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Browse Travel Essays about Chile Culture  The War That Never Was: 'Mi Mejor Enemigo'A war movie whose beauty lies in its lack of action, and whose end is as unremarkable as its beginning, doesn’t sound like an appealing prospect. But somehow, “Mi Mejor Enemigo (My Best Enemy)” manages to harness unsettling stillness to its advantage and tell an alternative story of “the war that never was.” Read More... Strange Bus Ride: Micro Lessons To Live ByThe wheels screetch as the chariot comes to a stop. I’ve depended on these yellow beasts for the past week to take me from point A to point B. Unfortunately they seem to have a mind of their own and often skip right to point Z dropping me in unknown lands. Read More... Assi Oriental MarketVariety is not a high point of Chilean cuisine-aji and mayonnaise can only go so far. There is a solution, however to the culinary problems produced by living in Chile: ASSI Oriental Supermarket on Antonia Lopez de Bello in Recoleta. Once you’ve witnessed the hundreds of Korean, Japanese, Thai, Indian, and Chinese food products available, you will never again be able to excuse white bread and mayonnaise sandwiches. Read More... Chile Seeks World Heritage SitesIt’s going to be a tough choice. Will it be altiplano churches, La Moneda presidential palace or the Spanish colonial forts at Valdivia Read More... City of Fruit - La VegaThe Vega Lovalledor is roughly the size of an airport runway, cleared out and stacked with crates upon crates of fruits and vegetables. The central, roofed produce market is surrounded by vendors selling everything from tripe to dog food Read More... Is Chile Politically Incorrect?Most travelers would agree that part of the fun of seeing other countries is learning about their culture. There are many ways of doing this: meeting people, observation, digesting the media, and so forth. For me, the marketing speaks volumes Read More... Cafe Brazil - Revolt...until last callOnly my love for written media can bring me to share one of Santiago’s best kept secrets. Hidden deep in Barrio Brasil, on Avenida Cummings, is Café Brasil, one of Santiago’s coolest bars. The inside of the bar is fascinating. Read More... The Language Adapted by Chilean PeopleThe following is an article that I originally wrote in Spanish called “The Language Adapted by the Chilean People.” After reading the article “Gaffs and Laughs with the Spanish Language” by Debora Lin, which I enjoyed very much, I decided to translate some parts of it and include them in my own essay. Read More... La Moneda Presidential PalaceSantiago's imposing presidential palace, La Moneda, was not originally planned as the hub of political power in Chile. A clue to its origins lies in the name, La Moneda, literally "The Coin" in Spanish, betraying the building's true roots as a mint. Towards the end of the 18th century, authorities in Madrid commissioned the building and set Italian architect Joaquín Toesca the task of designing the colonial money-making site. Completed in 1805, the building's purpose changed radically in 1846 when then President Manuel Bulnes moved into the property with his family. Read More... Sala Merced: Capuccino and TarantinoLuis Ramos loves film. While he claims he’s no aficionado, he has integrated his passion for cinema with an entrepreneurial undertaking, as founder and owner of the popular new café-movie house Sala Merced, just around the corner from the Bellas Artes museum. Sala Merced is but one of the many new spots invigorating this bohemian barrio, though an enthusiastic client proudly proclaimed to me that Ramos was the “pioneer.” Read More... Cousiño Palace - Santiago's slice of royaltyIt’s hard to write about the Cousiño Palace. It’s hard to describe such beauty, elegance and magnificence. It’s hard to imagine how much money the Cousiño family – which owned silver and coal mines during the XIX and XX centuries - actually had to build its own palace and fill it with such luxury and exquisiteness. . Read More... Reflections on Chile and the United StatesI’ve just returned from a visit to Chile, and found the mood there quite different from the mood in the US. Memories of Augusto Pinochet’s ugly military dictatorship are fading, pushed away by optimism and hope.Read More... In Search of Flying SaucersIt was just another normal day in Paihuano when locals say the bright, shiny object crashed into the mount just outside the small north central Chile town.Read More... Wine Made with the Hand of a WomanMaking accessible wines characterized by a certain "sensivity" was the theme that emerged from interviews with three Chilean female enologists about what they bring to the wine industry.Read More... Myths Come Alive on Easter IslandAt the age of 12, Kristy Keyes saw a video in her geography class and never forgot the island with "those weird statues". The island, known in English as Easter Island, was named by Dutch mariner Jacob Roggeveen after he landed on what is now known in Spanish as Isla de Pascua and by the indigenous culture as Rapa Nui.Read More... Discovering the Past in Central SantiagoA true journey of discovery through Chile's history awaits visitors to three of Santiago's top museums. The Natural History Museum in Quinta Normal Park features a considerable collection of Pre-Columbian archeological artifacts. Ceramics, textiles and weapons on display show the diversity of cultures that lived through the ages in what is now Chile Read More...
Chilean Film Industry FlyingChilean movie director Silvio Caiozzi says the country's film industryis in the middle of "a magnificent moment." His heralded 1999 film,"Coronacion" (Coronation), based on the novel of the same name by Chilean writer Jose Donoso, was shown recently as part of the "Made in Spanish" series at the 48th annual San Sebastian (Spain) International Film Festival. Read More... Children's Theater On the RiseIt will be something of a debut when the theatre company La Balanza shows its fifth version of "Hijo del Sol" (Son of the Sun) this Saturday at the Catholic University Extension Center. The vanguard theatre group's presentation of "Jota I, la Hermana J" (J, Jimena's sister) at the 12th Manizales (Colombia) Latin American Theatre Festival created a sensation they hope to repeat in their hometown. "Jota" is an adaptation of the beloved Chilean children's stories series, "Papelucho." Read More... Soldiers in a Narrow Land: The Pinochet Regime in ChileMary Helen Spooner's Soldiers in a Narrow Land: The Pinochet Regime in Chile, originally published in 1994, has been reprinted in paperback by the University of California Press. The new edition gave the author the opportunity to include recent events Chile such as Pinochet's 1998 arrest in England. It then combs through the past three decades of Chilean history to see how its once-mighty dictator could be so humbled. Read More... Thanks for the MemoriesSouvenir shopping when traveling abroad can be a tiring and frustrating business. Trekking around the center of Santiago several hours before your flight takes off can leave you exhausted, feeling ripped off and with nothing more to show for it than a plastic Moai statue and a bottle of cheap pisco. Read More... Revisiting Isla NegraIt's no wonder Pablo Neruda could write "los versos mas tristes" the evening he wrote "Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair." With a house like the one Neruda had on Isla Negra, who wouldn't aspire to be Latin America's most romantic poet of the 20th century? Read More... Chatting With Isabelle AllendeInternationally known Chilean novelist Isabel Allende, the author of such bestsellers as The House of Spirits, Paula and Eva Luna says she receives innumerable letters about her work. She can't respond to all of them personally, but does answer questions about her writing, her life as the niece of former Chilean President Read More... Home of Chanco Cheese Gets Historic StatusA casual tourist happening upon the small, isolated town of Chanco might very well dismiss it as a decaying backwater not worth a look-see. However, local businesspeople and community leaders saw things differently and proposed that the community’s typical architecture and, indeed, their way of life be preserved and displayed to the nation. Read More... Getting to Know ÑuñoaGetting to know Santiago can be difficult for short-term visitors. Many of the oldest and most interesting neighborhoods are run down and not tourist friendly. One exception is Nunoa, which has the advantage of being close to the center of town, is safe and has a wealth of old residential areas to explore, historic buildings to visit and interesting day and night life. Read More... Visiting Chilean WineriesSouvenir shopping when traveling abroad can be a tiring and frustrating business. Trekking around the center of Santiago several hours before your flight takes off can leave you exhausted, feeling ripped off and with nothing more to show for it than a plastic Moai statue and a bottle of cheap pisco. Read More... Easter Island Animated Film in the WorksA special composition by Chilean musician Joe Vasconcellos will be the theme song for the animated film Ogu y Mampato en Rapa Nui (Ogu and Mampato on Easter Island), now in production and scheduled for release next year. Juan Diego Garreton, the executive producer of Chileanimadores, which is making the film, says songs by other national artists may be on the soundtrack as well. Read More... Inti Illimani Plays the Sound of a New ChileThe legendary Chilean ensemble Inti Illimani is once again on tour, this time in their home country and in Colombia in support of a new, democratic Chile. During their 33 years, the group ('inti" means son and "illimani" is the name of the mountain that overlooks the city of La Paz, Bolivia) has visited more than 40 countries while mixing its unique blend of musical influences -- from Andes folklore to Caribbean and Afro-Peruvian -- with progressive politics and support of grassroots organizing. Read More... Chile as an Astronomical Portal to the UniverseChile's clear skies, smooth air flows and Southern Hemisphere vantage point make it one of the most important locations in the world for astronomical observations. Read More... Easter Island ThreatenedThe northeast coast of Isla de Pascua is spectacular. A dirt road runs inland from the coastline, and on both sides of the road one can see ruins of shrines, fallen stone statues, and other evidence of the old culture of Rapa Nui. There are few trees. Horses graze amongst the ruins. The ocean along this part of the coast varies from pale turquoise to deep blue, and great waves crash on the rocky shore. As one continues north, the lovely sheltered cove known as Ovahe comes into view, with its pink sand beach. Read More... Soccer StoriesSeedy sex, football corruption and brilliant photography are winning elements in Chile's latest film, "Historias de Futbol," directed by Chilean Andres Wood. Read More... The Art of HistoryBefore the advent of modern meteorology, 17th century Aztec priests predicted the weather by skinning human sacrifices, then dressing themselves and specially chosen young men in the skins. The prophecy went that if lots of fatty goblets fell from the feet of the victim as the bearers begged in the streets, the year to come would be a rainy one. Read More... On the Southbound TrainIf you have come to Chile, you are probably planning, or at least dreaming, of getting to Patagonia. That decided, you have several options as to how you are going to get there. Unless you are impatient or have done it all before, taking a plane is like cheating. It is all too easy and when you finally arrive you do not truly feel like you have accomplished anything. Read More... Feast For Culture VultureSantiago has been witness, in the past few years, to spectacular development in architecture and the visual and decorative arts. There are some barrios in which this phenomenon can be clearly observed. Vitacura is a striking example. The area around the Alonso de Córdova and Nueva Costañera avenues concentrates an interesting group of art galleries and shops within a few blocks of graceful urban ambiance. Read More... A Visit To PomaireLocated about midway from Santiago to the coast lies the interesting pottery community Pomaire. The Quechuas, who emigrated from Peru, settled this village generations ago in the valley basin at the foot of the Mallarauco, or coastal mountain range. Pomaire artisans preserve their traditions in clay pottery in this small village, just one block long and three blocks wide. Read More... Afternoon Concerts at the Teatro MunicipalTuesday, 24 September, 1:15 p.m. The center of Santiago. An hour at which a desperate, rumbling mass of executives, employees and students makes its way towards the restaurants and cafes of the city in search of the best gastronomic offering for lunch, to then proceed with their activities at the customary frantic pace. But wait! There is a group of classical music lovers that directs its steps towards the Teatro Municipal located at the corner of Agustinas and San Antonio, to listen to the 28 voices of the Coro Bellas Artes, conducted by the maestro Vector Alarc. Read More... El DieciochoMy maid, Isabel, sparked my interest while negotiating time-off and holidays; she didn't care about any of them with the exception of September 18th (El Dieciocho) and New Years Eve. Read More... Pablo Neruda's Homes"In my house, I have put together a collection of small and large toys I can’t live without. The child who doesn’t play is not a child, but the man who doesn’t play has lost forever the child who lived in him and he will certainly miss him. I have also built my house like a toy house and I play in it from morning till night." Read More... |
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