Food,Glorious food,and Chile has lots of it!

Lets start with some great tastes.

Pastel de choclo: corn casserole filled with ground beef, onions, chicken, raisins, hardboiled egg, olives, and topped with sugar and butter.

Pastel de Hivas:Another pastel dish,but this time filled with crab in a creamy sauce, our local favorite at the Miramar restarant! Chile is full of wonderful and varied seafood.

Empanada de pino: a baked Pasty filled with ground beef, onion, raisins, a piece of boiled egg and a black olive.

Empanada de queso: a deep-fried pasty filled with cheese. In fact you can find many different Empanadas, including seafood!

Cazuela de vacuno: beef soup with a potato, rice, a piece of corn and a piece of squash.

Cazuela de ave (or de pollo): same as above, but with a piece of chicken.

Cazuela de pavo: same as above, but with turkey.

Porotos granados: stew made with fresh beans, squash, corn, onion and basil. con choclo: with grains of corn. con pilco or pirco: with corn thinly chopped. con mazamorra: with ground corn. con riendas: with thin sliced noodles.

Curanto: lots of seafood, beef, chicken and pork, potatoes, cheese, and potato "burguers," prepared in a hole in the ground ("en hoyo") or in a pot ("en olla"); a dish from Chiloé.

Southern sopaipillas: a fried pastry cut as 10-cm (4-in) circles, with no pumpkin in its dough (see Northern sopaipillas in the desserts section). They replace bread. They are known South of Linares.

Lomo a lo pobre: a beefsteak, fried potatoes, a fried egg (expect two in restaurants) and fried onions.

Besides typical foods, you should expect food normally found in any Western country. The normal diet includes rice, potatoes, meat and bread. Vegetables are abundant in central Chile. If you are concerned about the portions, consider that the size of the dish increases the farther south you travel. With such an enormous coastline, you can expect fish and seafood almost everywhere. Locals used to eat bundles of raw shellfish, but visitors should be cautious of raw shellfish because of frequent outbreaks of red tides.

Chile is the world's second largest producer of salmon, as well as a number of other farmed sea products, which include oysters, scallops, mussels, trout and turbot. Local fish include corvina (sea bass), congrio(conger eel), lenguado (flounder), albacora (swordfish), and yellow fin tuna. I must mention the Laguna Azul restaurant in Boyeruca, talk about fresh oysters, last time I was there , I was told to hang on a minute as they went out and caught them while we waited .Twenty minutes later I was eating Fresh Oyster, so fresh they were still bursting with flavor, never tasted better!

Sandwiches

Hotdog or completo. Almost a staple food here,and found in numerous franchises through out Chile. This one includes mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, tomato, mashed avocado (palta), sauerkraut (chucrut) and chili (ají).These ingredients make a full sandwich, called un completo. With mayonnaise, tomato and avocado it's un italiano with the colors of the Italian flag.

Lomito: Cooked pork steaks served with anything that can go in a hotdog. Italiano is the preferred form but German purists prefer it with sauerkraut (chucrut).* Chacarero: a thin beefsteak (churrasco) with tomato, green beans, mayonnaise and green chili (ají verde).

Barros Luco: Named after President Ramón Barros Luco. Thinly-sliced beefsteak with cheese. Usually served with French fries, fattening and delicious!

Choripán: Bread with "chorizo", a highly-seasoned pork sausage. Named that way because the contraction of "Pan con Chorizo" or "Chorizo con Pan". A frequent starter to the Barbeque in Chile,

A common combination is meat with avocado and/or mayonnaise, e.g. Ave palta mayo (chicken with avocado and mayonnaise) or Churrasco palta (thinly-sliced beefsteak with avocado). The strong presence for avocado is a Chilean standard for sandwiches that influences the fast food franchises to include it in their menus.

Crudos : Minced raw fillet steal served on a slice of white bread and accompained by different sauces. Try it at Hausmann,s in Valdivia, with a local Torobayo beer! Or at the annual Beerfest in Saval Park.

Desserts

Northern sopaipillas: a fried pastry cut as 10-cm (4-in) circles, which includes pumpkin in its dough, and normally is eaten with chancaca, a black treacle or molasses. It's customary to make them when it rains and it's cold outside. Sopaipillas as a dessert are only known north of San Javier.

From Linares to the South, they are not a dessert and the pumpkin is left out, so, when it rains, and it does a lot, Chilean Southerners must cook picarones. In Santiago, Sopaipillas can be served covered with a sweet syrup as a dessert, or with spicy yellow mustard.

Kuchen (or cújen) is German for pie. In the South ask for kuchen de quesillo, a kind of cheesecake.

Strudel . A kind of apple pie.

Berlín. When they translate John Kennedy's famous quote (often mistakenly thought of as a gaffe) they say it's a “jelly doughnut”. The Chilean version is a ball of dough (no hole) filled with dulce de membrillo, crema pastelera or manjar. Powder sugar is added just in case you have a sweet tooth.

Cuchuflí. Barquillo (tube of something crunchy like a cookie) filled with manjar. The name originally comes from cuchufleta wich means deceipt or trickery, as they used to be filled only at the tips of the barquillos, leaving the middle part empty.

Fruit

Apples, oranges, peaches, grapes, watermelons, strawberries, raspberries, chirimoyas,the list is endless .You just plant it round here and it grows! You will find many roadside stalls in season, selling the local produce fresh from the farm and cheap.

Drink

Wine :- see our wine link for a taste of the real thing!

Mote con Huesillo: A delicous summertime drink made of wheat seeds (mote) and dried peaches (huesillos) boiled, sweetened, and served cold. Typically sold on sidewalk or park stands.

Chilean Pisco: Brandy made from Muscat grapes. Popular brands are Capel, Alto del Carmen and Valle Elqui.

Pisco Sour: One of Chile's mostfamous and popular mixed drinks, this consists of Pico mixed with squeezed pica lemons and sugar. It has a delicious tart sweetness.

Mango Sour: Pico mixed with mango juice.Some new Pico mixes include Pima Colada,Cherimoya,makes great cocktails.

Piccolo: Pico mixed with Coke.

Boron: Red wine and strawberries.

Eremite: ("Earthquake"): a typical Chilean drink that consists in a mix of pineapple ice cream with pigpen (like white wine).

Schop: Beer on tap.

Fan-S chop: Beer mixed with orange Fanta soda. A refreshing alternative on a hot summer day.

Beers: Crystal and Escudo are the most popular (light lagers). Royal Guard and Kunsman (too expensive!) are a popular alternative. Heineken and Stella Aroids are made here under license, plus a large selection of imported beers and lagers. There is a growing number of artisanal breweries setting up, like Valbier in Valdivia making a fine amber ale .

Joe : wine and Coke

Eating Chilean
Pilar at En mi cocina hoy
Unocome

República de Chile

Motto: Por la razón o la fuerza "By reason or by force"

Capital (and largest city) Santiago 33°26′S 70°40′W / 33.433°S 70.667°W

Ethnic groups White (52%), Mestizo (44%), Indigenous (4%).

Government-- Unitary presidential republic.

President- Sebastián Piñera.

Land Area - Total 756,950 sq. km --- 292,183 sq. miles                          (UK 242,900 sq.km---California 423,970 sq.km)

Population - April 2010 estimate 17,063,000

Summer (DST) CLST (UTC-3)

Currency:- Peso (CLP)

- “Fiscal prudence, Low debt, Resilience”. Moody’s Investors Service upgraded Chile’s government bond ratings to Aa3 from A1, citing: (i) the government’s strong fiscal position; (ii) a favorable debt profile; and (iii) the country’s demonstrated economic and financial resilience despite adverse shocks. Chile’s strong financial position is evidenced in an average debt-to-GDP ratio of 6%. (United Kingdom - Debt/GDP: 409% ! )

Just click the green link to open page.

Maps
First thing you need when you arrive is a good map . COPEC the nation-wide service station, provides the best,it was only 1500 clp! Buy one when you arrive,at your local COPEC station. It will save you a lot of time! An example is on the link below ,and in fact you can print out the pages for free.

COPEC web map

Car Hire

You will find all the major international car rental companies at the airport. However here are a few locals for comparison
Rosselot Car hire
Econorent Car Hire
United Car Hire
Airport Car Hire

Buses

International flights arrive at “Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez” airport and is 26k from town , there are,plenty of taxis available, but you can just pop out the front entrance,where you will see a TurBus stand. This bus goes every half hour, directly to Teminal Santiago, Terminal Alameda is right next door. Below the bus station is the Underground railway and you can connect easily to many destinations in Santiago. Buses in Chile are cheap, comfortable and offer a regular service.

National Parks and Ecology

Conaf (National Forestry Corporation)
Governmental organization whose objective is to recover and protect the natural heritage of Chile, minimizing the deterioration of forest ecosystems.(Spanish)

Foto Naturaleza.cl

Government Tourist Office
A good starting point for an overview of Chile Tourism in English and Spanish All Chile Forum
Great site for anyone thinking of living in Chile .Full of info and chat in English.The real McCoy for wandering or even wondering ex pats.
The English Portal to All Southern Chile
All Southern Chile is the English portal dedicated to sharing with the World the wonders of living, working, and visiting Southern Chile.
Chile Expat and Travel site index
Chile Information forum
Chilean Folklore
Site to rescue, transmit, and promote the traditional and related Chilean Folklore activities.(Spanish)
Arte Vichuquen
Creative site showing Ceramics and pottery made locally in Vichuquen.
Ser Indígena (To Be Indigenous) Virtual Magazine
Site with information about different ethnicity represented in our country. Pictures, dictionaries, videos, music and lots of information. (Spanish)
Lord Cochrane, Chilean Admiral
Naval hero in the War of Independence. Remember 'Master and Commander'? Then Try Also For a good read
Esmeralda (BE-43) is a steel-hulled four-masted barquentine tall ship of the Chilean Navy, currently the second tallest and longest sailing ship in the world .The Chilean navy has a fine museum in Valpariso.

Desert Album, History of Saltpeter
Dedicated to giving information about saltpeter in the north of Chile and its history.(Spanish/English/German)
Cart Cemetery Sculpture Park, Putaendo
The park, located in Putaendo, harbors all kinds of sculptures made from old carts.(Spanish/English)
Interactive Museum (Mim)
Information about the museum, public hours, reservations, costs, pictures, etc.(Spanish)

RODEO
After football Chile´s second favorite sport, and a completely different challenge from North American Rodeo.
The Chilean Horse
A great detailed resource by Randall Arms, I have used AS THE REFERENCE. However page seems down, but I will leave it just in case as its a great site

Chilean Horse

Caballo Y Rodeo
Official Chilean Rodeo site (Spanish)

I'm just a Criollo horse

The Criollo hose,is aimed at providing information on its origin and history

Recreational Activities

Llico is a well known windsurfing stop in Chile, in fact from Pichilemu down, our local coastline is one of the best surfing, winsurfing, and kite surfing destinations. For personnal attention, by windsurfers we recomend

Wind and Waves

Atmósfera 4 School of Scuba Diving
Information, its courses, the trips, places to scuba dive in Chile.(Spanish)

Ciclonautas.cl, Cicloturismo
A site that claims to transmit and promote bicycle tourism. Tour consultations, tour dates, galleries, food and nutrition and everything related to bicycle tourism.(Spanish)
Dive Shop Center
Here you will find sales for scuba diving equipment, excursions inside and out of Chile, also courses for the experienced, recreational, and professional levels.(Spanish)
Kiteboarding
General information about kite boarding, forums, destinations, pictures, articles, where to buy equipment and much more.( Spanish)
Paracaidismo.net (Skydiving)
Sport Skydiving School of Friends site. Information about its courses, services, articles, videos and pictures of the jumps and places they go to.(Spanish)
Surf Chile
Site dedicated to surfing in Chile and the world. Sections on news, destinations, reports, pictures, etc.(Spanish)
Ultralight Airplanes ULTRASPORT
Company offering flying classes and flights in different variations of ultralight airplanes.(Spanish)
" Windsurf.cl
Windsurfing site for Chile. Sections on news, destinations, reports, pictures, etc.(Spanish)

Entertainment

Panoramas
Information about the cinema billboards, performances and articles on literature, theatre, and gastronomy. Classified by age group.(Spanish)
Chilean Casinos
Site dedicated to the casinos and Horse Racing around Chile.(English)
The Coliseum
Site of computer games. News, reviews, demos of the latest games and arenas to play online.(Spanish)
Santiago Municipal Theatre
History and general information about the Municipal Theatre, yearly calendar, seasons, news, prices, and online reservations.(Spanish)
Valparaíso Municipal Theatre
Information about the theatre, annual billboards, prices, photo gallery, friends association, and more.(Spanish)

Organizations and Services

State Railway (EFE)
Company site with information about the destinations, itineraries, hours, varieties of services and making reservations. (Spanish)
UK in Chile
British view of living in Chile
US State Dept Chile info
Chile specific info for US citizens
CIA world factbook for Chile
Well detailed resource for economic activity
Chilean Meteorology
Information about the climate and weather in Chile, the meteorological forecast of the day and topics of interest such as ultraviolet radiation, El Niño, La Niña, Agrometeorology, satelite pictures, and more. (Spanish)
National Tourism Service (Sernatur)
Site about tourism in Chile: attractions, services, agencies, hotels, transportation companies, circuits, routes, tour guides, statistics, etc.(Spanish/English)
National Environmental Commission (Conama)
State owned institution that promotes the developmental processes of environmental sustainability, coordinating the actions derived from the politicians and strategies defined by the government in regards to the environment.(Spanish/English)
National Fishing Service (Sernapesca)
Organization in charge of implementing national fishing policies and overseeing the carrying out of the laws and regulations for the activity.(Spanish)
Chilean Antarctic Institution
National Institution to communicate plans, coordinate, orientate, execute, publish and control all the antarctic scientific, technological, logistical, environmental activities.(Spanish)
Chile Inside
Intercultural management agency specialized in the organization of professional internships, working holiday programs, voluntary work projects, Spanish language courses and accommodation throughout Chile.(Spanish)
De Utilidad /Yellow Pages
Chilean Yellow Pages. Search for companies and products by city and region. Addresses, maps, and web sites.(Spanish)
Mapcity
Site to search for ad)Al Mar and Valparaíso in Chile, Buenos Aires in Argentina, Sao Paulo and Río de Janeiro in Brasil, and Mexico City in Mexico.(Spanish)
Arturo Merino Benítez Airport
Site about the main airport in Chile. Information about airlines, flight arrivals and departures, arrangements, airport stores, transfer services, meals, etc.(Spanish)
Chilean Meteorology
Information about the climate and weather in Chile, the meteorological forecast of the day and topics of interest such as ultraviolet radiation, El Niño, La Niña, Agrometeorology, satelite pictures, and more.(Spanish)

Terminal de Buses Santiago

Newspapers

Magazines

Ercilla Magazine (Spanish)
Que Pasa Magazine (Spanish)
Caras Magazine (Spanish)
Cosas Magazine (Spanish)

Television Channels

Chilean National Television (Spanish)
Channel 13 Television ( Spanish)
Chilevisión (Spanish)
Mega Televisión (Spanish)
Via X Televisión ( Spanish)
Artv Televisión (Spanish)

Radio Stations

Radio Horizonte (Spanish)
ChileLindo.com (Spanish)
Radio Infinita (Spanish)
Radio Emisoras Beethoven (Spanish)

Chile Specific Search Engines
123 Chile
Anden Chile
Antena
Busca Chile
Buscapique
Chile Contact
Chile Websites
Huifa
DMOZ
Guia
LANIC
NIC Chile
SIPO
Terra
TodoCL
WEPA!
Yahoo!