First three weeks in Santiago, studying Spanish, gorging on seafood, getting to know the culture and people. The arrival was spectacular. After 24 hours of travel and 3 plane changes, I woke up with a grand view on Santiago from atop, a city surrounded by mountains, in a close proximity of the ocean. I was also able to discern the vineyards, as tiny spots of green space, nested in the suburbs of the city, and I imagined my favorite wine- Marquis de Casa Concha. I always wondered where the lovely grapes came from; and now I was finally going to see them.
It was quite easy to settle and find my way around. The country is quite “civilized”, with great infrastructure and extremely friendly and welcoming people. If you get lost, or just stop to look at the map, someone will surely soon approach you here and offer help. I was also lucky with my host family. I stayed with two ladies - mom and her 21-year daughter. I was their first exchange student, and so I think they took a special care of me. It is their custom to get together with the whole family every Sunday, and
so my very first day already I had a chance to meet everybody. We would later wonder around town together and also stay up until late hours chatting.
The only think that frequently gave me headaches was Spanish. It was a shock indeed. The few language lessons that I took in Minnesota were helpful but really good just for reading and comprehension. Perhaps my best miss-saying was when I was at a party and asked a woman “estas caliente?”, or in English “are you horny?”, instead of “tienes calor?” or “are you feeling warm”. The whole room was dying of laughter. Trying to start a conversation on politics soon ended with a monologue by my Chilean counterparts. I listened, smiled, and nodded. While I surely must have looked like a fool, this was a good way to learn about the country and its people. Chile has a fascinating if not dramatic history, and the terror of the military regime is still fresh in their memory. There were some striking similarities in their experiences and my memories of the communist regime in the Czech Republic. The same intimidation tactics, propaganda, lethargy resulting in deterioration of civil society, and strong underground
movement of musicians and other artists. But there were also immense differences. The military regime in Chile was operating under the ideology of free markets (inspired by Milton Freedman and U of Chicago, and thus the reference to his government as “Chicago Boys), as opposed to the centrally planned economy in the Czech Republic. As a result after the collapse of the regime, many Chileans favor and vote for center to left wing parties. I had to learn not to lambast communists too much since so many youngsters in this country belong to this movement!
What I just loved in Santiago was strolling in the streets, observing the people. With many immigrants coming here from Peru and Bolivia, not mentioning the local indigenous Mapuche, it made them quite an interesting and diverse bunch to watch. Most importantly, people here love to look around also, and don’t mind starring looks. Sometimes I found myself in a starring competition, with the counterpart not giving up and waiting for who would quit starring first. And there was lot to look at! Plaza de Armas was the best. Kids running around, musicians, painters, old men playing chess, immigrants hanging around looking job offers.
And of course, the women! With the most amazing eyes, deep and shiny. Provocative, yet soft and inviting…
Another favorite place to visit was Mercado Central - the fish market. Amazing place, full of sea creatures, often times still living. I even learned there how to determine sex of a crab. (I wonder if you can also from the pictures) Here you can pick your fish and have it cooked right in front your eyes in a restaurant nearby. My favorite here was locos (abalone), a meaty shellfish. Sushi also is incredible here, with fish coming directly from the boat on your plate. Did you know that Chile supplies much of the US and European salmon? I also fell in love with some of the native Mapuche dishes - Pastel de Choclo was my favorite - a cake made of corn, with grapes, half chicken, olives, a full egg, and tons of sugar, all baked in a ceramic bowl.
I imagined and was hoping for a great nightlife. And indeed, dance clubs are quite incredible and plentiful. Everybody dances here! Old, young, all go out to dance, although most often they don’t mingle. Most clubs play a mix
of everything, salsa, meringue, techno, latin hip hop. With enough pisco (their celebrated liquor resembling grappa), I was ready and willing to join in until early morning hours. But don’t expect cheap prices here. Entrance fees are quite steep and in hip places can rival those of NYC.
The best thing about Santiago, though, is the fact that you can run away from it so easily! And with this metropolis being one of the most polluted cities in Latin America, you will want to take a break from it. Sadly, really the only time you can see more than just shades of the amazing backdrop of mountains surrounding the city is after a strong rain that clears the sky. This happened just once while I was there. (You can see the photo of the horse race which I took just after the rain stopped. BTW at that horse race my first bet on a horse turned to be a lucky one. Can you see the orange dressed jockey? That’s the one with my horse. Of course, I later lost all that I had won before.) Cajon del Maipo, a stunning canyon surrounded by snowcapped mountains with an impressive glacier,
is just couple hours away. I found it unbelievable that on a beautiful day on the weekend we were hiking there almost alone. On the other side of the city, just an hour west, you have the ocean. I visited Vina Del Mar and Valparaiso, twin cities that could not be more different. Vina is the ritzier one of the two, a favorite beach hangout place of the Chilean beautiful youngsters and those coming here to gamble, while Valpo is the port city, with bars for sailors, interesting houses, crooked streets, coffee shops, and restaurants beautifully scattered on the hill. It is also a university town so the night life is rich. I came here with a friend from England, and we wondered into a sailors disco first, but really the real action was at the club occupied by the students. I got my first suntan here; no I got burnt! The ocean was freezing (due to the chilling Humboldt current), but this could not surprise a Minnesotan!
One afternoon I also made it to my absolutely favorite vineyard - Concha Y Toro. It took me by surprise how venerable (and unfortunately industrial) this institution is. It was the
first vineyard to be traded on the NYC stock exchange. If you get a chance, get a bottle of their Merlot Marquise de Casa Concha. You can also try the Casilerro de Diablo, their cheaper version of the same, aged in American oak rather than in French barrels. The story goes that the wine was so good that it was magically disappearing from the cellars. The owner soon discovered it was being stolen by his own staff. As clever as he was, he made up a story about people being lost at the cellar. There was a devil living at the cellar, protecting the wine. Being superstitious, people believed him. But really, the cellar looked more attractive than spooky, with countless barrels of liquid pleasure!
Chile's Flag
Map of Chile