puskas97

Hi, has/does anyone live in Chile and has any relocation tips?

I can't seem to find any threads relating to Chile and would love to read about peoples experiences and get advice as I will be moving there in January.

Chris

dakota44

Chile is wonderful. If you like the city life, Santiago is great. If you prefer smaller cities, choose from the various climates. Souther Chile can become very wet and cold. Northern Chile can provide a semi- desert climate. There is a city North of Santiago called..La Serena. It vertually never really rains there, but rather develops the occasional heavy dew that mists the air. I like it there very much, and have visited there 3 times. It has miles of beach, most any of the amenities you can need, a very nice shopping mall and excellent hospital. You can fly to Santiago from there for a very reasonable fair, or you can take the bus (big, comfortable Mercedes with attendent, snacks and a movie) costing (my last trip) about $10 each way. Long ride, but the scenery is nice.
Get accustomed to occasional earthquakes or tremors, as they are very common.

http://www.ingservtur.cl/cityoflaserena.html

http://www.turismochile.com/guide/la_serena/

http://www.firstpremium.cl/north/serena_intro.php3


The seafood is great...all the food is great. The cost of living is very reasonable, the politics very stable, the economy probably the best in South America, the police (Carabineros de Chile) are polite and honest. And the people are, quite frankly, great.

matttheboy

i'd agree on the whole with the previous poster. i've been living in south america for over 3 years now, most of the time in buenos aires but with very regular trips to chile as my girlfriend of the past 3 years is chilena so we've returned to see her family a lot. we've now moved to chile permanently.

personally, however, i really don't like santiago, or santiasco as it's commonly known to anyone not from there..! the pollution is appalling, especially in winter when the air actually has a flavour and many people suffer from allergies, there's a distinct lack of cultural activities and the people are, generally, aggressive and bordering on the obnoxious. that said, it is a lot better than it was when i first went there 3 or so years ago-there's more to do, the people are not as obnoxious as they were and also the food has improved immesurably (chilean food, with the exception of sea food, has always had a reputation of being bland and heavy). To me, the city is a great example of how well chile has done economically-the metro lines, new roads, new buses, big shiny new tall buildings etc are very impressive and are proof of the country's success but i find it all a little nouveau-riche, with the aggressive, in your face attitudes you expect with that.

once you get out of the city, the people change a lot and are, generally, much friendlier and a little more laid back. by far the nicest chileans i've met have come from the lakes district-we had many people go way out of their way in order to help us, kind of like a throwback to 50s rural britain (or how i imagine it!). it's a beautiful part of the world, the best of the english countryside with a backdrop of huge shimmering lakes and volcanoes but i'm not sure i could live there permanently as i need a little bit more action. it is one of the favourite areas of chile though.

I haven't yet been to La Serena (i'm heading up there in a couple of days) but i don't think there's a great deal to do out of tourist season (december-february). it's supposed to be an exceptionally pretty city, with beautiful colonial architecture (most built this century) and great beaches (water's still a little chilly).

I live in Valparaiso, one of south america's most unique and spectacular cities. It's just 2 hours drive or bus ride from santiago and is currently undergoing something of a boom due to the fact it was named a UNESCO world heritage site in 2003. it should be one of latin america's biggest tourist draws and the government is starting to take an interest in this although there's a long way to go. it is incredibly disorganised at the moment.

Anyway, the city is beautiful, if a little ramshackle and run-down, with amazing old colourful clapboard victorian mansions clinging to near vertical hills (the city was pretty much built by the british or with british money). it has some of the country's best restaurants and best views and just up the road in Vina there are pretty much all the shops you could need. It's going to take a few more years but Valpo will become the southern cone's biggest attraction (unless an earthquake destroys it of course!). it's a pretty easy place to live and has a real village feeling-it is built on over 40 hills and each hill has its own atmosphere where everyone knows everyone else. the city is actually over 250,000 people and almost 1 million if you include 'gran valparaiso' which includes vina and con con.

if you have any questions feel free to pm me or respond here. i guess you're already in chile now and are finding out a lot of things for yourself. good luck!

matttheboy

As an add on to my previous post from a couple of months ago, we recently made the trip up to La Serena. It is a really nice place, a beautiful centre and a great beach (cold water of course). we went a couple of days after the school holidays so it was dead quiet. in january and february it's a nightmare with bumper to bumper traffic and hoards of screaming holiday makers. Rather like Vina del Mar actually. La Serena is also close to the Elqui Valley, another beautiful part of the country where the Pisco grapes are grown and distilled and great place to go for a litte r&r and pisco sours.

I think it'd be quite a nice place to live part time but there's not a great deal of excitement out of summer season. Of course, that's not a problem for many people. It does have excellent facilities as mentioned by the other poster-the mall and Jumbo supermarket are as big as any in santiago. These things make life a little easier all round.

Still i'd recommend Valpo or possibly Vina as probably the best places to live in chile due to their proximity to big-city Santiago, the ocean and the mountains, top restaurants and good night-life.


Matt

dakota44

If I had known you were going to La Serena I could have possibly given you a contact or two there. Love the place.

matttheboy

thanks dakota44 that's nice of you to say. we actually stayed most of our time in paihuano in the elqui valley as we were after a something a little quieter still than la serena. the valley is beautiful. the city and the valley make a great combination.

if we go back up that way i'll be sure to get in touch. And if you're ever in the valpo area, feel free to get in contact as well.

dakota44

Not sure when I will get back there, but hope it is not too far off in the future. Yes, Elqui valley is wonderful. Much different than the coastal dessert climate of La Serena.

monique

Born and lived there for 15 years, yet never been to those places. Dakota, you got me curious, next time I'll go I will definitely check out La Serena, but my top priority is to go to Easter Island...have you been there, if so, how is it?.

dakota44

Never been to Easter Island, but would love to. I know people who have gone and say it's wonderful. You are Chilena?

monique

Si senor!. Hungarian father, Chilean mother.

dakota44

ahh interesting combo. Almost as strange as my Italian/German heritage. Me gusta Chile y Chilenas.

monique

More interesting mix than you think as mom's parents were actually a mix of French and Spanish. Si se, a ti te gustan muchas chicas.

dakota44

ahhh Si. Chicas Chilena...muy maravilloso.

go outside and play

So, while Monique and dakota have a love-in and go off topic, back to the original request. It is really difficult to get cohesive and correct information regarding moving here. I have been living in the south of Chile for 4 months now and the bureaucracy is a normal part of life. If you have already moved here you'll know...

The Chilean consulate in London has a website which has been updated and can help. If you tell me more about what info you are looking for, I can probably help based on experience.

Finally, learn Spanish. It will really really really make a difference.

Suerte

dakota44

slightly rude. But with one post under your belt, what can I say. Not to mention the original post is more than 4 months old and the poster has not been heard from since. If you have a problem with members here sharing conversation with each other, then perhaps another site would suit you better. I have no patience today.