had a stroll around the many arts and crafts stands that were displaying the wares. I came across one that I found interesting where typical Mapuche musical instruments were being sold. I asked the man at the stand (Francisco Diaz) if he would be able to demonstrate the different instruments and give the names of them which he kindly obliged. The result is the following short video:



I will eventually get around to writing down the names of each instrument he mentioned and add them as captions to the video.

If you are interested in any of these instruments, his stand is number 40-B at the end of one of the rows at the Mercado Municipal of Temuco. It's called Artesania 'La Nortina'.

I hope you enjoyed it.

Have you experienced a Terremoto in Chile?

Have you experienced a Terremoto in Chile?

Here we are not talking about the violent movements of the Earth but the iconic Chilean drink known as the Terremoto!

So what exactly is it?

TERREMOTO - Pipeño (a type of sweet fermented wine) with pineapple ice-cream served in a one-litre glass. Terremoto literally translates as 'Earthquake' since you are left with the ground (and legs) feeling very shaky. The next round usually contains the same drink though only in a glass that holds half a litre. This is called a Replica or 'aftershock'.

(Source: http://www.southamerica.cl/Chile/Drinks.htm)

This famous drink (you can’t really call it a cocktail and keep a straight face) originated at a well-known eating establishment/bar in Santiago called El Hoyo (literally translated as The Hole or Pit).

The story goes that some German reporters came to Santiago to report about the damages caused by the major earthquake that had struck the city in March 1985. Due to the heat, the reporters asked for something refreshing so a waiter called Guillermo Valenzuela added some ice-cream to a glass of pipeño. When they tried the concoction, they supposedly said “Esto sí que es un Terremoto” (This truly is an earthquake) due to how strong it was and the name stuck even since.

And those Germans weren’t far from the truth; this stuff will leave you shaking at the knees.

Terremoto Recipe

The recipe is very simple with no measuring instruments required.

1. Clump some pineapple ice-cream into a jug.
2. Fill the remainder of the jug up with pipeño (or fermented white wine)
3. Serve in a glass and drink.

Have you ever experienced a Terremoto?

Visit our South America Food and Drink Group to discover more food and drink from the continent.

New Credit Card system in Chile

No more worrying about falsified signatures, as of today a new system came into place regarding the use of credit cards in Chile. Now, if you want to buy something with a credit card you must have a 4-digit secret code called a PinPass. The reason for this change is to help prevent credit card fraud which is good both for the card holder and businesses.
The only other country in the world with this special system is Australia. Source (in Spanish): Las Últimas Noticias (a local newspaper).

Below I have some frequent questions about this new system in Chile:

Is it a new credit card?
No, it’s the same one you already have.

How can a get the PinPass or secret password?
Each bank has their own way of giving the code. With some you will have to get it online, with others via the ATM machine and others via a call center. Check with your local bank.

When can you start using the PinPass?
As of today (14 July 2009) some major companies will start using this system including Lider supermarkets, service stations such as Copec, Shell and Terpel as well as the SalcoBrand pharmacies. The idea is to have all of the 60,000 stores and restaurants with this new system by mid August.

How does this system work?
The moment that you buy anything with a credit card, the saleperson will ask you to confirm the amount of purchase and then to type in your PinPass number. Once the transaction has been completed, you will receive a receipt as proof of purchase (via the credit card machine).

Can I continue to use the traditional credit card system?
There will be a transition period where you will be able to purchase both with the PinPass system as well as the traditional sign the dotted line way. In about 3 months time you will only be able to purchase using the PinPass system.

Can I purchase products overseas using my secret number?
No, the only other country with this system is Australia so if you are overseas, you will continue using the traditional signature system.

Do additional cards have a different PinPass number?
Yes, if a partner or other family member has an additional card for your account, they will have their own PinPass number.

Does this have any additional cost for the user?
No, it is the same as before though now a safer way of purchasing.


My only question is what will happen to foreigners visiting the country when they make a purchase. Will they need to obtain their own PinPass number? How will they do this?

If I find out, I will let you know. If anyone else happens to know the answer, please leave a comment below.

Check out our following page for information about Money in Chile.

La Tirana Festival Cancelled

One of Chile’s largest and most colourful religious celebrations has been cancelled this year (2009).

The ‘Fiesta de la Tirana’ is held every 16th of July in honour of the Virgen del Carmen and brings together over 200-250,000 people to a town that normally only has 570 people (that's a three-digit number, not in thousands, of course with a few dogs and chickens thrown in there to beef up the numbers).

Even though 230 religious dance groups had already confirmed their attendance, the Chilean Ministry of Health ‘suspended’ the festival due to the large number of cases of the A/H1N1 Flu virus (Swine Flu) in the region. This is only the second time in the event’s long history that it has been cancelled. The last time was in 1991 due to a Cholera outbreak.

La Tirana, the name of the little town, is in the Tarapacá region in the north of Chile.
(Sorry, no pretty pictures of this festival, we are yet to go!)

Third Blues Festival of Talagante 2009

An event that we have sponsored this year.

Third Blues Festival of Talagante
(3º Festival de Blues de Talagante)

Day: Saturday 30th of May 2009
Time: From 1pm.
Where: Plaza de Armas de Talagante (Talagante Main Square)

Organizers: Corporación Cultural de Talagante and Cerveza Artesanal TAJANO
Sponsors: Ilustre Municipalidad de Talagante (Talagante City Council) and Woodward Chile / SouthAmerica.cl

FREE ENTRANCE!!!!

Blues groups and musicians playing:
* Sumergidos
* Iost & MannishBoy Quilodran
* Bellavista Blues
* Los Tios DP
* Los Queltehues
* Felipe Toro y Bluesman
* Filántropos
* Vintage Blues
* Araya & Gumucio
* Magnolia

+ Surprise guests.

Valdivia Airport Closed

I have to give a seminar in Valdivia on the 1st of June and when looking for a flight there on LAN, nothing came up. I checked for dates around it and again nothing. The same happened when checking out SKY airlines. Weird I thought! Had the 1960 earthquake there (the strongest in the world) come back and finally wiped Valdivia off the map as originally intended?

I gave an airline a call and they said that the airport is closed during May and June for repairs. Interesting.
I wonder how that will affect the city in general. Less tourism? I personally like Valdivia and surrounding areas so it would be a shame for people to skip it. Then again, planes are mostly filled with people on business or work more than the common tourist.

Looking at other options, the closest airport is Osorno with few (inconvenient) flights or Puerto Montt and doing a major-ish trek across land. Let the juggling begin!

Happy Pisco Day!

Happy Pisco Day!

The 15th of May is officially the Día Nacional del Pisco or National Day of Pisco in Chile!

Check out this article (in Spanish) on the Government of Chile website stating how President Bachelet signed the decree today.

Why did they choose this date? Well on this same date in 1931, Ex President Carlos Ibáñez del Campo decreed law N° 181, in which the production of Pisco was limited to the then provinces of Atacama and Coquimbo in order to protect the denomination of origin of Pisco. Of course the bragging rights to the origin of Pisco are still heavily disputed between Chile and Peru.

If you don’t know what Pisco is yet, check out: Chilean Pisco

I'll drink to that!

Chile legally has to celebrate Argentina’s National Day

Chile legally has to celebrate Argentina’s National Day!

I was looking around the Internet to see what if there were any public holidays in Argentina in June and I stumbled across some interesting information about their national day.

First, there seems to be two national days in Argentina, one on the 25th of May which celebrates the country’s first national government (also called Revolution day) and the other being the 9th of July which is Independence Day. Looking around official sources it appears that the date in May is considered more like the ‘National Day’.

Does anyone at there know which date are considered more as the National Day for Argentinians?

Secondly, as I was scouring the internet, I stumbled across an interesting page about Chilean National Days (in Spanish). It has a lot of useful tidbits about the original dates of Chilean public holidays, whether they are still valid, the name of the law and when it was passed etc.

In Chile all public holidays are published in the Diario Oficial (Official Newspaper) and on the 25rd of May 1925 a decree was published stating:

Declárase feriado legal el 25 de Mayo, aniversario de la Independencia de la República Argentina.

Translated as: The 25th of May, the anniversary of the Independence of the Republic or Argentina, is declared a legal holiday.

Now something should be noted about the laws and decrees establishing single year (only that year) public holidays. They should state the (Day) of (Month) of (Year) OR… (Day) of (Month) of this present year.
Whereas if you want the public holiday to be recurring, the law will state just the (Day) of (Month) OR… (Day) of (Month) of each year... as has appeared in other occasions in the Official Newspaper.

So in the case above, it was declared a public holiday on 25th of May WITHOUT the year or this present year leading us to believe that it is recurring and still active.

Since that date (almost 200 years ago), there has been no law or decree to abolish the original law (Decree 2.678) stating “The 25th of May, the anniversary of the Independence of the Republic or Argentina, is declared a legal holiday.”

So, legally, Chile should be celebrating the Argentinean National day as a public holiday.

Just on a side point, it amazes me how many public holidays there are in Chile and they seem to change every year with a new law being passed to please the masses and give the government bonus points in their favour. Oh, are the elections this year?

Any comments?

How much the President earns

Did you know that the President of Chile currently earns $7,326,180 (Chilean pesos) a month?

How do I know?
A Government Transparency law has recently come into effect where each public sector from the Government to City Councils needs to allow the public to freely access information about everything administrative. This includes finding out how much everyone gets paid and where their tax-paying money goes, to what has been sold and bought and to/from who and for how much. You can learn interesting tidbits like the Carpenter at the Palacio Cerro Castillo, the presidential palace in Viña del Mar, has been working there since the 1st June 1992 and earns $478.304 a month.

If you want to check out who earns what in the Government of Chile, check out: http://www.presidencia.cl/transparencia/ (in Spanish)

For those that know Spanish, it's a part of the Gobierno Transparente Ley 20.285 – sobre acceso a la información pública.

On the local city council’s website I saw the signature of the Mayor that was responsible for the ‘Noise Police’ that tell us to turn down the decibels after they receive phone calls from the bitter granny that lives on the third floor nearby, and once she has run out of stones to throw at us. It’s not our fault she goes to bed before 10pm on a Friday night! It’s not even music just a dozen or so people talking! Anyway…

I could also find out who was contracted to supply emergency power to the traffic lights in the case of a power cut. The thing is, whenever the power goes out in the office, the traffic lights on the main street just in front of us also die. So much for the emergency power supply.

A lot more interesting is seeing the latest business permits in the suburb, the names of their company and what they do etc.

My only question is why are there so many stamps on the paperwork dated 17th of this Month. That is the Friday just gone by (the law came into force the Monday after). Was it a case of “Damn, we have to put something up online before we get our hands slapped” and to make it appear like they already had some transparent system already in place?

I wonder what other interesting things I can dig up.

Do you think this law will really make things more transparent in Chile?

Villa Alegre - Happy Town

One of the little towns we visited in the South of Chile earlier this year was Villa Alegre. This town (with its name loosely translated as Happy Town) has streets lined with oranges trees and traditional colonial style houses. For such a small place it interestingly holds many surprises.

Villa Alegre is home to the Festival de la Canción de La Naranja (Festival of the Song of the Orange) where they have their Naranja de Plata (Silver Orange) as a prize similar to the Gaviota de Plata (Silver Seagull) given out at the Festival de Viña del Mar.

Then there is the church on the main road with the remains of Father Juan Ignacio Molina who wrote about the theory of evolution 4 decades before Darwin (it was even cited by Darwin).

It is only 32km south of Talca so worth stopping by if you are heading further down the country.

More information and photos at Villa Alegre.

Vitacura Wine Festival 2009

Do you like wine festivals?

Well an event that I have been waiting for is the Vitacura Fiesta de la Vendimia 2009.
Why have I been waiting for it? Not because I’m alcoholic, but because it’s only recently they have given the information of where it will be held and the reason is that they have changed the venue and the name of the event (a tiff between the city council and the previous organizers??)

Over the last years the event was on the exclusive Alonso de Córdova Street and called the DeCopas festival. Now it is called the Fiesta de Vendimia de Vitacura.

Place: Parque Bicentenario (Av. Bicentenario 3800 next to the civic centre)
When: Saturday 18th April 2009 3pm to Midnight and
Sunday 19th April 2009 Noon to 8pm.
Price: Free activities all day though those that want to do some wine tasting will have to buy a special tasting glass. I haven’t found the price of that yet.

Remember it is THIS WEEKEND!!!!

More information here: Vitacura Wine Festival

People in Chile speak Spanish

This is post number 9 of a series of 21 posts about things you should know before coming to Chile.

9. People in Chile speak Spanish

Ok, it sounds obvious but there are some things you need to know…

I recommend that you make an effort to learn some Spanish either before you come or while you are here in Chile (or other Spanish-speaking countries). Not only because it will make your experience a lot more enjoyable but because not many Chileans speak English. Here, we’re not talking about being totally fluent or bring able to have light conversations about brain surgery. No, we recommend that you learn the basics and enough to get by.
You can always do night classes in your country or even try learning Spanish online. There are loads of free Spanish learning activities on the internet. Try some Spanish Grammar Games or Spanish Vocabulary Notes to get you started.

Learning Spanish in Chile
There is a small handful of Spanish Schools in Chile so you could also do a short course when you are in the country. You don’t really need to book in advance and you should never book weeks of Spanish lessons in advance. We recommend that you try out a school for a week or two to see the quality of what they do before committing to more hours or weeks. In fact, visit a few schools to get a feel for them before deciding on which you will enroll in and follow your instinct!!! (Of course we recommend www.spanish.cl).

Chilean Spanish
Many people say that Chilean Spanish is very difficult and full of idioms, colloquialisms and general grammatical mass destruction. They also say that if you can learn and dominate Chilean Spanish, you can understand everyone else on the continent with ease. I personally think that every country has their weird and wonderful way of pronunciation with many of their own colloquialisms and the regional differences in vocabulary is just fascinating.

I won’t go into all the details and nuances of Chilean Spanish though the main tendency is not to pronounce the S at the end of the word and sometimes the D near the end. Chileans generally speak VERY quickly with their entire sentence often sounding like one long word. Some nationalities say that Chileans sing instead of speaking (especially in the South).

Chilean Friends
Many foreigners end up teaching English to get by in Chile so are more immersed in English than in Spanish. And, when they leave work and hangout with other ex-pats, it’s not like you use Spanish amongst yourselves. How are you ever going to improve your Spanish if you are speaking English all day? If you can, try and have Chilean friends. Not just to help improve your Spanish (even though many Chileans like foreigner friends so they can practice their English), but to learn more about the Chilean lifestyle and culture.

A pet peeve I have…
Why is it that many English-speakers have the arrogance to expect everyone to speak their language? Certain nationalities (I won’t name them), tend to think that when the locals don’t understand the first time that if they say it again, only louder, they miraculously become bilingual and understand. How would you feel if every foreigner to your country only spoke their language?

For those that have been in Chile a while, how have you found the language barrier?
Did you learn any Spanish before you came?
What do you think of Chilean Spanish? Did you find it difficult to learn?
What experiences have you had with Spanish in other parts of South America?

Pirque Wine Festival this weekend

Remember that this weekend has one of the last Wine festivals in Chile for this year.

The Pirque Wine Festival 2009

This Celebration reinforces the vision of Pirque as "the Capital of Wine" and Cradle of Traditions and Wine Culture. The event will take place on the 3rd, 4th and 5th of April (2009), in Vicente Huidobro Park in Pirque, where the Rodeo 'Half Moon' is located along side 18 hectares of park.

It started last night with the main activities happening this Saturday and Sunday.

General Entrance: $2.500
Entrance with Tasting Glass: $5.000

More Information and the original site at www.fiestadelvinodepirque.cl (in Spanish).

Mega Concerts in Chile

Something that I love about Chile is the number of bands and singers that come through and this last week has been no exception with the Pepsi Music Fest.

These are some that have come through over the last days.
24th March – Peter Gabriel (I love the song Solsbury Hill)
25th March – Chris Cornell and Mike Patton
28th March – Rick Astley, Aha and Blondie (wow a real blast from the past)
29th March – Sonic Youth
3rd April (tonight) – KISS (complete with long-tongued Gene Simmons, kilos of make-up and spiky bits)

Even legendary guitarists such as Yngwie Malmsteen, Joe Satriani and Steve Vai have been here, and more than once. I myself am a (failed) guitarist so seeing these guys strut their stuff in the flesh is amazing. (Would still like to see Eddie here with Van Halen in Chile)

Then there was the Madonna concert in December! Perfection on stage and highly entertaining it was an amazing concert (you would never tell that she is a 50-year-old).

Have you been to many concerts here in Chile? Which ones? Any favourites?
Who would you like to see here?

Chile is a late night society

This is post number 8 of a series of 21 posts about things you should know before coming to Chile.

8. Chile is a late night society.

Everything in Chile starts and finishes much later than in most English-speaking countries. Sleep seems to be an overrated option, not a necessity.

Going Out and Night Clubs
If you are invited to go out, expect little sleep. Get ready to go out late since the discos and pubs are still quietish around midnight. At 1am things just start to pick up and at about 2am is when things start getting interesting. At least it is not as bad as in Buenos Aires where things start around 4am. By the way, the word 'night club' here is used to refer to a strip joint. If you want to go to a place to dance and drink (like our night clubs), they are called discos here (sounds so 70s, doesn’t it?).
When I first came to Chile I asked people that I knew if they wanted to come to a Night Club with me. Imagine the looks I used to get, especially from the girls! Remember to call it a Disco, not a Night Club.
Even if you want to go out to a restaurant, many don't open until 8 or 9pm and don't be surprised if you see it packed between 11pm and midnight. No wonder everyone is so sleepy in the morning here.

Christmas
On Christmas Eve you will see kids roaming the streets on their new bikes well after midnight and into the early hours of the morning and even the granny will be up until the early hours of the morning celebrating with the rest of the family. This is because the Christmas presents are not opened until after midnight and not on Christmas morning.

Curfews in the Past
While Pinochet was in power during the 70's and 80's there used to be a curfew at a night (Toque de queda in Spanish) and anyone found on the streets was arrested. Maybe this late-night phenomena that exists today started as a way of rebelling against the 'old' system.
Does anyone know specifically whether the curfew lasted the entire regime and at what time it started and ended?

I personally have always been a night owl and find myself most active and creative at night so I find myself fitting perfectly into this lifestyle. It is very rare to find me in bed before midnight.

Have your habits changed since you have been in Chile?

Free WiFi on buses

Tur Bus and Claro Chile started a free service last week that lets passengers traveling with them between Santiago and different destination in the 5th region (most typically Viña del Mar and Valparaíso) to have access to WiFi (3G network). Only problem is that only 10 users can be connected at any one time but at least it is better than none.

To begin with 90 buses on the Santiago – Casa Blanca – Valparaíso route will have this free service in place and they look to extend it to other parts over the year.

Apparently the same service has already been running for around a year on the two-floor buses of the “Talca, Paris y Londres” bus company based in Talca.

Does anyone else know of any buses with this service either in Chile or other parts of South America?
Has anyone used the Wifi on any of the buses on the Valparaíso route?

Bali Hai Restaurant in Santiago

Ten of our staff went to Bali Hai restaurant at the end of last year and of course we did some serious eating, drinking and general indulging, oh, and we even took some photos while we were there. It was a Monday night, it was packed with photo-trigger-happy tourists that had just been unloaded from tour buses, but we still managed to enjoy the night. Since my eternal To-Do list never stops growing it is only now that I could put up our review and some photos of the place.

You can see our comments about the restaurant here at: Bali Hai
And you may want to see some photos of the traditional Chilean / Polynesian dance show while you are at it.

Basically it comes down to the food was good, the show was very well done though it still doesn’t beat my favourite place for a typical Chilean show at Los Buenos Muchachos. (Yes, I have photos from the many times we’ve been there too but it’s also on the To-Do list).

Has anyone else been to Bali Hai? What did you think of it?

Anthony Bourdain in Chile

Yes Anthony Bourdain, the same guy that appears eating anything that crosses his path on the No Reservations (Sin Reservas) programme on the Travel & Living channel was recently in Chile.

The chef was filming a new episode for the season which took him to Valparaiso, Santiago, Rancagua, Puerto Varas, Puerto Montt and Chiloé (amongst other places).

The highlight of his trip was the iconic ‘El Hoyo’ down near Estación Central (it’s been around since 1912). This ‘restaurant’ is a classic ‘picada’ (a place where all the locals go and recommend for being good and cheap). I last visited it about 7 years ago though I doubt much will have changed in this truly Chilean experience.

His favourite Chilean dishes were Lomitos, Prietas (Blood Sausages - I can’t stand them) and he also loved the Arrollado (he loves Pork which is probably why).
Whereas having tried Piures, (a seafood dish) he didn’t know whether they were “delicious or a crime.”
If you are wondering what exactly these are… check out our page about Typical Chilean Food.

And his opinion about Chilean wine… "I drank so much and without knowing exactly what it was, but it was very good".

Saludos

El Cajón del Maipo

A Photo for today...



One of the valleys of the Cajón del Maipo in the Andes Mountains.

El Cajón del Maipo can be visited in a day trip from Santiago though is best done over a couple of days, especially if you want to relax in the thermal pools after hiking the national park to visit the glacier.

You can find lots of information about how to get there and details about all the little towns that dot the road on the way up at: El Cajón del Maipo

Enjoy!

Walking towards the light

Haven’t posted the last days since I have been in and out of doctors’ offices and getting all types of exams and jabs done. I think I’ll have to do a post about the health system in Chile some time soon.

Anyway, here’s a video that earned the shakiest-bad image award in this weeks world’s worst video oscars. I took it with my normal (photo) camera as I walked through a natural arch in a rock formation just out of Constitución heading towards the beach. You can probably count the steps I took by the continual up and down movement of the camera. And as for the lighting... it was either a shade of dark or bright.

Well, at least I captured the moment when I walked towards the light at the end of the tunnel (ok, it’s not much of a tunnel but it sounded good) and even returned to tell the story. You'll never guess what I found on the other side… you’ll just have to watch it see.



This is another area we visited while we were roaming around the region around Talca in January. I still of loads more photos and videos from that week so stay tuned.

You are Here!

Aquí = Here (in Spanish)

When we were driving around the back roads somewhere between Talca and Colbun Lake in January, we found the following sign in the middle of nowhere:



What makes this interesting is that Aquí is Spanish for Here.
So basically it says that you have finally arrived… well, HERE!

I found it quite funny, though when I thought about it, why would anyone want to put that sign anywhere?

Well, they could have said…

Drive along the road and you will a sign that says where the party is… AQUI
Or
I’ll let you know where to leave all those frozen rubber chickens you have just stolen… AQUI
Or
Someone had to frequently remember to put their wedding ring back on and that sign is the last chance before arriving home.
Or
Maybe someone put it to help them remember where they buried the treasure.
Who needs a treasure map with a big X on it? Just put a sign that says… AQUI

Does anyone else have any suggestions why the sign could be there?

Tipping in Chile - Propinas

This is post number 7 of a series of 21 posts about things you should know before coming to Chile.

The Spanish word for Tip is Propina.

Good tipping is usually remembered and the service is often even better the next time you return to a place. What may be a small amount to you can make a huge difference to someone else.

Restaurants
The general rule of thumb for giving tips at restaurants in Chile is to leave 10% of the bill. Obviously if you thought the service was outstanding, you can give more.
In Chile the livelihood of most waiters and waitresses depends almost entirely on tips. They may be lucky to have a base/minimum salary, though even this is usually only enough to cover the transport to and from work so if you can afford to travel around the world and eat out, you can afford to leave a tip.
However having said this, you must be careful to check the bill before giving a tip because sometimes it is already included in it, though that is not the norm. I once read that they were trying to pass a bill in congress to make the 10% tip for staff compulsory and that it was going to be added to each bill but I don’t know what happened to that process.

Supermarkets
The young people that put your groceries in the plastic bags at the supermarket don’t get a salary. They depend entirely on tips so giving them a couple of coins is always appreciated. Some do it to help out their families and others for their own personal expenses like bus money, smoking addictions etc. What saddened me the other day was to see what appeared to be a normal 40-something year old packing groceries as the younger ones do to get some tips. Times are tough it seems.

Taxi Drivers
Taxi drivers in Chile are not normally tipped. You sometimes just round their fare up a bit to avoid lots of loose change.

Tour Guides
It’s always good to tip the local tour guides since in general they also get paid a very low salary. How much you should give depends on the type of tour and how long it went for though around 5-10% of the tour cost is appreciated.

Car Parking in Streets
These guys don’t have a salary at all so live on what people give them in tips. The truth is these car caretakers don’t do much but at least they are trying to make an honest living. Normally it’s only a couple or few coins depending on how long you were there for. In theory they help you park and warn oncoming cars as you come out of it. Again, it’s only in theory so you should still check to make sure nothing is coming.

Be Careful: If they ask for money up front, don’t give it. Usually only the unscrupulous ones ask up front and then they have the cheek to not even look after your car or anything of the sorts. Check out the two documentaries that appeared on National TV last year. They videoed this happening in areas with a lot of night-life activity going on and most times they would take off home early once all the car parks were full, even though they had promised to be there until the early hours of the morning.

Remember
Some people expect tips though if the service is terrible, don’t feel obliged to give one. If that happens I usually give an ‘oral tip’ and let the person know what I thought of their service. It can be a shock to them but it just may open their eyes a bit.

For information about the local currency, changing money in Chile and more, visit: Money in Chile.

Can anyone in other South American countries leave a message to let us know the tipping customs are in the country you are in? Pretty please! :)

Typical Chilean Houses

If you are interesting in learning about the typical architecture of houses in Chile, then you may just want to look at the following video I took near San Javier in the South of Chile.



The video is a little bouncy since it was taken from a normal camera as I was walking along the road, hence the up and down movement of every step. At least it shows you the real Chile.

You will notice that adobe walls and tiled roofs are a common characteristic of houses, especially in rural areas.

These houses are just before the San Javier off-ramp to the left as you are heading south along Route 5 (Pan-American Highway). San Javier is about 275kms south of Santiago.

Videos of Cerro San Cristobal

Just showing a couple more videos we took from when we drove up to the top of Cerro San Cristobal hill in Santiago, Chile the other weekend.

The first video is a couple of Gargoyles that overlook Santiago from the Funicular building on Cerro San Cristobal Hill. This video is divided into two parts; the first is taken from below where I zoom in on one of the gargoyles to see the details of it. The second part is from a different angle with a view of the city.



The second video is a panoramic view of Santiago in Summer (without snow on the Andes Mountains) as taken from the top of Cerro San Cristobal Hill. I’ll go up again in the middle of winter (after a day of rain) to capture the Andes Mountains in all their snow-capped glory.



Hope you enjoy them!

Chilean Food Tips

This is post number 6 of a series of 21 posts about things you should know before coming to Chile.

Being such a long country (4,270 km or 2,647 miles of coastline) stretched over a variety of landscapes (from deserts to glaciers), Chile has a vast range of food.

Yet, every now and then you will hear a foreigner say that Chilean food is boring.
Well, I’d like to say that whoever says Chilean food is bland or boring isn’t eating in the right places! OK, so it isn’t spicy, and doesn’t often have those interesting concoctions that explode the taste buds in your mouth but still I quite like Chilean food.

What you will find is that you need to try some traditional meals outside of the typical restaurants dotting Santiago and the touristy places (which are only ho-hum). Have you ever tried a real curanto that has just come out of the ground in Chiloé? It’s nothing like the one they make in a pot. The wet earthen smells and smoky taste are great!

There are of course some eating habits that take some getting used to but it is all a part of the idiosyncrasies of Chile and what makes it so different and interesting.

Would you like some salt on your salt?
What amazes me is that Chileans automatically put salt on their food before they have even tried it! What’s with that? Are they already assuming that it’s tasteless? The thing is, when you watch them cook, they shake the life out of the salt shaker so there’s plenty of it already in the food.

Salads
The first salad I had in Chile took me by surprise. My eyes watered, my jaw dropped and I cringed, all because they had put lemon on my salad. It was like the lettuce had bitten back. We don’t put lemon juice on our salads in NZ, if anything we put a dressing on it which is more to the sweet side than acidic. I actually don’t mind it now but when you aren’t expecting it, it can be a shock to the system.

Seafood
Chile, with its long coastline, is proud of the large variety of seafood it has available. Problem is that his is true mostly outside of Santiago. (What do you expect, it’s not a coastal city). To try the best seafood you will need to go to the local fish markets down at the wharves of coastal towns for the freshest and most interesting variety. Remember that it should always be cooked unless you don’t mind being hospitalized for intoxication.

Fruit and Vegetables
You will find that the best fruit and vegetables get exported and we are left with the dregs at the supermarket. I still cringe at the bruised and blemished fruit on display that make it look like it is already half-rotten. Probably the best place to buy your fruit and veges is not at the supermarket but at the local Ferias or temporary markets that line a street for the day in different neighbourhoods. The produce on display is usually quite good and much cheaper than the supermarket. Now that I think about it, we should start a list of where and when these markets are. Anyone know of any of these Ferias near them?

Another alternative is the famous La Vega which is across the river from the Mercado Central (Central Market) at the Cal y Canto Metro Station. Prices are good as is the variety. I used to go there all the time when I lived downtown.
You must remember to wash AND peel all fruit and vegetables. If the locals do it, you had better too.

Bread
What Chileans normally have, and why they’re better to buy, are Hallullas (disc-shaped bread) or Maraquetas (a roll that’s fluffy inside) that are baked that same day. I find the loaves of sliced bread drier and sometimes a little stale (yes, I do check the dates) since they aren’t a normal part of the Chilean diet and sit on the shelf for a longer period of time.

Manjar
No, it’s not a jar filled with diced up men. Manjar is a sweet brown spread that is used in almost every dessert or pastry that you will find in Chile. It’s nice at first though can become sickly after the first kilo or so. You are guaranteed to come across this while you are here.

Street Food
My iron stomach allows me to eat off the street though I wouldn’t recommend it to foreigners that are new to Chile unless they want to pass a couple of days hugging a toilet bowl.

A typical food found on the streets are Sopaipillas. A Sopaipilla is a flat circular fried bread made from pumpkin and flour and are best when smothered in Pebre or mustard. The sopaipillas stands are great in winter. You can find many of them on corners down in the center of the city and again the locals themselves say I shouldn’t eat at them since they are a health risk. Fortunately I have never had a problem and actually look forward to them after work.

Curry is not hot
It’s hard to find a decent curry here, even at ‘Indian’ restaurants since they are normally run by Chileans. Curry here is very mild, sometimes bordering on the sweet side at times. If you like hot burn-you-mouth-and-your-butt curries, you may have to bring your own jar of it.

Fast Food
Like the rest of the unhealthy world, Chileans love their fast food. You can easily get your doses of MierDonalds (a play on words for those that know Spanish), Pizza Hut, KFC etc as well as your Starbucks for your caffeine cravings. But why travel thousands of miles to eat something you can get back home? Chile has their own fast food places such as Fritz (German burgers), Pagoda (Chinese food) and Lomitón (more burgers and hotdogs). Notice that they are none that serve local dishes. Your best bet for that type of food are the ‘Healthy’ fast food buffets where you pick and mix.

Vegetarian Food
Vegetarians go hungry. If you ask for a vegetarian meal you will 9 times out of 10 be given some lettuce with some slices of tomato on the side (and maybe a quarter of a lemon). How original! Little by little there is a growing awareness that vegetarian dishes don’t have to be boring but it is not as wide spread as in other countries. The only decent vegetarian café that immediately comes to mind (in this city of 6 million people) is El Huerto which is at Orrego Luco 54, Providencia, Santiago (Metro Pedro de Valdivia) www.elhuerto.cl. Since Vegetarian food is not my forté, do you know of any other good vegetarian cafés, hangouts or tips in general?

My favourite dish
Since I am a carnivore, my favourite dish is Bife a lo Pobre or ‘Poor Beef’. It is anything but poor and if you are seriously hungry, it is guaranteed to fill you up. It contains steak smothered in caramelized onions, French fries and a couple of fried eggs on top. Not the best for your cholesterol but oh so yummy! The ones they make at Eladio restaurant (in Providencia) are divine.

And on the subject of restaurants if one of them doesn’t serve pebre, (a seasoning of tomatoes with chopped onion, chili, coriander, and chives that you smother over the bread they give you while you wait) then I don’t usually go back there. I love the stuff.

What’s your favourite Chilean dish?

For a complete list of Chilean Food with its name in Spanish and what it is in English, check out: Typical Chilean Food.

Do not bribe the cops in Chile!

This is post number 5 of a series of 21 posts about things you should know before coming to Chile.

Don’t bribe the cops!

Whatever you do in Chile make sure you don’t try and bride the local police called ‘Carabineros’. They are not at all like the stereotypical fat unshaven latino cop in some small dusty town that is out for a few extra dollars. No, their immaculately kept green uniforms reflect their seriousness and incorruptibility where the locals say, and even the Carabineros I have come to know say, DON’T BRIDE THE CARABINEROS!. In fact, carabineros may actually take pleasure in throwing you into jail for having insulted their honour and for comparing them to the other not-so-honest cops around the rest of the continent. Ok, you may get the odd one here and there but I have never heard of a case in the many years I have been here.

And whatever you do, don’t call the police ‘Pacos’ to their face! Everyone else, Chilean or not, may use this form in private but that’s just it, it’s in private. They take it as a personal insult for some reason. I was told the reason why ages ago but have forgotten it. Anyone here know why?

What has your experience been with the local Carabineros?

Driving Up Cerro San Cristobal Hill

On Sunday we visited Cerro San Cristobal, the iconic hill that overlooks Santiago with the statue of the Virgin Mary on top. We took the video below as we slowly drove up the road that takes you to the top of the hill. The first minute is really shaky though it gets better from there on in. The video is below:



Notice all of the 'healthy' people walking, running and cycling up to the top - not easy in the summer heat. This is quite a common activity on the weekend (we took this on a Sunday) and it can be interesting watching all the different types of people and characters that are going up or coming down the hill. Check out some of the panoramic views of the northern part of Santiago from half way up.

We had to start the video from just after going through the gates at the bottom of the hill so that it would fit into the maximum 10 minutes allowed on YouTube but at least you get an idea of how it is.

In order to take your car up the hill, you have to pay $2.000 Chilean Pesos (February 2009).
The best time to go up Cerro San Cristobal is after a day of rain since the rain clears away the smog and you have an amazing view of the entire city (instead of a haze in the distance). Also when it rains in winter it leaves a lot of snow on the Andes Mountains down to a low level.

Tomorrow I’ll try and put up the panoramic video of Santiago that I took from the top.

Does anyone here regularly run or cycle up this hill on the weekend?

7th Anniversary Indulgence

My wife and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary last night and what better way to do it than staying home and watching TV. No, just joking. We went out to one of our favourite restaurants last night that is in Bellavista call Como Agua Para Chocolate. If you haven’t been there, do so. It isn’t cheap at all though the fantastic ambience and great food make it more than worthwhile.

Last night the restaurant was PACKED!!! We hadn’t made a reservation so we had to wait about half an hour for a table to be free (we weren’t in a hurry and the Pisco Sours were good). Not bad for a Monday night. I was surprised by the amount of Brazilians roaming around the streets of Bellavista last night. We could hear their happy Portuguese dancing through the air at every moment.

We did a review of the restaurant back in July 2008 and took some photos which you can see at Como Agua Para Chocolate. Keep an eye out for the table that is made out of a bed with pillows included. Magical!



We took this photo the first time we went on a week day in winter when lunch had already finished (hence no people). Don't you just love the decoration?

Has anyone else been to this restaurant? What did you think of it?

Beginner's Guide to the Festival de Viña del Mar

Not really relevant for those traveling around South America though a topic of the moment in Chile is the Festival de Viña that starts in a couple of days time and this year is the festival’s 50th year.

What is it?
Officially it is called the: Festival de la canción internacional de Viña del Mar or Festival of the international song of Viña del Mar and in theory this is a competition over a few nights where many countries send a singer with an original song to compete against other countries doing the same. The reality is that people usually take advantage of the international song sections to go the toilet or get something to eat because they have really come to see the major overseas artists that grace the stage for a few songs. This year we have Carlos Santana, Simply Red, KC and the Sunshine Band, Marc Antony amongst others.

The Monster
All bands, singers, comedians and show hosts fear El Monstruo or the Monster. What is it? It is the name given to the crowd that attend that night and will quickly let you know whether the show is good or bad. Some major artists have had to walk off the stage with their tail between their legs especially if their live performance don’t live up to the level of their recordings.

Seagulls as prizes (Gaviotas)
It is also the monster that normally decides who will get the prized Gaviota (literally meaning seagull). This is a statue (in the shape of… well, a seagull) that is given to those performers that excel that night. Before they can get the Gaviota they need to earn the Antorcha (or Torch) and then there is the Gaviota de Plata (silver seagull) and then the highest distinction of the Gaviota de Oro (golden seagull) which years ago was very hard to get though of late seems to be a regular handout. Only last year did the organizers make it hard to get.

Classic Moments
Chile’s one and only ex-Miss Universe Cecilia Boloco showed a bit more than she wished in a REAL wardrobe malfunction (sorry Janet, she beat you here) while she was dancing around on stage at the beginning of the night. It was a photo taken at the exact precise moment her leg was near her head and her private parts were… lets say getting a breath of fresh air! Fortunately it wasn’t seen on major TV though it was on the front page of every newspaper the next day. Nothing was left to the imagination!

How about when Enrique Iglesias (Julio’s son) won a gaviota and threw it into the crowd. Look at the photo of it below and you can imagine the damage it could do which would vary in level from severe maiming to painful death. Yes, there was blood involved and Enrique is unlikely to show his head around these parts in a long time.


The Festival Queen
Every year they choose a Festival Queen which I imagine was an elegant honour though one that has now turned into a ‘who has the biggest and best implants’ queen. The last years have been all about attractive models wearing virtually nothing as they shake ALL their bits in front of any camera that crosses their path in order to get their 15 minutes of fame.

There was a bit of a scandal last year where the winner was a complete unknown that almost always appeared solely in lingerie and basically had nothing to do with the festival other than strut around and show some skin in front of the reporters. This year the organizers cracked down on the situation and now the only competitors for the title of Festival Queen are those ladies from shows that are exclusively dedicated to the festival on major TV channels. So that has narrowed it down to one (I don’t know of any other as of yet). The winner is chosen by mostly male reporters and there is a traditional for the new queen to jump into a swimming pool (oh great, a wet t-shirt competition… without the shirt). Typical of Chile!

Stefan Kramer
Is anyone else sick of Channel 13’s over abuse of the repeats of Stefan Kramer’s show from last year’s Festival de Viña? They repeat it, and repeat it, and repeat it again and just when you though it was safe… there it is again. Damn, that tape must be worn thin by now.
Ok, his imitations were incredibly well done and he deserved the prizes he got (You need to have been here in Chile for years to really appreciate the job he did that night), but come on Canal 13 STOP FLOGGING IT… IT IS SOOOOO TIRESOME SEEING IT THE 100TH TIME!

Are you planning to go to the festival this year? (or watch it on TV?)
What do you think about the whole Festival Queen thing?
Am I the only one sick to death of the Kramer reruns?
Let us know!

Driving in Santiago and Chile

This is post number 4 of a series of 21 posts about things you should know before coming to Chile.

4. Driving in Santiago and Chile

I’d love to own an old beat-up car. Why? Just so I could run into all those incompetent drivers that cut in front of you or sit inches away from your back bumper without worrying about what happens to my car. It would save me having to squeal the brakes on very couple of blocks to avoid any scratches and dents.

And it’s not just cars you have to worry about, buses are like tanks that think they own the roads. Since they’re bigger they know that your little car will come off second best in any entanglement (unless you have a two-tonne Volvo). When the Santiago Buses were all painted yellow a couple of years ago, you would see many cars with dents and yellow lines scraped across their side.

If you still want to experience the real-life demolition derby sensation of driving in Chile then you will need some documents.

What do you need to drive in Chile? (…apart from Life insurance)

You can get pulled over at any time by the carabineros (police) and they are likely to ask you for los documentos (the documents). What are these documents? Well they are all the official bits of paper that you need to legally drive. They include:

Licencia de conducir, your driver’s licence (people here seem to have gotten their local driver’s license out of a box of cereal);

Certificado de Registro Nacional de Vehiculos Motorizados or commonly just called the Padrón which is a slip of paper that shows ownership of the car (not 100% obligatory to have but it will save you hassles with the cops who will ask for it anyway);

Permiso de circulación or Circulation Permission which is a yearly payment made to any city council (Municipalidad). Some people get this in a small city council at the beach since the money goes to helping the community and at the same time you may get a local parking sticker which lets you as a ‘local’ park in certain restricted areas.

Seguro obligatorio or obligatory insurance. This is not just your typical travel insurance from home but needs to specifically be a local one for cars.

Revisión Técnica or Warrant of Fitness Certificate to prove the car is in satisfactory condition to drive on the roads.

Certificado de emisión de gases. A certificate showing the toxic levels of gas coming out of your car. This certificate is usually given the same time you get you car checked out for the Revisión Técnica above.

Of course all of these documents need to be current, not expired or Vigente as they say in Spanish.

Tolls in Santiago
There are newish highways than run through and around the city of Santiago but which you will be charged to use. How are you charged? By a little device called a Tag that is normally stuck to the inside of your windscreen near the rearview mirror. They make a beep sound as you go under an archway (with a purple glow) which means you have just been charged for that part of the highway you used. The licence plates of your car will get photographed if you don’t have a Tag and there will be a hefty fine given to the owner of the vehicle.
You can get day passes at some gas/petrol stations in Santiago and just out of the city.

Tolls in the regions
When travelling out of Santiago expect to pay tolls every hour or so. From Santiago to the coast there are two tolls to pay. From Santiago to Talca there are three you have to pay ($1900 each time – January 2009). These tolls are often more expensive on the weekends too.

Horns
Did you know that beeping your horn miraculous changes everything… or so Chileans think. There may be a traffic jam for miles on end and people continually beep as if it would speed it up (do you expect the car in front of you to suddenly sprout wings and fly out of your way?). When the traffic light turns green and you hesitate just a solitary second, you will also get beeped. Sometimes they will just beep because it’s Friday or Monday or any day that finishes in a Y. It drives me crazy how impatient can be and how liberally they use their horn when you know it doesn’t make any difference whatsoever.

How do you feel about driving in Santiago and Chile?