Chile

Chile is a country located in the southern west zone of South America. This country's natural splendor and landscape/weather diversity has become in time a favorite destination for travelers from all around the world.

Santiago is the capital of Chile and the largest city in the country, with a population of over 6 million (over 30% the population of Chile). This big metropolis has been highly developed in the last 20 years, and is the headquarter for a lot of companies and international organizations, as for most of social, political, cultural and economic affairs in the country.

Chile is the Walt Disney Land of outdoor adventure. It is a country where you could ski/snowboard in the Andes Mountains and swim in the Pacific Ocean in the same day. Chile has often been compared to Norway, New Zealand and Alaska. There are a lot of natural similarities but one main difference is that you can visit Chile for a fraction of the price. Unknown to most, Chile has the largest European ancestry in South America as 95% of the 15,000,000 plus inhabitants are of European descent. More than 6,000,000 Chileans live in the capital city, Santiago.

Santiago is a magnificent city and occupies one of the most beautiful cityscapes in the world. The snow-capped Andes are less than an hour away to the east and the Pacific Ocean is 1.5 hours to the west. Even though Santiago is a large city it has a small town feel. There are always quiet neighborhoods to be found and it is very easy to leave Santiago in order to explore the surrounding countryside.

Vina del Mar and Valparaiso have the second largest population in Chile with 500,000 plus inhabitants. Valparaiso is Chile's most bohemic city with homes and mansions clinging to the hillsides that surround this port city. Vina del Mar is Valparaiso's next-door neighbor and is Chile's most popular beach resort. Vina is know as the Garden City with beautiful homes and manicured lawns.

Chile is probably best known for its wines, natural wonders, economic stability, Pablo Neruda, outdoor adventures, Viña del Mar and Santiago.

Chilean wines are arguably the best in South America and Santiago is right in the middle of the Central Valley that is home to the Vineyards. The Central Valley is to Chile that which Napa Valley is to the USA. While you hear a lot about the wines do not overlook the abundance of fresh seafood that Chile produces. The food at the local markets is exquisite!

While there is no shortage of controversy about the Pinochet years and his dictatorship, which started in 1973 when then president Allende apparently committed suicide during a military coup, Chile is without a doubt an economic model for other Latin American countries. Chile prides itself on the lack of corruption that exists.

Chile's most famous and eccentric author is Pablo Neruda who won the Nobel Prize. He wrote the Heights of Macchu Pichu, Canto General, Passions and Memoirs. Gabriela Mistral also won the Nobel Prize. Even though she has not won a Nobel Prize, Isabel Allende is also world-renowned having written House of the Spirits, Of Love and Shadows and Eva Luna.

Travel within Chile is easy, comfortable and affordable. For shorter journeys the buses are modern and comfortable. To explore a bit further the flights are also reasonably priced. This makes all of Chile's natural wonders accessible to you. Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia is probably the most famous but don't forget that in the north Chile boasts the world's driest desert, set below volcanoes and salt flats. In between the north and the south is located one of the world's most beautiful landscapes, Chile's Lake District. This magical place consists of shimmering lakes, perfectly shaped and active snow capped volcanoes, natural thermal baths and glacial valleys.

Outdoor sports abound all the while being surrounded by nature's beauty. Fly-fishing for trout and salmon is top notch. Chile's geography offers countless places to fish with over 4,000 kilometers of coastline, numerous rivers, lakes and lagoons. People come from all over the world to ski at Chile's first class resorts. It is the best place for skiing/snowboarding in the southern hemisphere. Most resorts are above tree line in the high Andes or on volcanoes. Some notable resorts are Portillo, Valle Nevado, Las Termas de Chillan and Volcano Villarica. If you just want to go trekking or summit a volcano look no further than Chile. Chile's abundance of national parks and volcanoes offer countless trekking and mountaineering opportunities.

If you are more into water sports Chile offers surfing, white water rafting and kayaking. Golf is also readily available.

Santiago may not be as famous as Buenos Aires or Rio de Janeiro but this clean and modern city never fails to impress. Plus its proximity to everything makes Santiago the ideal place to be in Chile. Santiago has a privileged climate and is sunny most days of the year. It also has an animated nightlife and a variety of stylish restaurants. Activity is guaranteed while here.

Take a complete glance of Chile at:

• WikiTravel
• GoChile is a good site to discover the different destinations within this long country.
• SERNATUR is not the best national tourism agency, but it might help you too.

Visa

You don't need a Visa to go to Chile for under 90 days. (Unless you are Greek and then its 60 days or Romanian its 30 days). However Citizens of Australia, Canada, Mexico and the US must pay a reciprocity fee on arrival and it costs between US$56 for Aussies and US$132 for Canadians. They accept credit cards or cash in Santiago but best have the cash ready if you entry into smaller airports. In Santiago you pay the fee before you reach the passport control booths, its off to your left just before Passport control. For Australians the fee is valid for 90 days but for Canadians it lasts as long as your passport. If you arrive by bus there is a good chance you will not have to pay the fee.

CouchSurfing in Chile?

To the north, the desert. To the east, the Andes. To the south, Antartica. To the east, the big Pacific. This is how you will understand that it is not common for chileans to be used to foreigners coming to our country. They will commonly show curious and warm, though timid sometimes, if you start a conversation. However, they will become your best friends in a matter of minutes.

Even though chileans are not very good english speakers (maybe little better than Latinamerican average) there are a lot of CouchSurfing members in here. Common CouchSurfers tend to live here with their parents until they finish their university or higher education studies (around 23-25 years old) so you might end up living with a chilean family for a while (which can be much better sometimes!).

Being a good CouchSurfer in Chile

• Try to keep clean this beautiful country. Prefer public transportation. Save energy, specially electricity and water. Reject plastic bags if you can. Recycle (a habit which is slowly settling in Santiago). Care about your thrash when in national parks or in the wilderness.
• Do not give coins to beggars, specially to children. If you want to help, buy from poor people who try to work honestly in the streets. Or volunteer for a cause! (see below).
• Try to speak and learn the local spanish. People will try to help you more and will reward your efforts.
• Chile is labelled as a very conservative country, but most of this impression is due to the high double standard chileans are used to. Listen and make your own opinion about the issues chileans care about: politics, human rights, abortion, divorce, religion... and football!

Safety Tips

• Santiago has been declared the safest capital city in Latinamerica recently. Most Chilean cities are safe as well, beside minor thefts and pickpocketing. So don't worry too much and enjoy!
• Don't go around waving expensive items like Ipods or cameras while in crowded areas in the cities. Use them, but discreetly.
• Note that it is not allowed to drink in the public way, and booze should be only bought by people over 18 years old... even though you will commonly find some more people - maybe even yourself- wandering the streets botellon style.
• Drugs are illegal in Chile, and the antidrug agencies at the border make an effective work catching dealers and minor consumers. Mind the risks...
• Don't ever try to bribe a policeman, which might be a common practice in some other countries. You will find yourself in a difficult position behind the bars.
• Always carry with you a photocopy of your passport or ID for identification.
• When in buses, try to avoid seating in the back seats.
• Water is 100% drinkable from the tap. Most of the natural rivers will be fully clean too if you want to drink directly, specially if you are near the Andes. Just avoid it when they go through or near cities or towns, for most leftovers are thrown to the rivers.

When to come

Chile is in the southern hemisphere, so remember not to bring your shorts and snorkel in July...

• In summer (late December to early ) you can enjoy the city with a hot temperature (peaks around 32ºC). Santiago is more relaxed for most of its residents are on vacation during this months, and cultural festivals (not carnivals) bloom through the city, like Teatro A Mil and Festival de Jazz de Providencia. The city is usually used as a base for camping or going for a barbecue through its sorroundings (e.g. Cajón del Maipo). If you are here for New Year's Eve be sure to get a drink and enjoy the several great fireworks shows offered through the city.

• In spring you might be here on September 18th, Chile's Independence day and the biggest holiday in the country. You should go to a fonda to get a taste of folkloric customs, dances and cheap food and drink (specially "chicha"). It's a great party where booze is all around, so have fun but remember how to go back home!

• In winter you may find yourself under possible rain and cold temperatures (always over 0ºC) in most of the country, except for the north. This is the best time for snow fans, who commonly come and enjoy the ski centers near Santiago, Chillán and Pucón.Skitotal can help you to plan the trip.

Getting There and Away, and Cheap!

• By Plane - Santiago's airport (Code SCL, Arturo Merino Benítez) has strong flight connections to some world cities like Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro (Brasil), Lima (Peru), Miami (USA), Madrid (Spain) and Frankfurt (Germany). Some common airlines which offer economic prices are Aerolineas Argentinas, TAM, Iberia, and more recently GOL (Brazilian airline) which offer really good deals to Argentina; Brazil and Peru. You will find a good search engine in Despegar.Com for cheap flights to/from/within Latinamerica. Lan Chile is an excellent chilean airline which can help you fly around in Chile... as a tip, be sure to check last minute offers every Tuesday and you might get lucky!

• By Bus - Common bus connections are avaliable to/from Tacna (Peru), Mendoza and Bariloche(Argentina). Other routes include most cities from Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil. Traveling by bus within Chile is very cheap, comfortable and safe. Even though CHileans are not considered to be very punctual, buses leave right on time.

• By Train - There's a useful connection between Calama (north of Chile) and Oruro (Bolivia), which is supposed to be very cheap and offers incredible landscapes of the desert. Then take the bus to Santiago.

Transport Terminals

Arturo Merino Benítez Airport (code SCL) is in the NW outer limits of Santiago. When you arrive you might want take a door-to-door shuttle (called "Transfer") for $7-$8 dollars, or get the bus for $3 dollars. The Alameda or Santiago bus terminals are just west from downtown, and have bus and metro connections (Universidad de Santiago and Pila del Ganso, respectively, both on line 1). Finally, Estación Central is the departure/arrival center for trains to the South, very close to the east from the bus terminals (Estación Central metro station, line 1).

Fast orientation

Chile is a long country, and chileans are used to travel long distances from one point to another. To the east you will always find the Andes mountains, and to the west, the sea.

Getting around in Santiago

Bus - Santiago's micro -an urban bus- is the most common local transport: big, fast and unpredictable! You can go almost everywhere in the city through this way. The ticket -supposed to rise soon- is around $0.70 USD ($380 pesos). The new system, Transantiago, is quite organized and effective, but the buses are scarse and do not run all night as they used to be.

Metro - Santiago has one of the best metro systems in the world, from 6.30 to 22.30 hrs. It is safe, clean and quiet. There are ticket counters staffed during open hours everyday. Tickets are good for a single ride with unlimited transfers, no time limit. $340 pesos. Tickets are slightly more expensive during peak hours. Click here for a map of the metro network.

Some other possibilities of transport, a little more expensive, are "Taxis" and "Colectivos" (taxis for four people with fixed routes and prices). Make sure you call a "Radio Taxi" if you are at a friend's house. They are cheaper and nicer, and you will not get ripped-off.

Off the Beaten Track

Culture and Entertainment

Santiago is a big city and most of the time something is going on- hopefully for free. Some good sites for current cultural activities are:

• Coctelera Cultural A review for the best of the month!
• El Mercurio A newspaper's magazine section.
• Chile Conciertos. For music and concerts.

Eating and Drinking

FOOD

For the cheap budget, catering is always the best choice. Lider and Jumbo are wide supermarket companies who will offer you the best prices.

If you want to try some warm food, just check out the menus in small cafés or restaurants, which should cost from $2.000 to $3.500 pesos. Tip is usually expected and it's not included in the bill (10%).

Santiago is crazy for sandwiches: No matter what you want, it will come between two slices of bread. Italiano (mayonnaise, tomato and avocado) is a very common type of dressing that can come with beef, pork, sausages, chicken, etc. Two places to get those big, filling sandwiches is Fuente Alemana (Alameda avenue, 50 mt. to the west from Plaza Italia) and Kika (Providencia and Tobalaba).

Now, let's try to vary a little bit. Chile is renowned for its seafood. You can find cheap sample of it at El Mercado, north from Plaza de Armas and next to Estación Mapocho.

DRINKS

Chileans drink. A lot. So if you think you can keep up with the rythm, you've got to try Chilean Wine, one of the best in the world. If you want to buy a bottle, a cheap good one is Misioneros de Rengo.

Another famous national booze is Pisco (a grape distilled), which mixed with Coke creates the delicious Piscola, young people's favorite. If you prefer beer, you will have to choose between Escudo (strong taste) or Cristal (light taste) most of the time, but you should try Austral and Kuntzmann if you have the chance.

Work and Volunteering

For working, you might find something as an english teacher (supposing you are a native speaker). You may find some tips and links here. An intermediate grasp of Spanish can also get you a job as a waiter in a cafe during the busy summer months, but don't expect to be paid a fortune.

Volunteering is a common practice in Chile, where several NGO's work over the most common issues: poverty, education, chilren, environment, civil rights. You might find something interesting in:

• Hogar de Cristo. The biggest chilean NGO, founded by jesuits and fighting against poverty from a wide number of flanks.
• Un Techo Para Chile. Young people working strategically in the poorest slums of Chile.
• En Todo Amar Y Servir. A volunteering centre which will link you to the type of organization you are looking for.
• Fondo Esperanza. Offers microcredits to poor entrepreuneurs.
• Fundación Trabaja Para Un Hermano