helado, helado, helado…

So goes the cry of the ice cream salesmen who walk through the streets, parks, and sporting venues, selling their wares.

And Chileans love their ice cream, in any form (even shoes?). I mean, who doesn’t? But, even in the heart of winter, you can often see people walking down the street with some form of ice cream.

I am fortunate (or unfortunate, depending from which perspective you look at it), to have three very good “heladerias” or ice cream parlours within a couple of blocks of my house.

The most famous is Emporio La Rosa, which boasts being voted in the World’s Top 25 ice cream parlours. Their original, corner location is opposite Parque Forestal, offering the perfect place to find a shady spot to enjoy your ice cream, or take a seat in their nice outdoor seating area.

There are now several locations around Santiago, and they offer some interesting flavours. My favourite for a refreshing lift on a hot day is “lemon, basil and mint”, or for a bigger flavour punch, “raspberry and mint”.

Just around the block is Café del Opera, also a popular spot with a good following. I haven’t tried it personally, but I’m told it’s faithful to its Italian heritage, with delicious gelato flavours in both traditional and localised flavours.

Another favourite is Mo, close by on the corner of Mosqueto and Monjitas, a good place to head when the line at Emporio La Rosa is too long (most hot weekends) or just for a change. My favourite flavour here is the “Passionfruit Pie”, for when I’m really looking to treat myself!

Yes, that’s a small size!

So, especially at this time of year, ice cream definitely makes my list of things to love about living in Chile.

La Vega

It’s no secret that La Vega is my favourite place to shop in Santiago, so it’s no surprise that it was going to turn up on this list of things that I love about living in Chile.

La Vega was literally my first outing in Santiago when I arrived this time around, now over a year ago, and I continue to frequent the market on a regular basis. The people, who originally beheld me with a level of curiosity, are now a little more open and talkative. I have my regulars from whom I buy certain things, and others that I’m drawn to based on the produce on hand. In addition to fruit and vegetables, I have my favourite “egg man”, and there’s even a stall where I find some pretty decent muesli (granola) that’s not overly processed or sweetened.

There’s a couple of good “deli’s” too, and Quesos Arturito seems to be a favourite with both locals and foreigners in the know, stocking a wide range of produce at a fraction of the price of the popular supermarkets. I’ve been know to buy the exact same brand of cheese in La Vega for one-third of the price on the major supermarkets.

I love watching the seasons change through La Vega and, although you can get a lot of products all year round, you can tell by the price and quality what’s really in season and at it’s best.

In addition to the previously mentioned berries, melons are in abundance right now and are so cheap, and make a good, refreshing juice is you overstock, and there’s lots of great corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchinis, etc.

Although some days I don’t feel like facing the hike to La Vega, I am always glad I did it, and I don’t think I will ever get sick of the colours, variety and faces of La Vega.

Clearly, one of the things I love about living in Chile.

South America

Or “location, location, location!”

Let’s face it, I’m not just living in a new country, but also a new continent, which brings with it a variety of different places, people and culture, and fantastic opportunities to explore.

It’s not like I’m on the move all the time like last time I visited South America and covered 7 countries in five months. I work and have some form of daily/weekly routine that keeps me in Santiago most of the time.

But living here allows me to get out from time to time, and get to know places that would be s o f a r away if I was still in Australia.

I have managed to see a little more of Chile, flying up to San Pedro de Atacama when a friend visited, taking a road trip up the coast and into Valle de Elqui with another visiting friend, and another road trip south as far as Valle de Maule with another friend. These latter two trips obviously incorporated some wine and, indeed, my interest in that field has also led me to explore, in depth, many of the wine regions around Santiago.

I saw a lot of the rest of Chile when I was here last time, but I’m sure the opportunity will come up at some stage to revisit more of this beautiful country.

But there is, of course, also opportunity to get out to see a little more of the continent.

Last August, I took a truly-foodie trip to Lima with fellow-foodie-friend Fernando and, in addition to seeing some of the city’s sites, experienced the great range of Peruvian food, from the street, to China Town, to the city’s top two restaurants. Although I would have liked to have seen the sun sometimes (Lima is notoriously cloudy), the trip was delicious, fun, and worth the extra 5 kilos!

Over New Year, it was great to be able to take a friend up on a very kind invitation to spend some time on his country property in Uruguay. After finding some reasonably priced flights, a group of four friends enjoyed a relaxing time together, sharing home cooked meals and exploring the coastline and surrounding areas. Those of us who were visiting, albeit for a second or third time, got to know a different part of country and enjoy seeing it through the eyes of someone that had lived there for 10 years and knows it very well.

When a Buenos Aires-based friend managed to get a free apartment for a week in Mendoza, I was able to find a very reasonable flight (US$140 return – cheaper and quicker than the bus) and join her and another friend for a girly week of wineries and restaurants. With the exchange rate very much in our favour, it turned out to be an indulgent week with a relatively cheap price tag.

So, I’ve managed to get to know some places a little better and it’s great to be able to jump at these opportunities, which would be so far from reality back home, when they arise.

This year, I plan to see some places that I’ve never been before, both of Chile (e.g. Easter Island), and abroad, like Colombia.

Although flights here are not cheap compared to Europe or the US, where competition is more intense, good offers come around and I will be keeping my eye on them to see what other opportunities present themselves.

So, I don’t just love living in Chile, I love living and experiencing all that a whole new continent has to offer!

Valpo

Valparaiso is Chile’s biggest port city and, before the Panama Canal, was thriving. Now, it’s still an active, if less-busy, port, but the city now thrives on tourism.

The lower part of Valpo is built on reclaimed land from the sea, and the surrounding steep hills are filled with colourful, tightly packed houses – all different colours because they were apparently originally painted with whatever leftover paint was available after the ships had been painted.

Another unique characteristic of Valpo is the “elevators” that carry people up the hills, for about $200 pesos (40 cents). Many of the elevators are currently under repair, but a few of the main ones still operate.

I visited Valpo for the first time when I was here five years ago, stayed a couple of nights, ran around and saw the major “tourist attractions” (including one of Pablo Neruda’s houses), got debilitating food poisoning from something and, when I was able to, went back to Santiago.

No wonder that, when I got back to Santiago last year, I wasn’t really in a hurry to go back to Valpo. I went to the beautiful Casablanca Valley (which is on the way) a number of times, but never bothered to go any further than that.

My next trip to Valpo eventually came about after living in Santiago for 7 months, when some friends were visiting from Argentina and we took a day trip on the bus. I went again shortly afterwards when a bestie visited from Australia, and we spent a day in Casablanca before continuing on for an overnight stay in Viña del Mar, and an exploration of Viña and Valpo the following day.

Each time I go, I discover a little more about Valpo and love it a little more. Sure, at ground level, it’s still a port city – grungy and dirty and at times, a little shifty. But there is beautiful architecture and interesting life and, hit the hills and (as touristy as they are), they are an open-air gallery of beautiful street art and lovely hidden art galleries that you can explore for hours.

There are also great restaurants and, in a case of third-time-lucky, I finally got to “Pasta e Vino” with some visiting Aussie friends, and have been back twice since!

It’s quickly become probably my favourite restaurant in Chile and, yes, I’ve been known to take a Sunday trip to Valpo just to have lunch there after fantasizing about their corn gnocchi with carne mechada. Yum!

If you have a car, great, but it’s a cheap and short 1.5 to 2 hour bus trip from Santiago, and you don’t have to worry if you have a couple of wines at lunch.

So, now, I’ve come to think of Valpo less as a place that you go to show visitors around, and more as a nice day trip from Santi to get out-of-town on the weekend, eat well, and spend some quiet time exploring the meandering and colourful side streets and their resident galleries. It’s almost like the Melbourne equivalent of Daylesford, without the spas.

Valpo, you have definitely become one of the things I love about living in Chile.

berries

Berries, berries and more berries!

Summer is a great time for berries and, here, they’re SO cheap!

The market is full of them, and they are so vibrant and colourful. I can buy raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and cherries by the kilo! Can you imagine doing that in Australia, where a 125g of blueberries is cheap if it ever gets down to $4?

I can put a handful of blueberries on my muesli in the morning, and know that I will still be able to pay my rent. When there’s too many to eat fresh, I stock the freezer for use in cooking, smoothies, or blended with greek yoghurt for an easy low-fat ice cream-style treat. Blueberry pancakes with raspberry sauce? Done!

Summer’s here, it’s berry season, and it’s one of the things I love about living in Chile.

girl, exploring

Tag Archives: food