Sunday, July 2, 2000		Article

Chill out in Chile
By Shona Adhikari

FOR one of the most fulfilling holidays of your life, head towards South America, to the fascinating land of Chile.

A narrow sliver of a country, running down the western coastline of south America, Chile offers a visitor the widest possible range of climatic conditions with its accompanying vegetation and animal life — spanning 4,329 km and 39 degrees of latitude. Peru lies to the north of Chile, in the east lie Bolivia and Argentina, and in the south, Antarctica. The Pacific Ocean runs along the west, offering one of the longest and most varied coastlines in the world, while the east is banded by the Andes mountains. If there were a north to south car rally in Chile, the distance would far exceed the Paris-Dakar one. By contrast, if one were to drive west to east, in barely three hours one could travel from Pacific coast to elevations higher than any peak in Europe.

There are over 45 international flights that can fly you into Chile, to the capital, Santiago. A sprawling city of over 5 million people, and spread out at the foot of the Andes, Santiago de Chile, as the locals refer to it, is a historic city which also offers all the advantages of a modern international city. But you should leave enjoying Santiago till you have explored all the regions worth seeing in this fascinating country.

One could start with the desert in the north, follow the coast, and take a voyage to the fascinating Easter and Robinson Crusoe Islands. One could explore the lake and the rain-forests in the south, check out the salmon farms along the ffiords and glaciers, travel through Tiera Del Fuego to the southern-most tip to the icy wastes of Antarctica. Chile has the southern most town in the world, from where you can actually see the South Pole and Antarctica.

Let us begin with Arica in the northern reaches of Chile, offering geographical conditions, not unsimilar to the arid conditions of Africa. The Atacama Desert, is the world’s largest repository of copper, and supplier of 30 per cent of the world requirement of this metal. Considered the world’s driest region, there are parts here, where it has not rained for 50 years. It was here that NASA chose to test its planetary exploratory vehicle ‘Nomad’, for no other place on earth does the environment more closely resemble that of Mars. Not so long ago, at the beginning of the century, Atacama also bustled with the extraction of nitrate, used as fertiliser. Today ghost towns such as Humberstone and Santa Laura, remain as reminders.

At Iquique, one can rent a car, from Avis, Hertz or the Budget Rent-a-Car services. There are a number of hotels to choose from at Iquique, and the ‘Terrado’ comes highly recommended. While at Iquique, make sure that you visit the bar-pub restaurant, ‘Barracuda’, for some spectacular Chilean cuisine, washed down by the region’s excellent wine.

The next stop is the port city of Valparaiso, and its twin city Vine del Mar. Valparaiso was started years ago by the Changos Indians, and was discovered in 1536 by Juan de Saavedra. The port was then transformed into a strategic location for navigation for all boats that sailed from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.

Touching Valparaiso, along the coast is the beautiful city of Vina del Mar, meaning ‘Vineyard by the Sea’. Also referred to as ‘Ciudad Jardin’, or Garden City, in honour of its splendid landscaped parks and gardens. A large city, it has much to attract the tourist - beaches, horse-racing, a casino, a theatre, excellent hotels and restaurants. The Apart Hotel Brisas del Mar I, is a good one to stay at, and a seaside road from the city takes you to other coastal cities like Cancun, San Antonio and concepcion.

San Antonio is a busy port, from where the enormous quantities of fruit grown in the region embarks for export. About 674 km west of San Antonio, out in the Pacific Ocean lie the Juan Fernandez Islands which consist of three main islands — Robinson Crusoe, Santa Clara and Alejandro Selkirk. The main island, Robinson Crusoe was named after a sailor who was abandoned on its beaches in 1704, by English pirates. His diary inspired the writer Daniel Defoe to write the novel, Robinson Crusoe.

These rocky islands with a population of 500, are extraordinary for their wildlife, and have been declared as a World Wide Biosphere Reserve by Unesco. Today this area is a protected national park. Some of the finest sea food comes from this region, so try it out, take a boat or a short flight to the islands and spend a day, exploring the area.

Easter Island is much further away, and is virtually in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is best to take flight to go there. With a population of 2000, the island was so named because it was discovered on Easter Sunday, in 1772, by a Dutch Admiral. Chile took possession of the island in 1888 and ever since, people have been writing about the history of the island, to try and untangle the mystery of the strange statues standing in a line, looking out to sea.

There is much more to see, but time is running out, and you must make a visit to the southern tip. Take a flight to Punta Arenas, the capital of the region, with lovely houses, historic buildings and interesting museums. Otway Sound is a nesting colony for the Magellanic penguin. The southern-most national park of South America, is on Cape Horn, which contain the Wollastone, Hermite and Horn islands. From here lies the Drake passage, that separates South America from Antarctica —and where the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans meet.

But it is time to head back to Santiago. To warmer climes and away from the cold — exciting Santiago beckons. Santiago was founded on February 1541, by Spanish captain, Pedro de Valdivia, at the foot of a small hill called Santa Lucia. Here the climate ranges from 30°C in January to 0°in July. The Andes, to the east of Santiago reach a height of 5000 metres above sea level and are covered by constant snow, that can be seen the year round. This is the country’s central portion, and resembles that of the regions along the Mediterranean — roads lined with elm trees, oak and eucalyptus, citrus orchards and more importantly the vineyards. Chile is famous for its wines, and is the major exporter of wine to the USA. Almost all the major vineyards in Chile, are located in this region, and if you have the time, do drive down to the vineyards, and see how some of the world’s favourite red and white wines are made.

Santiago is multifaceted — the Plaza de Armas is in the centre of the city, there are the modern commercial districts of Providencia and Las Condes, and the beautiful houses in the Barrio Alto. Santiago, has a large number of heritage buildings, like La Moneda the government palace, the Town Hall and the Municipal Theatre.

The city has some of the most innovative architecture, like the World Trade Centre, or the Hyatt Regency and the Las Condes — the country’s largest shopping mall. At night, the action is in the bars and discotheques of Bellavista, Suecia, and Plaza Nunua. Santiago’s tremendous variety of restaurants and cultural activities offers a perfect way to recharge the batteries....after exploring the untamed wilderness of the deep south and the far north of a fascinating and vibrant land.