Republic of Chile
Area: 756,950 sq km
Population: 16,763,470
Population density: 22 per sq km
Capital: Santiago
Area: 756,950 sq km
Population: 16,763,470
Population density: 22 per sq km
Capital: Santiago
Chile country information
Passport & visa | Getting there | Cycling & maps | Cost of living | Accommodation | Food | Bike shops | Climate | Distances
Passport & Visa
| Passport Required? | |
|---|---|
| British | Yes |
| Australian | Yes |
| Canadian | Yes |
| USA | Yes |
| Other EU | Yes |
| Visa Required? | |
| British | No |
| Australian | No/2 |
| Canadian | No/2 |
| USA | No/2 |
| Other EU | No/1 |
Passports
Passport valid for at least
six months required by nationals referred to in
the chart above.
Passport Note
Passports issued to children
must contain a photo and state the nationality.
Visas
Not required by all nationals
referred to in the chart above for stays of
up to 90 days except the following:
(a) 1. nationals of Greece for up to 60 days and nationals of Romania for up to 30 days.
(b) transit passengers continuing their journey on the same or first connecting aircraft provided holding required travel documents for onward destination and not leaving the airport transit lounge.
Note: Nationals not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements.
(a) 1. nationals of Greece for up to 60 days and nationals of Romania for up to 30 days.
(b) transit passengers continuing their journey on the same or first connecting aircraft provided holding required travel documents for onward destination and not leaving the airport transit lounge.
Note: Nationals not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements.
Visa Note
2.
Nationals of Australia, Canada and the USA entering
Chile for touristic purposes will be charged a
processing fee payable on arrival and in cash
only. For nationals of Australia, the fee
is US$56; for nationals of Canada, the fee is
US$132; and for nationals of the USA, the
fee is US$100 .
Getting there
Getting There by Air
Chile's main airline is LAN
(LA) (
www.lan.com
), which deals with international flights.
Approximate Flight Times
From Miami
to Santiago is 8 hours 30 minutes and from Madrid
is 13 hours 45 minutes.
Main Airports
Santiago
(SCL) (Arturo Merino Benitez) (
www.aeropuertosantiago.cl
). The airport is 21km (11 miles) northwest
of Santiago (journey time - 30 minutes). To/from
the airport: Bus services to the city
centre operate from 0530 to 2400 every day.
TurBus and Centropuerto both have cheap shuttle
services, which take new arrivals to Pajaritos
metro station or to Los Heroes in the city centre.
There are a lot of taxis to the city available
at the airport. Facilities:
Bar, ATM, bureaux de change, restaurants, shops,
car hire, post office and tourist office.
Air Passes
Mercosur
Airpass: valid within Argentina, Brazil,
Chile (except Easter Island), Paraguay and Uruguay.
Participating airlines include Aerolíneas
Argentinas (AR), Aerolíneas Del Sur (AS), Pluna
(PU) and VARIG Airlines (RG). The
pass can only be purchased by passengers who live
outside South America and must be booked in conjunction
with an international ticket. It is valid for
a minimum of seven to a maximum of 45 days. At
least two countries must be visited; dates can
be changed but the flight route cannot. A maximum
of three stopovers is allowed per country.
oneworld Visit South America Pass: valid within Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile (except Easter Island), Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. Participating airlines are Aer Lingus (EI), American Airlines (AA), British Airways (BA), Cathay Pacific (CX), Iberia (IB), JAL Japan Airlines, LAN (LA) and Qantas (QF). The pass must be bought outside South America in the country of residence. It allows unlimited travel to 34 cities. A minimum of three flights must be booked; prices depend on the amount of flight zones. For further details, contact one of the participating airlines.
oneworld Visit South America Pass: valid within Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile (except Easter Island), Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. Participating airlines are Aer Lingus (EI), American Airlines (AA), British Airways (BA), Cathay Pacific (CX), Iberia (IB), JAL Japan Airlines, LAN (LA) and Qantas (QF). The pass must be bought outside South America in the country of residence. It allows unlimited travel to 34 cities. A minimum of three flights must be booked; prices depend on the amount of flight zones. For further details, contact one of the participating airlines.
Departure Tax
None.
Getting There by Water
Main
port: Several towns on the coast are
now regular stops in cruise company itineraries.
Valparaíso (
www.portvalparaiso.cl
) is the best known. Shipping lines such as Compañía
Chilena de Navegación Interoceánica (CCNI)
(
www.ccni.cl
) and Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores (CSAV)
(from New York and European ports) (
www.csav.cl
) operate there. The country's biggest port is
San Antonio.
Getting There by Rail
Unless you're
wildly curious about rail travel, there's no point
in trying to enter Chile by train. A sporadic
service did exist between Chile and Bolivia, and
there is talk of reviving that line. However,
if you want practical travel by land, stick to
the bus.
Getting There by Road
The Pan American
Highway enters Chile through Arica. There are
frequent, reliable and comfortable buses
that can come from as far north as Ecuador. There
are also services from Argentina and Brazil to
Santiago.
Cycling & Maps
Cycling in Chile Get off the beaten track though and it is a whole different story. Unpaved roads can be extremely bad. Bolivia aside, some of the worst in South America: poorly maintained with washboard; boggy sand and gravel; rocky and full of potholes. Make sure you have good racks and bags. they are in for a lot of shaking around. This is especially the case in and around the Lake District and even though, in 2010, they were ardently working on the tracks, it is going to take a long time before they are ever finished. The road works cause quite a number of delays too, but as a cyclist you are quite often let through and sometimes, if you are lucky, you get to ride on virgin road while the other traffic slugs through the road rubble. Driving attitudes in Chile leave a lot to be desired. The growing abundance of fast, brand new 4x4's, Audis, BMW's and Mercedes' probably has something to do with it. On dirt country roads they are prone to driving like mad-men and coming extremely close to cyclists, with little regard for the dust they produce or your precarious position on the edge of a wobbly path. Drivers also tend to take extreme risks with overtaking on blind corners and on inclines. Keep your wits about you. In cities, your biggest concern will first be the buses; and second the taxis. Both this breed of driver play no mercy when it comes to cyclists and therefore it is not uncommon to see cyclists avoiding unpleasant situations by riding on the left hand side of one-way streets or next to the median strip on more central roads. Unfortunately, there is not much of a road-cycling culture in Chile and this reflects in the limited amount of bike paths in populated areas and when present, the way they seem to illogically stop in the middle of nowhere. Many cyclists just dawdle along footpaths, not only due to traffic concerns, but also the number of one-way streets. While Chile might be geographically thin it is 4,300 kilometres long country and you may find you need to take public transport to get to the places where you really want to cycle. This is not uncommon and for a fee (part official; part in the pocket) paid to the driver, your bike can be stored in the underneath luggage compartment of buses. It does pay to ask prior to booking your tickets though if bikes are allowed on and how much they will charge you. There are numerous bus services to choose from and they run regularly from all cities throughout the country. And remember when crossing the borders into Chile, there are major restrictions on what food products you can bring into the country. See Crossing the Line in the Food, Drink and Vegetarian Fare Section for more details. You will need to plan carefully around this as on nearly all the unpaved immigration posts, it is a long hard ride on bad roads until you see the next shop. Products like milk powder, packaged oatmeal, pasta, bread, tinned vegetables and tomato sauce are allowed to be carried in. The other pertinent issue for cyclists is water and if you have been travelling from the north of South America and into Chile, you'll be pleased to know that the tap water in the country is very safe to drink. For touring cyclists though, the problems arise in the northern desert region and more isolated areas south of Puerto Montt. Mining settlements in the north generally have their own supply of fresh drinkable water and won't mind you asking them for a few extra litres, if you have run out. The same applies if you pass a police post. Long desert stretches require careful planning, not only for water, but food too. If you are travelling on some of the major highways, then the Estacionamientos [parking bays], will be a life-saver. These are by far the greatest asset to the Chilean road system. They have amazing facilities: tables, benches with grass umbrellas; toilets - with toilet paper, showers - with hot water, soap and of course you can stock up on that life saving liquid as well. It is advisable to carry enough fluids for 1½ to 2 days at a time in these areas. This will generally see you through the dry spots. In the central Lake District or further south, this generally wont prove a problem and as long as you have some method of filtering or purifying the water, your liquid will generally taste better than any city tap supply. Once away from the tourism, you can find yourself in beautiful wilderness with stunning panoramic views of nature's most extreme landscapes. But it will take some work on your part to get there. The roads, as earlier mentioned, can be terrible and the weather must be on your side too. You will need to be well equipped with all season riding and camping gear and be totally self sufficient for the long isolated stretches. Chile's biggest draw-cards are the national parks and the quiet back roads around the lake district with a small sample of northern deserts thrown in for variety. Chile is as diverse as they come, with excellent spots to cycle tour, but the distances between these memorable destinations is great. And honestly in between can be torture riding: howling headwinds reducing you to a pathetically low one digit mileage; boringly mind-numbing scenery of literally nothing but sand and rock; exasperating undulations of insignificant highway; horrendously busy roads with equally inconsiderate driving and to top the journey off: nowhere to camp wild, but in a ditch. In light of all this, it pays to plan your tripthoughtfully and if you are pushed for time or are finding the environment that disagreeable, don't be too proud to jump on a bus every now and again. They are affordable and very convenient for skipping the bad bits.
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| GPS | Free maps for GPS from http://viajerosmapas.com/ | ||
Chile
Map Cost of living
Chile: all prices in
Chilean Pesos (CLP)
A couple of extra tips:
| drinks and snacks | food: local markets; restaurants; and stores | ||||
| water (mineral)
|
5 litre
|
800-1400
500 500 220 500 870 1450 |
bread loaf-white
|
680g
680g per kg each-thin |
890
890 950 350 |
| humitas
mote con huesillos empanada queso menú del día vege meal - restaurant pizza - takeaway |
each
small / large each 2 course+drink main course familiar |
600
350 / 600 650-750 3000-5000 3500-5000 4500-6000 |
|||
| beer - local - bottle
beer wine wine |
330ml
1 litre 750ml 1.5 litre |
550
800 1000+ 1500+ |
|||
| tea
coffee (cafe / bar) jugo exocticas (cafe) Nescafe instant coffee - ground |
20 bags
per cup small-large 50g 250g |
220
400 600-1000 1110 2000+ |
rice (white)
pasta eggs tomato salsa carne de soya [soyameat] |
kg
|
600
250+ 1100 270 700 |
| milk
yoghurt / curd olives cheese cream cheese Magnum-like icecream |
1 litre
125g 200g 250g 227g each |
500
|
potatoes
onions tomatoes cabbage-large brocolli pimiento rojos [capsicum] cucumber |
kg
|
750
550 800 800 490 590 210 |
| chips
salted peanuts cashews almonds sultanas dried peaches |
200g packet
200g 400g 100g 100g 300g |
800
490 4990 780 450 1800 |
apples
oranges bananas grapes pineapple avocado |
kg
kg kg kg each kg |
990
790 460 1500 1400 700-1000 |
cornflakes
|
350g packet
150g block 6x20g 160g packet 120g packet |
1300
810 660 370 350 |
pineapple (can)
oil (corn) |
567g can
1 litre |
750
950 |
| peanut paste
jam honey |
510g jar
250g sachet 250g |
1890
250 1350 |
|||
| * Majority of prices obtained from the Hiper Lider supermarket found throughout Chile. Prices at markets vary only slightly, but if anything they are somewhat cheaper. | |||||
| accommodation | personal | ||||
| budget city hostel
(depending on city) budget city hotel |
4,000-5,500 per dorm bed
12-20,000 double share bathroom 35,000+ double with ensuite |
deodorant - roll-on
soap shampoo toothbrush toothpaste disposable razor toilet paper |
50ml
90g bar 400ml each 90g 3 pack 8 pack |
990
390 900 600+ 780 1300 1290 |
|
| camping
wild camping |
8,000-12,000 for 2 persons
yes, though difficult at times |
||||
| internet | 650+ per hour | ||||
| *
tba = price to be announced
* February 2010: at time of writing 1.00 USD = 509 CLP all prices have been taken from internet resources such as wikitravel, hostel world, leading supermarket chains, travel blogs, forums and of course our own travel experiences and purchases of everyday products in food markets, bazaars and local shopping facilities. They are only an indication and designed to give you a general impression of the cost of living in Chile. Items are geared towards the budget conscious traveller with an occasional craving for a bit of luxury. |
Source: www.exchange-rates.org |
A couple of extra tips:
| * | Bargaining
at markets for souvenirs or when buying in bulk
is perfectly acceptable. Other than that prices
are fixed. It is also not uncustomary to ask for
a discount if you are staying longer than a week
in a hostal or hotel. |
| * | Tipping
in Chile is not mandatory, though in tourist areas
you'll find 10% automatically added to your bill.
When you receive your cheque from the waitperson,
they will point out that it is not obligatory
to pay. |
| * | Taxi drivers
do not expect tips but it is fairly usual to round
the bill up to a convenient amount.. |
| * | Food Restrictions:
You cannot take any food or animal products into
Chile without having them inspected first and
they are vigilant at checking all your luggage.
See Crossing the Line in the
Food, Drink and Vegetarian Fare Section
below for more details. The point to remember
is at most border crossings, you will receive
a form in which you have to declare whether you
are carrying any food in your luggage. Answering
NO and then having officials find a restricted
product will result in a $US200 fine. So, unless
you have gone through your belongings with a fine
toothed comb prior to the border control, it is
best to say YES. They are going to search your
bags anyway and you are bound to have some small
perishable item stashed somewhere that you have
forgotten about. |
| * | There is
a deposit on 1 litre beer bottles. Supermarkets
generally add it to the bill when you go to the
cash register, but you can run into problems in
other stores if you don't bring an empty bottle
with you. If fact, it is not uncommon for propietors
to refuse point blank to sell you any beer at
all. Some smaller stores give you a receipt for
your beer with the deposit amount written on the
back. You must return to the same store to get
your money back. Anywhere else, they'll gladly
take your bottles off your hands, or even exchange
them for fresh beer, but you will not get any
money out of them. Some of the Unimarc supermarkets
will not return your deposit either, even when
you have obtained your beer from their establishment
and you have a receipt of purchase. |
| * | The secondhand
clothing industry in Chile is big business and
in and around the lake district especially, most
towns will have a few stores to choose from. Good
place to buy some "new" clothes for
yourself and especially cold and wet weather gear. |
| * |
Banco
Estado
is conveniently located throughout Chile and they
don't charge for withdrawals, whereas many of
the other banks do. |
Accommodation
Tourism is more developed in Chile
than in the South American countries to the north of
it. With this comes a rather pricier tag on all forms
of accommodation. Though, it doesn't mean that what
you get is going to be any better in quality. That said,
backpacker hostels in Santiago and other major route
destinations are generally well equipped with kitchens
and common areas; wifi and computers; comfortable rooms,
mostly with share bathroom facilities and staff who
speak several languages of which English will be one.
The price in 2010 for a bed, is around 10,000 pesos,
though if you stay for a longer period of time, you
can easily receive a 10% or more discount. It pays to
ask.
Most small towns will have simple lodgings though off the well trodden track, it will be more difficult to find accommodation. There are plenty of refugios to call into on the trekking trails. In general, it is better to seek out a hospedaje or residential if you are on a budget. These more homely run places can be a little run-down and not always in prime positions, but generally give you all you need for a few nights sleep with a comparably moderate price tag.
Camping in Chile
Wild camping in central Chile is not as easy
as you might think. It is more populated than anywhere
else in the country and they are lovers of the barbed
wire, even in the seemingly desolate areas. Though there's
no other experiences to draw on, if really stuck for
somewhere to camp, one of the highway Estacionamientos
[parking bays] might be an option. Along the coast,
there are occasionally a few beaches that are accessible.
Even Chileans use these places as free campgrounds.
And in the summer months, you'll even see tents pitched
on the side of the road near ocean plots. Other than
that, you are limited to organised camping.
And this can be very disappointing for foreigners. It is more often than not, extremely expensive for what you get. Of course there are a couple of gems to discover and around the Lake District and on popular coastal regions, there are many options to choose from. Beware though, if you are travelling in the Chilean holiday season expect that a lot of the beachfront camp spots will be full.
North of Región de Coquimbo and south of Región de Los Lagos is less populated and wild camping possibilities a little easier, which is a good thing because it will be essential if slow-touring. Keep you rubbish well out of reach of wild animals and be cautious if building a campfire, though in some of the more popular areas you wont get the chance as it is banned, as is collecting firewood.
If you are cooking with a fuel stove, it is nice to know that the petrol (gasoline) in Chile is of a higher quality than in other South American countries. Stock up before venturing into Argentina, Bolivia or Peru.
Lists of campgrounds in Chile is reasonably well documented on internet, however tourist offices have even more information available. Be warned though, the Turistel maps are not very reliable. They do depict a few wild camping spots designated by a white tent symbol, which is helpful. Below are a few links to websites that could give you an indication of where camping is possible. For information about camping in national parks it is best to search for each park individually on line.
Excellent directory, by region, from
CampingChile.cl
Small directory of campgrounds in chile from
chilnet.cl
Camping facilities in
Torres
del Paine National Park
Camping in
Puerto Montt
goChile.cl
guide to the national parks with accommodation information
List of
Chilean
National Parks
on Wikipedia
Wikitravel has some, but limited information about camping:
click on one of the
Chilean destinations
available and scroll through to the "Sleep"
category. Don't forget that, if it is a National Park
area, then park fees also apply - and many have a dual
pricing system for nationals and foreigners.
As far as outdoor gear is concerned, Mall Sport [Avenida Las Condes 13541, Las Condes] in Santiago, is the place that everyone talks about. Here, you can purchase all things sportive and camping should you need to replace something in your kit. The website has every store listed with tonnes of details about what products they stock. How to get there? Take metro line one to Escular Militar then take the C01 bus (two stops), but to be on the safe side ask the bus driver to let you know when you are there.
Internet in Chile
Internet cafés are everywhere in the
well populated areas of the country and surprisingly
enough, they don't close down during siesta. Most hostels
offer wifi and a computer or two for travellers to use.
Even campsite owners are getting on the broad-band wagon
these days and quite often a wifi connection is offered
included in your nightly price.
| Acommodation we used while in Chile (December 2009 - February 2010): (prices based on two people sharing) | ||||
| Star system explained: from 0 to ***** where 0 is a total disaster and ***** is luxurious (and out of our price range) | ||||
| City / town: | Name accommodation: | Our experience: | Price: | Stars: |
| Calama | Hotel Aymara | net, clean, tidy, wifi, expensive | CLP 30,000 | **** |
| Coquimbo | Camping Sole di Mar | old and forgotten... | CLP 10,000 | * |
| Los Molles | Camping Quebrada el Chivato | nice staff and beach, spots so,so | CLP 10,000 | ** |
| Panguipulli | Camping Pemehue | great views & amenities, friendly | CLP 10,000 | ***½ |
| Puerto Fuy | Camp ground | no water / toilets, still have 2 pay | CLP 3,000 | ½ |
| San Pedro de Atacama | Eden de Atacameño | staff looks tired, overall ok | CLP 16,000 | ** |
| San Pedro de Atacama | Hostal Vilacoyo | small, musty, pleasant, kitchen use | CLP 14,000 | ** |
| Santiago | Hostal Forestal | great staff / atmosphere, wifi | CLP 18,000 | **** |
| Valparaiso | Hospedaje S.Javier | old hostel but very warm people | CLP 14,000 | ** |
| Villarrica | Camping Villarrica (?) | beware of the bathroom area ! | CLP | ½ |
Food & drink
| Chileans
love their barbeque and little else goes on the
grate besides meat, meat and even more meat. So,
as a vegetarian you are going to have to force
a few vegetables on a clean bit grill or retreat
to the kitchen and knock something up for yourself.
In central Chile, there is an abundance of fresh vegetables and fruit at local markets and in the stores, but you never really see much of it at the Chilean dinner table. Still, that's no concern if you are self catering, and hostels generally have pretty good kitchen facilities for this. Another bonus for the vegetarian is, like Peru, you can readily find carne vegetal de soya [dried soya meat] in supermarkets. If you have ever been put off by this product in the past, then try it in South America. They have really come up with a tasty variety. One popular brand is Sabu, which also provides a range of other health food products. Peanut butter or paste [depending where you come from] is also obtainable at a reasonable price. You cannot find this in Argentina or Bolivia and in Peru, it costs a small fortune. So, if you love this creamy, nutrient-loaded, "tied you over till dinner time" spread, then stock up in Chile. Fresh produce outside of well populated areas can be scarce, so do some planning if you are going on some slow travel off the beaten track and still want to have a balanced diet. This also applies for water supplies as well. |
|
Bakery products are delicious and the Chilean panaderia certainly knows how to tempt you with their chocolate brownies; budin (Magdalena cake); or simply the intoxicating smell of freshly baked crusty bread rolls. Try pan marraqueta ; also called pan francés [french bread] and pan batido [kneaded bread] for starters.
As far as the restaurant scene is concerned, most establishments in tourist areas have at least one vegetarian option. And in the odd local eatery you can find menu del dia vegetariano [vegetarian set meal of the day]. Unfortunately, many of the strict vegetarian food-houses and buffets are not open in the evening for dinner; just for lunch. In that case the good ol' pizza is always a meal you can fall back on and available nearly everywhere. For a list of vegetarian venues throughout Chile take a look at the HappyCow website.
Crossing the line
And furthermore, there is an internal food control boundary with similar restrictions when travelling south out of the Atacama Dessert. |
Basically, if there is a tap in Chile, then the water is safe to drink. This is true for most parts of the country and especially in cities and towns, though it can have a slight chlorine aftertaste. Bottled water is also easily obtainable and purchased in bulk, it is inexpensive. The only problems that may arise are if you venture to more isolated places. Then you may need to source your water from streams and rivers. It is then advisable to treat it before drinking it.
Soft drinks are frighteningly popular and especially the light varieties. You can actually purchase pop in 3 litre bottles in Chile. Drinks without aspartame or saccharin are also difficult to find. It is then a blessing that the licuados, fruity milk shakes, are also available. And they are good.
Coffee on the other hand is not. For a country with such strong ties to Europe and so close to other South American countries renowned for their delectably roasted beans, it is quite surprising. You will almost always get the instant variety and not particularly good either. Ground coffee is available, but it is expensive.
But even if the coffee isn't up to scratch, Chileans certainly make up for it with their wines. The joy of waltzing into a supermarket and pulling a 10,000 peso (~€2.00) bottle from the shelf is, in itself, wonderful. But then finding out that you have scored a really lovely wine makes the event even more superb.
Cerveza [beer], is big and besides the local lagers Cristal, Escudo, Dorada and Royal Guard of which some also make dark beer, there is a fast growing trend in the boutique beer market in Chile. Kunstmann and Austral are commonly found in most supermarket chains these days and produce some refreshing pale ales; bock beers and specialties like honig ale [honey ale]. Cerveza Mestra is an example of one of the smaller companies on the market brewing top quality beers. The only glitch is these beers are extremely expensive in comparison with other alcoholic beverages in the country.
Which brings us onto pisco, which is just as popular as any other Chilean drink. Either as a Pisco Sour: modelled off the whiskey sour; or as a Piscola: which doesn't take much to work out what goes into it. In the sixteenth century, Spanish settlers first distilled the liquor from grapes and the name arose from the conical pottery in which it was aged.
| Why not try these
for starters? |
Empanada de Queso
|
Humitas
In Chile, many enjoy adding a sprinkling of sugar to their humita before eating, but if you are not a sweet tooth then a crumbling of queso fresca [soft white cheese] and dash of aji [chilli pepper sauce] zests the dish up nicely. Served with salsa de aji rojo: a finely chopped salad made from tomatoes, onions, red chillies and coriander, is also highly recommended. But really, whichever way you like it, they are nutritious, delicious and highly satisfying. |
Porotos Granados
|
Queso de Cabra y Papaya
|
Sopaipillas
Sopaipillas are deep fried pastry fritters differing greatly depending on which part of the country you are in. North of San Javier they have pumpkin in their dough and are drizzled with chancaca [black treacle or molasses] and eaten as dessert. South of Linares however, the pumpkin is omitted and they usually replace bread. It is not uncharacteristic to smother them with a spicy yellow mustard either. So lets face it, your route could well be depicted by your preference. Sweet or savoury? North or south? |
La Panadería
Alemana [The German Bakery]
Since the landscape of southern Chile, with its lakes, rivers and forests, harbors a similar environment to areas in Germany, many European settlers began to move there in the mid 1800's. And naturally, their influence has steeped into Chilean food culture. So, if you happen to travel to the Chilean Lake District, then don't forget to sample some of the delicious bakery products. Kuchen de quesillo: a Chilean version of cheesecake; Strudel: which hardly needs explanantion; and Berlín: just like a berliner doughnut, only filled with either dulce de membrillo [quince jelly]; crema pastelera [custard cream] or manjar [caramel spread] and of course dusted with sugar. |
Cuchuflí
|
Cherimoyas
Known in the western world as the custard apple, this slightly oblique, tubercle skinned fruit was heralded by Mark Twain as "the most delicious fruit known to men". While not everyone will agree, it is worthwhile trying if you have never sunk your teeth into the white flesh of a cherimoya. Besides the silky soft and sweet texture, it gives an almost sherbet-like sensation. Often described as a combination of tropical fruits, its flavour has also been likened to bubblegum. It is widely available in season and often flavours fruit juices and yoghurt drinks in the supermarkets if you are unlucky with finding the fresh variety. And a few tips when shopping for this unusual fruit: go for the larger examples with uniformly green skin that gives slightly to pressure, like an avocado. Be pre-warned, if crushed, the easily removed, dark, glossy seeds are poisonous with insecticide properties. |
Mote con Huesillo
As the name would imply, it is simply mote [cooked barley] mixed with a sugar or honey boosted liquid made from soaking huesillos [whole dried peaches]. Sweet, peachy and syrupy to drink with a little something to eat as well. Couldn't ask for more; or maybe you will? |
Piscola
Piscola is just as the name spells out: Pisco and Cola, and though less common with locals, it can be mixed with ginger ale or sprite. Also known as Combinado Nacional [national mixed drink], the Chileans are inclined to mix this potent highball cocktail with a spirit to soft drink ratio of anything from 1:1 to 1:3. And if you happen to be in Chile on February 8, then it is all the more reason to try one: since 2003, this date is celebrated as the Day of the Piscola. |
Bike shops
| Santiago | If you are looking for some serious bike parts in Santiago, you are in the right place when you hit the corner of San Diego and Coquimbo. All along San Diego there are bike shops, but hardly as concentrated as near this intersection. If you can't find it here... *** |
Road distances
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