jonal
|
Hi,Chile is the cleanest country I've seen.It is safe and very friendly. There is an unsafe area in Santiago around the red light district-stay away after dusk. Thieves and rogues are out. The yellow (town) buses in Santiago and the other big cities are very dangerous. Otherwise,everything in Chile is just fine, and a credit to humanity. The police are straight,helpful,and friendly to visitors,but you must show proper courtesy and politeness. They are very pleasant if you are,but they run a tight ship.They have been very helpful to me several times. Chile is not a 'rogue' country. The people as a whole are respectful,friendly,kind,and warm-hearted. The manners on the street put us to shame,but it is still fun. In the evenings the streets can be crowded,with musicians and other street performers trying to make a few bob and there is a party atmosphere. The Metro in Santiago is magnificent,with immaculate stations,clean,fast,and frequent trains,and cheap prices. It is the best way to cover long distances around the city. It makes the London Underground look like a collection of sewer-pipes. Boris,take note. Long-distance buses are reliable,cheap,clean,and fast,but long-distance means just that. Expresso Norte runs a good service to the north,and Tur-Bus covers the whole of Chile. If you want to sleep,book onto a 'cama' bus if you can but some routes only offer 'semi-cama'. Take all the food you need for the trip. Sometimes there are no breaks,even for a 12-hour trip. Change-over crews are on board. A lot of the longer routes have 'trolly-dollies',and even Bingo on board. All the coaches have toilets.Chilean roads are excellent. Car rental is an option for local areas,but not for the whole north-south trip.Road safety standards are very good,except the town buses,which are a law unto themselves.Driving is on the right. Long distances are best covered by bus or plane. There is a very limited rail network,mainly to the south of Santiago. No long-distance trains go to the north. The train south can be slower than the bus.There is a line to the coast which is a good way to get to Vino del Mar,the 'posh' resort for Santiagans. Santiago railway station is a suberb building,and the planetaium a short distance away is amazing. The best I've seen. Domestic flights are excellent.,and cheap by UK standards..The airports are mostly immaculate,sometimes just super-clean.Way above our standards. Chilean standards are high in almost everything. Which way round you see Chile depends on when you are going. The roads into Patagonia can be blocked with ice for several months of the year,and the only way in is by boat or plane. At the northern end of Chile and the Atacama,its very hot or very very hot,so it makes no difference really. A good way into Atacama is to get a flight from Santiago to Antofagasta and a bus to San Pedro de Atacama. Fabulous trip,and once there,you've got access to the local tours,salt flats,cactus forest,etc. Accommodation is easy,but it would be best to book somewhere if you're going in December to February. It can get busy. Internet cafes are plentiful in Chile,and there are even two of them in the village of San Pedro,and a CD-burning service so you can empty the card in your camera. If you go on the right day in the right year you might see five spots of rain. Central Chile is beautiful at any time of year,but it can be very wet in Autumn,just like here. Low ground,near the coast especially,can get flooded. The lake distict and the islands,like Chiloe,are otherwise easily accessable,unless your going high in the mountains in winter. The trip would have to be planned to take accessability into account,and the further south you go the narrower the access door gets,both time-wise and physically. December/January/February is best if you want to go deep south. Backpacker hostels are very good,and B&B's (Hostales) are plentiful in Chile,and cheap. The Chilean tourist board is called Sernatur. Also see Pepe's Chilean Adoration Page,which is a useful resource.Syllables get dropped from words,so the 'Spanish' is incromprehens!able,but English is fairly common,and sign language with an attempt at Spanish works wonders. They'll admire you for trying.....You can't fail to be impressed with Chile. It's fabulous. If you're going to Antofagasta for the San Pedro experience,you might like to visit the European Southern Observatory(ESO). It has some of the biggest telescopes in the world,and visiting is free. For transport I got a taxi for the day,organised the day before,(with a bit of bargaining) from Antofagasta bus staion,for US$60. Nearly 60 miles through the desert,half on dirt roads,and totally awesome. You actually walk around the telescopes,not see them from behind glass,and talk to the astronomers while their working. The underground accommodation is mind-boggling. Get on the visiting list months before you go. They'll give various date options around the time you have available. It's very easy to do. If Cecil is still on the taxis,get him. He's bl***y marvelous. The 'visiting' link is on the right side of their homepage. |
judas_iscariote
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North to south, or south to north does not matter..you will land in the middle anyway ;)
transportation ? definately aircraft and cars only to travel in cities, anyway if you have enough cash to waste, roads are in a excelent condition...
train is rarely available, the company is pretty much in bankruptcy.
It is very safe, and no, whatever you do , DO NOT TRY TO BRIBE THE POLICE, you will be directed straight to jail and most likely they will ask you to leave the country and maybe If you are out of luck, you will get your *** beaten, as it is considered very offensive, rude and disrespectful. |
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