Chile: First Impressions

After four years of living in and travelling around New Zealand, Southeast Asia, and the Caucasus, 2022 marked a new (for me) continent. Earlier this year, I relocated to Chile. This is exciting milestone as I’ve dreamed about travelling to South America since I was a teenager. However, “travel” is on hold for now. We have committed to spend our year in Chile buckling down and focusing on our businesses. We’re both working long hours so travel is limited to the odd weekend away – a similar kind of set-up to our lifestyle when we lived in Georgia.

I started writing this blog post a few months ago after we arrived in the country. But, as per usual, life and work got in the way. And so, five months after landing, I’m hitting publish.

Moving to Chile (during the pandemic)

Relocating to Chile during the tail-end of the pandemic was… stressful. We already encountered a fair amount of stress when we left our home base in Georgia so we felt like we were due an easier ride. It wasn’t to be.

At the time of travel, Chile was one of the strictest countries in the world for its COVID-19 rules and regulations. Which is perfectly reasonable and not a problem in itself; it was just a faff to compile the documentation. It turned out to be fairly easy to miss steps and make mistakes. As a foreigner, I needed to show evidence of at least three vaccinations, produce a negative PCR test at check-in, and complete a travel affidavit. Chile is also one of the countries that made travel insurance mandatory – with border agents checking the paperwork at the airport.

Registering my COVID-19 vaccinations posed a challenge as the QR code from the vaccinations I received in Georgia were not recognised by the online portal. That meant that I had to make an appointment with the NHS to provide me with a second round of evidence. To do this, I had to travel to Sheffield which meant two bus rides and train – then back again – and take a day away from my desk. First world problems, but, not ideal. Meanwhile, the Chilean immigration website refused my identification (a “selfie” of my holding my passport) until the third attempt.

Due to these teething issues, we ended up delaying our flights by a couple of weeks. Fortunately, LATAM Airlines didn’t charge us anything to reschedule and the process was easy. However, it meant that my boyfriend had a short window to acclimatise and prepare to resume his remote job in-person.

Upon arrival at Santiago airport, I had to complete a couple more forms and redo my Chilean travel affidavit as it had expired while I was in transit. These forms always stress me out and completing them under pressure never helps. The number of times I’ve misspelt my own name or bodged my date of birth…

We both underwent mandatory (and deep!) PCR tests at Santiago airport before going into a brief quarantine while the results were processed. In the meantime, I was required to log the state of my for the seven days that followed. Fortunately, quarantine could be spent at a hotel or private accommodation and so we were able to spend this period at the house of my boyfriend’s family.

All in all, it was one too many forms and steps for my panic-prone mind and lousy executive function.

BUT, I made it to Chile in one piece!

(Five months ago).

Storm Eunice

We left Tbilisi when Mercury was in retrograde. Without really knowing what this even means, I think it might shoulder some of the blame for the issues we encountered in transit to England (via Turkey and the Netherlands). But that saga calls for a post of its own.

Back to 2022 and the move to Chile.

Our flight from London to Santiago fell on the day of “the worst storm to batter the United Kingdom”. Storm Eunice saw flights grounded while eager plane spotters posted footage of wobbling jumbo jets bouncing down onto the tarmac. We were scheduled to fly late in the evening, by which the worst of the storm was forecast to be over.

Although we weren’t particularly worried about our plane getting cancelled or encountering take-off issues, we did run into problems getting to Heathrow. The underground station near our Chiswick housesit was closed due to a fallen tree. After a bus ride to Hammersmith, we successfully boarded a Piccadilly train only to be booted off due to a second fallen tree. The story continued to repeat itself until we eventually admitted defeat at Hounslow and hailed an Uber to complete the job. 

I have a record of flying during problematic days. My first ever flight abroad – a study trip to Greece – coincided with the 2005 London bombings which meant that security was on high alert and the airport environment was tense. The following year, my parents and I spent a blissful week in Sorrento, Italy free from television, radio, and newspapers. Checking in for our flight back home, we got caught up in the 2006 liquid bomb plot which had made headlines the day prior.

Again, maybe that’s all for another post.

Chile: First Impressions

We – eventually – touched down safe and sound in Santiago de Chile!

After a couple of hours queuing in the airport and having our tonsils poked and prodded, we headed to our home for the year, Viña del Mar. Since arriving, I’ve managed one weekend trip to Santiago so far and will write more about the capital. Probably in another five months or so at my rate…

Home Sweet Viña

Viña del Mar is a small town on the central coast of Chile with sandy beaches and pretty gardens. I feel most at home when I’m living near the sea and away from larger cities, so I’m pleased to base myself in Viña for this year.

A long, wide stretch of sand fronts the coastline of the town. As we arrived at the end of the summer season, the beach was cooling off for the season. Over the past few months, conditions have become too cold for sunbathing but the beaches are warm enough for sitting out in a hoodie with a book or a podcast. I’m a great fan of low season travel and it’s a joy to see the city without the crowds.

One thing that Viña del Mar is not known for is its swimming conditions. I initially laughed off my boyfriend’s comments about the Chilean Pacific being too cold to swim. While living in New Zealand, I took any opportunity to swim in bracing cold ocean bays, rivers, and waterfalls. Maybe it’s my age catching up with me but the chances of me even dipping a toe in the ocean here in Viña feel like zero. You only need to stand on the beach to feel a glacial sea spray. Besides, the waves are rough and the current is strong. Swimming is generally not even permitted here due to the risk of being swept away.

Curacaví

Although we’d made it to Chile, our checked luggage sadly hadn’t. Our airline informed us that our bags had remained in Brazil but that they’d follow on the next flight out. The staff assured us that the bags would be delivered to us at the house – which was a relief as the airport is a three-hour round trip from our new house.

In the end, the airline decided that was too much effort on their part and so we were summoned back to the airport to collect our bags with the promise of having the costs reimbursed. It’s now over five months later and the battle to claim back those travel expenses back continues.

My boyfriend’s sister kindly offered to drive us to the airport to claim our bags and suggested that we turn the outing into a road trip. Which is how we ended up visiting Curacaví. This is a small town in central Chile’s Santiago Metropolitan Region consisting of one main road, heaps of bone-dry desert, and lovely views of the cactus-studded mountains. 

We headed to La Casona de Curacaví – a one-stop destination for food, culture, and history. I sampled my first professionally-made Pisco Sour and pastel de choclo – a wholesome pie consisting of mashed and baked corn (choclo) with vegetables, olives, and a hard-boiled egg. After that, we glugged a couple of craft beers at the Cervecería Kross brewery in their desert beer garden and caught our breath after the madness of the travel out here. 

Earthquakes

Chile is prone to frequent earthquakes that rank upwards of 5.0 on the Richter Scale. They rarely result in major damage as the buildings here are purpose-built to withstand quakes although they are large enough to feel a tremble. There have been a couple of shakes over the past five months although none were particularly strong. 

I did experience no less than four quakes in less than 12 hours which was a strange experience. But, they all lingered around 5.0 and didn’t cause any damage. Another one struck while we were watching a rock concert. It only ranked at a 6.0 but we felt it over the loud music. As we sipped pre-flight flat whites in Pret at Heathrow Airport, we discussed how earthquakes are to Chile what storms are to the United Kingdom.

Rain (or, lack of)

Chile is currently suffering from a terrifying 12-year drought. I didn’t see a single drop of rain until after passing the two-month mark. When it finally rained, it came down heavily although it only lasted one day which did not do anything to alleviate the crisis. We’ve had a few other bouts of rain here and there – the most recent storm lasted a few days and taught us that our house isn’t completely watertight. However, due to the drought, rain is always a welcome sight and we’re hoping for more during the winter. 

Drought-aside, I like the experience of rain. Hailing from an island where rain is all too common – and after spending prolonged time in New Zealand and tropical places – I miss it. Few things compare to cosying up at home while rain pelts the windows or waking up to petrichor. When it does rain here, my neighbourhood smells incredible as the water brings out all the scents of the pines and eucalyptus trees. 

Food in Chile

Food has become one of my priorities while long-term travelling and living in new places. This is a novelty; I was never wild about food before I travelled and used to view it as a necessity rather than something to actually enjoy. Chilean food, and South American cooking in general, is very new to me and I’ve dived straight into getting to know the typical dishes. Fish and seafood is a big deal in Viña del Mar which is perfect for me.

Ceviche

Obviously, not solely a Chilean dish, but ceviche is super common in Viña del Mar. I know it’s available in Europe too but I’d never tried it, and only heard of it while travelling in Myanmar with an Argentinian woman. My new favourite meal consists of raw fish “cooked” in citrus juices and served with the likes of purple onion, avocado, and pepper. I’ve had this a couple of times and planning to start making my own variations of it once I’m certain that I won’t poison myself.

When making ceviche at home, tuna is the safest fish to use as it’s free of harmful bacteria and pesticides. Maybe I’ll stick to experimenting with vegetarian ceviche and saving the fish versions to the pros.

Empanadas

Baked or fried, these pastries are made across the South American continent with each country putting their own spin on them. They have swiftly become a staple of my diet. My favourites are stuffed with cheese, prawns, and spinach. As with khinkali and khachapuri in Georgia, the etiquette is to eat them with no cutlery and some of my empanada adventures have ended up getting pretty messy.

Sopapillas

Deep-fried dough consisting of pumpkin, best enjoyed with pebre (Chilean salsa). My boyfriend made these for us a few times when we lived in Bali and I was hankering to try them in Chile. They’re typically eaten on the street as a snack although you can also find them in some restaurants. There is a fantastic sopapilla stand near my usual supermarket in Viña which makes doing the food shop a little more enticing.

Manjar (Dulce de Leche)

Although I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, it didn’t take me long to fall victim to manjar (dulce de leche). This is condensed milk heated with sugar to form a paste used in cakes and confectionery. I love drizzling pure manjar over chopped bananas and nuts for a semi-healthy afternoon snack. Chile and Argentina alike craft “alfajores” – two biscuits with a layer of dulce de leche sandwiched in between them. But dulce de leche is used in all different ways to create tasty confectionary snacks and sweet treats.

I’ll be keeping regular dental appoints while living in Chile.

Pisco Sour

Pisco Sour is a delectable, refreshing, and addictive cocktail made from pisco (the national liquor), fresh lemon juice, and sweetener. They’re popular across Chile and Peru with each country taking a slightly different approach. No Pisco Sour ever tastes the same so I’ve challenged myself to try them in as many bars as possible. They’re also fun to make although the feedback on mine is that they need more pisco, less lemon.