Karate Kid

I ran into a group practicing various forms of martial arts over the weekend. The guy in the back shouted the commands and the rest all jumped.

A Place for a Cat

Taking a rest from the sun near Quinta Normal

The Chilean small business

I’ve long been intrigued by the quantity of small businesses in Chile. This little shops that you past on the bus ride to where ever it is you are going, some of them packed, others always empty. Most you’ll never walk into but in Santiago I’m always aware of their existence.

This fascination has prompted me to walk into them with my camera and explore them visually. Most people are pretty open to the lens, while others or not. Some have suspected me of being some sort of salesman, others simply just don’t care and a few sit and talk to me about their lives.

In any case I haven’t gotten out as much as I would like. I’ve posted two other entries (here and here) on a couple of the places I’ve been to in recent weeks.

A personal post to the world….a wedding in Chile

Last Friday I had the civil wedding (i.e the legal paperwork) with my Chilean girlfriend of nearly four years. When I landed in Chile I knew on October 12, 2004 I knew it would be the trip of the lifetime, but I didn’t know why. At the time I didn’t know how long I would stay. It was an emotional moment and I have to say I feel a bit more Chilean after living it. It was a small event and afterwards we drank too much wine and champagne.

All I know is that I’m very lucky to found the love that I have in this world.

I’ve gotten to know her family quite well and feel completely welcome in their company.

I tried to get my mother involved through a video chat. We chat frequently online and rarely lose the signal. But this day it refused to work. Turns out that shortly before my father passed away of cancer the discussion arose as to whether he could participate in the wedding ceremony (coming later this month) via video chat. He was against it, thought it too intrusive. His presence was strong that day, he was with us I could just feel it.

Chilean researchers turn to Mapuche medicinal plant to fight brain cancer

Last Thursday Chilean researchers annouced they have isolated anti-carcinogenic compounds in a indigenous medicinal plant used traditional to treat an upset stomach that they believe can be used to eventual fight brain cancer in humans.

Led by Dr. Rolando Martinez of the Universidad Austral in Valdivia along with researchers from the Universidad Andres Bello and doctors from the Barros Luco Hospital, the project will move into an advance stage treating lab animals with brain cancer and then humans.

Martinez and his team focused on isolating anti- carcinogenic chemicals in the Leptocarpha rivularis, used by the Mapuche to treat an upset stomach, to attack cancer cells. Research using the plant has shown the natural derivatives force proteins from the cancerous cells to start a process that corrects the infected cell’s DNA. Moreover tests have shown the compound has no impact on healthy cells.

The first two phases of the project, conducted over the last twenty years, focused first on creating brain cancer among lab rats and then treating it with the compound. The second phase then focused on liver cancer among terminally ill volunteers. The third phase will focus on Chilean patients with brain cancer.

Researchers, however, expect more complications from the third phase due to the limited amount of people with brain cancer in Chile willing to participate in such a study.

Leptocarpha rivularis is a plant known in Chile as “palo negro”, stands at a meter and a half and is found in the south of Chile. The plant has been used for generations by the Mapuche people, one of Chile’s last surviving indigenous groups.

Riding a bike in Santiago, Chile

So as my work situation hit a period of change recently I've had the opportunity to work in new areas, one of them in tourism. Specifically I'm giving bike tours of Santiago with La Bicicleta Verde.

The two tours I'm currently working on focus on La Chimba, the area north of the Mapocho, i.e. La Vega, Patronato, etc. The other one takes you through a bit of providencia, parque Bustamante, Plaza Italia, Lastarria, Santa Lucia, etc. Its a very interesting thing to be doing because it forces you to learn a whole lot more about the terrain you are showing to tourists. As a storyteller this gives me another reason to be perusing the internet for odds and ends about these eclectic barrios.

The Big Day

Today is the day. This is a huge election and such a crazy and unstable time. I think Obama is who we need to start the healing process of the last eight years, it won't be easy. It sounds like an awful job to have in fact, but I think he will move us in the right direction.

RN Rio de Los Cipreses: Great place for trekking in Chile

Over the weekend Caro and I went to Reserva Nacional Rio de los Cipreses, located just to the south of Santiago. I was quite impressed by the park. It features a long trail going from the entrance to the very end with numerous extensions along the way. There are several high mountain peaks that can be climbed. A relatively flat trekking that can be done through the valley plus glaciers, waterfalls and lots of green. I highly recommend it as a long weekend getaway.

Above: the town nearest to the park, Coya, is an interesting little place. Many of the political flyers leftover from last weeks election were still up. Including this one, Por el Huaso que quiere

They have been reintroducing Pumas to the park and have some sort of protection program going. We didn't get to see one though.

Plenty of quality hiking and the trail I think could be done on a mountain bike as well as long as you don't mind hauling it over rivers.

Some great peaks line the borders of the park.



Pure campo as you drive into the park.

We both had a great time....highly recommend the getaway!

50 Cent in Chile

As luck would have it I ended up at a 50 Cent press conference (no, I'm being serious here).

I'll admit I don't have any of his music in my iTunes, but you can't deny that he is a big name so it was interesting to be right in front of him. I was expecting someone a lot more aggresive, but in person he seemed pretty laid back and interested to be in Chile.

He's performing in Chile and Colombia, which he said were the two countries in Latin America he hasn't been to yet or had any of his albums go gold or platnum. There was a good show out of tabloid press, TVN, CQC, etc. The Chilean press seemed very fascinated with some of his eccentric requests. What I heard there (before his entry) was that he needed 20 black and 20 white towels....he asked for lots of mirrors in his room? He ate his chicken with no skin on it? It was a very strange voyage into the curiousities of the farandula focused media in Chile.

Then he talked. He doesn't really understand what they are saying in most reggaetone songs, but he understands the rythms. He came to Chile because he wants to say he has been everywhere. He writes his lyrics about the violence, the streets because expressing the experience through music is a peaceful way of dealing with it. That's the kind of statement I would say bullshit if I read it but hearing someone say it and mean it was something different. The guy next to him had an Obama hat on, which got a bit of attention as well, and 50 said he wanted a president white, black, just a president that is a good president, but the other guy was all about Obama.

I asked him if he liked Chilean girls. He said he hadn't seen any that would scare him away.

There were some other questions, there was a sort of hesitation but interest between the Chilean press and the three man group. Then Caiga Quien Caiga, which if you've ever seen the show you know how they are, gave him some gift and asked him for one in return (a T-shirt or something), but they were so serious. It was very weird of them to be like that, maybe I just didn't get the joke. That's happened before.

Municipal Elections in Chile

On Sunday Chileans went to the polls to choose their mayors and city council. Municipal governments are quite important in Chile since there is no real regional (or state) power, just the city and central government. Therefore many decisions about everyday life (from zoning to taxes, recycling, adult education, cultural events, etc) are passed on to the municipal government.

Moreover the elections this year drew a lot of attention as they serve as a sort of barometer of how people might vote for the presidential elections to be held next year.

The overwhelming consensus that one can glean from the municipal results is that the right wing is much stronger today. Bolstered by corruption and transparency scandals, a lack of leadership, a disastrous transportation system, the Alianza, made up of Chile two right wing parties the UDI and RN, seem to be in their best position to actually win their first presidential election in decades.

The incumbent government, the Concertación (the coalition), is a grouping of three center to center left parties (the DC, PS and PDI). The coalition was formed in 1989 when Chileans voted Pinochet out of office in a nationwide referendum. However as years have gone by, the need to unite against the military and Pinochet (who died in 2006) and the effect of being in power for almost 20 years seems to have weakened the coalition as an institution.

The future candidate with the most momentum today is Sebastian Piñera, a billionaire from the RN party. The prevailing logic states that if he is so good at business, he must be good at running a country as well, right? I get a bit nervous when I think of billionaires (and all of their assets) being trusted to run the country in a way that is best for the general good of the country not just good for their business interests. These people get to where they are by following their own vision, but does that vision include everyone else?

I definitely think that the Concertación is in a very weak position and some change would be good for how business is done at a government level. However I have a hard time being as outraged at the Chilean government as most Chileans, but that’s because after watching Bush dismantle my country and take the world along with it in a bloody, criminal fashion, some light corruption scandals and a poorly envisioned public transportation system seem like a paradise.

In any case watching the municipal elections as a foreigner is always a bit puzzling and interesting. The main strategy to get elected is create a large, up to 2 meter tall sign inverted V shaped sign with your photo and a catchy phrase (or not). Something like, “we are with you.” Then reproduce that sign a thousand times over and set them right next to each other on the street. I find it hard to believe that it really influences people, but I guess in some sort of way it must. In any case it’s a boon for street dogs (hence the photo) and teenage vandals that poke out the eyes and color in the teeth.

Better late than never....

So I wanted to get a post up last week....but didn't get around to it.

Last week on Wednesday October 15th I turned 30 years old. Quite the milestone, its hard to believe how time has flown by, especially since I arrived to Chile in 2004. That was the other milestone, on Oct. 11th I hit my four year mark in Chile. A week of reflection and a bit of celebration was in order. On my birthday I went to what is my second soccer game ever and my first in Chile against their arch rivals, neighbors and a historically very successful team, Argentina. There have been quite a few occasions where people have asked me if I wanted to go or that I had considered going, but it never happened.

Never seemed like the right time.

The wait paid off. Chile played their best and beat Argentina 1-0. Really should've been at least 2, or even 3-0. They really did beat Argentina. This is the biggest thing that could happen to the Chilean national team. Winning the world cup would only be bigger if they had to beat Argentina to do so. Moreover, Chile has never beat Argentina in a world cup elimination round, and it has been 98 years since they beat them in any situation at all (i.e a friendly match).

Radiohead in Chile?

That's what the rumor is. There was an article in El Mercurio as well as talk in Argentina about a Latin American tour.....I sure hope so. Supposed to be in April or March 2009 and would be in the SandeaApoquindopoquindo stadium.

Oktoberfest in Chile

So its about time for the 2008 Oktoberfest that will take place just outside of Santiago from October 30- November 6. Its an excellent opportunity to try the growing selection of Cerveza Artesanal. I went two years ago and was quite impressed by the number of breweries on hand. This year there are supposed to be around 30 micro brews and the event should see some 40,000 visitors.

Prost!

Change

Damn it’s been a long time since I updated this blog. A lot has happened since I updated this blog. A period of pretty intense change has struck my life, some of it very welcome, some of it surprising but in the end probably positive and some just plain difficult and painful.

Some of the change is still coming and very good. I will get married later on this year. (Actually I still need the official date from the Municipal government here, but the registro civil continues on strike, grrrr). This is a positive change and one that is planned and welcomed.

Other changes are also brewing. I have been working for a year as a telecoms analyst, researching and writing in-depth market research reports on subjects like machine to machine technologies in Latin America, the rise of smartphones, prepaid vs postpaid mobile subscribers and WiMAX, etc. However the company downsized and rather quickly laid off almost half of its analysts, myself included. So this change has been unexpected, but not entirely unwelcome. Sure I will miss the stability and paycheck that this job provided. But it is also an immense opportunity to expand my focus to new areas and expand my craft past just writing. More to come on that one as it develops.

But then there are the changes that we all know will come to us one of these days but that are completely unwelcome and painful: the loss of loved ones. My father fought a long battle with cancer. First it appeared as colon cancer and after a major operation and intense chemo session he recovered. Then several years later it returned as prostrate cancer.

I remember when he told me about it, I almost left Chile right away. I think about now how different the last few years would’ve turned out had I done that. I stayed because he wanted me to continue with what I was doing and I didn’t feel finished. We communicated via email and video chat on a regular basis and all my free time I could muster was spent going back to the states to visit him.

In that time I managed to get into journalism as a reporter and then got the job as an analyst, which gave my father and I, who was a journalism professor for over 30 years not too mention an editor, photographer and writer in the past, a whole new dialogue. I never really thought that was the path I would go down when I came to Chile. But it worked its self out somehow. So despite the distance I think we were able to develop the relationship even a step further. Many people, especially Chileans, have really questioned why I would be in Chile if my father was fighting cancer. But this development of a common trade has put us closer in mind than we ever could’ve been had I moved physically closer to him by going home.

Over the last year (since August 2007), I have been able to make four trips home. I have been able to bring my Chilean fiancé Caro to Iowa City on three occasions now. The urgency that the cancer created really made it a priority to get home when it was possible, sometimes it was my job that brought me back, other times it was just to visit. I can honestly say that I think we made the most of it with the two and a half years that we had.

But of course we knew that there was a day coming where things would change, and like clockwork that day came, and we lost my father last month. I got to be there for that and share with my family. We had a great service for him, surrounded by the people he influenced over the years as a friend, father, teacher and advisor.

But now that I’m back in Chile, the full magnitude of these changes is becoming clear. I don’t fear it, as long as I’m being proactive in embracing new possibilities. In trying to develop my professional and personal selves actively and not dwelling too much on the weight of the situation.

And what better time to be back in Chile than in the spring time when the mountains are green and still have snow but the weather is nice?

World Press Photo

I went about a week ago (maybe it was a bit longer than that) to the World Press Photo. This is the third year I've seen it. In Santiago it usually passes through the Centro Cultral de Las Condes. The place gets some good shows but this is one of my favorites. The photos are very good, very serious and can be a bit overwhelming. They go to show you how watered down our newspaper images are, and how powerful photography is as a story telling medium. This year my favorite was a series of photos taken in the moments before and after a suicide bomber attacked Benazir Bhutto. There is one of her adjusting her veil in the last seconds of her life that is simple but very very powerful. In any case if you aren't familiar with the World Press Photo and you like photography or the news its worth checking out.

Santiago places: Bar Constitución

So last weekend I made it out with Caro to Bar Constitución, located in Bellavista along Constitución (the street parallel to Pionono where all the nicer restaurants are). The place has gotten a fair amount of attention and attracts a mid twenties and younger crowd. The bar itself is set up nicely, although the wall that faces it is made of crappy unpainted wood that doesn't mix with the rest of the place. It has a DJ stand and the place fills up quickly after 11pm. The place even has some good microbrews hard to find in most bars...Mestra, Kross, Capital....all a plus.

Everything seemed nice upon walking in, but it all went down from there.

Service in Chile isn't very good in general, but this place was an extreme. The service was horrible!

The waiter took forever to even bring a menu...the first round took quite a while...the second one I had to get up and ask if I could just walk around the bar and pour myself a beer..then they just stopped attending to us at all...and it has that stupid system quite popular in Chile where you pay in one line and then go to another to get the actual drink. Then when we finally got the bill they over charged us. Plus while I was at the bar just trying to get them to bring more drinks the staff was running around with all these bills all confused like they had lost someone's tab or something. It gave the impression that there was no manager and never had been one.

So its a place that has potential as long as you don't require food or drinks!

Olympic Gold Medals: Extracted from Chile

So this news is a bit old but I found it pretty interesting anyways. The medals that will be used for the upcoming Beijing olympics were made from metals in Australia and Chile. In fact the gold medals, all 2,000 of them, were made from gold extracted from Escondida, a gold mine located in the Atacama desert. The metal was then refined in China for their final form.

Interesting tidbit of albeit trivial info, something to pull out at random moments in cocktail parties and quite elevators.

Auctioning Lost Luggage

Every wonder what happened to that bag that continues to circle the baggage claim belt?...round and round it goes while you start to worry whether the (American) airlines has again lost your luggage.

Well if it goes unclaimed long enough in Chile, they will auction it for charity!

I have to say I was surprised by it all. It was auctioned, as I understand, by LAN Chile and the airport and the earnings went to support an NGO that builds houses for poor people.

The suitcases were sold of course without knowing what was inside. Seems like such a curious event, just imagine what you might find folded/hidden/stuffed/vibrating/nicely wrapped with a bow in that suitcase.

The Flower Lady: A Slideshow Story

So I've been wanting (and others have urged) to put some of my photos together into stories as a slide show with a narrative and everything...so here is a little test run of some photos I took a month or two ago in the Plaza Ñuñoa. Hope you like it.

Back in Chile-Back on the Blog

So its time for one of those I haven’t updated the blog for a long time type entries. It just seemed to get pushed further down on my list of priorities. I’ve been busy, I’ve been traveling, yadayadayada

I made it to Iowa to see the family. It was flooded, very flooded. But the weather was wonderful. It was nice to wear shorts and a short sleeve shirt. I also got to see the fourth of July for the first time in a long time…I think its been about four years now. Last time I was completely sick of all the flag stuff, all the patriotism, it just made me sick. This time around after not living in the US for three and a half years there was something nice about it, go figure. I even got to light off some bottle rockets with my brother.

So we’ll say that I’m back on the blog, there will be entries again, and again. Or at least I hope so.