Here is some information to get you excited (and informed) about Chile before the big trip! The document contains information covering Chilean history, culture and geography. It also provides all the details of what to do (and not to do) in Santiago and the Central Valley.

Click here to get the doc file

Once you open the document it will prompt you for a password. Enter Melissa’s last name in small caps. Enjoy!

These pictures were taken during our travels in Chile.

DATE: January 3, 2009

TIME: 6:30pm

LOCATION: To be announced

Here’s the Recap:

1) we got engaged;
2) we called/emailed/told everyone in person;
3) we set a date and now;
4) everyone is starting the process of booking flights to Chile.

Driving Directions:
For the adventurers out there who want to drive, the trip is approximately 30,000 miles. At 500 miles a day, you can get there in two months. Make sure you budget extra time for any unforeseen circumstances, such as running out of bribe money in Mexico, running out of gas in Venezuela or getting kidnapped by the FARC in Colombia. Once you get to Chile, pass go, pay $100 (for the reciprocity fee–more to come on this later) and congratulations, you are safe.

Flight Information:
For the more conventional traveler, here are a few websites that seem to offer the best rates:

IMPORTANT NOTE:

INDIVIDUAL FLIGHT INFORMATION

AirCanada
[For anyone flying from the East Coast (especially you 3-1-5'ers), if you buy directly on the AirCanada website, the flight is cheaper than the same flights sold on cheaptickets.com. This is usually true of any airline.]

Sidestep, the Traveler’s Search Engine

Cheaptickets
[This site is better for finding the cheapest airline. After that go directly to the airline's website.]

Studentuniverse Student Airfaires
[Note: I haven't been successful in getting any results from studentuniverse.com over the last few weeks. It may be that they don't have any student fares this far in advance, but it can't hurt to keep checking.]

Lan Chile
[Many times Lan is more expensive (and nicer) than other airlines who do the trip from the US to Santiago. However, when they have sales they are great. I think you can sign up to receive for last minute deals from them by email. Plus, you earn frequent flyer miles on American Airlines when you fly on Lan.]

Delta
[I flew Delta once to Chile and I believe it was a direct flight. However, their prices are usually pretty high.]

Taca
[I have flown taca a few times to South America. At times they have cheaper rates, but usually that means 3 extra layovers in random countries in Central America. For the adventurous, this may sound great. For the more conservative, best to avoid Taca.]

If anyone finds a better rate elsewhere, by all means post a comment to let the rest of us know!!!

Love, Melissa

We met in Santiago, Chile in October 2004. Melissa was working at the Fulbright Commission and Nelson had just been awarded a Fulbright fellowship to complete his masters degree in the U.S. After being introduced at a Fulbright event, Melissa convinced one of her co-workers to call Nelson and invite him to a party that her roommates were having that evening. Nelson, who had just gotten off the phone with his grandmother, cordially accepted the invitation. Ultimately, he did attend the party, although he was the last person to arrive after a last minute assignment kept him at work until late. Nelson arrived in the most horrid [says Melissa] combination of pleated khaki pants and a short-sleeved plaid shirt. Despite his lacking sense of fashion, Melissa and Nelson spent the entire evening talking and laughing as they got to know each other. The decisive moment was when the elevator in Melissa’s building broke. Nelson came to the rescue and fixed the elevator using only a credit card. We haven’t been apart since … and the short-sleeved plaid shirt has been laid to rest at Goodwill.

For those interested in staying an apartment style hotel (meaning it has a kitchen and other home-away-from-home amenities) here are a few options we have come up with so far:

La Sebastiana Apart-Hotel

Casablanca Apartments

Aparta-Hotel Tobalaba

Altocastello Apart-Hotel

All of these options are centrally located near the metro, supermarkets, shopping areas and restaurants. They range in price from around $80 a night for two people to $160 a night for up to 6 people. Keep in mind though, if a large group of people stay at one location it is possible to negotiate a better rate.

We will be having someone go to check out these places soon to make sure they are up-to-date and in good condition. We will keep you posted.

Love,

Nelson and Melissa