As this thread descended into name calling and childishness last time, it got locked...anyway, i'm reposting as it might be of interest to some. if anyone has any questions about anything then reply here or send me a note...Well, I’ve got a bit of time on my hands now so in answer to BBW’s question of what Chile is like…
Firstly,
Santiago is not Buenos Aires. It lacks all of the charm and cultural
life. Chileans do not care much for their architectural heritage and
there’s little left of the French style buildings that used to be
common all over the city. They have a tendency to value new over old. I
like to think of them as yuppies who like all new shiny things over
preservation. Old buildings are torn down all the time in the name of
progress. I guess it’s a sign of the country’s economic success but
it’s not one I appreciate. From a purely architectural point of view,
it’s a probably a good thing for Buenos aires that argentina hasn’t had
a recent run of sustained economic success as I suspect much more of
the city’s architectural gems would have been pulled down in order to
build these lovely tower blocks we see popping up every day.
Anyway,
Santiago has little to recommend itself; nightlife is average and
there’s a major lack of bookshops, theatres and other cultural life.
It’s a business city and is more north American that European-big
shopping malls accessible pretty much only by car, lots of big 4x4
clogging up the streets. And the smog…worse than anywhere I’ve been in
my life. In winter, you can actually taste the air.
Santiaguinos
also lack all the charm and courteousness of Portenos. You’ll never
walk out of a shop with a smile on your face after being charmed by the
shop keeper in chile. A cursory ‘buen dia’ is the best you could ask
for. I love the convoluted manner of argentine Spanish, so over the
top: “Jovencito, buenos dias. Serias tan amable de decirme la hora por
favor.” Or ‘Buen dia, en que te puedo ayudar?’, a polite and courteous
form of Spanish you’ simply won’t hear in chile (nor anywhere else in
latin America for that matter). Santiaguinos are also rude and
aggressive and walking down the street is a battle.
It is, on
the other hand, a remarkable city for its cleanliness and modernity and
a testament to chile’s economic success. How many other cities in the
world would be able to build a spanking new Metro line and huge
underground ring-road in not much more than 2 years? In Buenos Aires
it’d take 10 years. In London 20.
Despite what I’ve said, I
like santiago more than I did 3 years ago when all of the negatives
I’ve described were much much worse. The attitude of Chileans has
changed considerably; they’re no longer quite as rude or aggressive and
I think they’re becoming more accustomed to their wealth. Less
nouveau-riche in their attitudes. Also, 3 years ago food in chile was
quite revolting (except sea-food). Now the international cuisine is of
a far higher quality than you’ll find pretty much anywhere in
argentina. Chileans are more structured; if they cook French food they
cook French food-they don’t cook French food with the chef’s ‘toque
personal’ as so often happens here to ruin the meal. Eating out also
used to be much more expensive in chile but now it’s no more than in
Buenos aires (due to inflation here). Red-meat is bloody awful in chile
though.
Out of Santiago, the country is different. The people
are friendlier and chile is a beautiful country. The lake district is
simply stunning, Chilean Patagonia is (from what I’ve been told by
foreign travellers- I’ve never been) is better than argentine
Patagonia, the desert in the north is amazing (as far as a desert can
be amazing) and Valparaiso-where we’re moving to-is one of the world’s
most unique and incredible cities.
Chile is also much more
business friendly, it has an open and very stable economy, it’s far
easier to get residency, there’s very little corruption, you can earn
money that is worth something in the outside world and the police are
unbribable, friendly, helpful, wear cool green uniforms and ride dirt
bikes.
Also, the basic things that we take for granted in the
‘1st world’ like an efficient postal system, buying things online,
being able to organise a phone line without having to wait weeks,
consumer law etc and the aforementioned lack of corruption and
trustworthy police are things that don’t exist in argentina
At
this point in time, chile suits me more than argentina. And having a
Chilean girlfriend obviously helps a lot with many aspects of life over
there. I’m not leaving sticking 2 fingers up at the country by any
means. I’ve really enjoyed my time here and will continue to come back
and visit whenever I can.
If I were a city man, had a pension or
had a foreign currency salary and had to choose between Santiago and
Buenos aires (or Santiago and any other city in argentina) I would
always choose argentina. It’s more fun, it’s currently cheaper, it
offers so much more culturally, the people (on the surface) are
friendlier and easier to get to know, the city is far more attractive
and the buzz and energy of Buenos aires is something you will find
nowhere else in the world.
Like any place, chile has its pros
and cons. Argentina also has its pros and cons. For most expats and
people reading this forum, I’d say that argentina has more pros than
chile. There are plenty of things to sla g off in chile and any
determined expat could find them. I’m sure these expat forums over
there are full of threads banging on about Chilean surliness or
bureaucracy blah blah blah. I think people just need to find their
place and be happy…
Firstly,
Santiago is not Buenos Aires. It lacks all of the charm and cultural
life. Chileans do not care much for their architectural heritage and
there’s little left of the French style buildings that used to be
common all over the city. They have a tendency to value new over old. I
like to think of them as yuppies who like all new shiny things over
preservation. Old buildings are torn down all the time in the name of
progress. I guess it’s a sign of the country’s economic success but
it’s not one I appreciate. From a purely architectural point of view,
it’s a probably a good thing for Buenos aires that argentina hasn’t had
a recent run of sustained economic success as I suspect much more of
the city’s architectural gems would have been pulled down in order to
build these lovely tower blocks we see popping up every day.
Anyway,
Santiago has little to recommend itself; nightlife is average and
there’s a major lack of bookshops, theatres and other cultural life.
It’s a business city and is more north American that European-big
shopping malls accessible pretty much only by car, lots of big 4x4
clogging up the streets. And the smog…worse than anywhere I’ve been in
my life. In winter, you can actually taste the air.
Santiaguinos
also lack all the charm and courteousness of Portenos. You’ll never
walk out of a shop with a smile on your face after being charmed by the
shop keeper in chile. A cursory ‘buen dia’ is the best you could ask
for. I love the convoluted manner of argentine Spanish, so over the
top: “Jovencito, buenos dias. Serias tan amable de decirme la hora por
favor.” Or ‘Buen dia, en que te puedo ayudar?’, a polite and courteous
form of Spanish you’ simply won’t hear in chile (nor anywhere else in
latin America for that matter). Santiaguinos are also rude and
aggressive and walking down the street is a battle.
It is, on
the other hand, a remarkable city for its cleanliness and modernity and
a testament to chile’s economic success. How many other cities in the
world would be able to build a spanking new Metro line and huge
underground ring-road in not much more than 2 years? In Buenos Aires
it’d take 10 years. In London 20.
Despite what I’ve said, I
like santiago more than I did 3 years ago when all of the negatives
I’ve described were much much worse. The attitude of Chileans has
changed considerably; they’re no longer quite as rude or aggressive and
I think they’re becoming more accustomed to their wealth. Less
nouveau-riche in their attitudes. Also, 3 years ago food in chile was
quite revolting (except sea-food). Now the international cuisine is of
a far higher quality than you’ll find pretty much anywhere in
argentina. Chileans are more structured; if they cook French food they
cook French food-they don’t cook French food with the chef’s ‘toque
personal’ as so often happens here to ruin the meal. Eating out also
used to be much more expensive in chile but now it’s no more than in
Buenos aires (due to inflation here). Red-meat is bloody awful in chile
though.
Out of Santiago, the country is different. The people
are friendlier and chile is a beautiful country. The lake district is
simply stunning, Chilean Patagonia is (from what I’ve been told by
foreign travellers- I’ve never been) is better than argentine
Patagonia, the desert in the north is amazing (as far as a desert can
be amazing) and Valparaiso-where we’re moving to-is one of the world’s
most unique and incredible cities.
Chile is also much more
business friendly, it has an open and very stable economy, it’s far
easier to get residency, there’s very little corruption, you can earn
money that is worth something in the outside world and the police are
unbribable, friendly, helpful, wear cool green uniforms and ride dirt
bikes.
Also, the basic things that we take for granted in the
‘1st world’ like an efficient postal system, buying things online,
being able to organise a phone line without having to wait weeks,
consumer law etc and the aforementioned lack of corruption and
trustworthy police are things that don’t exist in argentina
At
this point in time, chile suits me more than argentina. And having a
Chilean girlfriend obviously helps a lot with many aspects of life over
there. I’m not leaving sticking 2 fingers up at the country by any
means. I’ve really enjoyed my time here and will continue to come back
and visit whenever I can.
If I were a city man, had a pension or
had a foreign currency salary and had to choose between Santiago and
Buenos aires (or Santiago and any other city in argentina) I would
always choose argentina. It’s more fun, it’s currently cheaper, it
offers so much more culturally, the people (on the surface) are
friendlier and easier to get to know, the city is far more attractive
and the buzz and energy of Buenos aires is something you will find
nowhere else in the world.
Like any place, chile has its pros
and cons. Argentina also has its pros and cons. For most expats and
people reading this forum, I’d say that argentina has more pros than
chile. There are plenty of things to sla g off in chile and any
determined expat could find them. I’m sure these expat forums over
there are full of threads banging on about Chilean surliness or
bureaucracy blah blah blah. I think people just need to find their
place and be happy…
