5 things learned from living in Chile-Part Two
Continuing our series of 5 things learned living in Chile-Part One, comes to what Chile offers to the world.
1. They have great wine!
Chile has been on the wine-making-map, for a long time now. And their products keep getting better and better. With time, their wines have gained worldwide recognition, and have won gold and silver medals. The main reason to their success is that Chile’s territory possesses the perfect terrain for many grape varieties. Amongst the most popular ones we find; Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and our most favorite one Carmenere.
Carmenere wine, is the one we prefer over other great wines. The story behind this great wine makes it most appreciated. We learned about it on our tour at Concha y Toro winery. To make a long story short. Carmenere, a grape from the traditional Bourdeaux region varieties believed to be extinct from the face of the earth. To only be re-discovered in Chile back in 1994, and now Chile has over 90% production of this wine. Chile now is home to this Carmenere variety.
Chile has some fantastic “Rutas del Vino or Wine Routes.” There are two ways to do this. The first one, going on a tour. There are several tour agencies offering visits to several vineyards depending on the route. The second one, going directly to the winery of your preference, and enjoy their wine tasting. In these wineries sometimes, we can find exclusive wines. Products of small batches or expensive types that don’t make it to public stores. Here is a list of some tours or vineyards from this Ruta del Vino in Santiago; Ruta del vino de Aconcagua, de Cachapoal, de Casablanca, de Colchagua, de Curico, del Valle del Elqui, del Itata, de Limari, del Valle del Maipo, del Maule, de Quillon, de San Antonio, and ruta del Valle del Biobio. It is easier to visit these vineyards with an organized tour. We considered its best to enjoy wine tasting without having to drive afterwards.
If press on time the city has this great choice, our favorite place to have some wine tasting was “Bocanariz” in Barrio Lastarria. They hold the most extensive Chilean wine list in the city, probably even in the country. They honor The Great Chilean Wines! For more details visit Bocanariz
2. They have Pichilemu, a world-wide known surfers spot
Pichilemu is one of the preferred surfers spot in South America. For professionals’ and aficionados alike. Pichilemu a Mapudungun word, that means little forest. It’s the spot to be on the other side of the equator. Pichilemu is part of Chile’s VI Region. Known as General Libertador Bernardo O´Higgins. At 259 kilometers distance from the Capital city of Santiago. This beach town is a surfer’s hot spot for big waves, at a beach called Punta de Los Lobos. This is the most popular beach. The Quicksilver Championship is hold here, and it’s known as the most famous Chilean break.
They scheduled this 2019 the WSL (women’s qualifying series) as it has been for the past five years. It is a competition that attracts surfers from all over the world. Because of recent events, this year they postponed the QS 1500 Maui and Sons Pichilemu to December. At the previous spot of Punta Lobos. Only time will tell if this event happens.
There are other sandy beaches where people can practice surfing, called Infiernillo and La Puntilla. Also, this small town has some old historic buildings and the most popular one is “The Casino”, now considered a National Monument. Iquique, is another re-discovered surfers spot. Since 2018, La Punta playa has been holding the World Qualifying Series. This event takes place during the month of May. For more on Surfing News check World Surf League.
3. They have penguins
The Emperor penguins, are the most well-known penguins. Mainly for their incredible journey, and resilience in the Antarctic. There are seventeen species of penguins in the world. And, they are; Adelie, African, Chinstrap, Emperor, Erect-crested, Fiordland, Galapagos, Gentoo, Humboldt, King, Little or Blue penguin, Macaroni, Magellan, Rockhopper, Royal, Snares, and Yellow-eyed penguins. We find all these species in the Southern Hemisphere. But, for us, it is possible to see penguins without having to book a cruise to the Antarctic. We can find other options to do so.
In Chile, for example people can visit Isla Magdalena or as locals refer to as la pinguinera. We visited Isla Magdalena back on 2012. Isla Magdalena holds a Magellan penguin colony. We used Melinka ferry boat to get to the island. They offer a 5-hour tour to visit the island, in which one can walk among penguins, take a peek to their burrows, and see them in their natural habitat. For more on Isla Magdalena check this old post: Isla Magdalena Magellan Penguin Colony.
4. They have the oldest mummies in the world
We used to believe that the Egyptians had the oldest mummies was until 1917 when they first discovered these mummies in the Atacama Desert. Later on, in 1919 Max Uhle studied them and classified them in three categories; the first one is the natural ones, the second one is the complex mummification, and the third one, the muddy ones.
It was later on after having the Carbon 14 test that they established a more exact age of the mummies. For more on this check our old post Arid Arica, the Chinchorro mummies, and beaches.
5. They have the tallest building in South America Gran Torre Santiago
Back in 2012, we were living in Santiago de Chile. While learning our ways in this big capital city, we saw the edification of what will become the tallest building in South America. With curiosity, we started asking questions about this project. And we learned about the owner Mr. Paulmann’s and his vision. This was, what he called the Costanera Center project. It will include the tallest skyscraper in South America, along with the biggest shopping mall, business offices and a hotel. Marriott would run the hotel.
They inaugurated the Costanera Center Mall this same year (2012). It was the event of the year and it brought many celebrities. This mall is inside a building that doesn’t look much different from any other main mall in the states. But the main attraction is near this mall. Here you can find (what they consider) the tallest building in South America “La Gran Torre Santiago” 300 meters high. Now they have the Sky Costanera open to the public where you can appreciate a 360-degree view of Santiago.
For a specific time and prices check Sky Costanera.
When I started writing this posts Chile was safe, now with the latest events, we didn’t know if we should continue with these articles or not. But we proceeded with it, maybe sooner, rather than later Chile could be back to normalcy, and continue being a great country to visit.
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