Another Stamp in the Passport (Chile)

We left El Calafate and headed via bus to a one night visit in Puerto Natales, Chile. The ride was six hours and pretty uneventful. Leaving El Calafate the land becomes a dry empty space on either side of the road. There is nothing to see for miles except fences and the occasional grouping of cows of sheep. This similar view extends for miles and hours. Therefore, we kicked back listened to music and nuzzled into a good book.

The best way to cross the boarder is via bus, because apparently in the airport you get charged $50-100 US for an entry charge. Via bus all that took place was a question if we are brining in food (fruit specifically) and a stamp in the passport. It was pretty quick and smooth. They did not even check our luggage on the bus. An hour after the boarder we rolled into our hotel for the night.

Immediately we were surprised at the cost differential between Argentina and Chile. The other surprise which we did not come to realize until our second day traveling in Chile, was that Chilean Peso price noted in our guide book had greatly changed since the books publication two years ago. We were working off of a 700 : 1 exchange, when in actuality it was 500 : 1. With our sudden realization, we ended up feeling like Argentina was that much more of a deal. As far as cost was concerned, traveling in Chile was similar to traveling in the US. A decent hotel for the night would cost $60-100 a night easily. I guess the US is still a little more expensive, but relative to Argentina we were a little caught off guard. Right now, in South America, Chile is considered to have the strongest economy.

Chile surprised us though. We had read in our guide book about the excellent seafood, but bland preparations. We had also read that Chile, was not as prepared for Tourism like Argentina. The thing that was most striking from leaving Argentina and traveling in Chile, was the contrast in lifestyle. While the Chilean's have the strongest economy, they live a simple frugal lifestyle. We suspect this is due to the fact that over the years their economy has been steadily improving and their wealth is not associated with great fluctuations like Argentina. The Argentines on the other hand live life on the high horse. They eat out at extravagant restaurants, go out to dance clubs and bars, have stylish clothes, have interesting architecture and infrastructure, and do lots of traveling. The Argentines are a people of the street. They leave their houses and engage with the world around them, while the Chileans tend to be people who stay inside. The family is of utmost importance and the lifestyle lends itself to staying inside and saving up money. I can only speak of the life outside of Santiago, since we never made it there.

At one point the Argentines were considered to be one of the Economic powers of the world. There was a time when Argentina's economy was on par with the US (in the 1920's Argentina was the world's seventh strongest economic power). It is amazing to think of such a major shift in a short period of time. These scars of being great and the decline are still present on the Argentine psyche. Regardless, the people really live to the fullest and believe the beauty of life and community.