politics and plans

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I´ve had excellent weather the entire time I´ve been in South America (knock on wood). Santiago continues to amaze, a great city that I never really knew much about, actually a great country to retire in. There are mountains an hour north (Andes are the 2nd largest mtn range in the world). Then there are wine regions, and a beach only an hour away as well. Safety is very important here and there is no corruption like many other parts of S. America. A very conservative and laid back society from what I have seen so far. I´ll go out this weekend and see what the nightlife is like.

I had dinner last night at the house of a family of a friend from Hawaii. They were so welcoming and hospitable. I leaned a little about politics and had an awkward discussion with the older brother-in-law who wasn´t quite as hospitable. He was drilling me with quesitons about our President and if I thought the war was justified, etc, etc. It´s always interesting to see what the opinions are of those in other countries. I got the feeling that the older generation in Chile are not in favor of the current capitalist movement going on in the Chile. Many younger Chileans are studying in the US and learning how a capitalist society works and bringing these ideas back to Chile, which is a currently under a Socialist Goverment. As the younger guy put it last night, "the car is socialist, but the drivers are the capitalists"...meaning that the government in Socialist, but capitalism drives the country and many decisions made. After the devaluation of the Peso in Argentina, many US firms moved to Chile because it was safer, cleaner, and the value of the Chilean peso is much more stable. This further elaborated the US/Chile involvement in business and Chile now has one of the most trade agreements (imort and export) with other countries than any other in the world. As ambitious as everyone is, I´m not sure efficiency is a priority with those working in the city. I have been told buy a few Chileans already that people go to work at 7 or 8am and don´t leave until 8pm or later. Throughout the day much time is spent talking, having coffee, and long lunches, not really making the most efficiency of their time, but being there to be there.
Ok, so enough politics and business, just thought it was interesting.

This week I´m headed to a big outdoorsy town in Chile called Pucon. A guy from NH started a rafting guide business down there and invited me to check out the town...sounds like fun. They have active volcano´s, great rafting rivers, glaciers, etc, etc.
I´m also going to check out Valparaiso, the beach town about 1 hour from here, and Vina del Mar, another beach town a few minutes north of Valparaiso.
After that, unless I can find a good job here, I´ll head back to Buenos Aires since it´s much cheaper there and more hustle and bustle in the city. I´ve also made some good contacts when I was at the Ambassador´s dinner the other night.
By the way, the dinner function at the Ambassador´s house here in Santiago was also very nice, it´s a beautiful place with a driving range in the back yard and wonderful views of the mountain range, not a bad job.
I´m having difficulty downloading my pictures so I´ll have to try another place to download them.
Hasta pronto...

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Photos

the fam
picture on the patio after dinner with the Chilean family of a friend in Hawaii

Comments

[anonymous]

Lookin' good.
Scotty, looks like your having a great time. Just remember, if you ever get in a conversation about politics, don't let off the impression that we (meaning Americans) agree with you (meaning conservatives). Ha! - Josh