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18
- Flights to France and transportation means
There are
12,025 kms between Paris and Santiago.
A direct flight (with stopovers) takes 18
hours.
Airlines that propose direct flights are Air France
(2 flights a week), Delta Airlines, TWA, KLM,
United Airlines and LAN Chile.
Internal transport
Transport systems are well developed, the rail
network covers 9000 kms and the road network 80,000
kms.
The railway is in fact a line which goes from
Santiago to Puerto Montt in the south.
The state of the roads is satisfactory.
There is a good bus service which is fairly
comfortable.
It is possible to go to Peru by road and also to
Bolivia. It's far and quite difficult.
You can get to Argentina by crossing the Andes.
In the towns the taxis are cheap and the taxi
drivers are honest (rare in South America).
In Santiago use the underground, it was built by
the French and it gives a good coverage of the town
and you will avoid the traffic jams.
There are 60 ports along the Chilean coast, the
main ones are :
Valparaiso, San Antonio, Antofagasta, Talcahuano,
Arica and Iquique.
By air :
Internal airlines go to the following towns : Punta
Arenas, Anto Fagast, Puerto Montt.
19
- Time differences
There is 4 hours time difference in winter and 6
hours in summer (with France).
20
- Telecommunications
Telephone
:
The number of telephone lines has doubled since
1988.
At the end of 1996 2 million lines had been
installed by the Compania de Telefonos de
Chile.
This company manages 95% of local communications,
using a digital system.
There are 11 telephones per 100 inhabitants.
To phone Chile from France dial 00 56 + the town
code + the number of your correspondant (6
figures)
Santiago = 2, Valparaiso = 32
If you are telephoning France from Chile dial 00 33
+.
Newspapers/Radio :
The main daily newspapers and weeklies in the
country are
'El Mercuro' (founded in 1927), a daily, 180,000
copies
'Apsi', a weekly, 30,000 copies
'Hoy', a weekly, 30,000 copies
'La Epoca'
la 'Nacion'
'La Tercera'.
Canal 5 belongs
to the Catholic University of Valparaiso and Canal
13 to the Catholic Pontifical University , the
other stations belong to private groups.
There are plenty
of radio stations, notably on FM 502 and AM
175.
21
- Airports
There are 30
airports in the country.
The international airport of Pudahuel is about 20
kms from Santiago.
24
- Information
Painting
:
Well known
painters of the 1913 generation are Pedro Luna,
Augustin Abarca and Bertrix
the 1920 Montparnasse group with Camilo Mori,
Henriette Petit
the 30s with Roberto Matta.
Other Chilean painters are Enrique Zanartu, Roger
Bru, Mario Carreno, Nemesio Anturnez, José
Balmes, Gonzalo Cienfuegos, Ricardo Irarrazaval,
Rodolfo Opazo ...
Music
:
During the era
when Chile was a Spanish colony the music tended to
be religious.
The national hymn of independance is one of the
first Chilean compositions.
Typical popular music is the Cueca or the
Tonada.
Internationally known Chilean musicians are the
pianist Claudio Arrau and the soprano Nora Lopez
and the baritone Ramon Vinay.
Literature
:
It took its own
distinctive character away from Spanish traditional
literature after the Spanish army conquered the
territory in the 16th century.
In this period (1569 - 1589) 'the Araucana' was
written by the soldier-poet Alonso de Ercilla which
describes the resistance of the Araucan Indians
against the Spanish domination.
Andres Bellos was
the best known writer from the Age of
Enlightenment, and then in modern times there are
Baldomero Lillo, Eduardo Barrios, Mariano Latorre,
Joaquim Edwards Bello, Marta Brunet, Fernando
Santivan, Manuel Rojas, Jose Santos, Gonzalez
Vera.
The most famous
are Maria Luisa Bombal, Jose Donoso, Jorge Edwards,
and Gabriela Mistral and Pablo Neruda who won the
Nobel Prize for Literature in 1945 and
1971.
Cinema
:
After a beginning
in silent movies, the creation of Chile Films in
1941 marked the beginning of real cinema in
Chile.
The Nuevo Cine Chileno emerged in 1967 : El Chacal
de Nahueltoro, Valparaiso, Mi Amor and Very Sad
Tigers.
Useful
tips :
Chileans don't like being compared to other Latin
Americans.
Avoid discussing politics, and if you do be careful
: General Pinochet is still very popular in
business circles (and others) and the army is a
respected institution.
Chileans are tough in business and go straight to
the point.
The Latin side only emerges out of business
hours.
Chileans drive on the right side of the
road.
Customs
:
You have to declare the following items : cameras,
video, jewels and furs. Ask for a form to fill in
for temporary importation. Other personal effects
don't have to be declared. It is forbidden to bring
in fresh food stuffs.
Security :
The is a slight risk of being robbed in the
tourist areas, but overall the country is very
safe.
Nevertheless avoid walking late at night,
especially in town centres.
Some regions are volcanic or earthquake zones, so
be careful and there are very strong currents in
certain of the sea areas.
Shopping
:
Ponchos coming from the north, wickerwork, wood,
pottery, copper, silver jewelry :
all to be found on handicraft markets.
Public
Holidays :
1st January : New Year's Day
April : Good Friday and Easter Monday
1st May : Labour Day
21st May : Battle of Iquique
3rd June : Corpus Christi
29th June : Fête of St Pierre and St Paul
6th September : Day of National Unity
18th September : National Day
12th October : The Hispanic world Day
1st November : All Saints Day
8th December : Immaculate Conception
25th December : Christmas Day
25
- Your suitcase
In summer take
light clothing, with a woollen, an anorak or a
jacket if you are going to the south.
In winter take
spring or autumn clothes with a sweater or jacket
for evenings.
For Santiago you will need a raincoat and an
umbrella.
PHARMACIE :
-Médicaments contre les ennuis
intestinaux,
-Aspirine
-Médicaments contre les maux de dents qui
peuvent se réveiller avec l'altitude
(consulter son dentiste),
-Coramine Glucose (pour le mal d'altitude) ,
-Antiseptique,
-Seringue,
-Crème solaire écran total , pommade
pour lèvres,
-Produits antimoustiques.
Attention : Altitude entre 3000 et 4500 m (dans le
Nord) parfois difficile à supporter, de plus
le soleil brûle.
Acheter toutes
les pellicules en France ( chères sur
place); compte tenu de la luminosité,
prévoir : 100 ASA
Pharmacy :
- medicines for upset stomaches
- aspirin
- medicines for toothache which can come about at
high altitude (consult your dentist)
- coramine glucose (for altitude sickness)
- an antiseptic
- a syringe
- total sun screen, lip salve
- anti-mosquito products
Be careful : in the north the altitude is between
3000 and 4500 m, some people find it difficult and
the sun is very hot.
Buy your photo
films before leaving, they are very expensive in
Chile, considering their light conditions take 100
ASA.
26
- Banks
Get information from the embassy about taking money
into the country.
The most convenient currency to change is American
dollars.
All the
international credit cards are accepted.
Financial
services :
Chile has started expanding and innovating its
financial services.
It has modernized the banking system and can now
propose a range of products (pension funds,
insurance companies, leasing, securities, mutual
funds, investment fund).
28
- Guides
Organized
stays : Marcus, edited by Lonely Planet
People of the World : Manufacture, Jaguar, edited
by Lonely Planet
It is advisable
to have detailled town and regional maps with
you.
Local maps are available in IGM and Esso petrol
stations.
29
- Observations
Some idea of
prices :
At Villarica you can find a double room for 100 FF
at Hospedaje, 734 bd St Martin.
At Chiloe/Castro, a double room is 60 FF at the
Hospedaje Chiloe.
At Puerto Natales you can take a double room with
the Dickson Bulnes family for 80 FF.
At Calama, you can take a double room for 70 FF at
Residential 1814 Sotomayer.
An average meal
costs 50 FF in a restaurant.
Travelling by
bus :
Santiago - Villarica costs 130 FF. The trip lasts
10 hrs.
If you take the company Turbus, breakfast and
dinner are included in the price.
Punta Arenas - Santiago costs 800 FF, one way.
Santiago - Calama costs 700 FF, one way.
TOURISM
There are several historical sites worth visiting
in Chile but the infrastructure is not very
developed.
There were
1,450,000 visitor to Chile in 1996, the tourist
revenues in 1998 were 1.062 billion dollars. The
majority of tourists come from Argentina (about
40%), there are not very many European tourists, in
1996 there were 11% : Germans, Spanish and then
French (22,000).
January and February are the months with the
highest tourist frequency.
To see and do:
Above all,
there's the nature in all its splendour and variety
: the Atacama desert, the Andes, the lake district,
the fjords and the glaciers in the south, the fauna
and the flora.
You can find
traces of Indian cultures, Aymara in the north and
Mapuche in the south; Spanish colonization with
churches, houses and fortresses; and different
peoples who emigrated to Chile in the 19th century
(Germans, English, French).
To the north
of Santiago :
Arica (town and
beaches)
Putre and neighbouring parks (town, countryside,
fauna, Aymaras villages)
Iquique (town and beaches)
Around Pintados (archeological sites, ancient
mining towns)
North of Antofagasta (ghost mining towns)
Antofagasta (the town)
San Pedro de Atacamaand surroundings (town,
countryside, geyser)
Pan de Azucar Park (scenery, fauna, flora)
Caldera (beaches)
La Serena (town and beaches)
Fray Jorge Park and surroundings (archeological
sites)
Valparaiso and Vina del Mar (towns and beaches)
The Andes (ski resorts)
To the south
of Santiago :
Around Curicos
(countryside, nature)
Coastal area around Conception (coast, historical
sites)
Laguna del Laja Park (countryside, fauna)
Temuco (museums and Mapuche monuments )
Conguillo Park (countryside, nature)
Villarica and surroundings (lakes, volcanoes,
nature)
Valdivia and surroundings (town, colonial
vestiges)
Puyehue Parks (countryside, lakes, volcanoes,
nature)
Puerto Montt (town)
Island of Chiloé (landscapes, nature,
villages)
Queulat Park (landscapes, fjords, nature)
Reserves around Coyhaique (countryside)
San Rafael Park (landscapes, glaciers)
Torres del Paine Park (scenery, glaciers,
fauna)
Trip from Puerto Natales-Puerto Montt (a boat trip
along the fjords)
Punta Arenas and the Magellan Straits (landscapes,
fauna, boat trip)
Puerto Williams and Tierra del Fuego (scenery,
fauna, boat trip on the Beagle canal)
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