Dave’s Chile blog had a big time in 2014; you could even say it was transformative. Chilean President Michelle Bachelet Chilean President Michelle Bachelet At the end of 2013, and during the…
Loanco; A Story of Give and Take with the Sea
With the first light of day the residents of the small fishing village of Loanco walked from where they had taken refuge a few hours earlier, over the hill to a spot…
Desolation; Gabriela Mistral…In English
The newly released first bilingual edition of Gabriela Mistral’s foundational collection of poetry and prose, Desolation, is sure to be a landmark in bringing Chile’s Nobel prize-winning poet closer to English speakers…
Chile’s Barros Luco
Today is National Barros Luco day in Chile. This Chilean version of a steak and cheese sandwich dates from the early 1900s, when President Ramon Barros Luco lunched regularly at the Confiteria…
Pichi Newen
One night several years ago Luz Celia Lienqueo Castillo had a peuma…a type of dream the Mapuche believe is not just a vision but a type of premonition that must come…
Dichato and Jessica’s Mussels
About a year ago Pilar, the psychologist I met in Dichato where she is involved in community recovery programs with the most affected of the 2010 tsunami victims, told me “In ten…
It’s What Chile Wants
There is no more spectacular air flight than the one from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Santiago, Chile, a two-hour journey that begins over the muddy Rio de la Plata, continues over the…
Bachelet; Two more weeks to the “Big Show”!
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet Chilean President Michelle Bachelet So, the last time we talked about Chilean politics, Michelle Bachelet had just won handily the first election for president (November) and was campaigning…
Chilean Artisans
IMG_20131130_125106_897 Wool, clay, wood, metal, stone, and horse hair, all materials that are readily available in Chile, and hence they are the basis for most of traditional Chilean artisan products. Late last…
Carretera Austral Day Six….Cochrane to Chile Chico and Argentine Border
Breakfast on Day six again at the Military Hotel, and we were off on the last stretch of our trip in Chile, for today we were to drive along the south side…