I have to say, so far my experience of South America is very different than what i imagined it to be. My mother had told me a bit about Chile, but for some reason i still thought I would be in a much more tropical climate and surrounded by a lot more indigenous people. Perhaps it was just my ignorance, but let me debunk one grand lie: neither country is "native".
The truth is when South America, as a whole, was colonized, indigenous tribes were so fully crushed that few people today would have any idea if their ancestor was mapuche, or otherwise native to the Americas. The majority of Argentine population is made up of descendants from Italy, Spain and Wales. The majority of Chilean population is German and British descendant. Seriously, there are O'Higgins and Dittborns, Walters, Sebastians, and Olgas everywhere. Living in Buenos Aires is similar to living in a European city, with lots of tall buildings, close winding streets, people and cars rushing everywhere at all times. Santiago is like Washington DC. I was amazed. The city has a similar sprawl, wide streets, leafy wealthy neighborhoods, and almost everyone speaks some english too!
So this is my list of what I have really enjoyed about both countries. Everything is particular to each respective country...if i loved it on both sides of the andes i left it out because perhaps i will find it again in more south american countries.
Argentina
+ friendly business owners, employees, bus drivers, tour guides. They want to hear about where you are from and why you are there. they want to share their experiences too. and they aren't trying to seduce you.
+no matter what small town you go to, you will find something to do, each place holds some unique charm
+the buses in Buenos Aires; easy to navigate and pretty quick
+Northwest Argentina. it's gorgeous! Salta and Córdoba, two of my top destinations!
+Chacras de Coria in Mendoza. A beautiful, comfortable, laid-back suburb. and close to vineyards!
+Perito Moreno Glaciar. the most impressive glaciar I have ever seen.
+Punta Tombo. I never imagined that penguins would like dry arid coastline.
+Buenos Aires's gardens: well, they are all clumped together in Palermo Bosque, but they are HUGE and mostly free entry, and just lovely spaces to enjoy nature!
+humitas. corn mash with spices steamed in corn husks. a kind of meatless tamale i hear.
+grocery stores sell veggie burgers. that is seriously amazing.
+all you can eat vegetarian buffets in lots of cities. heaven.
+Terma. this is an herb-infused almost iced-tea/juice beverage. you mix it with sparkling water and ice on hot days and it's soo refreshing!
+Meat. Argentina convinced me to eat meat. hey, it's not bad!
Chile
+Eduardo and Pamela from Hostal Independencia in Punta Arenas. they made us feel like good friends.
+whistling men. no matter what size and shape you are, someone here wants to let you know they think you are great. it's not sinister either, mostly amusing.
+Lake District (Pucon to start). sunny, temperate, lots of outdoor activity to be had and a particularly german feel!
+wine country. Not only is every wine smooth and well constructed, you can get to vineyards on the metro!
+beach towns. you are forced to relax because there is literally nothing to do.
+Santiago's Metro. the cleanest and most well-maintained system I have been on versus all of Europe and the US.
+Santiago's US feel. I know I should be looking for unique south american experiences, but it's comforting after 4 months to be back in a land of starbucks and sushi restaurants!
+Casa & Ideas. a Chilean home goods store...god I love shopping.
+seafood! this is a whole new world of seafood, things I love (salmon, crab), things I've never seen before (locos, robalo, sea urchin), and some seriously enormous mussels, clams, oysters and scallops.
+fruit! when I tell you that you have never tasted watermelon, canteloupe, nectarines, and avocados before, it's not to make you jealous, its to let you know that the garden of eden is located west of the andes and there are daily flights to get here.
+ porotos granados and charki can. these are two traditional Chilean dishes that are simply delicious. porotos are big freshly picked beans that are cooked up with an assortment of vegetables, charki can has diced squash, potatoes, carrots, spinach, corn, onion, and green beans, flavored with cumin and cilantro.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
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