Volcan Villarricca

We still wait for things to line up for our investigative trip to Chile. We reported on the country over a year ago and plan this time to do a more in depth investigation. We like Chile a lot. We thought we would give you a  little preview of the country, and a little inspiration we hope. And for our long time subscribers this will not be a preview entirely but, to a degree, a review.

If you like beaches, you’ll find them in Chile.

Playa Blanca on Lake Caburgua

Much of the Pacific-side beach in Chile is rocky but it works fine and has its own beauty. For beautiful, long, sandy beaches, Uruguay fills the bill as we have reported before. But there is definitely beauty as well and the impression of strength in a rocky coastline. If you like mountains and streams and lakes, you can have that in Chile and still be within an hour of the ocean  in most areas of the country.
rafting

Whitewater Rafting in Pucon, Chile

You can find almost any lifestyle you want in the Southern Cone. If you like a metropolitan city that is loaded with culture, charm, European-style buildings and lifestyle, Buenos Aires wins hands down. But Montevideo fills that as well, but with merely one millliion souls for neighbors rather than the several million in Buenos Aires. Santiago as well is a first class city . And if you want country and farm land well you’re in Farmland Heaven here. A great deal of the food consumed in the United States comes from South America and especially from Chile. It doesn’t matter which country you choose, they all have productive farm land. Uruguay is touted as having the best buys in farmland right now. We only know what we read as far as prices are concerned.

As for buying in Chile, the dollar has risen against the peso to the extent that, in effect, you can buy real estate at a thirty percent discount. That won’t last forever, we are sure, but it is true at this moment.

Chile is a very long, narrow country that lies between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Because Chile is isolated from other parts of the world by ocean on one side and the Andes on the other,  it is the one country in which we will eat local corn and corn products. It is reported that a Monsanto field can pollinate a corn field up to 500 miles away. Chile, so far, has spurned genetically modified agriculture, making it one of our choices for healthy places to live.

Shopping Day in Chile.

However, if you really prefer the grocery store, you will find that there as well. We love to shop in these markets.

Out of Range of Fukushima fall out.

Although Chile is on the Pacific, a weather scientist who decided to expatriate to Uruguay, tells us that we are safe from the effects of Fukushima here. In fact, his decision to leave his home in Montana was prompted by high radiation levels he observed there.

He tells us that because of the way that the air flows in a circular motion from the equator, where it rises and heads back to the north, our environment here in the southern hemisphere is insulated against the radiation from that nuclear catastrophe. The ocean currents are similar.

You can find almost any climate in Chile, from La Serena and parts further north, with their more arid climates–all the way to Coyhaique, to the south, a neighbor of Antarctica.

Hostel in La Serena

Chile is business-friendly and will even help you financially to get started if you are proposing a business that is approved.

However, no country is perfect. Each has their good points and their not-so-good points. There are things that we don’t like about Chile and we will bring you up to speed on what they are. We hope to learn more when we are there this time.

No matter how completely we cover Chile, there is no substitute for being on the ground yourself in the country, preferably for a few weeks . . . or more if you can manage it. During that time you can get a feel for the area and have time to make up your mind. In the  meantime we’ll do what we can to help you with your research–and hope to see you soon in South America..

Arlean
email: info@fourflagsjournal.com