Wool

An unexpected delight here in Chile is wool. As a self-confessed knitting addict, I'm sadly a little unusual in the UK. Spending my free time listening to the click of the needles is not something most 28 year olds choose to do.

But here, it's a whole other story. I first had an inkling that my hobby might be a little more conventional when Carlos told me of a conversation he'd overheard between two of his work colleagues, not long after he'd arrived, about the current knitting projects they had on the go. Even more surprisingly, he caught one of the secretaries grabbing a sneaky couple of rows during a quiet moment at the office.

When the Metro is not packed to the rafters, it's not uncommon to see women whip out their knitting. The idea of donning a ball of wool in public may seem a little cringe-worthy in the UK, but here no-one bats an eyelid.

The best thing by far though, is wool shops. And I mean proper little wool shops of the kind I used to see as a child in the 80s, that regrettably, almost completely died out. Gorgeous shelves full of brightly-coloured, inexpensive yarns and stocked with all the accoutrements you could need; needles, magazines, patterns and all. They are everywhere: metro stations, big American-style malls, little shopping areas, side streets and main thoroughfares. It really is a dangerous city to live in...

Photo by Nagamori (cc)

Footnote for the yarn connoisseur: Knowing that some of my readers are as crafty as I am, I felt I must mention the local yarn here which many of you may be familiar with: Araucania yarns. Araucania yarns are a collective of artisans based in Santiago that hand-dye exquisite alpaca, angora and Patagonian wool, among other fibres. They produce some seriously beautiful variegated yarns.

Last Monday, I had the joy of seeing the yarns close-up when some of the knitting groups girls and I treated ourselves to a trip to Cuenta Puntos, a local stockist of Araucania. It's a shop that was rather deliciously described by one of the girls as 'yarn porn' - need I say any more?

Sampling all aspects of Chilean life

Me being me it was going to happen eventually: I was going to wind up in an A&E department and have the opportunity to learn about the Chilean health system first hand. But before anyone panics, nothing serious has happened.

On Friday morning I noticed I had some insect bites on my arm. Nothing out of the ordinary there, as I seem to be a pretty tasty dish of foreign cuisine to the local nippers. The great thing about Chile though is that there are very few animal-related things that can harm you, especially without you realising it. As far as unidentified bites and stings go, there is no malaria or similar mosquito-carried diseases, no poisonous snakes and no deadly scorpions. All there is, are two poisonous spiders, and only one of these lives in the city.

The city spider is the araña de rincon or brown recluse. Fortunately for us humans, it's not aggressive and doesn't go biting humans willy-nilly. It hunts at night and has a habit of running away if it gets startled, usually into the nearest nook, frequently a pile of clothes or bedsheets. Herein lies the danger, the spider only bites if it gets attacked - i.e. squashed - so if you roll onto it or put your shoes on without shaking them first you might be in trouble.

Back to my story, over Friday and Saturday, around the place where I had two bites close together, a red patch had begun growing outwards in a circle and was becoming more and more swollen and itchy. Now, I've had bites similar to this before, which a very well-travelled friend of mine had believed to be spider bites. Knowing what I know about the rincon, I was more than a little concerned.

So on late Saturday afternoon, after a call to the insurance company and some rather grisly research on the internet (sometimes I wish we didn't have the internet and all the gruesome pictures and tales it provides - not that I'm being much better myself here) I decided I'd better take myself off to Clinica Alemana.

Still a little confused about how you actually access medical care, from what I can gather, there are a number of super-clinics, which provide A&E, hospital treatment and general GP appointments. Clinica Alemena is one of the three most super-duper of these super clinics and recommended for gringos as they advertise that they speak English (among other languages).

Nonetheless, I took my trusty translator with me, and thank goodness I did. While I managed to see a doctor who spoke English, the receptionists did not, and were rather less than pleased when we deigned to ask them whether they might. Medical receptionists seem to be the same wherever you go then... (sorry medical receptionists, I'm sure it's only a small minority but I do seem to pick them at times).

I was seen very swiftly - not even time to sit down in the waiting room - and was ushered into a very clean and modern treatment area. A couple of preliminary heart rate and blood pressure checks (although oddly no medical history questions) and then a short wait until the doctor breezed in, took one look at my arm and told me it wasn't a spider (phew all round) and just a nasty allergic reaction. All that was needed was a mega-dose of antihistamines and anti-inflammatories and I was off again.

Overall, I think I was in the hospital maybe an hour and a half at most. A far cry from the usual four hours in A&E you can expect to spend in the UK. Although I was paying for the privilege. The building was new, fresh, light and modern, very clean and set in lovely grounds. It had a calm atmosphere and the staff were in general very courteous and nice. The one odd aspect being the branding was very similar to that of Sainsbury's - red, orange and purple banners, the same font and white writing on windows. I was a little confused at one point whether I was actually in a Sainsbury's cafe or a hospital.

Christmas fun: wine

What's the one thing Chile is probably most famous for in the UK? Ok, apart from its political history and the miners. The answer: wine of course! Chile has had a reputation for a few years now of producing decent wine at affordable prices. So with vineyards aplenty right outside Santiago, what better way to spend an afternoon than sampling the local export?

Enjoying a nice glass of Chilean red

Probably the most commercial of the wineries here is Concha y Toro. I'm sure many of you are familiar with its wine, as one of the company's biggest export countries just happens to be the UK. Located on the outskirts of Santiago, in a nice little village called Pirque, Concha y Toro has seen the potential in the tourist market and grabbed it.

The vineyard is set in some lovely grounds, its administrative base occupying what was once a summer house amid an English country garden of gently undulating hills, a boating lake, mature trees and roses. Beyond the country pile, the landscape gives way to acres of vines, spreading out towards the foothills of the Andes.

On our tour of the vineyard, we got to sample a beautifully fresh white from the new range 'Trio', which, unsurprisingly, is a blend of three grapes. We learnt how to taste wine properly, swirling the glass to release the flavour, giving it a good old nose, and then taking a sip. And it really did taste of green apples, just as our tour guide said it would! Thankfully, we didn't have to spit it out and were allowed to enjoy the rest of the glass as we ambled through the grounds.

Our tour concluded at the Casillero del Diablo - another of the company's famous brands - which is actually the cellar where the founder of Concha y Toro, Don Melchor, kept his best wines. Myths and legends abound in this place, but the highlight was the chance to taste one of the premium wines, the Don Melchor, a hearty, beefy red which left me a little wobbly as I tottered round the gift shop.

Christmas fun: sunburn

The past two Christmases I've been fortunate enough to be able to go hiking up mountains. Last year, I visited the Pyrenees and got to fool around in waist-deep snow surrounded by peaks that looked like giant meringues. This year, it was all about sunburn...

Escaping the pressure cooker that is Santiago city is fantastic. The atmosphere is clean and the air is still, free from the noise and the crowds. Travel just a few kilometres south-east and you're in the foothills of the Andes.

Getting there is really fun. Civilisation takes you as far as the outer suburbs of the city by Metro, and then it's onto a micro. Micros are quickly achieving legendary status in my mind. They are small buses, very, very old and rattly, that the driver proceeds to hurtle around country lanes at around 100km per hour. Usually the driver has music blaring - accompanied by a sign that says something like: the radio on this vehicle is fixed at an adequate volume, get used to it. And then there's the in-house entertainment. Buskers and street-sellers use the micros as a regular source of income from a captive audience - so far I've endured rappers, ice-cream sellers, plaster sellers and a clown that told homophobic jokes. Most of the time I feel dreadfully uncomfortable, but however inappropriate the clown was, I did feel sorry for him. It was a tough crowd.

Anyway, back to the countryside. Having been dropped off in the middle of nowhere by the micro we made our way on foot to the Rio Clarillo nature reserve - a type of national park centred around a small river. A slight miscalculation on our timing meant we had an hour's walk under the midday sun from the gatehouse to the start of the reserve proper. You can guess from the title what happened.

After a spot of lunch, we went for a dip in the crystal clear spring. Now how many people can say they did that on the 28th of December? Then we headed up one of the foothills on a nature trail, a supposedly 'easy' path that had me puffing and gasping and dragging myself up by the handrail. Thankfully we were rewarded by a fabulous view, lizard-spotting and I think, on a distant craggy mountain-top, an eagle.

The scenery was amazing, pretty green, despite the arid conditions. There were giant cacti everywhere - and I mean giant, at least twice as tall as I am. We took in another trail through an arboretum, this walk a lot more leisurely, which showcased many native tree species, including one called 'Laura'!

By late afternoon, the midges started to swarm by the river so we headed for home, the three kilometre walk back to the gatehouse feeling even more exhausting after a full day's walking. Then we hopped back on the micro and returned to the city, thankful for a day's respite and for finally having the chance to see some of Chile's gorgeous countryside.

Christmas fun: celebrations

As previous posts have explained, Christmas felt pretty weird to me this year. Nonetheless, we did have a fun time, not least because Carlos had a whole week off so we were able to get out and explore a little. More on that later, but to start with, what about the Chilean Christmas celebrations?

The big day here for celebrations is Christmas Eve. Although not officially a bank holiday, many business wind down at lunch time and nothing really happens after 1 or 2pm. As previously mentioned, I spent the day sweating in the kitchen, as well as doing some last minute present wrapping (nothing changes there). Then it was off across the city for a big family meal.

A big family meal I hear you say? Well yes! When we first found out we would be moving to Santiago, Carlos' parents mentioned that he had a cousin here too. They had never met as adults, but Carlos got in touch with him when he arrived and he and his family have been very lovely and accommodating to us ever since. So we had a big old family knees up, very traditional, if not a little multinational, as the party included myself and Carlos (representing England and Spain), Carlos' cousin with his wife and three small children (representing Spain and Chile), plus three grandparents (from Spain and Chile) and an uncle (Chile).

We kicked-off with pisco sours, the national tipple. Then moved on to a seafood starter, with the special dish of octopus. The main was turkey with apple sauce and roast potatoes - an American import I think, but now the staple Christmas dinner here. Although I still can't get used to eating turkey without gravy, it's just wrong! A delicious chocolate sponge came next for dessert. A very common Christmas desert here is pan de pascua, a sweet fruitcake that I guess is a lot like Christmas pudding. Sadly though, it's laced with nuts, so I won't be able to find out any time soon. All of this of course, was washed down with lashings of local red wine.

Close to midnight, we opened our presents as is the custom here. The children had been too tired to stay-up, although I'm sure they bounced into the living room at some small hour the following morning! Then I brought a little bit of England to the table - some mulled wine that I'd lovingly prepared earlier. It seemed to go down well. Perhaps a new custom introduced to this already very international gathering!

Finally, as the night drew on, it was time to go home. Impressively, public transport runs all over Christmas (it's not like the UK where everything stops for the day). So we caught the bus at around 2am, along with a host of other people, including lots of small children clutching their freshly-opened presents!

For more about Chilean Christmas customs, see this interesting post from Pepe's Chile.

Watching the sun set on 2010

The last sunset of 2010 - Viña del Mar

New Year's Eve can often be a bit of a damp squib. All the anticipation and hype inevitably, at times, leads to anticlimax and disappointment, leaving you wondering what all the fuss had been about.

Happily, this year, my new year celebrations were far from disappointing. Admittedly, I was a little nervous, as lots of people had said to me how amazing it would be to see in the new year in a different country, and somewhere hot! Thankfully, it did not let me down.

Having spent the day at the seaside, we made our way to relatives of Carlos' who have a beach view flat at the resort of Viña del Mar. The resort is across the bay from Valparaíso and together they are the setting for what are said to be some of the most spectacular fireworks displays in the world.

Before dinner, we took a walk on the beach with the children and got to see the final sunset of the year, turning a golden orange before dropping below the cliffs. Carlos and I repeated the scene on New Year's Day - sitting on a rock watching the first sunset of 2011.

Then it was back to the flat for - what else? - a barbecue. The ubiquitous choripan (hotdogs) followed by a hunk of beef. I attempted a tequila cocktail, which was brave, given a slight incident shortly after completing my A-levels... all went well.

As midnight approached, the anticipation grew and Carlos and I found ourselves feeling quite nervous. In keeping with Spanish tradition, we each clutched a small bowl of 12 grapes, which would accompany the bongs of the clock in the countdown to the new year. Unfortunately, in a minor oversight, we discovered that Chile doesn't count down to new year with clock bongs, so we had to stuff them into our mouths as quickly as possible as the crowd on the TV counted down from 10.

Out on the balcony, a huge cheer ran across the bay, a rain of ticker-tape and silly string covered us, the champagne bottle popped and it was hugs, kisses and felicitations all round. Then a pause, almost silence, as thousands of people looked at a black sky, lit only by a few floating Chinese lanterns. Where were the fireworks?

Perhaps a minute passed, and then, an enormous explosion. Cascading colours lit up the sky, with a cacophony of noise from the bangs of the fireworks, cheers and gasps from the spectators, honks from hand-held klaxons and the ships in the bay and the blaring of car alarms. The Pacific Ocean was illuminated in pinks, greens, reds, whites and golds as vivid displays from 10 or more platforms in the sea erupted simultaneously. The spectacular show lasted for 25 minutes and was truly, one of the most amazing things I've ever seen.

Video from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuBYF1pYuIo&feature=related

What a year for Chile... and for me

2010 - a year of huge ups and downs for Chile. For me - a year of life-changing experiences.

It's not often in life you are given the opportunity to do something completely new. To actually realise a dream you may have had, or half had, for years, never really thinking it was achievable. But for me, 2010 presented just that; an opportunity to live abroad, to visit south America, to immerse myself entirely in a new culture and language.

For my newly adopted country, 2010 was, to put it mildly, an interesting year. Many of us in the northern hemisphere probably learned more about Chile in the media last year than ever before, as for both good and bad reasons, it made headlines. Certainly, nothing ordinary happened.

The great Chilean flag

To start with, 2010 was Chile's bicentenary. 200 years ago, on the 18th September 1810, a group of Chilean-born citizens began the process of independence from Spain. To mark the occasion, an extensive programme of events was planned: an enormous national flag was proudly unfurled in the centre of Santiago; a new museum of memory and human rights opened to remember victims of the military dictatorship; over 17 million trees were planted, one native species for every Chilean; several national monuments and public spaces were overhauled and revitalized, including Santiago Cathedral; construction started on a national network of bicycle paths - 690 miles worth; and various cultural and artistic events took place, including the special performance of The Nutcracker in the grounds of La Moneda.

It was due to be a year of great excitement, hope and celebration. Then out of nowhere, on February 27th, at 3:34 local time, a massive earthquake struck the country. Measuring 8.8 on the Richter Scale, the quake affected large swathes of the country and triggered a devastating tsunami that destroyed extensive areas of the coast. The infrastructure, including the main route connecting the capital with the south of the country, was badly damaged. Hundreds of thousands of people were made homeless, food was scarce, the drinking water supply contaminated and a complete blackout lasted for several days. A state of national catastrophe was declared.

However, despite the severity of the quake (bigger than the Haiti quake earlier in the year), Chile quickly set-about the task of re-building. And the nation showed its strength and solidarity in a special Telethon, named Chile helps Chile, which raised double its target to kick-start the country's recovery. In total, over 50 billion Chilean pesos was collected (that's over 68.5 million pounds).

Two weeks after the earthquake, a new president assumed office. Sebastián Piñera, a media mogul and one of the country's richest people, is Chile's first democratically elected right-wing president since 1958. This was a major political shift, which saw him replace the hugely popular Michelle Bachelet, who left office with an approval rating of around 80% (the Chilean Constitution prevents presidents from serving consecutive terms).

In June, there was some light relief and great excitement as Chile took part in the World Cup for the first time since 1998. The national team, 'La Roja', played some impressive football, eventually losing to Brazil in the second round.

The miners' rescue capsule

Then in August, Chile hit the headlines of the world, with the news of 33 miners, trapped at a depth of 700 meters when the mine they were working in collapsed, were found alive and well after 17 days. They of course went on to spend a total of 69 days underground before being dramatically rescued on October 13th. The eyes of the world were on Chile and the miners and their families received the fairytale ending they could probably never have imagined.

But the emotional rollercoaster didn't end there. Tragedy struck again in December when a fire in an overcrowded prison killed 81 inmates. While a second Telethon raised over 18 billion pesos, uniting the country once again in a drive to help disabled children.

Any one of these events would have been enough for a country. So what will 2011 have in store for Chile? After a year of jubilation, despair, tragedies and fairytale endings, perhaps the citizens of this country are hoping for something a little less out-of-the-ordinary.