Goodies from South America
photos: ernesthon
Santiago, Chile-
One of Chile’s favorite sons is Pablo Neruda. He is a well loved poet (and well known communist) who lived in both Santiago and Valparaiso in Chile. Having won the Nobel prize for literature in 1973, both of his houses in Chile: La Chascona in the neighborhood of Bellavista in Santiago, and La Sebastiana in Valparaiso, are now museums where visitors can pay homage to his work.
Vina del Mar, Chile-
We’re always talking about the “big one” on the west coast of Canada, since Vancouver hasn’t seen a big earthquake in a great many years. For the Chileans, the “big one” came just under 2 years ago in February 2010, where an 8.8 magnitude (the 6th strongest ever recorded) earthquake hit the coastal region southwest of Santiago. Chile is prone to strong earthquakes because the oceanic Nazca plate is colliding with the South American plate at a very fast rate. 2 years later, the damage is still visible , especially in historic buildings and churches.
Viña del Mar, Chile-
Chile is one of the biggest exporters of fish in the world because of its highly commercialized fisheries and rich waters. The Humbolt current flowing north from Antarctica and the south pacific that makes the water uncomfortably cold to swim in is also gives this coastal region incredibly high marine productivity. Merluza (Hake), Reineta (Pomfret), and Corvina (Sea Bass) are highly prized fishes in Chilean cuisine. One local favorite is Congrio, or the Conger Eel, is an ugly spotted eel that yields firm and tasty white flesh. It is often prepared in a seafood broth with potatoes and onions, called Cauldillo de Congrio.
Valparaíso, Chile-
South of Viña del Mar is the city of Valparaíso, where the main ports for Chile are located. Many of Chile’s exports are shipped through Valparaíso, as well as much of the wine produced in Mendoza in Argentina. The city lacks the posh resort sheen of Viña, but what it loses in cleanliness, it gains in charm. Houses here cling to steep hills facing the water. The multi color painted stone and corrugated metal reminds me of the favelas in Rio de Janeiro. There are steep staircases that wind through the hills, as well as old funiculars which saves you from the hike for a couple of pesos.
Viña Del Mar, Chile- We finally got to spend some time on the beach. Buenos Aires is near the Atlantic Ocean, but it’s waters are a murky brown from the Rio Plata. Instead, we decided to go for the pacific coast, in a town called Viña del Mar, only an hour and a half west of Santiago. The town in the summer is abuzz with vacationers to escape the summer heat. While the beaches are great for tanning and for recreation, the water is quite cold from the current that flows from the south pacific.
Santiago, Chile-
One of the first things we did after getting to Santiago was to go for a hike on Cerro Santa Lucia. It’s a steep hill that’s been turned into a gorgeous park at the east end of the old downtown. The hike up was sweaty in the summer heat and beating sun, but we were well rewarded with panoramic views of the city and the Andes that line the horizon.
The Andes, Argentina and Chile-
We left Mendoza and crossed over the Andes by bus to on our way to Santiago, Chile. This stretch of the Andes has the tallest mountains in the world outside of the Himalayas, including the Aconcagua mountain, the tallest mountain in the southern and western hemispheres. The dramatic vistas during the 7 hour trip was of an alien landscape, devoid of any trees due to the extreme altitude.
