A Little Bit Of Lota

Lota - home of the Chiflon del Diablo, the World's only undersea mine.

The weather is getting better here in Conce - you can actually say that it's Spring now. The sun is out and temps are hitting 18c, flowers are coming alive, and the poor street dogs are getting some respite from the cold, wet weather. The same goes for me, as I need to dry out thoroughly from the wet months in this city. With another long weekend in Chile, there was the temptation to go far a field and use the three days to their fullest, but I decided on something a little more local - see what I can here before the big trip. Yes, that big trip is coming - the countdown has began, and it's less than 2 months away!

The centre of Chile!

A monument to the miners of Lota.

My weekend jaunt this time took me to a coastal town called Lota, about 35kms south of Concepcion. Sadly Lota is not much to look at. There is a beach, La Playa Blanca (White Beach), but the beach front was empty of people and had a dilapidated and run-down look about it - closed restaurants that haven't been opened in years if not decades, the cold ocean always pounding in at the sand, and the occasional wandering dog. Lota wasn't always a forgotten place somewhere in the middle of Chile. In fact, it IS the geographical mid-point of the country (not including the territory that Chile owns in Antarctica), and there is even a sign announcing this fact to all the tourists (just me). Am I the only person who is interested by these things? I have stood in the dead-centre of Spain (which happens to be in Plaza Meyor in Madrid), the most eastern part of mainland Australia (Byron Bay), Greenwich in London and the old 'Time 0' line in the Canary Islands. Aside from this interesting fact, Lota is also home to the World's only under-sea coal mine which was written about by Chilean writer Bladomero Lillo in his 1904 novel 'Subterra,' and also featured on the big screen in the 2003 film of the same name.

Entering down into the Devil's Breath.

Selfies all round!

The local store.

The book, and movie, talk about the dangerous and hard working conditions that the workers faced in the mine. The mine, called 'El Chiflon del Diablo,' translated as 'The Devils' Breath,' operated between 1857 and 1990, and was built and run by Matias Cousiño Jorquera, and in it's heyday it was pulling up 250 tons of coal per day. It's 850 meters deep and due to it's inclination is one of the few naturally ventilated mines in the World. I have been down a mine before, Big Pit in Wales, but it is always exciting and different. I was expecting all of my electronics to be taken off me as they did in Wales, but we were allowed everything - just asked to leave lighters above ground, but nobody checked. So, being Chile, there were selfies to be had, and had they were - in the changing room, helmets on, on the lift ride down, and down the mine... basically everywhere. It was difficult going down there, as it was a very confined space even by Chilean standards where the buses aren't my size. Go went down, 6 people packed in a 1 m2, slightly shaky metal lift, water dripping around us, and into the Devil's belly.

The miner's village that was recreated for the movie Subterra (2003).

The guide gave a good talk, and took us to a few places in the mine and explained many interesting facts about the mine. The reinforcement used in the tunnels are from Eucalyptus trees, chosen for their resistance to the downward pressure and also their flexibility. As per most mines, safety wasn't really an issue for the owners - canaries were used to test the level of toxic gases - if tweetypie dropped off his perch, you ran or did the same. Workers did 7am - 7pm shifts, 6 days a week (Sunday was for church) in complete darkness usually, and basically never saw the sun. Kids also worked down the mine, and started at at 11. The guide also did the usual things of asking you to turn off your headlamps (and mobiles!) to see what it would have been like - the phrases 'can't see your nose in front of your own face' fits perfectly. It is complete pitch darkness, no two ways about it - like the Devil himself swallowed up the light. The village where the workers lived was partially rebuilt for the movie and is still there to allow you a glimpse of the past. The local store is also there, with all the old packaged products, and was the only place you could use your vouchers that you were paid in - you bought everything there, so all the 'money' went back to the mining company. The mine was declared a National Monument in 2009 and opened it's doors to the general public. It was also damaged in the 2010 earthquake, but has since been repaired, but all the time I was down there I was trying very hard not to think about it!

Up on the hill in Lota and out on a peninsula is Parque Isidora. This park was started by Matias Cousiño, the mining magnate himself, and was taken up after his death by his son Luis. A very noble gesture, Luis decided that the park would be a gift for his wife Isidora, and brought in plant species from Europe. It was designed by an Englishman, and has statues, small gardens and fountains. One small pond in the park has no fountain, the water sitting like glass, and the tiles are black - this is to reflect the stars at night for easy viewing. There are numerous statues, 20 in fact, including a "Diana The Huntress" and an interesting one of a child pulling a splinter from his foot. The latter is called "Niño de la Espina," and is a replica of the 1st Century AD sculpture in Rome, and is said to represent the Roman shepherd Gnaeus Marcius , ordered to deliver an important message to the Senate who ran a long way ignoring the thorn from his foot until he accomplished his mission. The house that the happy couple were to live in was also built in the park, but sadly Isidora died in Paris, presumably shopping for a door handle for the house with her best friend, before she had the chance to live in it. The park has a commanding view of the sea and of the beaches of Lota, and there is even a lighthouse, but sadly the house is no longer there - it was damaged in the 1960 earthquake and then completely demolished by the mining company.

What are you looking at ugly?

A dog with nothing to do and nowhere to go.

2 small boats in Lota.

I have spoken before about the 'real' Chile. Lota is the real deal. There are loads of poor houses, they look like they have been built by the people living in them by scrounging anything they can find - tin sheets, planks of used timber, wire. Hungry dogs wander the streets and kids play on dirt football pitches, vultures soaring around the cliffs looking for food. The seaside is supposed to be a happy, warm place, but sadly due to the Pacific bringing up the cold Antarctic current, Chile will never have warm beaches. Imagine the water was warm. All of the poor villages, the big factories and oil refineries that now slump on the coast would be replaced by caravan parks, holiday-makers getting drunk and burnt on their rented deck-chairs, bad souvenir shops and big resorts... ok, so maybe it isn't too bad to have a cold ocean. It is still sad to think about though, as it could be absolute paradise with the mountains in the background too. Sadly, anything that people touch in Chile pretty much gets ruined.

Mapuche graffiti on a wall in Conce.

A filter for real men!

A collapsed highway in Conce from the 2010 quake.

In saying this, I have to admit that sometimes what people do in Chile actually brightens up the place. I have mentioned before all the graffiti in Valparaiso, but it's not limited to one city - even Conce has some pretty cool artwork. Wandering around on the weekend, just enjoying the sunshine and some music through my earphones (to block out the noise of the city), there is far more than you realise. I walked from my house near the University of Concepcion down to Vega Monumental, the big fruit and veg market in the city. You can get a bus no problem, but I wanted to walk and enjoy the relative quiet that is Sunday here. Along the sides of, quite frankly, ugly apartment buildings, there is cool and imaginative graffiti turned art work. From the usual socialism/communism slogans and pictures of girls and boys from the factories chanting for better rights, to some guy called Kroma who does Banksy-style stenciling, to funky and strange things I'm not even sure what they are, to Mapuche icons and flags. Sometimes things here are strange and you're not sure why they happen or hey they work, but sometimes you just look at something and take it for what it is and appreciate it.

A mural in Concepcion.

Favourites Revisited

I do love Valpo!

It has been an exciting few weeks here in Chile. It was a week of festivals and celebrations in most parts of the country, and of course the most recent Earthquake. Just off the coast of Chile, near the town of Iquique, and at 8.3 on the Richter Scale, it was marginally less than the devastating quake in Concepcion in 2010. I felt this one on the street in San Pedro (just outside of Conce), while waiting for my bus at about 8:15pm on Wednesday the 16th. It lasted a good 30 seconds and if I was wobbling on the street I can only imagine what it would have been like in an apartment building. As I got home, mobile phones everywhere were ringing with tsunami warnings - Chile is far more prepared that they were last time, and they are still scared from the last quake which nobody took seriously. In 2010, around  5,000 people died, and there was a lot of destruction in the city - you can still see parts of the coast that were destroyed too, boats overturned, houses wiped out. This time around, there was far fewer human casualties due to the early warning system and prompt evacuations, but still damage from the tsunamis only hours after the 'terromoto.' I've felt 8 since I got here in February this year - that is only a fraction of them, as most are around the 4 or 5 mark, which really isn't much. There have been small aftershocks since last week, but it seems ok - and most people here have reacted very well to it all - unlike some Americans...

Vlapo Street Art.

Now onto happier things! I visited Valparaiso when I first arrived in Chile way back in February, and earlier this month I got the chance to visit again. My first trip in Chile was a real eye-opener and welcome to the country - it was was also where I had my first empanada, trip on a local bus and also my first earthquake! It is so different to any other city in the country, and probably unlike any around the world. One thing that stands out is the street art. Houses are very colourful, perched up on the hills with winding streets, stairs heading all the way up and the old (but safe!) furniculars for the lazy, but it is the art tucked away in corners on every possible space that makes Valpo cool. Coming back gave me the chance to wander different streets, explore previously unseen secret places, and just soak it all up again... and Valpo never lets you down for this. On the other hand, it smelt exactly how I remembered it too - like one giant pee stain that wafts up and sticks in your nose at every turn. This city can also be quite dangerous, that partly goes with the sea port, but you have to watch out at night - what you walk in and who you walk into as well. It's a special kind of charm!

Beer!

Naughty starfish...

I had my mission in Valpo though - and not long to accomplish it. I was due at a wedding at 5pm, so I struck out after breakfast. What I was looking for in particular is probably not that exciting, but it is a must see in the city for any tourist, and a photo is also needed. I had to check on the internet, ask some locals, and also climb the occasional steep hill only to find it wasn't where I thought it was. I did find it however, by following a German tour group looking for the same things as me. I tagged along for a bit, not understanding anything of course, and got some looks as if I were getting a free tour that they'd paid for, but I paid them no heed and just did my thing. What I wanted to see the first time in Valpo and never made it was the "we're not hippies we're happies" graffiti. This part of the city is full of art, and Cerro Alegre (every hill has a name) is probably the coolest neighbourhood in town, full of backpackers, pubs and restaurants, and lovely houses (mostly) away from the smell of pee. A good afternoon enjoying a cool city, then off to the wedding - who doesn't like this place!!

Santiago!

"nice view isn't it?" "si!"

If that wasn't enough, I needed to go to Santiago the following week for my visa. Yes, it had taken the Chilean government nearly 5 months to give me my temporary resident visa... but it was ready so I wasn't about to gripe. Fearing Latino bureaucracy and inefficiency, I started my run early on Friday morning. I had to visit 4 places around the city all before 2pm. Easy you say? I first had to go to my office (in the north of the city) to pick up my form to say the visa was paid for, then go back to the centre to the Ministry of the Interior where I had an appointment. Then it was to the PDI (International Police) for a photo and stamp then to the Civil Registry. Now, I was thinking that it would be impossible - I've had my fair share of these things in Spain to know better - nothing is ever done in one day. It was, and before 2pm. Well done Chile - there were lines, tickets, screens with numbers, multiple buildings, security guards and nobody spoke English, but it was done and with no major hassles! I was dumbfounded... but excited as that left me with the rest of the day to head out in to the city. I checked in to my cheap hostel ($10 a night including breakfast), which I found with no problems, and it turned out to be one of the best I've stayed at so far in Chile, then hit the streets - heading for the Costanera Centre.

two travellers.

8,000CLP ($16) to get up, but what a view!

A 'joven' enjoying the 'vista.'

Right in the middle of the financial district sits the tallest building in Latin America - the Gran Torre Santiago. Standing at 300m tall, is isn't quite as big as the Eiffel Tower (or the Sydney Tower at 309m), but still  something you can see from basically the whole city. When you think of world's tallest buildings (Empire State is 381m and the Petronas Twin Towers stand at 452m) you don't think the Eiffel Tower is that big, but when you actually see all 324m of it, you're a little shocked - it was built in the late-19th Century and quite an engineering feat. This building, although slightly shorter, is still quite a marvel as Chile is the most active country for earthquakes and volcanoes - so it is brave or a tad silly to be building the biggest 'Jenga' tower in South America? It does put the cherry on the skyline of Santiago, and makes the city look more like a world city. For people in Australia and The States, tall glass buildings are the norm - but for most Europeans they aren't, and I think it is a big deal here in South America too. The view from the top was quite impressive - city way below, the busy, noisy streets, buses, ice-cream sellers and stray dogs all but muted and frozen in time from the distance. The snow covered Andes the perfect backdrop and there was very little air pollution which is a rare thing in Santiago. The smog of Santiago is something people from here don't even realise any more - it's there in Summer because there is no rain to wash it away (it just doesn't rain here in summer... at all!) and in Winter everybody is using their log fires, so you have wood smoke covering the city, and sometimes that gets so bad that you are advised not to leave your house. Seriously. But none of that today - just blue sky and snowy mountains!

Santiago's financial district, and the Andes.

Some people may know Pablo Neruda, the Chilean poet (who died in his home 12 days after fleeing the '73 military coup), but most people visit his 3 houses as it is just one of the things you do while in Chile - like eat a 'completo' or say the wine is good. Up until now I hadn't bothered - I am not usually one for doing things because they are on the Top 10 Things To Do in a city - but I did this time. Mainly because I had the afternoon to kill and I thought I would visit this one, then see what all the fuss is about. He had 3 houses - in Santiago (in the cool neighbourhood of Bella Vista), Valparaiso and Isla Negra ('Black Island' and it isn't actually an island) - and built them himself. He contracted his friend and Catalan architect German Rodriquez Arias to help with the house in Santiago, which he named "La Chascona," The house is actually named after his long time partner Matilde Urrutia (who was a lover but became his wife) who had 'crazy' or 'ruffled' hair.

Pablo Neruda's House "La Chascona" with his and Matilde's initials.

Always one for shocking people was Pablo!

Not just a poet, but also a politician, a Communist, and an active peace advocate, even helping Spanish refugees flee to Chile via France after the Civil War. He left Chile in 1948 after an arrest was put out for him due to his political leanings, and later returned in 1952 after visits to Russia, India and China. In his later life, he built the house in Vellavista, and lived there with his wife Matilde, and won the Nobel Prize in 1971 for his work. He was unable to enjoy the house for long, as the coup changed everything. After his death, his house was sacked and flooded, but Matilde later returned to the house and fixed it all up. She continued to entertain guests like they did in the old days until her death in 1985. The house is just like it was when he was alive - funky furniture, strange art (a watermelon having a bath for example!), narrow spaces and small things like secret doors and funny decorations such as a 'Marihuanna' and 'morphine' container next to the tea set.

One of the bars at Pablo's House - notice the painting.

Perfect temperature!

Like at the baseball!

The weekend I was in Santiago was September, and Friday was the 11th. When I say September 11, most people think of the Twin Towers back in 2001. For people in Chile, it is the day that Pinochet and the military bombed the government building in Santiago, killed the current President (some people believe he committed suicide) and took over the country. A dark day for everyone, as this began more than a decade of oppression and mass killings for the regime. Although there are still a few protests on this day, and some a little violent too, nothing happened in the capital this year, although the Carabineros (or 'Pacos' to our 'Pigs') were out and prepared. What happened this week in Santiago was much better - a real Chilean fair. It was like the Easter Show in Sydney, or the Fira de San Isidra in Cardedeu - animals, carnival games and food galore! Music, food, beer, young people hanging out - like an outdoor festival back home! The games are all the usual ones that you pay to show off to your girlfriend but never win anything (and would cost you less if you just went and bough the cuddly toy anyway), but they are entertaining. The food was your usual mix of popcorn and tradition foods, mixed in with Chilean Cuchifli with manjar (a sweet caramel paste... my new Chilean love), mani (fried nuts), mote con huesillo and churros, all carried around by guys with trays like it was the World Series in the 50s. My favourite thing was the tradition Chilean cowboys (Huasos), who wore the cowboy hat and a special poncho. I was expected a bit of bull riding, but there was only chasing cows around a paddock, and a lot of chit chat between the boys. I also discovered that there are different 'tribes' of young people in Santiago. The 'flaites' I know about - they are basically 'bogans' or 'chavs' and there are loads of them here in Conce. They sit around, grow their dreadlocks, play drums, smoke (whacky) and drink (from cartons). The other group are the 'quiocos,' which are the posh kids - basically your North Shore crowd - good education, cool clothes and attitude. I might add that there is a 3rd group - posh kids who try to be bogans... ahhh kids!

Howdy pardner.

Bit of love at the rodeo.

2 Huasos having a chat.

Going back to Santiago made me reflect a little on my life here in Chile. A big city with so many things to do and see, the culture, the music and nightlife, made me think of Sydney. Sure it's busy and polluted at times, but it's also cosmopolitan, warmer than Conce, and quite beautiful too with the Andes as a backgdrop. I always strike up a conversation with someone on the metro, and being a foreigner here doesn't make you a freak. Concepcion on the other hand is a little close-minded in this regard, and people don't even want to sit next to me on the bus! You get the 5 questions; Whats your name? Where are you from? What do you do? How long have you been in Chile? And why Chile? That's about it. In Santiago it's all cool. On the other hand, living and visiting are two very different things as travellers well know! By now, I'd probably have no money saved, been sick and tired of getting the metro in peak hour, ill from pollution and worn out from going out partying all the time. Maybe the slower pace of Conce is good too - much easier to not spend money that's for sure! It lacks life sometimes though - all the students go home on Friday to their families. The bars are always the same, the 3 nightclubs seem to have 1 playlist, and the food is average. The dogs are friendly though - my new favourite is a 3 legged who walked me home at 3am the other day, and wouldn't stop jumping all over me with his 1 front paw!

Street art in Bella Vista in Santiago.

September 11 flowers for Allende.

The Carabineros.

The difference between Santiago and Concepcion could be put like this - Sydney vs Brisbane. No competition really. Ok, so Brisbane has got 'everything you need,' but does it have what you want? There is a big rivalry too - people from the capital hate the 2nd biggest city, and visa versa. They speak differently here - their voice are much higher pitched, and only get higher as they reach the end of their sentences - the women seem to be always speaking as if on helium! The weather is a big argument - Conce weather is pretty wet and cold, and you need your onion laters, whereas in Santiago it is warm and sunny, and winter barely gets cold enough for a scarf and 2 jackets, and hardly ever rains... like never. Maybe Chileans are just competitive by nature - they paint the power lines in their neighbourhood for their football teams (Colo Colo vs University de Chile), hate Argentina and think that they are better than the rest of South America (and the Copa America proves things...), but I guess everyone does the same. Sydney vs Melbourne. Australia vs New Zealand. Kirk vs Picard. You get the picture.

Blue sky.

Winter in Conce

Concepcion on the Bio Bio River.

So it's winter time in Chile, and the question is - is it chilly in Chile? The answer is yes! It is also very rainy too. Being a long country, the weather can vary though - from zero rain up north to nothing but down south. A few weeks ago was the worst - a solid week of rain in Conce, and even Santiago had it's fair share. When it rains here, everything floods, houses leak, but the buses continue to drive extremely fast and dangerously. Lose paving stones splash dirty water back up at you, holes in the pavement mean wet feet, and a lack of gutter drainage means wet everything as the cars aquaplane by, leaving a dry spot on the wall with your shape. Rain can be fun and enjoyable, but not if you have to swim to work and nobody has heating in their homes, and you have washing that never dries.

The Saltos de Laja at sunset.

A Cueca girl.

My favourite house in Conce.

This week however, the sun has come out and it looks like Spring is on it's way in Concepcion - welcome to Tropi Conce! The locals call it this because the weather can change so dramatically here - from pissing down on your way to work, to sunny skies while you're at work, to rain again as soon as you leave the building to go home. To give you an idea of exactly how wet is has been here in July - Sydney gets 9 days of rain for 56mm, compared to 173mm here, which directly translated means 30 days of Sydney rain. Nice. Unfortunately the streets aren't built for this kind of rain, even though it happens every year - it's real gumboot weather! It can get you down - I firmly believe weather plays a big part in your happiness, but you need to find ways of beating it, and using it to your advantage, such as going on a big walk when the sun does come out - make hay while the sun is shining! I managed to visit some museums other cultural events while the weather was bad, but tried my best to get out when I could.

Traditional Cueca dancing - with the traditional stray dog sleeping in middle of it.

The glass buildings of Concepcion.

Art in the University of Concepcion.

So getting out of Conce has been a bit of an eye-opener for me. Most people visit Chile and see Santiago - the big capital with it's European architecture, tall glass buildings and bustling Capitilism - you could be in Madrid. They also go and visit the mountains in the south and deserts in the north - the country is amazing in this regard! There is the flip side though - the middle part, the real Chile, the part not many get to see. I have. Catching the micros (local buses) around town is one thing - always exciting/dangerous and I am always in fear of losing my front teeth due to the frequent brake slamming - but getting out of the city is totally different. Concepcion is more or less a decent sized modern city on the surface - tall buildings, shopping malls, trains and buses, starbucks and all the shops and plazas and glass and glam, but it's still South America and Chile, so there are the people that sit on the same corner selling the same junk everyday - from the guy that only sells smelly things you hang in your car, to the guy that comes on to the bus and does his 'chocolate buena' speech and sells small bars of chocolate for 100clp (20c) which taste horrible by the way, and the hotdog lady that stands all day in Plaza Peru, the restaurant and pub part of town, and sells fried rubbish which the students lap up.

Stray dogs waiting for a feed. Strays are fine - the owned dogs bite.

There are also the jugglers and performers on busy streets - they perform while you sit at a red light, juggling fire, knives, walking on stilts (and juggling), playing music (or washing your windows) or whatever trying to get either extra cash to pay for Uni education or just easy money. People like this would be called 'scivers' in the UK, 'bums' in the US and 'bludgers' in OZ, and told to 'get a real job.' In Chile, these are real jobs as many people don't have the opportunity or education (or sometimes motivation) for anything better. Most people live in small, cheaply built houses and apartments in ill-planned, soviet-style housing estates. In some suburbs the old houses dominate - colourful wooden shacks, all build closely together, all the same, but all a little different. There are horses and sometimes cows wandering an empty field, alongside kids kicking a football. Others, the newer ones, are brick and timber, but are real cookie-cutter houses, same colour and exactly the same design, and look very much like pre-fabricated, flat-pack coffee tables straight from IKEA. Both of these are quite depressing in their own way, and the government really needs to learn how to build communities, not just cheap housing for the masses. Some of these neighbourhoods would be called 'fabellas' in Brasil, slums and ghettos in English speaking countries. Chile is so beautiful, people say, and that it true of nature with it's mountains, forests and huge stretch of coast, but sadly where people live it is polluted, dirty and generally not pleasing on the eye.

There was plenty of water due to the rain - a silver lining to the crappy weather!

Saltos de Laja.

Jean-Luc and Peggy.

In light of this, I have done just that and got out of town to see beautiful things. A few small trips around Concepcion, and everything seems fine again. One weekend trip that I did recently was to a place called Saltos de Laja. Only 1.5hrs outside of the city and a 1,500clp ($3) bus trip, it is a great little town to visit. I use the word town quite losely, as there isn't really a town, more a row of touristy shops, a convenience store, a few restaurants and a spattering of rural houses, but loads of cabañas (cabins) for the tourists that come here for the waterfalls - the real attraction. There are 4 actually waterfalls, or cataracts, but the main one is seen as you pull in to town - it's hard not to just stop on the bridge and whip out your camera and start clicking away. Most people do this, pedestrians and motorists alike, but nobody is bothered as they are doing the same.

Couple taking a selfie at Ramuntcho beach, near Lenga.

Selfie!

More selfies!

It's a short walk to the falls through of lane of stalls selling a plethora of cheap touristy goods which has nothing to do with waterfalls, and small food vendors selling completos (Chilean hotdogs) and 'mystery meat' on skewers (which actually taste quite good!). Although I have never been to Niagra Falls, I have seen pictures, and this to me is a smaller version, also minus the boat that takes you round the bottom to get wet. You can, however, get close to the water on foot for a (wet) selfie, and even swim in summer when there is far less water. I spent the day with friends, walking around and just enjoying the view - we also visited the other falls, and we were completely alone as not many people go off the beaten track here, so it was an added bonus to just enjoy it with nobody taking selfies. Overall a great little stop for the day - we stayed the night in a cabin that could fit 5 people as was only 25,000clp ($50) a night. It had a small kitchen and table, but the best part was the log fire, which I must say we kept running through the evening and stocked it up before going to bed. Being Chile, we had two dogs keep us company while back at the cabin, who we named Jean Luc and Peggy. I have a tradition of naming dogs - it's whatever name pops in to you head at the time! Always nice to have a dog or two!

The fishing village of Tumbes.

The boats of Tumbes.

Tumbes, near the port of Talcahuano.

A local bus away and you're in small fishing towns around the city. Tumbes is one such place, and if you're in Conce, you should visit here. A small harbour filled with colourful boats, all with their own unique name painted on their bow (Don Juan I, Don Juan II... etc), it plays host to quite a large number of day-trippers - possibly more people visit it than people actually live here. Known for it's seafoood, you can basically only buy seafood and if you want empanadas, they will have to be seafood too. I bought a bowl of 'Pyura' which still to this day I am not sure what it is, apart from a red, squishy sea thing that closely resembles a mass of organs jammed into a shell. Yes, I ate (nearly) a bowl of it, cold and raw as it should be (apparently)... and got sick the next day. My rule is - just because you're on the coast does not mean the food is fresh, and you don't have to eat seafood. If you walk in the forest, you don't have to eat squirrel just because it's from there.

The beach in Winter.

A Turkey Vulture smelling for food.

A secret cove near Lenga.

Being Winter now, I am missing the sun, and every opportunity that arises I am out trying to get sunburnt. Well, not burnt, but some vitamin D at least. Last weekend was sunny and warm - 14c in the middle of winter! I jumped in a car with some friends and went to the beach. The beach itself, Ramuntcho, was an hour's walk from the parking lot of a small village called Lenga. You have to hike up and around some steep hills on a kind of penninsula (and mind the sheer cliffs), the peaks of this outcropping are also referred to as 'les tetas del Bio Bio' or 'The Tits of the Bio Bio.' The secret beach was a good find, and I only got there thanks to local knowledge. Chilling out on the sand, watching and listening to the waves but not getting in cose the water is always too cold, and having your emapanadas stolen by a stray beach dog - ah Chile! The water is always cold here though, that's a fact - the current that carried Nemo to Sydney is warm from the equator, then it goes down, sweeps along Antarctica, then up to Chile, cold enough to make your bollocks go back up in. Don't get me wrong - it may be cold, and not great for swimming - but it is a wonderful sight, and the wind and waves are very powerful and great to just watch from a distance. As far as wildlife in Chile goes, it's basically stray dogs and birds. The dogs not so exciting, but it is a bird watchers dream here - especially for larger birds. You see condors in the mountains and smaller birds of prey around the city and coast, and this day I saw a Turkey Vulture soaring over the beach smelling for food - yes, smelling, unlike the 'Old World' vultures that use their keen bird eyesight. I did wash my feet in the waves, so I was safe.

Looking out at the Pacific from Ramuntcho beach.

There are a few more adventures to talk about, such as my trip to the Piedra de Aguila (Stone of the Eagle) a couple of hours south of Concepcion. Cold, and snow in parts, it is a great place to do a bit of hiking and you get a great view from the top of the rock - volcanoes and oceans of trees. There are some other cool things to do around here too - like visit a real-working coal mine under the ocean (one of the few in the world), which is on the list. When Conce turns on the weather, it is lovely. When it rains, and gets all foggy, you even wish you were in Ireland for the weather. The rain is mostly over, and the weather will only get better, so more hiking and more trips soon! When the weather is good, Chile is a beautiful country!

A Conce sunset.