How To Fall In Love On Your Chile Vacation

Chile is an amazing, diverse, beautiful, mind-blowing, thought-provoking country. If Chile was a person, you’d really, really want the chance to get chatting to it in a bar. However, just like breaking the ice in a bar conversation, it’s difficult to get to take the plunge and get to know a country properly. Most people make do with being a spectator, rushing between different tourist sites to take photos. But there is another way. You can end your Chile vacation knowing that you’re a different person for your travel experiences, that you’ve fallen head-over-heels in love with the country. How do you do it?

The key lies in getting to know the Chilean people as much as possible before you leave. The more that you can strike up a connection with it’s people, the more Chile will deliver. Try the following four steps before you get on a plane.

1) Break down the language barriers
Spanish is the most widely-spoken language in Chile, and you won’t have much hope of connecting with people if you don’t speak it. Tapes, books and videos are good, but no substitute for real conversation. Book yourself onto an evening or weekend class a month or two before your trip, roll your sleeves up and get chatting pronto!

2) Get some background on the Chilean mentality
A great way to get in touch with social themes and the attitude of a population as a whole is through its art. Try reading; books by some well known Chile authors such as Isabel Allende or poems by poets like Pablo Neruda are a good start. You could also get your head around some lyrics by listening to musicians such as Violeta Parra. In many examples of these people’s work you can see representations of a national mind-set that transcends words and will give you a greater affinity for Chileans.

3) Do some digging on what Chileans like
We’ve all got points of national pride and beloved topics of conversation, and the people of Chile are no different. Try subscribing to a Chilean news website - you’ll be able to find sites that discuss articles and features in English. Armed with a clear picture of what’s holding people’s attention in Chile and what Chileans love to talk about, you’ll find yourself getting into a lot more conversations.

4) Try to meet a Chilean before you leave
This can be tricky, but you’ll be able to cover all three points above at once if you can meet a Chilean living in your local spot. Try searching for international associations, language schools in which Chileans might work, or clubs and societies related to Latin America. It’ll be a great opportunity to try and bend your ear around the notoriously difficult Chilean accent...

Imagine getting into an enthusiastic conversation with a Chilean about their local history, or the state of their national football team. It’s not as hard as you think, and more rewarding than you can imagine! Chileans will open up to you if you take an interest in them and their country, and have the courage to break the ice in conversation. Tour companies can provide you with great destination opportunities on your Chile vacation, but only you can make the difference between being a sightseer and falling in love with Chile and Chileans for the rest of your life.

How do you prepare for a Chile vacation? Do you have any amazing experiences to share?

Author: Jon Clarke - Escaped to Peru / Escaped to Latin America

Mining In Chile - The Pros And Cons

On 13th October 2010, the last of 33 miners trapped by an accident at the San Jose copper-gold mine near Copiapo, Chile was winched to safety. He had been at a depth of 2,300 feet below ground level. He had spent 69 days trapped underground with his companions after a shaft collapsed at the notoriously dangerous mine where the deaths of 8 miners had been reported over the last 12 years.

This high publicity incident was a catalyst for Chile’s mining regulation agency to bring the hammer down, closing 18 mines within days and scheduling a further 300 for closure. It’s easy to condemn Chilean mining as unsafe and exploitative, but what are the real pros and cons of the industry?

Pros
1) Mining is a great source of income for Chilean workers
Chilean copper mine workers are among the highest-paid miners in South America. However, inflated wages are used to entice workers to mines with poor safety records, as in the case of San Jose; mine workers were paid around 20% more for their troubles.

2) Generally Chilean mines have a good safety record
San Jose is an example of a smaller mine at which standards are known to slip. However, the larger mines generally owned by multi-nationals or the state copper mining company, Codelco, run a tighter ship.

3) Mining brings the benefits of a strong economy to Chileans
Currently enjoying a strong economic status, the population of Chile have good reason to be thankful for the mining industry. Over a third of government income due to exports come from copper alone. One notable benefit of the economic surplus from copper mining is the use of government funds to pay for reconstruction after the 2010 Chilean earthquake.

Cons
1) Inadequate government resources are available to monitor the industry
Between 2004 and 2010, the San Esteban Mining Company (owner of the San Jose mine) received 42 fines for breaching safety regulations. Why was the San Jose accident allowed to happen? Due to budget constraints, there were only three inspectors for the Atacama Region's 884 mines. Despite a very immediate public response to correct the problems that led to the San Jose disaster, the government still has much to do to bring the industry under control.

2) It isn’t all wine and roses economically
Copper is a highly volatile commodity on the international markets, experiencing increases and decreases in value of up to 50% during the 1980’s. The Chilean government have established a Stabilization Fund to put aside the surpluses of good years to cover the shortfall of others, but the unpredictability of such a core element of the entire country’s economy is a great source of risk.

3) Environmental concerns
Copper mining produces 99 tons of waste for every ton of usable material. When you consider the usable copper output of Chile, that’s a lot of waste.

It isn’t often that Latin American countries get to reap the benefits of their natural resources, and Chile is a good example of a country that turns it’s rich mineral deposits into benefits that reach the population. However, in the rush to make the most of what it’s got, Chile has lost control of the smaller players in the mining industry, and it’s any one’s guess if they will be able to rein things in to the point where accidents like San Jose are a distant memory.

Author: Jon Clarke - Escaped to Peru / Escaped to Latin America

Wine In Chile - 4 Recommendations For Your Chile Wine Tour

Searching for a cultured and relaxing way to visit a country, a wine tour is an excellent option. Unfortunately, few places in the world offer growing conditions suitable to sustain a wine industry extensive enough that you can tour.

With the exception of Chile, that is.

The 5th largest exporter of wine in the world, one of the best ways to get to know the country is through its wineries. Oh, and did I mention that Chilean wines cleaned up at the 2009 Decanter World Wine Awards with some 370 prizes? Judges were quoted describing Chilean wines as “some of the finest Sauvignon, Riesling, Pinot Noir and Cabernet blends in the world.” For once, it seems quality and quantity can co-exist. And if you’re a potential wine tourist, that puts Chile very firmly on your map. So where should you visit? You are at liberty to 'drop in' at the winery of your favourite label, but if you are looking for suggestions, try the following.

The Colchagua Valley

Possibly Chile’s most famous wine region, Colchagua Valley enjoys a balmy, Mediterranean climate matched in only a few other places on earth and the air is clear and clean. Feeding the vines, the deep sedimentary soil of the Colchagua Valley contains a mixture of fine-textured loam clay and loam silt, bordered by medium-textured volcanic soil in the foothills. The 14,038-foot Tinguiririca Volcano melt water feeds the Tinguiririca River, carrying pure water to the valley below. These conditions combine to provide a long, warm and dry growing season that produce very, very good wines.

One of the many options is a visit to the Viña Casa Silva winery, famous for its award-winning Carmenere wines. You’ll get a chance to see their unique approach to the art of wine making; all wines must be approved unanimously by a tasting panel of 5 members before any product is sent into the global wine community, including the Company’s president, his two sons and the two leading members of the Vineyard’s enological committee (wine technicians).

The Curico Valley

A good base from which to explore the fruits of the Valley is the city of Curicó. Despite destruction by an earthquake in 1928, is considered one of Chile´s most cultured and provincial towns, perfect for any discerning wine-hunter. A short distance outside of the city is Alta Cima – a family-run winery that produces some of the region´s greatest fine wine. With decades of experience in wine-making, importing and exporting, you’ll get to see the result of years’ work meticulously refining quality.

The Casablanca Valley

A relatively cool and largely coastal region, Casablanca is known for producing classy Chardonnay and world class Sauvignon Blanc. It is also being planted with Pinot Noir in an attempt to exploit its cool climate conditions with one of the hottest grape varieties amongst knowledgeable wine consumers.

To get a sneaky behind-the-scenes peek at the some of the top wines coming out of Chile, do what you can to pay a visit to the vines of Casa Lapostolle, or sample the work of winemaker Ignacio Recabarren at the Casablanca vineyards.

The Chilean wine scene unfolds over 5 principal regions, all of which contain a selection of valleys with enviable growing conditions. With the assistance of a tour company, you can pick and choose visits to your favourite spots, and link them all together as you like; flying, horseback riding, bicycle...it’s your Chilean wine vacation, so its your decision.

Author: Gary Sargent - Escaped to Peru / Escaped to Latin America

Inspiring Chile Vacation Ideas

You have your reasons, but you want to be truly inspired by your next vacation. Not just returning home with a camera full of photos, this trip should leave you feeling different to when you went away. A Chile vacation is the thing that you are looking for. 4300 kilometres from top to bottom and averaging 175 kilometres wide, Chile gives the appearance of being squeezed into the sea by Argentina. Don’t let the dimensions fool you; depending on where you go, the territories of Chile present a range of options from arid deserts in the North to the outer reaches of Polynesian islands to the grey-white walls of glaciers in Antarctica. Try any of the following three options for a Chile tour to be inspired.

1) Atacama - The driest place on Earth
Long, bone-dry valleys running into the middle-distance of nowhere, the Atacama desert will inspire you with its long expansive stretches of nothingness. Blocked from moisture on both sides by the Andes mountains and by the Chilean Coast Range, Atacama is virtually sterile and the sense of remoteness that this gives the visitor inspires a pause for thought. Rich in minerals, the desert is covered with approximately 170 abandoned nitrate mining towns, almost all of which have been shut down. Industry still continues however, demonstrated by the Copiapó mining accident on August 5th 2010, which left 33 miners trapped 700 metres underground. Industry in conflict with barren landscapes at thousands of metres above sea level; worth a look, no?

2) Colchagua Valley - The source of superb wine
Brought over by Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century and welcoming French varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the 18th century, the Chilean wine scene entered a renaissance in the 1980’s with the introduction of stainless steel tanks for fermentation and oak barrels for aging. With the scientific advances of the wine industry, wineries such as Viña La Playa are making the most of the conditions about 80 miles southwest of Santiago in the Colchagua Valley.

The Valley enjoys a balmy, Mediterranean climate matched in only a few other places on earth and the air is clear and clean. Feeding the vines, the deep sedimentary soil of the Colchagua Valley contains a mixture of fine-textured loam clay and loam silt, bordered by medium-textured volcanic soil in the foothills. The 14,038-foot Tinguiririca Volcano melt water feeds the Tinguiririca River, carrying pure water to the valley below. These conditions combine to provide a long, warm and dry growing season that produce very, very good wines. If you want evidence, try this; in Wine Spectator's annual Top 100 list, Colchagua wines were #3 in the world in 2003, and #2 in 2004. In search of an inspiring wine, how does Colchagua sound for delivering the goods?

3) Rapa Nui - Life lessons from the ‘Navel of the World’
Most of us are aware of the tall, slender grey faces of the moai statues of Easter Island, the southeastern most point of the Polynesian triangle. The 887 statues that litter the island serve as the basis for a tragic history of fierce tribal war that brought a civilization to an end. The imposing gallery of stone statues only form a moment of Rapa Nui’s history, which also tells of famines, epidemics, civil war, slave raids and colonialism. Despite a tiny population, Rapa Nui will give you a thought-provoking look at the rise, fall and clashes of civilizations through the landmarks and people that you see and meet on your vacation.

Author: Gary Sargent - Escaped to Peru / Escaped to Latin America