Every year I visit Chile. And I always try to visit the Plaza de la Constitución, a large public opening to the north of the Chilean government’s presidential palace, La Moneda, to take in the majesty and historical vibes of this special place. There is
Back in Santiago, it’s first things first. Until I have walked the pedestrian path that winds up Avenida Pocuro, one of the traditional Providencia Municipality’s major thoroughfares, I don’t feel like I have arrived in Chile. This is why I usually do the walk immediately
Today is National Barros Luco day in Chile.This Chilean version of a steak and cheese sandwich dates from the early 1900s, when President Ramon Barros Luco lunched regularly at the Confiteria Torres on the Alameda not far from the government buildings where he and his cousin, Minister
One night several years ago Luz Celia Lienqueo Castillo had a peuma…a type of dream the Mapuche believe is not just a vision but a type of premonition that must come true. Luz’s peuma described in great detail the small piece of land she was
About a year ago Pilar, the psychologist I met in Dichato where she is involved in community recovery programs with the most affected of the 2010 tsunami victims, told me “In ten years Dichato will be reinvented, more attractive than ever and with better services for
There is no more spectacular air flight than the one from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Santiago, Chile, a two-hour journey that begins over the muddy Rio de la Plata, continues over the expansive pampa, and then the lush vineyards of the pre-montane region around Mendoza.
Wool, clay, wood, metal, stone, and horse hair, all materials that are readily available in Chile, and hence they are the basis for most of traditional Chilean artisan products. Late last year, while the presidential campaign was absorbing most of the airtime in Santiago’s public
There was a chance that Michelle Bachelet would win Chile’s Presidential election outright in the November 17 round of voting. In fact there was mention of an election “tsunami” from within her Nueva Mayoría team of advisors, who, besides running what most observers term an
Only 40 days to go before Chileans elect a new president, and there are a few signs of the upcoming presidential election, refreshingly few compared to the maddening overkill of election propaganda that precedes elections in the US by tediously long months. The first candidate sign
It’s curious, but I can begin to sense Chile well before I actually arrive. Equally curious is the persistent independent bent of Chileans, in full form when travelling. Assignment of specific seats on our airplane are taken by many of my fellow travelers as “suggested”,