It seems that as Chile is geographically isolated, separated by the Andes from Argentina, especially in the North of Chile where the Andes are higher, it seems to consider itself protected from the unsavoury characteristics of other countries, and as a result in my opinion seems to have an inflated sense of its own superiority. I was getting very stressed on this line of thought and as we drove through the Andes my view of the many roadside graves where people had died in one tragedy after another was only increasing my anxiety so I put my headphones on, put my Dirty Dancing soundtrack on my walkman, closed my eyes and as there was no way I could even do a small thing to change the world for the better in that very moment, I began ... read more

After visiting Argentina and Chile I’m getting the distinct impression that every country in South America has its own problems. One concerning factor for me is the strained relationship Latin American countries have with each other. In Europe we all speak different languages but when we are united by threat we talk and decide the best course of action to beat the threat. Look at the ‘Je suis Charlie’ incident in France, and how quickly the French, British and German leaders got together. You don’t get Angela Merkel saying ‘Oi Cameron don’t speak to me, you declared war on us back in the 1940s.’ or president Hollande saying ‘Oi Angela we don’t want your help, at least not after what your government did, using part of our country to exterminate Jews back in WW2’ No, us ... read more

I got lucky finding a nice, local restaurant with a decent price for Menu del Dia. I had bread with pizca?, bean soup for starter, salmon and salad for main and a scoop of chocolate ice cream for dessert, all accompanied with a tutti frutti fresh juice. Menu Del Dia here works a bit like Menu del Dia in Spain but here they don’t give you any options- they set the menu, you sit at the table and eat what is given to you. Luckily I like most food so I eat everything. I love trying out new food, looking at what waiters are bringing other people, seeing if their portions are bigger and smaller than mine, savouring every taste, watching the local news on the TV whilst eating, or thinking about the food, how its ... read more

PABLO NERUDA’S ROLE IN SOCIALISM Today I visited Pablo Neruda’s second home, called La Sebastiana. I discovered far more about Neruda’s political life and I take back my previous comment that he was a dilettante. Dilettantes dabble in different hobbies but often don’t finish what they start but Neruda took on some very important political roles. The house itself really reflects this. However, for me it isn’t as elaborate as his house La Chascona in Santiago. In 1936 he lived in Madrid and Barcelona and during the Spanish Civil war he rescued Spaniards from the regime by bringing them to Chile using the Winnipeg boat. There is a portrait of Lord Cochrane, a British seafarer who worked at rescuing Spaniards from Chile. To show Neruda’s gratitude to the sailor, he put Cochrane’s picture in his dining ... read more

Two types of immigrants came and settled in Valparaiso - the rich and the poor. The rich brought paintings from Europe and the poor got rich by finding resources such as copper and generating profit from this business. A? good example of a ?rich immigrant is that of a Yugoslavian architect, who built the Palacio Barburizza and whilst he was getting treated for TB in Europe he brought lots of paintings with him. Now the Palace has been bought by the public, and it forms the Bellas Artes, a famous art museum with a very expensive copper roof, which displays the paintings he brought from Europe.... read more