Because I have friends at both bike tour companies I cannot endorse one over another.  But let me tell you that they’re both really awesome tours of the city of Santiago by bike.  One is by night and one is by day so you should just do both

Check out Urban Night Tour and La Bicicleta Verde!

Hi everyone, just wanted to let you all know that I’m now offering postcards featuring images that I have taken of Chile over the years. Just so you know what you’re getting, several of these are published images and one is #1 prize winner in the only photography contest I’ve ever entered. Someday I just might be a famous photographer, you never know…so buy now and watch your postcards’ value go up later

Prices start at $15 dollars for a pack of 5 postcards if you’re in the U.S., or $7,500 CLP in Chile. Custom postcards are available in sets of 20 for $45 dollars or $22,500 CLP. Choose 20 of your favorite images from my Flickr. Or order 20 postcards of the same image if you like it that much…it’s custom, so whatever you want, goes!

All orders are payable to the address above via Paypal if you’re outside Chile. Inside Chile I can accept cash or bank transfer. Send me your address in the paypal message body with the money transfer. Once payment is received please allow 2-4 weeks for delivery.

Sets are as follows:

In Black and White, Faces of Santiago: See images in this pack.

This set contains photos that are extremely representative of the “real” Santiago…Nuts 4 Nuts stands are on every corner. If you’ve ever lived or even just visited the smell of sweet caramelized peanuts roasting probably brings back memories.

And of course, we couldn’t leave out the metro, one of the cleanest, safest in the world.

The policemen, or “pacos” as they are known here are seen on many street corners especially in downtown Santiago. *Please note, you should not call a policeman a paco to his face, as this is considered a derogatory term, although it’s by far the most common word used for them amongst young people.

The sad reality is that homeless people are abundant in this city. Leaving them out would be to ignore a part of the society that already has no voice.

And Cueca dancers showing off their skills on street corners is classic in Santiago!

La Moneda: See images in this pack.

La Moneda is the Chilean equivalent of the U.S. Whitehouse. It’s where the president goes about her daily business, and is often the site of large protests whenever there’s social unrest. As a result, La Moneda is open to the public, but remains heavily guarded by policemen or pacos.

These images were shot during a protest by Chilean homeowners.

Chile in an Image: See images in this pack.

Chile is a diverse and beautiful country. From the snowcapped mountains surrounding Santiago, to the flora and fauna outside the city this country has it all…coastline, volcanoes and colors of the changing seasons.

Colors of Chile: See images in this pack.

Chile is a hard country to capture in just a few snapshots, but I’ve put together a few photos I feel are quite representative.

The Virgin Mary’s statue protects the city, so I shot this of her hand reaching down from on top of Cerro San Cristobal.

The national dance of Chile is the Cueca, seen in the image with the hat is the typical costume worn to dance it.

A clown and a little girl stroll through the port city of magical Valparaiso.

The last two images are repeat images from the Chile in Colors set, but you really can’t have Chile in an Image without the snowcapped Andes mountain range or the Chilean flag!

If you’re in Chile, one must do on every tourist’s list is climbing the volcano in Pucon.  Pucon is a little touristy (read: expensive) town about 10 hours to the South of Santiago. But, it’s worth it.  Aside from the volcano there are tons of things to do.  You can visit hot springs, do canopy (like zip-lining in the forest), white water rafting (Level IV, or V/VI), horse back riding and more.

But, I’ll get to those things on another post. For now let’s just focus on climbing Volcan Villarica.  I’d give you a price, but it varies so much by season that’s it’s hard to say.  Just as an approximate figure you should probably plan on paying between $35-70 dollars during Chilean summer (December-Feb).  But when you arrive, it’s easy to compare prices and what each agency has to offer.  When we visited, I just walked straight down the main street, visited about 5 different places, listened to what they had to say and how much they were charging and then made my decision. It took me all of 5 minutes per agency and when I was done I went back to the first and bargained based on other agency prices.

The actual climb takes between 4-5 hours depending on how fast your group goes. But the agency will general pick you up to get you to the mountain by 7am, so be prepared for an early day. A guide normally takes the pace of the slowest person in your group. I went once with a fast group and we finished in just under 4 hours, and I went once with my family and I think we finished in about 5.5 hours Any person with a reasonable amount of physical fitness shouldn’t have a problem making it to the top. Any person without a reasonable amount of physical fitness can make it if he/she really pushes himself.

You should pack a lunch to take with you. I actually consumed an entire Sahne-nuss bar and nothing else. I felt a little sick, especially after breathing in the sulfur coming out of the crater at the top.

Which brings me to the best part…hot lava! The first time I went you could see the lava shooting out of the crater. Yes, Volcan Villarica is active. But, ask before you go up if there are little explosions that day (not that will burn you or anything like that, just explosions so you can see the lava). The second time I climbed with my family, all we got was a great view from the top. No lava. Everyone was pretty disappointed.

For more pictures, keep reading.

Of all the delicious typical Chilean foods out there, my personal favorite is the Humita (pronounced 00-me-ta). It looks sort of like the Mexican tamale. Humitas are basically just fresh corn, ground and mixed with finely chopped onions, basil, and sometimes egg to hold it all together. You buy them wrapped in the corn leaf and then heat them by dropping the whole thing in boiling water. There are two ways that people in Chile generally eat the humita-with salt and a tomato on top or with some sugar sprinkled on. I prefer salt and a tomato, as you can see.

If you’re in Chile, you have to try an humita, they’re the best!

Take a moment to catch up on bloggers in Chile!

Tomas met Chilean president Michele Bachelet while she was visiting NYC.

Chileno with a critque of this article on Chilean inequality.

Clare on class conciousness and her neighborhood in Valparaiso.

Pais Fotografico has some amazing pictures of Chile by mostly Chileans.

Ryan talks about Chilean smooching habits.

Rachel tells us why Chileans love red-heads.

This post is old, from a blog that may or may not be dead. But, the picture is of one of the most famous monuments in Santiago….the BatChrist.

By now everyone in Chile should be recovering from their massive 18th of September hangovers.  The week long celebrations are winding to a close.  18th of September is by far the biggest holiday here and so Chileans make sure to party accordingly   I thought I’d leave you with a few photos of my visit to yet another fonda (Parque Ines Suarez to be precise).

If you can read Spanish, head on over to El Mercurio Online to read their article, “La lista “no oficial” de los tragos que toman los chilenos.”  If you don’t read Spanish, Love to Travel Chile is here for you   I have translated the article* for your reading pleasure.  Some of the references in the article are extremely Chilean, so don’t worry if you don’t understand everything even in English.

A special thanks to reader German, who found this article for me!

*Please note, all emphasis is from the article, as well as all run on sentences or sentence fragments.  All links to outside sources are mine.By: Natacha Ramírez, El Mercurio OnlineFruit, flour, eggs…No, these aren’t ingredients for baking a cake.  And if we add to the list, ice, ice cream, chancaca, various soft drinks and a little bit of gunpowder, we have the necessary elements to concoct the most eccentric, popular, country, box office hit, epic national cocktails.Since the “Chilean ingenuity,” allows for anything and sometimes goes against all the norms of the Royal Academy of Good Drinking, the popular “combinations” made in Chile have worked themselves deep into the soul of the homeland.  Just like Condorito or the little Lipigas doggy.  Here goes an ample list with distinct varieties of our alcoholic jewels, to sample during the holidays.

 ► For thirst and for heat:

Fanshop: There’s nothing like a Fanshop (Fanta + beer on tap) to help pass those hot summer afternoons.  The mix is decided by the consumer, but is always made with ice cold beer and preferably, waterfront scenery in front of your eyes.  Like the TV commercials.  It’s as refreshing as the Happy Chirimoya that is sold on the streets.  And it usually leaves one even happier. 
Wine with ice and sugar: An alternative from the canteens to alleviate the heat is wine with ice and sugar.  May we suggest changing the ocean landscape for a more primitive scene? 

► For parties:

Piscola: Proposed by some as “the national cocktail,” the popular piscola (Pisco + Coke) is the faithful companion of get togethers, cocktail gatherings and parties of the nation.  A good piscola should have ice and lemon.  And, although the origin of the pisco might be in doubt, the piscola is 100% Chilean. 

► For hunger:

Chupilca: A nourishing cocktail inspired in the traditional and nutritious “ulpo” -with a base of water, flour, whole grain flour, and sugar- with one slight detail different, substitute wine for the water. 
Malta con huevo (Malt with egg): Ideal for breakfast, especially if you have a “hangover.”  It includes malt, eggs, sugar and cinnamon.  It’s also a great title for a movie. 
Piscolate: By the sound of its name, it could be a new dessert for children.  But, along with chocolate milk, it has a fair share of ‘cunning’ when you add pisco. 
Pihuelo: Similar to the chupilca, but instead of wine use, aguardiente, chicha, or both.  Just as nutritious.              Borgoña de fruta (Fruit burgundy): So that nobody says cocktails don’t go along with a healthy lifestyle.  Just like a fruit salad, this combination mixes chopped, in season fruits, preferably, strawberries, peaches, or chirimoyas, plus sugar and ice.  The white wine version is called Cleri and is a typical summer drink.  

 ► For the youngsters:

Vino en melón (Wine in melon): This original cocktail that doesn’t require a glass and very well could be consumed on “Lost,” utilizes an open melon on one end, without seeds, in which you pour white wine and a little bit of sugar if you please.  While it’s being consumed you can scrape the inside of the melon with a spoon so that it tastes sweeter.  This is typical of the university trips to the beach.  One variation, after having drank too many and lost your balance, includes a little bit of sand. 
Yugoslavo: The name is probably because of the forced mix.  ’It has’ beer and white wine.  A delicacy according to its drinkers. 

► For old men:

Navegado (navigated): Ideal to help pass the cold is hot wine with orange.  Some call red wine like this “chambreao” or entibiado (from the French word chambre…there’s nothing more patriotic).  You can also add sugar, cinnamon and cloves.  You heat it in Maria’s bathtub, although some people used to heat it next to the heater.  In reality, you could just warm it with a natural gas heater or the microwave? 
Chuflay: With a base of aguardiente with bilz.  It’s derived from a country drink in which they inject a watermelon with aguardiente and the alcohol is consumed with the flesh of the fruit, producing a very sweet cocktail.  

► For minorities:

Mudai: A mapuche drink that is basically chicha made of wheat…But!  In order for it to ferment the women who prepare it use their saliva. 
Negra del Pueblo: A total alternative to energy drinks.  This cocktail uses beer and instant coffee plus a few drops of syrup or sweetener. 

► Gets the floor spinning:

Terremoto (Earthquake): A classic among classics.  Emerging from “El Hoyo,” a bar in Estación Central, in actuality the cocktail is the most requested in “La Piojera,” the emblem of the guachaca movement.  With a base of pipeño and pineapple ice cream, plus a touch of sour mix or fernet and a spurt of grenadine, its prestige has transcended borders, leaping to fame on an international television channel.  Ever since, the second round ordered is called an “aftershock.”
Tsunami o erupción (eruption): Violent mix of bear, wine, pisco and ice.  The eruption is seen as a necessary consequence. 

► For battle:

Chupilca “del diablo”: This drink defies all parameters.  According to national lore, the Chilean soldiers during the War of the Pacific, mixed aguardiente with gunpowder, which increased the ferociousness of the combatant, who without sweating it, “went to all” the battles.  After drinking such an explosive mix, overcoming the enemy was just a small detail.  Obviously, this is part of the mythology.   ► For the savages: Cola de Mono(Monkey Tail): An angelic cocktail that brings good memories because it’s consumed during Christmas and New Year’s, that nostalgic time of year when you don’t have to study or work, just give gifts and have a good time.  This drink has milk, condensed milk, orange peel, cloves, vanilla, coffee, aguardiente or pisco.  It’s so pertinent to these festivities that it wouldn’t be strange to see Santa Claus arrive with a glass of cola de mono in his hand. 
“Pipí” de León (Lion Pee): Pisco with Kem Piña and ice. It’s best to drink it without knowing its name or imagining it.
Pingüino (Penguin): Red wine and white wine.  Nothing simpler.  To warm up anybody in the South Pole. 
Pajarete: Typical of the Norte Chico.  It’s like a “penguin,” but overloaded.  It has red wine, white wine, aguardiente and chancaca. 

► For the manly men :

Fanfarrón: Sounds like a presumptuous guy, but it’s just Fanta with rum.
Pillín: The same.  Just a play on words.  Pisco with ginger ale.  How ingenious. 
Jote: Aside from being a man who “falls in love easily,” and “annoying,” it’s wine with cola, typically a low class.  the secret is to use a little more wine than cola. ► For the desperate: Vino de la casa (Wine of the house): When the need to drink is too much, you can do recycling trick on a family budget.  For this, you gather what’s left of diverse bottles of alcohol; you mix it all together and serve it in a jar.  In spite of its doubtful origins it has a name with a certain noble lineage. 
Bigoteado: It’s almost same as the last drink, but with an even more questionable origin.  It includes the leftovers from glasses and jugs from the bars, which used to be sold at a lower cost.
Champaña de los pobres (Champagne for the poor): When you lack money, creativity is good.  Real champagne has nothing on this mix of white wine with Sprite
Flaite: Variation of the jote.  But this time the wine is accompanied by the soft drink rari cola. 
Vino blanco con jugo en polvo(White wine with powdered juice mix): Just when you think that nothing could be worse, this unthinkable mix appears.  You’d really have to be in desperate need….and drunk. 
Pájaro Verde (Green Bird): No comment.  Ask the jail. 

 ► Bonus track: For the pirates: Perla Negra (Black Pearl): Worthy of Johnny Deep or of the “pirates of the Caribbean” (the musical group) this captivating cocktail includes grenadine, mint liquor, orange juice, and of course, no rum, just authentic Chilean 35° pisco.

When September 18th rolls around, you better bet that the Chileans are ready to let loose a little.  This is by far the biggest holiday of the year, definitely topping even Christmas and New Years.  September 18th marks the first official assembly of the Chilean government although if you ask, many citizens think they are celebrating Chilean Independence (which is actually Feb. 12th of 1818).  The festivities start the weekend before the 18th.  Fondas, which are sort of like fairs, get set up in parks all over town, some of the largest being  Parque O’Higgins, Parque Intercomunal, and Parque Ines Suarez, the latter being a more family style event than the former two.  People go to these fondas to eat, drink, dance and be merry  

You’ll see the national dance of Chile, the Cueca, being performed all over the place.  These pictures were taken some two and a half years ago, but I can assure that you could still find this same scene anywhere in Santiago today.

To see more pictures and learn more about Chilean fondas and celebrations, keep reading…

Are you curious as to what’s going on in the Chile blog world?  Wonder no more.  I present to you the second edition of Love to Travel Chile: Link It

Chileno talks about why 9/11 is a day Chile will never forget.

Rodrigo thinks Frank Delgado, a Cuban singer touring in Chile right now, will be worth checking out.  More information here. (in Spanish)

Pepe teaches us to dance Cueca, Chile’s national dance.

Clare gives a very kind review of Chile’s new bus system, Transantiago.

Matt is sad to see old architectural wonders being knocked down to make way for big apartment buildings in Santiago.

This post is a little old but I think it’s still relevant for any exchange student.  Vicki gives us some hints on what to do if you’re feeling homesick.

If you would like to be added to my weekly links, send me an email (found in the About section of this blog) or leave a comment on this post!

Safety is probably the most boring subject but it’s the most important one for travelers.  People who are planning on traveling to Chile need to know a few important things.  First of all, Santiago, the capital of Chile, is one of the safest cities in all of South America…BUT, that should not give you a false sense of security.  It’s still a a big city and should be treated as such.  Santiago has a low rate of violent crime, and truth be told, in over two years that I have lived here I haven’t met a single tourist who has been hurt or in serious danger.  And on the other side of the coin, almost everybody has stories of being pick pocketed.  You have to hand it to the Chilean thieves for their ingenuity.  Here are a few tips so that you don’t fall victim to their tricks:

*Somebody will touch the back of your head while you’re walking in a crowded area in hopes that you’ll take your hand out of your pockets so they can reach in and take whatever is in there.

*If you’re wearing an expensive looking necklace they’ll just rip it right off your neck.  In fact, they’ll even rip the earrings right out of women’s ears.  I strongly recommend not wearing any expensive looking jewelry at all.

*When you get out your camera to take pictures, hopefully you’re with a friend who will stand guard and keep an eye out for any potential thieves.  If you’re alone and still want to take some snapshots make sure you’re alert of your surroundings and who is around you.

*While riding the metro or the micro, keep your belongings close to you at all times.  Wear your backpack on the front so that nobody can unzip it behind your back.

*Be careful about talking on your cell phone in busy places.  Thieves have been known to just run by and snatch phones out of people’s hands in mid-sentence.

*Think twice before you give money to those begging on the street.  In the areas of Santa Lucia and Parque Forestal especially, you will run into young people who say they are students or from a foundation of the arts.  They’ll give you a poem to read and then ask for a donation.  They’re not real students.  They’re there every day and that’s how they make a living.

*Try to know the route you’re going if you want to take a taxi somewhere.  If a taxi driver figures out that you don’t know where you’re going, he’ll take you on a scenic drive to run the meter up before you get to your final destination.  They don’t all do this but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

*Do not walk alone at night.  EVER.  I don’t care if you’re in the nicest neighborhood in all of Santiago, it doesn’t matter.  Just don’t do it.

*Try not to draw attention to yourself.  Don’t wave around expensive cameras or iPods for the entire world to see.  Your Louis Vutton bag has absolutely no business walking around in Santiago with you, just leave it at home.

*When you eat out don’t set your purse or backpack careless on the ground.  Maybe wrap the strap around the leg of the chair or keep it on your lap so nobody can run off with it.  Definitely do not leave any personal belongings at the table if you get up to go to the bathroom.

*If you plan on going to the beach, don’t bring anything more than a towel because if you turn your back for five seconds your belongings will be gone!

*Don’t carry around all your credit cards with you, or large amounts of money.

*Try to keep the belligerent drinking to a minimum.  If you pass out cold at any club or anywhere on the street you can guarantee that you will wake up butt naked robbed of everything you had on you, including your clothes.

*If somebody in the street approaches you and seems to strike up a friendly conversation be wary.  A lot of times that person is acting as a distraction for you while someone acting in cohorts is robbing you.

*Be careful with gypsies.  They will often ask for a bill from you so they can “bless” it and then they will rob you.  A friend of mine even gave a gypsy a ten dollar bill once and the gypsy squirted breast milk on it.  My friend told the gypsy she could just keep the money   I’m not sure if using the mammary glands is a common technique, but the gypsies can be clever about the ways they take your money!

*There is always safety in numbers.  

Use your common sense.  And just in case you need help, you can call the policemen (carabineros in Chilean Spanish) from your cell phone by dialing 133.