Chile

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It's a little bit chilly, so you need to eat chilli in Chile. A-ha-ha.

Now, it is something of an oddity when booking flights that, occasionally, you will get a cheaper return flight than a one-way. And when booking our flight to Santiago de Chile, we found something even odder: to fly from La Paz to Santiago through Iquique (desert city in northern Chile) cost over 200 euro more than to take the exact same flights, with another one to Mendoza in Argentina the following day. One extra flight, 200 euro cheaper. Peculiar. Funny thing happened, then, too...when we landed in Santiago, we suddenly felt ill and couldn't take the Argentina flight the next morning. Forced us to stay in Chile for 8 days, and have a really nice time. Hate those random illnesses...



Convenient convalescences aside, we got into Santiago with ease. The flights were cool, especially landing at Iquique. In the middle of the Atacama desert, you descend amongst dunes with the ocean to your right. It is barren, and beautiful. Immigration was handled at that airport, and was pretty simple. They may like to see Irish people coming in due to Bernardo O'Higgins. Bernardo was the bastard son of Ambrose (a Sligo man). They never met in person, though they wrote letters to each other; Ambrose funded Bernardo's education. Bernardo became a mercenary officer, eventually rising through the ranks in the Chilean army and leading them in their independence fight (and dealing with a few internal squabbles). He ruled Chile for 6 years after independence, but was a better military man than regent, so he was gently pushed aside. He is still fondly remembered; most Chilean cities have an O'Higgins street, and a statue too.



Santiago is a thoroughly modern place. Chile is quite wealthy, though high inflation means their currency is low-ish in value (640 to a euro). Their wealth is a little unevenly distributed, but travelling in Chile is like being in Europe: good roads, great infrastructure in general, nice houses, big farms, industry, etc. The shopping is great, if that's your thing, though prices are not really that much lower than home. We booked to stay at EcoHostel, a short walk from the centre of town; took a bus and a subway from the airport. EcoHostel was a nice, clean place, though it had a fatal design flaw: the common areas are right outside the dorm windows. Anyone staying up for a few beers ruins the sleep of anyone inside...not too smart. Despite a slightly disturbed sleep, we felt ok in the morning and set out to explore. In the vicinity of the hostel was Santa Lucia park, a small yet tall hill with a Spanish style fort on the top. The grounds were lovely, with tiled benches and lush gardens. One of Santiago's ubiquitous street dogs followed us around; Chileans have an attitude of charity towards street dogs, feeding them and paying for neutering and other veterinary services, even clothing them in harsh winters, and as a result the dogs are friendly and docile. When we neared the top of the fort, the dog departed - other dogs held the turf. We spent a few minutes at the top, taking pictures of the huge city below, then noticed that our four-legged friend was in difficulty in a pool below. He had somehow jumped in without taking stock of the fact that he could not exit. We descended quickly to the pool, and found a female park security officer pulling him out. Would have been a more interesting blog entry had I dived in and rescued him myself, but...meh. At least this highlights my point about charitable Chileans.



We moved on from Santa Lucia, and crossed the river to the north bank. It was a nice area, with a sushi bar and some other fresh food options and cafés. We stumbled upon Bella Vista park, another large hill; this one has a funicular to the top. We rode up and climbed to the highest point where they have (you guessed it) a large statue of Mary. From the top, you can walk along the ridge of the hill, stopping off at various attractions like 2 large, free outdoor swimming pools. We didn't have the time or the swim gear, so we rode the funicular down again and ambled towards home, passing through the studenty area. Here, you can find the cheapest litre of beer in Santiago, or consume a chorriana - a mound of chips topped with steak, sausages, bacon and fried onions. To my great regret, though probably to the benifit of my cardio-vascular system, we never had a chorriana. While on the topic of indulgence, due to the ongoing debate over whether Peru or Chile invented the Pisco Sour drink, Santiagoans have created their own, definitely unique, drink: the Terremoto. Which translates as earthquake. It consists of a litre of fermented wine, some Pisco liquer and a scoop of pineapple ice-cream. If you survive this, the second round is usually only half the size, and is named...yes, the aftershock. Apparently, the drink was created in one of Santiago's dive bars, a place whose name translates loosely as "the place where the headlice hang out". Of course, though, many people lay claim to the invention of the drink, and there are a ton of origin stories.



Most of the information regarding the earthquake, and a few other things, we gleaned from the free walking tour of Santiago that we joined on our second morning. It was one of the best city tours I've taken - the guide, Franco, was funny, informative and lively. Given that the suggested tip is 5,000 pesos per person (about 7.50 euro) and the paid tours charge over 20,000, it was also an economical option. We began in the Plaza de Armas, hearing about the early (and late) struggles with the Mapuche Indians of south Chile. They were a fairly tough bunch, not known for their fondness for negotiation, and were only finally subdued around 100 years ago. We had a good look around the plaza, taking in the statues of Valdivia (who fought the Mapuche and founded many Chilean cities) and others, as well as the cathedral and the huge post office. We moved on through the pedestrian streets - Santiago was designed for walkers - and through a galleria. Gallerias are tunnels through buildings that allow you to cross several blocks without having to go to the next corner. Gallerias are stuffed with shops and cafés, the most popular being the "coffee with legs" shops. Chile, said Franco, has always had terrible coffee. A bright entrepeneur realised that the coffee could be the worst in the world, but as long as you had pretty, flirty waitresses in very short skirts, you would have customers. Thus, coffee with legs was born! These days, a much less bright individual decided it was necessary to have the girls in bikinis. The new breed of coffee with legs also features "happy minute", where the girls go topless. Franco said he had seen this twice in 10 years in Santiago. Frankly, I like the first idea - I am a man, after all. I don't really think it was necessary to go to 100% sleaze, though. We visited another Chilean institution after the galleria: Nuts 4 Nuts. A Chilean bloke set up a stall selling honey fried nuts in the streets of Santiago, but nobody wanted them. He sold everything he had, set up his stall in New York, and made it huge - thousands of carts. Chileans heard about it, and begged him to come back and set up his stalls in Santiago. He is now one of the wealthiest men in the country, and Nuts 4 Nuts carts with his face on them can be found all over the place. As with anything else that is successful in Chile (like the earthquake drink and coffee with legs), he has sprung immitators: Nuts 5 Nuts, N4N, Nuts For Nuts, etc., are also common sights.



We moved on to the presidential palace. You would never know that the west wing of it was destroyed when Pinochet came to power, tanks and aeroplanes used in the coup levelling the place. The elected leader of Chile, Allende, was found inside the palace when troops stormed it - he had killed himself rather than be captured. This was our first encounter with Chile's recent, dark past. People are reluctant to talk about it still, mainly as opinion is divided. Many people thought that Salvador Allende's policies (very left, socialist and a bit impractical) were not good for the country, but he was elected and Pinochet seized power illegally. Some people think of Pinochet as a hero - though as evidence is released of how many people disappeared during his time, support for the old regime is all but dying out. 20 years of freedom from Pinochet's rule has been good to Chile, and the country is doing very well. This may be due, in part, to one intelligent decision made by Pinochet; he sent students to America (again, the US was a staunch supporter of a dictator; Nixon, so fearful of socialism on the American continent, pretty much thrust Pinochet into power) to study economics in Chicago. These "Chicago boys" put Chile ahead of other South American nations in deciding what to do with their resources. Since the dictatorship ended, the middle class has been steadily emerging. Free, democratic elections and legal, organised protest are now the norm in Chile. There is a statue of Allende outside the palace. Whatever else Chileans disagree on, they know Allende loved the country.



Another aspect of the tour was a raft of recommendations for places to eat and drink. We learned that the German community is responsible for much of the food in Chile, with sausages and large chunks of roasted meat and mashed potatoes commonplace. Also, kuchen, or cakes, are extremely popular, and are very much German style - rich, heavy and lethally sweet. We stopped to try ice cream at Emporio la Rosa, which has won Santiago's Best Ice Cream parlour for several years. They have some very unusual flavours, such as fish ice cream, but we went with the safer green tea and mango and a scoop of pistachio. The tour concluded outside one of the houses of Pablo Neruda, Chilean literary great and Nobel Prize winner. We decided not to go in, as there was a nicer house in a town we would visit later. We tipped Franco, and headed to the central market. The market sells a bit of everything, but mainly it is fresh food. Just beyond is a large fish market, which is lined with small restaurants selling chowders and other dishes made from the fresh catch. Watching the budget at this stage of the trip, we returned home to cook dinner instead of eating there. It looked pretty amazing though. We ventured out in the evening to book a bus to Valparaiso for the next day.



I was concerned that Valparaiso (a.k.a. Valpo) would be crowded, as February is Santiago's holiday time. It wasn't that bad at all though, and we didn't have too much trouble locating a cheap place to stay. The hostel owners were two men, and we wondered if they might be a couple. Any wondering was put to rest when we noticed a scarecrow in the garden - holding a pair of ruby slippers. Valpo is a really lovely place. It needs a clean up and a lick of paint in places, but still feels fairly up-market. The houses are often made from corrugated tin and wood, and are very brightly painted. The town is right on the shore, though the beaches are a little more to the north - Valpo has a large port. Significant portions of the town are located on steep, small hills back from the shore. Around 1900, in some cases earlier, the town installed small "ascensors", kind of like funiculars, to ferry people up and down the steep hills. These civic facilities are fantastic, making it faster and easier to get up and down, particularly for older people. To go to Valpo and not ride the ascensors would be absurd. We had one near us named Reina Victoria (Queen Victoria, in honour of her visit the year that ascensor was installed), which cost only 100 pesos (11 or 12 cents) to ride. You get into a little tin cabin on a platform, and a chain and ropes drag you up the slope on rails. Reina Victoria goes up a 52 degree slope - very steep. As your cart ascends, another descends. Usually when you get in, you have to wait a few minutes for more people to show up, but never for very long. The ascensors run until 23:00, and are rarely out of order - it's a matter of pride. I particularly loved the original turnstyles when entering. Made entirely of iron, the operator has to stand on a pedal to let you past, and an ancient counter clocks up one more passenger gone through.



On our first evening in Valpo, we confined our wonderings to the hilltop near the hostel. We enjoyed the views, the sun and the fresh coastal air, and went into a restaurant for some seafood. It was a little pricey, but really good. We tried a Chilean sweet from a small shop as well, mote con huesillas. It is made of a peach and cold peach juice, with wheat grains thrown in. Very cool and refreshing, and not too sugary. After a solid sleep (didn't even wake when the Germans in the dorm returned from the nightclub at 9am), we took a bus to the northern beach at Renaca. The sky was prefectly clear, and the beach was pretty quiet. Unfortunately, the water was freezing and the waves were pretty epic, so we relaxed on the shore for a few hours and read in the sun. I finished Stig Larsson's Millenium Trilogy. Meh. We had lunch on the beach, and after a fruitless search for a reasonably priced ice cream, we jumped on a bus to Vina del Mar, a little closer to Valpo, and with another beach. Again, no swimming was allowed. They did have a number of naval guns on display, as the naval college is just across the road from the beach. My feet were going quite red - always forget to put sunscreen on them - so we headed back to the hostel before too long. The folks at the hostel had been doing a barbecue; the coals were still hot, so we cooked up our chicken. Áine made guacamole, and we had some crispy bread along with that - good dinner. We had some lovely Chilean wine (tax-free!) and hung out with the hostel owners and our fellow guests.



We checked out and left our bags at the hostel for our final day in Valpo. Our bus was in the evening, so we headed out to walk up to Pablo Neruda's Valpo house. It was a fair walk up a steep hill named Yerbas Buenas, and the sun was beating down, but we reached the top - and found the place closed. Seemed we had forgotten that most things close on a Monday in South America. Nonetheless, the view was nice from the top. We picked up the bags and got our bus back to Santiago. We had some discussion along the way about where we should go next. We settled on Puerto Montt, down south, and bought our ticket when we got to the station. The bus was at 06:00 the next morning, so we crashed out at EcoHostel for the night, then scoffed an early breakfast before getting on the move again. The bus to the south was nice enough. We slept through parts, watched Boardwalk Empire a bit on the laptop (great series), and watched the scenery roll past. Chilean roads are top quality, so we were pretty comfy. We had considered renting a car in Chile, but I was kind of glad that we didn't - we must have passed 15 tolls on the way down. Chile is very narrow ("the Ribbon Country"), only 175km wide on average, the ocean on one side and the Andes on the other. What they have in the south is very green though, forested or agricultural land. Each town we passed looked like it would have been a nice place to hang around, though they were generally quite small and quiet. Puerto Montt was...not so nice. It is a port town, and the main reason that anyone goes there is to leave on the ferry. South of Puerto Montt is light on roads, and heavy on fjords and skerryguard. We managed to find a fairly cheap private room for the night, but decided to go back the road 20km to Puerto Varas the next day.



And we did. It was also the 29th of February, that day we get (almost) every 4 years due to the day being ever so slightly not 24 hours long. Irish tradition is that women propose to men on this day. But we were in Chile, so...Anyway, we booked our tickets to Bariloche, across in Argentina, for the 2nd. We looked around for accommodation, but found the cabanas to be a bit expensive. We ended up in Ruca Hostel, a poky but nice place, where we took 2 beds in a dorm. Luckily, it was a 2 bed dorm...so pretty much a private twin! We stepped out for lunch at a place called Tomasino. A local accompanying dish with your lunch is a skinned, sliced tomato with some bread. Odd, but really nice tomatoes. They did a huge bowl of bacon soup with noodles, too. We had a look around town for a while, finding Puerto Varas to be much, much more attractive than Puerto Montt. It is a nice town on a beautiful lake, and has the very dramatic backdrop of Osorno volcano. Unfortunately, it was shrouded in cloud the whole time we were there, with only the lower reaches visible. In the evening, we chatted with Matt from Yorkshire, and we decided that the three of us could split the cost of renting a car from a local company in the morning, heading out to see the area a bit.



A tour office offered a bus up the volcano for 16,000 per person. We rented the car for 32,000, and paid 15,000 petrol, saving 1,000 pesos and getting to see way more. It was a fun day, though we were a little unlucky with the weather - cloudy and rainy. Our first stop was Petrohue falls. These striking rock formations are what has been left behind by rushing waters, quick work made of the softer rock. It was a great little area to amble around, rushing waters and paths to river edges everywhere. We walked through the woods a little, happening upon a very cruel circumstance: a perfect little pool, warm due to the volcanic properties of the area, deep enough to swim in, with a little waterfall tumbling down to one side...and it was forbidden to swim in. It was so inviting, but apparently the water is drinking water for the town. When we left, it was a short drive to some hot springs - perhaps we could swim there! Firstly, it took forever to find them, getting slowly closer each time we drove past the road. When we finally got the right path, it turned out you could only reach the springs on a boat. The boat men were disinclined to bring us across, because a) the river waters were very high, and b) they were pissed.



Back through Petrohue town, and onto a beach with dark, volcanic sands. The lake was colder here, strangely, so again no swimming. We did have lunch here though, sitting in the car due to the drizzle. The view was quite beautiful. Next up: Osorno volcano! It was a long, winding road up, and much of it in thick fog. At the top, there was no view to speak of due to the soupy air. The chairlift at the top is open in summer for sightseeing, but there was really no point on our day there. We did go into the refuge for tea by a warm log fire, though. Back down again, barely letting the clutch out once, and we decided to drive the rest of the way around the lake. It was a beautiful route on generally good roads (the odd little landslide or road works), and we passed through some sleepy little villages before stopping at Fruitillar. Fruitillar has German routes, so naturally we stopped there for some awesome cakes. Difficult to spot German genetics in the town, but the buildings were quite teutonic.



And that was Chile. Another brief stop, just 8 days, but well worth it. It was really comfortable travelling in Chile, first world apron strings reattaching. Not having to watch the side of the bus to ensure that someone isn't making off with your worldy goods is just nice. Well and truly emerged from the despotism and cruelty of dictatorship, Chile is fast-growing and savvy. The food was amazing, the people were friendly and welcoming, everything had a set price. On top of all of this, the place is just a visual feast; from the Andes to the coast it is a fantastic place to stare and daydream. I would happily return here, and I can see why Santiago in particular is becoming increasingly popular with international students. It would have been great to take the ferries further south and see the fjords, but time and money were making demands. Perhaps the one downside to backpacking in Chile - it is expensive. And so, it was on to Argentina.

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