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Published: November 24th 2008
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Crossing The Andes
Our first view of Chile was straight out of a car advert Valparaiso, Santiago and Easter Island, a Bit of Everything - by George
They're all part of the same country, they're all on roughly the same line of latitude, a rarity for Chile, and they're all hot at this time of year. These are about all the similarities I can find for the trio, a fun but diverse set of places to discover.
Fresh from our stay in Mendoza we headed over the Andes to Chile, one of the World's most environmentally diverse countries and a true freak of nature. I challenge anyone to find a country with a greater North/South coverage of the World. Border formalities on entering Chile stand out on our travels. Their focus seems to be entirely on not letting rogue fruit, food and animal products in; something which could wreak havoc for their economy, so reliant is it on grapes, cranberries and countless other fruit. In the three times we've entered Chile on our travels, never have we been asked for a bribe - clearly they've dropped the ball here, this is what being a border official is all about.
So to Valparaiso, one of the most remarkable places we've been to on our
Valparaiso Street Scene
A lovely street in Valparaiso travels. First settled in 1542 as a small port for trade with Peru its hay day was in the 19th century, when it was used as a South Pacific trading base for US and European commercial agents and a key port for US shipping between the East Coast and California. The development of the trans-continental railway in the US and the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914, coupled with the development of steam ships (which required ports with plentiful coal supplies), caused the decline that saw it disappear from the World stage until recently, when it became the Cultural Capital of Chile. Val P, as it would definitely be known back in SW London, is set over a crescent of 42 hills that rear up from the Pacific. The layout is anarchic and only for the expert map-reader, with backtracking streets, plenty of dead-ends and steep hills which require the use of a funicular to ascend.
I’m not sure what’s caused it, but there’s a local obsession with graffiti, it’s everywhere. It ranges from the pointless
Tagging, that unfortunately is omnipresent in the World, to true works of art. The colour is not confined to the graffiti however,
Shanty Colour
Even the shanty towns were beautiful as no house is the same colour as its neighbour and this ends up as a true feast for the eyes. As always it helped that we had good weather whilst there and so were able to roam the streets at our leisure, stopping for coffee whilst admiring the inspirational views. In the evening we dined on local fish and enjoyed more excellent wine.
Abnormally we arrived in Santiago without having booked a hostel; we’ve made a point recently of trying to pre-book in capitals to avoid problems with con-men and thieves. Hostelbookers.com had thrown up an alternative that morning with an unbelievably high rating of 98%. Nothing ever gets over 90%, so surely this was a scam, wasn’t it? With nothing to lose we braved the metro and headed to the address.
The door was answered by the owner, Pato, and instantaneously we realised that this was somewhere we were going to like. More of a (clean) student house than a hostel, Pato’s house was somewhere you felt welcome. Comfy beds, a dining room where everyone sat to chat, a sitting room with a massive TV and DVD’s, the list goes on… oh, and let’s not forget
Funicular
Getting around in Val P the breakfasts of fresh coffee, fruit, scrambled eggs, toasted muffins and more.
Whilst in Chile’s capital we stayed true to form and walked everywhere, exploring museums, sitting in parks, drinking coffee and checking out the views from a mirador, the Andes teasing us with their covering of snow.
On our last night Pato took us to see Cueca, a traditional Chilean courting dance for couples. The pair wave handkerchiefs behind their heads, gaze in to each others eyes and generally woo from close range whilst moving to the music. Thankfully I managed to avoid participating and not just due to my lack of hankie!
The setting was bizarre. The dance was on the second floor of a gutted mansion that was once owned by the cream of the Santiagan aristocracy. Smallpox or TB had caused the owners to flee to another neighbourhood and the building had become derelict, until the arrival of squatters, who exercised their rights and now use it as a warren for artists, designers and the like. For anyone travelling to Santiago it’s located on Concha y Toro (think wine) in the heart of the Bohemian area of Barreo Brasil. The view of Santiago
Santiago and the Andes
Kate looking out over Santiago and the Andes by night from the roof terrace was worth the visit alone.
After Patagonia (see separate entry by Kate) it was time for Easter Island, a sort of added extra or bolt-on to the trip. Were it not for our Trailfinders adviser we would never have thought to go, but as Claire had said “It’ll only cost you £12 in taxes, so why not go?” With an open mind (read standard lack of preparation) we boarded our second LAN Chile flight of the day and headed 5,000km in to the Pacific to a land that 99.999999% of the World didn’t know existed until Easter Sunday 1722.
The main reason people visit Easter Island is the 600 or so moai (pronounced a bit like mwhy?), huge stone sculptures in person-like form. Undoubtedly this was going to be on the agenda, but we were also keen to squeeze in a few other things, after all in terms of accessibility it’s not exactly Calais!
Due to time restrictions here’s a summary of what we did:
• I went diving in crystal clear water and saw various things including a sunken moai, various 18th century anchors and a turtle.
Out in to the Blue
Easter Island is a long way from anywhere • We went to see some native dancing, which was fantastic. Kate particularly enjoyed the physiques of the male dancers!
• We toured the island with a group and learnt nothing that the guide book didn’t already contain.
• We ate seafood and toasted a worthwhile trip in to the middle of nowhere.
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chile on budget
Hi, really enjoyed your blog. I am planning to visit Chile in late April this year - most likely 2\3 months stay. Wondering if you could give me some indication basic prices (food, public transport etc... as well as cheap accommodation. I do not have a plan. Will be arriving in Santiago and then will be moving around wherever it takes my fancy. Tight budget - any hint and advice would mean plenty. Thanx! Hope my trip will be as good as yours.