It's been a while readers...

I must apologise for my tardiness with writing. But you see, I've been away. Not once, but twice. I'm a very lucky girl. During my travels in the south of Chile I have:

• had one of the most amazing experiences of my life;
• been to the most beautiful place in the world I have (so far) ever seen;
• stayed in the most luxurious place I have ever stayed; 
• completed my longest ever journey by bus; and,
• witnessed one of the most astonishing views I have ever set eyes on.

Oh, and narrowly missed a volcano erupting.

I'll be filling you in over the coming days, but for now, here's a tantalising taster...

Nevados de Chillan

Bariloche, Argentina

Volcan Puyehue

Lago Llanquihue and Volcan Osorno

Valdivia waterfront

Parque Huerquehue near Pucon

Civil unrest

Positive is usually the watchword of this blog, but I want to capture my Chilean Adventures in full, so I'm afraid this post is going to focus on one of its more ugly sides.

Caveat out of the way, I can tell you that we have spent the last week in the centre of a whirlwind of civil disturbances. As I write, the click of the keyboard is accompanied by the din of saucepans being banged together outside. This is the latest in a string of protests against a hydroelectricity project in Patagonia that will see five mega dams built in one of the most unspoilt regions of the country, billed as essential fuel for a country poised to enter 'developed nation' status very soon.

On Monday night, I exited the Metro station to the shock of having my nose burned with tear gas. Thursday, after a student protest, I walked home to find traffic lights snapped in two. And on Friday, in the biggest of the demonstrations so far, thousands of protesters marched chanting down our road, before a small minority tipped over a glass recycling bin to arm themselves ready to take aim at the police.

The location of our building is the equivalent of being a few blocks away from the Houses of Parliament in London, so it is not surprising that we are seeing so much action. That said, the sheer number of both protesters and demonstrations is not something we are accustomed to in the UK. Estimates for Friday were 30,000 people and more civil action is planned over the coming days.

Before anyone begins to worry, we are fine. By and large, the demonstrations are peaceful; some vandalism happens, but the scenes are little worse than Birmingham's Broad Street on a Saturday night. In fact, the protesters are infinitely better-mannered. Tear gas and water cannons are used, because the police are quick to disperse people at the merest hint of trouble. While staying inside may be the best option, it's interesting to witness a nation so vocal and active in expressing itself, quite a contrast to the 'keep calm and carry on' culture I've come from.

In case you want to know more:

• I Love Chile, HidroAysén protests: view from the ground - Santiago, 14/05/11

New heroes

One of the most surprising things about coming to a new country for me, has been discovering people I never knew existed. I don't mean making new friends or learning about historical figures; I mean stumbling upon seriously important and influential people who I hadn't heard the slightest hint of before setting foot in Chile.

Being a self-confessed feminist, I am naturally impressed by strong, successful and aspirational women. Since arriving here, I have discovered two such women who quickly turned into new heroes for me, and both of whom I'm dismayed are not better known outside of these shores. They are Michelle Bachelet and Isabel Allende.

I will return to Allende in my next post, as I recently finished reading her seminal novel 'The House of the Spirits. For now, I want to turn my attentions to Bachelet.

Michelle Bachelet
Photo by Ricardo Stuckert
(Agencia Brasil 1) via Wikimedia
Commons

Michelle Bachelet is Chile's first ever female president, holding the post from March 2006 - March 2010 (see, I bet you didn't know that). She took office with an unprecedented absolute majority in both houses of congress and left with a seriously high 86% approval rating from the populace. Popular woman.

Gender equality was high on her agenda and she appointed a never-seen-before 50/50 cabinet of men and women. Her policies included free daycare for poor children to help women back into work and economic independence and successfully securing free availability of the morning-after pill to all women over 14 (in a country where abortion is illegal...)

Last year, after her presidential term finished, Bachelet was appointed Executive Director of a new international task force on gender equality - UN Women. The body is doing a crucially important job; to improve women's leadership and economic empowerment, to end violence against women, particularly in warfare, and in focusing countries around the world on prioritising gender equality.

Before her presidency, Bachelet was Chile's first female defence minister. Upon entering politics (she had initially trained and worked as a paediatrician) she took herself off to study military strategy. In her personal life, she is a divorced mother of three and an agnostic (did I mention Chile is a very Catholic country?)

But above and beyond all of these phenomenal achievements, for which I am filled with admiration, what makes here even more amazing in my eyes, is that she was imprisoned and tortured under the military dictatorship of General Pinochet. This is what makes her, for me, a shining example of what women can achieve.

In writing this post, I am indebted to the following:

1. Wikipedia, Michelle Bachelet (25/04/11)
2. The Guardian, UN Women's head Michelle Bachelet: A new superhero? (22/04/11)
3. The Guardian, Michelle Bachelet (08/03/11)
4. The Guardian, The Bachelet factor: the cultural legacy of Chile's first female president (13/12/09)

A time of amazing opportunities

I was reflecting this morning on some of the amazing things I've done since I arrived here in Chile. And it occurred to me that not only am I on an incredible adventure in an incredible country, but that I am having opportunities to experience some of the most normal things in an amazing way.

Take for instance, last Friday's royal wedding. As previously expressed, I'm not particularly a royalist, and was becoming a little tired of being constantly asked for my opinion on the nuptials as the resident Brit. However, I'd geared myself up to watch the ceremony comfortably curled up on the sofa in my pyjamas. I had to watch it for the dress at least!

That all changed though, when late on Thursday afternoon, an email came through to me at the I Love Chile office inviting us to cover a celebratory breakfast at the British Ambassador's house here in Santiago.

Pushing aside my qualms over posh networking events, where - gasp - I actually have to talk to people I don't know, I decided to attend. Boy am I glad I did.

I arrived at the Ambassador's residence in the exclusive neighbourhood of El Golf just before 7am, in time to see Kate Middleton enter Westminster Abbey and the dress revealed. Those invited were served tea in china cups (so very British) before settling down in front of a big screen to watch the event. The audience, made-up of various members of the British-Chilean community, sat attentively, lapping up the lashings of pomp and circumstance that reminded us all of home. Despite feeling weepy at various points (not least Jerusalem - if anything stirs-up a mixture of homesickness and patriotism in me it's that hymn), I managed to hold myself together!

Watching the wedding at the British Ambassador's
residence

Following the ceremony, we were served, what else, but a nice slice of cake. The Ambassador then gave a short speech, highlighting how this was the start of a period of celebration for the UK - with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the Olympic Games both coming up next year. I felt truly connected to home, regardless of the distance.

For me, this was a truly unforgettable morning. I don't think I would have ever had the opportunity to experience something like that if I had been at home; somehow, by being here, opportunities are magnified. Maybe because I only have 11 months here I am compelled to grab everything that's offered and truly savour every experience. Maybe because I am away, I have a new perspective. Either way, certain things that would otherwise be trivial, become spectacular.

First snows

The seasons seems to be racing along now as on Saturday the aforementioned deluge broke loose and it rained all day and was really cold (around 12 degrees centigrade - how quickly we forget).

So that meant only one thing yesterday for our planned walk in the mountains... there was snow!

In fact we were treated to three seasons in one; imagine, clear blue sky, hot beaming sun, yellow and golden leaves and snowcapped mountains. Simply breathtaking.

Our destination was Cajon del Maipo, a gorge or canyon up in the Andes around an hour south-east of the city. It's a favourite weekend haunt of Santiaguinos, and as you would expect on Easter weekend, there were a lot of cars.

Funnily enough, we were the only ones walking and on a couple of occasions, drivers stopped to ask us directions. We were a little surprised, as we don't exactly look like outdoorsy types, but I guess the fact that we were exploring the valley on the power of two legs (and without the guide which seems to be mandatory here) suggested otherwise.

We barely scratched the surface of the cajon, covering around 10 miles in total, but the views were amazing and it will be interesting to go back in the winter to see how it changes.

Autumn leaves

Autumn leaves in Parque Forestal

Upside-down seasons are bamboozling. I have to remind myself that we are in April, as the city gradually slips into autumn. This is my favourite time of year; fresh mornings, golden low evening sunlight and leaves turning to vivid orange and reds. What an extra joy it is, therefore, to have all of this plus still warm temperatures! It is happily reaching 20 degrees or more in the daytime, although of course, all the locals have their jumpers and scarves out. It's only the gringos that are still reaching for the shorts.

Yesterday, we spent a lovely afternoon ambling through some of downtown Santiago's older neighbourhoods. We started out in Londres - the rambling cobbled streets flanked by Victorian-style town houses which I've written about before. Then we moved onto Lastarria - in essence, Moseley, for those of you who know Brum. Winding streets, cool architecture, funky shops, trees, classical street musicians, antique fairs and barely a Chilean accent in earshot. This is the haunt of the (largely British) expats - a slice of home amongst the hustle and dust of the South American city.

While in the vicinity, we visited Plop! gallery - a small museum of illustration, comic books and graphic art. Basically just a shop with a small room for exhibition space, we saw work from, unusually, a female artist called Marcela Trujillo, who presented some very funny strips about a character in her late teens/early twenties and her very recognisable adventures.

Churros

Adjoining the neighbourhood of Lastarria, is Parque Forestal - a luscious slip of shady forest along the Mapocho river. It was planted at the end of the nineteenth century and at the weekend is host to scores of Chilean families. Aside from the hair-raising sight of a Chilean child on a brake-less tricycle haring towards you, it's a tranquil spot. We enjoyed some Spanish churros (fried dough sprinkled with icing sugar) from one of the many food vendors and a pleasant paseo around the park.

Rosa's ice-cream

Before we returned home, we stopped off at what is reputed to be the best ice-cream parlour in Santiago - Rosa's emporium. Testimony to this it was heaving, but we managed to get ourselves an ice-cream each, upside-down like the seasons. Sadly the earl grey flavour which I had been keen to try had run out, so I instead opted for chirimoya alegre. Chirimoya being a native fruit that tastes a bit like a banana but with a more juicy and citric tang. (Alegre meaning happy).

And next time I will try to write about something that doesn't involve food!

Pomaire

As previously mentioned in my post about food, we spent a delightful afternoon last weekend in an enchanting village called Pomaire. Located about an hour south-west of Santiago, we were dropped off by the bus on the side of the motorway (this is Chile after all) and walked the short distance along the one road in and out of the village.

According to my trusty copy of the Rough Guide to Chile, Pomaire (pronounced pom - aye - ray) was established in the 18th century by Spanish colonisers in an attempt to control the more nomadic indigenous population. It is famed for its pottery - the surrounding hills being packed with clay - and the main street is filled with workshops selling, in the main, cookware and piggy banks (chanchitas).

Pomaire necklace with new skirt

With my magpie's eye for anything colourful and pretty, I quickly spotted a tiny shop selling gorgeous ceramic jewellery. Of course, I felt compelled to take ownership of one of their wares, particularly one that would match my (ahem) impulse skirt purchase from earlier in the week. (Note to my UK readers familiar with my shopping habit - it has been so long since I've had the guts to even mooch around any shop other than a department store or American style mall, neither of which I can afford, these two little treats were long overdue. And beautiful).

We also discovered an amazing cactus shop, with hundreds, if not thousands of cacti spread out on tables in front of someone's house. Missing our prickly friends from back home, we bought one, which hopefully we will keep alive until it is time for us to leave.

The rest, you know; two enormous meals of humitas and cazuela followed by mote con huesillos which we had to force down on top of a full stomach before catching the very bumpy bus back to Santiago.

While Pomaire has built itself a reputation for crafts and homecooking (its main draw is the half-kilo empanada) it didn't feel overly commercialised, despite the best efforts of various restaurateurs jumping on any gringo-looking passer-by and trying to lure them in with promises of cueca and mama's best from the oven. Without wishing to sound pompous, the village had an air of authenticity and didn't feel like a theme park attraction with bus loads of tourists, as many places like this can. Not least because of the ever-present reminder that most of the workshops and restaurants were also people's homes where they try to scratch a living.