Call me ignorant, arrogant, stupid, narrow-minded, or whatever, but that was my first time to South America, Ok. Surely, I didn't expect there would be a row of half-naked native Amazonians lining up at the arrival hall to greet tourists since it was in…Read More

Call me ignorant, arrogant, stupid, narrow-minded, or whatever, but that was my first time to South America, Ok. Surely, I didn't expect there would be a row of half-naked native Amazonians lining up at the arrival hall to greet tourists since it was in the midst of winter and that would be too cold for them ;) But seriously, I was running a presumption that Chile would be somewhat "exotic" and different.

So, there I went. I stepped out of the plane and met some of the most civilized and nicest custom/immigration officers that shamed those greasy, sleazy, and arrogant ones (vomit!) in the Miami Internation Airport. Then, at the arrival hall, except for a couple taxi drivers causally asking me if I wanted a ride to the city, no one seemed to care about my existence. With some pointers, I hopped on a bus that would bring me to the nearest metro station. Blame it to jet-lag, underwhelmed, or overexcited, suddenly it was like a rock hitting me in the face while I was staring out the window on the bus. I asked myself, "Wait a minute, am I in some Central or Eastern European country or South America?" It had a deep Continental European feel, and people were nice and laid-back in Santiago.

Bus, metro, and a short walk, I got to my hostel. I dropped my bag off and couldn't wait to run out immediately. It was an early morning on a cold sunny winter day, and the air was so crisp that you could literally hear it snapped. I was searching my way to Parque Metropolitano since it was not too far from my hostel. After a few failed attempts, a nice older man seemed to know what I was trying to do, so he hand-signaled me directions since except for "hola", my Spanish is practically zero. Thanks to him, I finally got to the peak by cable car. The view was magnificent and jaw dropping. Santiago was nested in between 2 moutain ranges. A much smaller one on the west, and the bigger Andes on the east. The mountainous background kinda reminded me of Denver except Santiage was more sprawling and had more character. From the top, I could see part of the city was blanketed lightly by either fog or smog, and the Andes sat patiently at the back with its deep snow covered top. The focal point of the peak is the tall marble-white status of the Virgen de la Inmaculada Concepción. Joggers, bicyclists, and visitors were everywhere to hang out and to enjoy the same view that I had.

Coming down from the park, and I felt a bit hungry. Therefore, I headed to the famous Mercado Central (Central Market) to give my taste buds a treat. The market was nice and filled with happy friendly merchants. Some even let me go to the back of their stands and took pictures for me. After a quick tour, I found a decent looking restaurant right outside the market to settle down. It was then the first disappointment hit me in Santiago. "Damn!", I said to myself, "Food is certainly not cheap in this country". But, it's Ok. I didn't stay in low budget hostels for no reason. I'd rather sleep like a homeless but eat like a king. After all, food is one of the essences of a culture. So, I proceeded to select a couple items from the menu. Few minutes later, the food arrived. That was the 2nd disappointment. They didn't look too appetizing at all. "Oh well what the heck, maybe they taste good", I thought, in denial. A couple bites and I got my final confirmation that Chile was a wonderful country with good people but bad food. Ceviche should be pretty bullet-proofed, and I'd thought I could never have any bad ceviche until that moment. Perhaps, I should of ordering the famous South American steaks instead.

There were some street vendors near the Mercado Central, it was a delight to browse around there. The trendy Barrio Bellavista area was also fun and filled with new bars and restaurants. A stroll on the Ave Andres Bello next to a park and a small river (stream/canal?) in winter was also relaxing. Then, there were the usual city center, the Cathedral, the University, the plazas, malls, and shops. On the surface, without any well known monument like Eiffel Tower or Big Ben to impress visitors, Santiago was like an unassuming old 2nd class European city back in the 80s. But with the majestic Andes on its back, it didn't really need an Eiffel Tower.

Along with the take off of its economy, Chile is no longer a too affordable tourist destination, at least in Santiago. The country has rich culture, vast resources, and proud people. You can be in the snow filled Andes in the morning and swimming in the Pacific Ocean the same day afternoon. You can visit the glacier in south Patagonia or see the world driest land up north in Atacama. Except for the food, I am glad that I made that trip to Chile.Close

This is a mixed residential neighbourhood to the west of the city centre. It was once fairly affluent but the middle-classes moved out some decades ago. This was compounded when the Via Norte-Sur highway was constructed separating the area from the city centre. The western…Read More

This is a mixed residential neighbourhood to the west of the city centre. It was once fairly affluent but the middle-classes moved out some decades ago. This was compounded when the Via Norte-Sur highway was constructed separating the area from the city centre. The western end of the area is still quite depressed and not an area to explore at night by yourself but the eastern end and the heart of the barrio has come back fighting.

The attractive Plaza Brazil is the centre of the area. This has some nice trees, benches, basketball hoops and soon on. There is a variety of cafes around the plaza and just west on Campania the Templo de la Preciosa Sangre is a big basilica with palms in front. If you walk south from the plaza towards Alameda take Cienfuegos or Jose Medina streets you will see some interesting and unusual buildings. There are examples of Art Nouveau, neo-colonial, mock-medieval and fin de siecle styles and some highly eccentric gargoyles and other decoration. My wife and I really enjoyed wandering around here.

In this area you will also notice several colleges and universities and these have helped to bring money and youthful vigour to the area. This has led to many lively restaurants being established here including several seafood restaurants on General Bulnes, two blocks west of the plaza. I have not been to any of these but a local contact suggested Caleta Bulnes (Tel: 698815) at No. 86 and Ostre Azocar at No. 37 as two good alternatives. There are also several Chinese and Mexican places near the square or just to the west. In this same area Los Buenos Muchachos at Cumming 1031 has been serving up steaks and other grilled meat since 1939. It has a folklore show in the evening and caters to tour groups.

Some accommodation is available in this area. It tends to be budget-style and caters to students going to the local colleges. Frankly, I think there are better areas to stay and I would certainly avoid the Western area towards Quinta Normal at this time.
Close

South American cities seem more alive than those in say Australia and the US and I have concluded that this is because of the European design of plazas and squares that can be seen in almost all of them. This encourages people to get out…Read More

South American cities seem more alive than those in say Australia and the US and I have concluded that this is because of the European design of plazas and squares that can be seen in almost all of them. This encourages people to get out of their apartments and walk, sit and talk in the squares and adjoining streets. In Santiago, we found several places where we joined the locals and watched the local street theatre.

The most obvious was the Plaza de Armas which is the centre of the old city and was laid out by Pedro de Valdivia when he founded Santiago in 1541. The plaza is surrounded by some of the city’s most important buildings – cathedral, post office, museum, church offices, city hall – but it is the street life which appeals. There is a bandstand on the east side where people play chess each day. There is a collection of living statues outside the cathedral when the weather is good and there are always people strolling or hurrying through. It is a great place for a visitor to absorb the atmosphere of the city. Don’t miss the three plaques set into the ground showing the extent of Santiago in 1580, 1646 and 1712.

There are several pedestrianised streets in this vicinity. Check out 21 de Mayo, Puente Ahumada and Huerfanos. All are very busy during the day and you will find stalls, soda fountains, shoe-shine boys and newspaper stands here. South across Alameda, the traffic-free Paseo Bulnes is much quieter and there are plenty of benches and fountains and few street traders or entertainers.

Another area that I strongly recommend is the Barrio Paris-Londres. The Franciscan monastery in this area sold off its gardens for development in the 1920s. The area has a slightly bohemian feel with its winding streets lined with harmonious houses and trendy restaurants frequented by the young university crowd. There are a couple of excellent bar/restaurants here which are very popular in the evening.

Many of these areas are not tourist attractions in the usual sense but for those seeking some understanding of the city and its people, some time just sitting and watching the passing tide is invaluable. We had some long walking-days in Santiago where we were on the streets for ten hours and this would not have been possible without some breaks in the squares and pedestrian streets of the city. We thoroughly enjoyed watching and, on occasion, talking to the locals.
Close

This is a pedestrian area off Avenue Providencia which has two different personalities. By day it is a pleasant place to walk amongst the boutiques and cute half-timbered teashops while at night it becomes a haven for night clubbers and others. I was told that…Read More

This is a pedestrian area off Avenue Providencia which has two different personalities. By day it is a pleasant place to walk amongst the boutiques and cute half-timbered teashops while at night it becomes a haven for night clubbers and others. I was told that this ‘used to be "the place" in Santiago to hang out but that is no longer the case as here and nearby Calle Suecia are places for druggies and prostitutes’. There was no evidence of this when we visited late one afternoon but I must say that parts of the area seem to have seen better days so there could be some truth in this statement.

The whole Providencia area, has many slick, American-style bars that pull in a huge crowd of professional types, including lots of expats and foreign visitors. This is also a restaurant hotspot with several close to Holley and others on the main Avenue Providencia. Mar y Vinos is at Hooley and Bucarest, Macondo is at Holley 2368, Atakama is at Holley 2366 and El Indio Picaro is at Suecia 030. We had a good meal at this latter restaurant and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I do not claim to be a nightspot expert but we briefly called into Boomerang at Holley 2285. This high energy Suecia nightspot is a favorite for Santiago’s young scene chasers looking for ear-piercing dance music and a chance to rub shoulders with the city's socialites and party seekers. A few pool tables allow diversion from raucous socializing. This may not be the best choice for a casual glass of wine after a day of shopping and sightseeing, but travellers looking for a fun and festive outing will keep coming back.

Other pubs and discotheques in the area are Arriba de la Bola (Tel: 2327965) at Holley 171, Babel Club at Holley 2337, Charleston at Holley 2323, Bedrock at Suecia 78 and Brannigan’s at Suecia 35.
Close

Apart from the metro, buses are the only other public transport option. The Transantiago system has standardized bus routes and combined local (feeder) bus lines, main bus lines and the subway network. It includes an integrated fare system, which allows passengers to make bus-to-bus or…Read More

Apart from the metro, buses are the only other public transport option. The Transantiago system has standardized bus routes and combined local (feeder) bus lines, main bus lines and the subway network. It includes an integrated fare system, which allows passengers to make bus-to-bus or bus-to-metro transfers for the price of one ticket, using a single smartcard. While this is great for residents it is of little value for the visitor who has just arrived.

The bip! charge card allows you to get on any metro or bus. Furthermore, you can transfer from metro to a bus or vice versa and not get charged extra, as the fare carries over for 90 minutes from your first point of entry. Passengers who do not have the card may pay in cash (only in feeder buses).

Frankly, I found the bus system almost impossible to use. It was difficult to find the correct route, difficult to find the correct bus stop and difficult to determine which bus to actually catch. If you are staying for only a few days, my recommendation is to forget about it and take the metro or a taxi. If you want to persist you can buy a book that the company publishes and sells at newspaper stands anywhere in the city. Transantiago also has a website and a free paper map that are essential to the understanding of transit in the capital.

At present there are both new Transantiago-standard and old buses in operation. The main bus lines are operated with articulated (18 meters long) and normal buses, while the local services are operated with normal buses and minibuses.

Taxis are relatively cheap and the drivers don’t expect a tip but they often don’t carry street directories so it can be difficult getting to your desired destination if you don’t know the neighbourhood. They sometimes claim to have no change so it is handy to have something like the correct money. Radio taxis are also available and some locals say these are safer for foreigners. You will also see some blue taxis at the airport and at hotels which charge a fixed fee rather than use a meter. This will always be higher than a metered fare.
Close

The Santiago metro is an excellent system which is easy for foreigners to use. We bought a ticket and boarded the correct train after only 30 minutes in the city. There are several lines but the two of most interest to visitors will be line…Read More

The Santiago metro is an excellent system which is easy for foreigners to use. We bought a ticket and boarded the correct train after only 30 minutes in the city. There are several lines but the two of most interest to visitors will be line 1 which was built under the Alameda (the main east-west road through the city) and then east through Providencia in the 1970s and the more recent Plaza de Armas to Quinta Normal leg of line 5.

In 1968 the decision was taken to build a rubber-tyred metro system with 5 lines and totalling 60 km. In 2009, the total length of the network is 102.4 km with 104 stations.

The Metro sells tickets from 6:00 to 23:00 Monday through Friday, 6:30 to 22:30 on Saturdays, and 8:00 to 22:30 on Sundays and holidays. The fare depends on the time that you use the Metro. The cost of a ticket in the Horario Punta (rush hour, 7.00-9.00 and 18.00-20.00) is P460 (approx. US$0.85); in the Horario Valle (off-peak hours, 6.30-7.00, 9.00-18.00, 20.00-20.45, and all day weekends and holidays) is P400 (approx. US$0.75); and in the Horario Bajo (low-use hours, 6:00-6:30 and 20:45-23:00) is P380 (approx. US$0.70). Senior citizens (65 and older) and students pay P130 (US $0.25), except for the rush hour when senior citizens pay the normal amount of P460.

When you walk into a metro station, there are generally maps of the entire metro network very clearly displayed. The lines are named by the last station that they reach in a given direction, so for example, Line 1 east is named Escuela Militar, and Line 1 west is named San Pablo. So once you know where you are going, just swipe your ticket and head toward the line you want to get on. Transferring lines is also simple. When you get off a train in a transfer station, you will see a sign that says something like "Cambiar a Linea 4 – La Cisterna".

Art is a major element in some of the stations. The station Universidad de Chile has a giant mural created by Mario Toral representing the history of the country. Other pieces of art are in Baquedano (featuring modern art and a concert space), Bellas Artes (multimedia art), Santa Lucía (a gift made by the Lisbon Metro), La Moneda (with realistic painting representing typical landscape), and various other stations.

My experiences on the Metro were always very positive. The service is clean, safe, and very fast. You may have some trouble during peak travel times, however. These times bring large crowds and cramped station platforms that quickly fill the subway cars to capacity. However, during non-peak times, the Metro is a pleasure to ride and a great way for visitors to get around the city.
Close

Santiago has an impressive architectural array particularly in the central city around the Plaza de Armas. The following four buildings are all worth a look.The central post office (Correo Central) fronts the Plaza and is built on the site of Pedro de Valdivia’s house. A…Read More

Santiago has an impressive architectural array particularly in the central city around the Plaza de Armas. The following four buildings are all worth a look.

The central post office (Correo Central) fronts the Plaza and is built on the site of Pedro de Valdivia’s house. A Governor’s Palace was built here in the 17th century and was used by the head of state until it burned down. The present building in French neo-classical style was built in 1882-3 with a third-story mansard and cupola added in 1908. There is a central atrium covered by a cast-iron roof and an interesting postal museum upstairs. Go inside to fully appreciate the building.

Immediately to the east at Plaza de Armes 951 is the Museum of National History (Museo Historico Nacional, Tel: 411 7000). This is housed in the neoclassical Palacio de la Real Audiencia which was built as the country’s high court in 1804-7. The first independent governing council met here and it served as the seat of government until 1846 when this activity moved to the Moneda. The building was refurbished in the early 1980s and opened in 1982 as the museum.

To the south of the Plaza at Merced 860 is the Casa Colorada, the best preserved of Santiago’s three surviving colonial houses. The Museum of Santiago (Tel: 633 0723) is reached through the main entrance while a tourist information office is in another part of the building. The building was constructed in 1769-79 by a Portuguese architect for the first president of the junta in 1810. The two-story baroque streetfront was very unusual for the time with shops on the ground and family quarters above. It is still an impressive building.

One of the most impressive buildings in this area is the ex-Congreso Nacional on Campania. This was built in 1857-1876 by a French architect and then was damaged by fire in 1895. It was built in the neoclassical style with a very grand portico and this remains today.

Just to the south, the Casa de la Real Aduana on the corner of Bandera and Compania was built in 1805-07 in the neoclassical style to house the royal customs office. Today it is home to the excellent Museo Chileno de Arte Precolumbino (Tel: 688 7348) which is probably the most impressively displayed collection in Chile. The collection consists of over 3000 pieces covering a period of over 5000 years.
Close

The Central Market in Santiago was fun. The taxi driver dropped us off at the touristy end of the market; we then crossed the bridge and went to the section for locals. The place seemed to be a pick pockets’ haven since we were warned…Read More

The Central Market in Santiago was fun. The taxi driver dropped us off at the touristy end of the market; we then crossed the bridge and went to the section for locals. The place seemed to be a pick pockets’ haven since we were warned by both our inn keeper and the police patrolling the market. There were blocks after blocks of vendors, the deeper we went, the cheaper the price, and more serious the shoppers. We bought several kilos (they only sell by kilo) worth of strawberries, peaches, apples, cherries, banana, oranges... That’s what we ate for lunch, dinner, and breakfast.

Museo Chileno de Arts Precolombino is a world class museum. The collections were well organized and presented even for someone, like us who were clueless in Pre-Colombian Art. Across the bridge in the Barrio Bellavista neighborhood, there were art galleries to browse thru for the entire afternoon and many trendy restaurants to choose from for dinner.

While in Santiago, we stayed in the atmospheric Barrio Paris Londres district. It is not far from anything and has many choices of hotels and restaurants. It felt particularly romantic in the evening with its antique street light and old buildings. Close

Tallship Soren Larsen voyage - Have you ever dreamed of going to sea? Have you ever thought about an adventure across the Pacific? As of today, february 24th, we are embarking on a the adventure of a lifetime! I have been cook on Soren now…Read More

Tallship Soren Larsen voyage -
Have you ever dreamed of going to sea? Have you ever thought about an adventure across the Pacific? As of today, february 24th, we are embarking on a the adventure of a lifetime! I have been cook on Soren now for fourteen months, but this next trip is one of a kind. We are going to sail some 4500 nautical miles to one of the most isolated places on earth-Easter Island!

There are twenty five of us sailing Soren Larsen towards Rapa-Nui, each for a different reason. There will be times of sea-sickness, times of being scared and times of wishing to see land, but there will be one thing that will hold us together, were are here to have fun and make the most out of the experience.

For the past six days I personally have experienced sea-sickness and being scared, but at the end of the day I still have a smile on my face! I feel very protected by the ship and her crew and we are having a blast so far-even if it has been force 8 and 9 since the day of departure!

Martin celebrated his 74th birthday on the 26th and we had such a great day that we decided to do it all over again on the following day; well we crossed the International dateline (so fair enough I would want to celebrate my birthday twice!)

We managed to get the Upper Topsail down below decks for super sewer Sarah to mend. Now I have to hand it to the girl, she did a magnificent job with her first sail repair considering the circumstances. On deck people were cold, sea-sick and wanting warmth while poor Sarah was below decks in the muggy air and had to take breaks to rush up on deck and feed the fish! In two days she did a damn fine job and with just our luck the seas and the wind eased, the sun came out and the sail was bent back on the yard!

As it stands now there is no lack of water on the ship. We are dipping our cap rail into the eerie cobalt wash of the sea. We are able to shower once a day, but judging by the appearance of everyone at the lunch table, they are too exhausted to stand in the shower even for just a minute, their bunks cry out to them as soon as they are off watch. It has been a hard few days, we still have some 25 days to go!

The thermometer continues to drop and as more layers are worn by the watch keepers Stacey and I dread the thought of having to go on deck to get fruit or veggies our to the lockers. On that note, the produce is lasting far beyond what we expected, must be the 13˚C temperatures!

We are definitely in the roaring "40s", the ship continues to rock and roll and cooking is no easy task. The watches rotate with little need of reminders of what is necessary for the 4 hours of duty; a routine has finally been established!

Today is our 16th day of sailing, we are "just" half way and the sun is out for one of the first times since departure. Sheets, t-shirts, wool socks and sweaters are hanging around the deck, they dry in no time; it’s a reminder of how difficult washing can be at sea- nothing dries in the salt air unless the sun is beaming and today is that day! There are line-ups for washing buckets and clothes line space!

We are very entertained considering there are no TVs or radios, we had a limerick contest and tonight there is a brain teaser organized for 1800hrs. Each watch has to come up with 5 different nautical questions to quiz the other watches on, let’s see how smart these sailors really are! Anyway's , smoko is in 15 minutes and I should put the kettles on, the regulars will be waiting.Close

Easter Island is one of the most remote of the inhabited places on earth. Only some 150 square miles in area, it lies in the Pacific Ocean, 2,000 miles off the west coast of South America and 1,250 miles from the nearest inhabitable land of…Read More

Easter Island is one of the most remote of the inhabited places on earth. Only some 150 square miles in area, it lies in the Pacific Ocean, 2,000 miles off the west coast of South America and 1,250 miles from the nearest inhabitable land of Pitcairn Island.

Easter Island has a unique story, much of which is surrounded in mystery. Its volcanic soil was not suited for crop production, as was the soil of other Polynesian islands. What made Easter Island different from the other islands in the area was that crop production took very little effort, as virtually the only crop that would grow in the sterile soil was the sweet potato.

This grew in abundance. There was no fishing or other means of food production other than the raising of a few flocks of chickens. Therefore, there was ample time for the clan chiefs to perform ceremonial activities.

The result was the creation of the most advanced of all the Polynesian societies and one of the most complex in the world for its limited resource base. The Easter Islanders engaged in two main activities which were elaborate rituals and monument construction. Some of the ceremonies involved recitation from Polynesian writings known as rongorongo. Another form of ritual was based on the bird cult at Orongo, and the remains of forty-seven special houses with raised platforms and high-relief rock carvings can be seen on the island.

Social activities centered upon separate ceremonial centers. These took the form of large stone platforms, similar to those found in other parts of Polynesia and known as ahu, which were used for burials, ancestor worship and to commemorate past clan chiefs. Over 300 of these platforms were constructed on the island, mainly near the coast.

A number of these ahu have sophisticated astronomical alignments, usually toward one of the solstices or the equinox. At each ceremonial site between one and fifteen of the huge stone statues were erected. Constructing them required extensive peasant labor. The statues were carved, using only obsidian stone tools, at the quarry at Rano Raraku. They were shaped to form a male head and torso. On top of the head was placed a 'topknot' of red stone weighing about ten tons.

The material for this part of the statue was obtained from a different quarry. The carving was a time-consuming task. The most challenging problem, however, was how to transport the statues, each some twenty feet in length and weighing several tens of tons, across the island and to then erect them on top of the ahu.

Lacking any draft animals, they had to rely on humans to drag the statues across the island using tree trunks as rollers. This required the cutting of almost every tree on the island as the statue construction increased. By 1600 the island was almost completely deforested and statue erection ceased , leaving many of the effigies stranded at the quarry.

The deforestation of the island not only marked the end of the elaborate social and ceremonial life, it also destroyed the daily routines for the population generally. From 1500 onward, the shortage of trees forced many to abandon building houses from timber and to live in caves. When the wood eventually ran out altogether about a century later, everyone had to use the only materials left. They eventually had only stone shelters dug into the hillsides or reed huts cut from the vegetation that grew round the edges of the crater lakes. Canoes could no longer be built and only reed boats incapable of long voyages were made.

Fishing was also more difficult because nets had previously been made from the paper mulberry tree (which could also be made into cloth) and that was no longer available. Removal of the tree cover also affected the soil of the island, which had never been fertilized properly due to the lack of animal manure to replace nutrients utilized by the crops. Increased exposure caused soil erosion and the leaching out of essential nutrients. The only source of food on the island unaffected by these problems was the chickens. As they became ever more important, they had to be protected from theft and the introduction of stone-built defensive chicken houses can be dated to this phase of the island's history. It became impossible to support 7,000 people on this diminishing resource base, and numbers fell rapidly, spelling the death knell of the island. Warfare broke out between various factions, there was some cannibalism, and for a time the island virtually died out.

In recent years, tourism has become established as the main source of income for Easter Island. When the winds and tides are favorable, ships anchor and use tenders to transport passengers through the perilous shoals at the entrance to the harbor. Once on shore, tours are given to explore the island and view the remaining effigies, all of which are impressive as to height and features.

Small shops sell mementoes such as photos of the statues, miniature replicas, and postcards. The island vistas are remarkable as seen from the sea, and the volcanic formations are of interest.

Close