Mi Chile

Unbelievable! On the 23rd of January 2013, that was 6 months and a day ago, I took my first steps on the Chilean territory after requesting a tourist card for 30 days (instead of the maximum length 90 days) "just in case". The initial idea was to spend a few days or a week in Santiago and then continue to Argentina or back to Bolivia and start heading up north to Ecuador again. Didn't quite go as planned but on the other hand, does anything ever go?

Because as a tourist it's possible to stay in the country for 90 days at a time, two times a row, I have visited Argentina twice during these six months in order to avoid paying an administration fee of 100 USD to the Immigration office.
The first time I actually spent two nights in Mendoza but the second time, just a couple of weeks ago, I decided to sacrifice one day and save a few pesos and take a bus to the Argentinian side of the frontier, hop out of the bus and immediately take another one back to Santiago. Now I wasn't sure at all if that is something anybody actually does and standing behind a door leading to the immigration police's office on my way back to Chile, without a passport or a tourist card (that were taken away from me by some officer who all of a sudden just disappeared) with only 5000 pesos in my pocket I was pretty sure that they're not gonna let me enter the country anymore and accuse me of whatever (at that point anything was possible in my mind). 

Well in the end it turned out that the officer with my documents was actually just helping me and apparently thinking that as a foreigner I wouldn't know how to do my paperwork. Finally I got my passport and a new tourist card for 90 days and a few hours later I was happy to be back in Santiago. The story doesn't reveal though why I was made to stand behind a closed door for 20 minutes, but at that point I didn't even care to ask anymore, I was just relieved that they let me continue.

I would like to post some pictures mostly around the Metropolitan Region of Santiago and the 5th and the 6th region, also known as the Region of Valparaíso and the Region of Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins that were taken over the past six amazing months. Good times, great people, delicious food and breathtaking places!

Santiago Center

Viña del Mar

Pichilemu

Sunset in Pichilemu

 

Costanera Centre, the tallest building in SA

 El Colorado

 San Antonio

Sea lions and pelicans spending a day in San Antonio

Pebre and wine, how authentic

Machas a la parmesana 

Of course

 BBQ at Parque Intercomunal

 Photo taken on Santa Lucía Hill

 Some ancient vineyard harvest tools

The troublemaker trying to fool me 

 Transsantiago, my not-so-reliable friend

The edge of winter

 After a long and warm fall the cold has arrived to Santiago. The trees of the city are naked or at least half-dressed after a few rainy days and a heater in the living room corner is working without sacando la vuelta trying to keep the unisolated apartment habitable.

Somos dos tú y yo!

 The last outdoor-BBQ of the fall took place a week and a half ago, menos mal. Even though the weather has treated us gently and the heat of a grill is always nice and cosy, it's inevitable that from now on hanging out on rooftop or in a park until late is only going to cause a nasty flu and cold toes.

I have been just a little bit jealous over the North European summer startup, notwithstanding the fact that I have had the privilege to enjoy the sun for the past 7 months almost non-stop (okay I might recall saying that I have never felt such coldness as I did in Cuenca, Ecuador, but besides that). Hopefully July and August will pass by at least as quickly as the time has passed so far.







I must take a moment here to praise the Chilean barbecue culture. Since I haven't spent enough time in Argentina to analyze the what-is-told-to-be-religion-like BBQ culture there, I can honestly say that I have never seen such a vivid and joyful way of combining friends, food and spending time outdoors than here in Chile. Especially in the summertime grills are heating up around the city on every rooftop and in several parks where people gather around to drink, eat and mingle with each other.

BBQ in Parque Intercomunal de La Reina

Parque Intercomunal is a great park to spend a whole day in. Kids (younger ones but also those who by age are decades from childhood) playing football, people having picnics, listening to music, eating, drinking, talking, laughing... Amazing!
Having any kind of voluntary special diet is not very common though so vegetarians and whoever wants to add vegetables or fish to their plate should be prepared to bring their own food and to listen to amazed questions about why not to eat what everybody else eat.

Later that day after work I met the guys in a small bar in Bellavista area where we got to enjoy a marvelous flamenco show full of emotion and passion. My michelada was standing still getting warm in the pint while I was mesmerized by the talent of these great artists. Personally this was the first time I ever saw a live flamenco show and I certainly hope it won't be the last one. Guau!

The next morning the alarm clock went off not any earlier than at 6 in order to catch a ride to the surrounding mountains to celebrate the beginning of the snow season. The guys we went there with had told us to be present at 7.15 A.M so that we would have as much time as possible to ski and snowboard and -again- with a European state of mind I stressed about not making it to their place in time and hence delaying the departure. In reality, the car engine was started at 8.30 A.M. When will I learn? 

The day was incredible; the sun was shining (yes, I had the reverse panda-look after deciding that no sun lotion would be needed and that the sunglasses would do the job), the slopes were in good condition during the first hours of skiing and the view pleased the eye of a Finn coming from the land of lakes and endless flatscapes. The only negative thing about ski centers are the prices. My jacket, gloves, skies, boots and sticks lightened my wallet with $26 000 (which is approximately 50 USD or 40 EUR) and the ski pass with $38 000 (or 75USD/55EUR). Other than money-wise El Colorado ski center was a laid-back and friendly place to spend a beautiful Sunday and I'm hoping to return there again during the upcoming winter months. 

I sincerely wish that I could write here about the amazing view over Santiago that you can enjoy while taking a break from skiing but I'd rather not lie. Despite of the fact that the view from the mountain over the valley where Stgo is located was breathtaking I was more horrified than delighted, and the reason is simple; Santiago de Chile is the second most polluted city in the world. From the mountains on a normal day you can only see the highest buildings of this city of 8 million inhabitants and there have been days when it has been impossible to see the surrounding Andies from the city center, all because of the polluted air that is stuck over the city and has nowhere to go.


Even though I have surprised even myself by liking Santiago as much as I do, sometimes it's absolutely necessary to leave the city for a day or two and go to the coast to breath some air. Last weekend the plan was to go to Pichilemu but ex-tempore (ok, no bus tickets available for morning sleepers) we decided to take a course to northwest and go to Concon and Valparaíso to relax and also to meet Ville who we haven't seen in a while. A great little getaway!

Valparaíso is such a cute city only an hour and a half away from the capital, I can easily understand why many santiagueños move there even though it is clearly poorer than for example its neighbor Viña del Mar or Santiago; Multicolored houses with paintings, graffitis and catch phrases on the walls, musical events, delicious seafood, vivid art culture and everything available easily.

Concón

Valparaíso photos