Hike up Manquehue and Avery's Birthday

A couple of weeks ago, Drew and I hiked up Cerro Manquehue, which is a mountain we can see very clearly from our terrace. Drew has an itch, thanks to Andy Taylor, to hike all of the distinct mountains we can see from our house. Not sure he'll accomplish that, as there are alot of BIG mountains we can see from our apartment, but Cerro Manquehue was a good place to start. Drew had actually hiked it once before with some Dads from school. He also hiked about 3/4 of it with the boys last summer, but he smartly turned around before the summit, as Chileans don't seem to believe in switch backs, and the last half mile or so is basically straight up. It is only a 3 mile hike round trip, but it takes 3 hours to do and has an elevation gain of almost 2,000 ft, so that should give you a sense of the steepness. Sturdy hiking boots are a must, and I'm super glad we had hiking poles for the way down. Doing this hike in the spring was nice because a recent rain made the ground kinda hard packed. When Drew did it in the summer, it was dry and dusty, which made the trek much more slippery and therefore treacherous. There is another hill you can summit from this same trail head called Manquehuito, and it's much more family friendly. Drew and the kids hiked this once with school friends a few weekends ago as well. We tried to do it again just this last weekend, which was immediately after the biggest snowfall of the winter. That means it didn't snow in the city, but the surrounding hills got a good dusting, and the high peaks got alot. Anyways, we thought the snow would keep the people away, because it was bound to be a muddy mess, but, quite the opposite, the entire city turned out to frolic in the snow. I suppose it's kinda rare for snow to come that close to the city, so it's an easy access novelty thing. Anyways, there were so many people we couldn't find any parking anywhere, so we had to abandon our efforts. Luckily the trailhead is only 15 min away from our house, so no biggie there. In contrast, when Drew and I hiked Cerro Manquehue without the kids, it was on a Thursday, and we had the place to ourselves. So, lesson learned, anyone who comes to visit and wants to do some hiking, we will go on a weekday. And bring your serious hiking shoes or else you won't have a good time.

Avery's 6th birthday was on August 16th. We celebrated over two days, well actually 3. His birthday was on a Saturday, and, luckily at the last Mom's night out for the Kinder class, another Mom realized Avery also had an August birthday, so she offered for Avery to join an already joint birthday with two other boys from his class, Gaspar and Santi. This was the most amazing thing for me, as these other two moms basically planned EVERYTHING, and literally all we did was show up and pay them our share. And the party was great. It was at the event room in the apartment building of one of the boy's family. The event room was attached to a garden that had a playground and a basketball court, and the weather the perfect. About half of the class came; normally there's more, but that Friday before was actually a holiday, and there was no school, so alot of families left town. But I didn't mind; it still meant there was about 50 people there, which was PLENTY. The other moms hired a fitness trainer to take the kids through some funny, silly exercises and games, which they loved. And they also hired a magician to do a show, which was also great. Every birthday boy got to stand up and be the magician's assistant for a bit, which was adorable. During Avery's section, the magician asked him to put three handkerchiefs, one red, one blue, and one white, into a hat, wave his magic wand, and then pull out all the handkerchiefs put together into the Chilean flag. When Avery pulled out the "flag," all of the kids immediately started laughing and saying the flag was wrong, but I had no idea what they were talking about. Emerson, who was sitting on my lap, kindly explained that the colors were in the wrong place! The blue is supposed to be around the star and the red was supposed to be at the bottom, not the other way around! Duh, Mom! The magician apologized for his mistake, asked Avery to redo the wand waving, and out came the correct flag with the colors in the proper places. It made me giggle, because, as a foreigner, it was not immediately obvious to me what was wrong, but our boys got it right away. It's amazing what they are picking up here. All in all, it was a perfect party.

So with that excitement on Saturday, we decided to make Friday the family celebration day. So Avery got his chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, followed by mac and cheese for lunch, and finally pizza and a chocolate cake with whipped cream for dessert. He actually wanted to decorate his own cake with an assortment of sprinkles and fruit, so he went to town. Thanks to everyone who called and messaged for his birthday; it was very special.

Finally, since Friday there was no school, he got to celebrate with his classmates in school on Monday, to which we brought donut holes, which are always a big hit. He also got to wear "street clothes" to school, which was also hit, of course. 

Our Carnets Have Arrived!

 Finally, finally, finally, our carnets, aka Chilean ID cards, have arrived. Our Chilean lives can now officially begin! This will be another post about our woes with the Chilean government, not a fun travel post; just a forewarning. Abort now if you so desire. 

The carnet journey begin as such. Back in March when we finally received our temporary residency visas, we traveled to Mendoza to close our tourist visas and reenter the country on our new residency visas. Once we cross the border, according to the immigration website, we have thirty days to visit a Civil Registry Office to apply for our carnets, or ID cards. I immediately went online to book our appointment, and the first one available at our district's office wasn't for 5 weeks later. Great. We went to the office anyways just to see if they did any walkup appointments, but no, that wasn't the case. Would the fact that our appointment was 5 weeks after our entry stamp when it needs to be within 30 days be a problem? No, as long as the appointment creation date is within the 30 days, you're fine. Ok. 

5 weeks go by and we arrive at the Civil Registry office bright eyed and bushy tailed, every possible document we had in hand. The appointment went super smooth and everything seemed to be in order. We could see the mock version of the ID cards on the computer screen with all our info and picture already entered in, and we could see our new RUT numbers as well, meaning they were already generated. The RUT is similar to a social security number. It's an unique identifier for life, and in Chile, you can't do much without it. Luckily I had the forethought to write our new RUTs down, because this next part gets a bit silly. 

At the end of the appointment, they give us a receipt with a date a month from then saying that is when our ID cards will be ready for pickup. I was a bit bummed they couldn't be printed on the spot. But ok. A month from then, we show up, again every hope in the world that our immigration process is complete. The guy at the pickup counter looks at our receipt blankly and tells us the "ready by date" on there is simply the earliest it could be ready. And, sorry, but they aren't ready yet. We will receive an email when they are. Optimism shattered. Any idea how much longer it will be? No.

A month after that, with still no email, Drew goes back to the office to try to rattle some cages. He speaks with some manager who adds us to a "Please process quickly" list. But still no promises. Why is it taking so long? The factory that makes them with the special chip is having production issues. Ok.... Two weeks after that, after our Buenos Aires trip, we get an email on Monday, July 28th that the boys' ID cards are ready. But not ours. Why the kids' ID cards would get finished before ours is a head scratcher. But Drew received his email that his was ready on that Wednesday afternoon. He immediately goes to the office, but the pickup office is already closed; it's only opened from 8am-2pm, of course.  Thursday morning, we show up, Drew collects his card and the boys'. Is mine ready? No. Regardless we go out to breakfast to celebrate, because since most things are in Drew's name, his ID card is the most useful. But that same afternoon, I get my email: Ready for Pickup. Friday, we go back, for the 3rd time that week, and finally pickup the last ID card. And we go out to breakfast to celebrate again because you have to celebrate these little wins in an adventure like this. 

Things we can do now that we have our RUTs. 1. We can shop at Mercado Libre, which is the Chilean version of Amazon. Why oh why would you need your Chilean ID card to shop at an online platform? Passports are not accepted. In the states, if a customer wants to give a vendor their money, the vendor takes it no questions asked. We wanted to give Mercado Libre our money, but as a foreigner, they would not accept it. The only thing I can think of is that their backend systems are designed with only Chileans in mind, and it would be too difficult to update them accordingly? But surely it must be worth the effort to do so, given what the immigration scene is like now with folks streaming in from Venezuela and Haiti. Or is it a legal thing dealing with taxes? Who knows. But we've spent about $1,000 in a week buying all sorts of random crap that we couldn't before. Consumerism has been restored.  

2. We can register our van in the toll road system and get an official toll pass. Before we could not do this, so we were either avoiding toll roads and using only surface streets, or, for our trip down to Chillan for example, we simply bit the bullet and paid about $100 to use the toll roads without a toll pass. 

3. The boys can officially register in the Chilean school system. Prior to this, the boys were attending their school in good faith that we would receive their ID cards at some point. But until we receive their RUTs, they essentially don't exist to the Chilean government, so there would be no record of them attending the school. Now their school transcripts will be official.

4. We can sign up for our Targeta Mi Vita, which is like a Vitacura Neighborhood Card proving we live in the neighborhood, which gets us discounts at the Rec Center, local pool, events at the local parks, etc. 

Lessons learned: Chile is a very hard country to immigrate into. Several expats have asked us this question: why did you choose to live in Chile with how difficult the immigration process is, if it wasn't a work related move? Honestly, we didn't know it would be this difficult. Everything on the government websites seems in order initially. But everything takes 10 times longer than it should, and there are lots of processing mistakes. And every government employee you talk to has a different answer to the same question. All of this stems from the fact that there wasn't alot of immigration to Chile 20 years ago, but now there is a ton, and their systems are not up to the task to handle this kind of volume. I probably could have done more research in chat groups, reddit threads, etc. to see how difficult the process actually is. Will definitely do this for any future moves we attempt. That being said, I'm not sure it would have changed our decision to move here. After visiting Buenos Aires, it's clear that Santiago is definitely the right place for us. The life in our middle class bubble here is very stable and safe. We love being close to both the mountains and the ocean. Our school has been the perfect fit for the boys, and we love our walkable neighborhood. So would we have picked a different country knowing how difficult this process was? Probably not. But maybe we would have girded our loins a bit more or maybe have thrown a bit more money at the issue with an immigration lawyer or something. But, at the end of the day, we did it! Hooray! Or as they say in Spanish, iuju! (The sound of those letters in Spanish sounds like yuhoo!) Time to celebrate.  

Buenos Aires: Day 5, 6, & 7: MIJU, Capital, ChoriFest

 

On Thursday, we visited a part of town called Puerto Madero or "Wood Port." It used to be one of the original shipping yards, but it has been completely renovated in the last 20 years and is now home to sparkling high rises and modern office buildings. 

The white suspension bridge here is called Puenta de la Mujer, or the Woman's Bridge. Couldn't tell you why it's called that, but it was pretty. Puerto Madero is an interesting little neighborhood because it is directly across the river from the Plaza de Mayo, so you have this very interesting dichotomy of old and new in one vantage point. We came to this neighborhood to visit a museum called the Museum of Imagination and Play, which was essentially a children's museum, which is a newer idea, in an older government mansion. The museum was on the smaller side, but it was a nice way to spend a morning. The one in Denver has it dead to rights though.  

No afternoon in Buenos Aires is complete without a trip to a new playground. This one was near the Planetarium, so it was aptly shaped like a space ship and planets. 

For dinner that night, I went out for Mexican with Lucia, the mom of the other family. Food prices in Argentina are higher than in Chile. Still not as high as they are in the States, but definitely higher than Chile. Much of this is due to the high inflation Argentina has been experiencing over the last few years. Argentina's inflation rate was at 134% in 2023 and 178% in 2024. Can you imagine that? Say a gallon of milk costs $2 one year, then it costs $4 the next year, then almost $8 the following year. The value of money becomes uncontrollable really quickly. In comparison, the US inflation rate in 2024 was 3%. So there certainly is extreme poverty in Argentina, but we were in neighborhoods where we couldn't see it. But this is one of the reasons our Argentinian friends moved to Chile. How can you afford anything with inflation like that? And the uncertainty of it all is hard to manage. Many of the restaurants we went to didn't have prices posted next to their products. They couldn't print the prices, because as soon as they did, they needed to raise the prices again to keep up with inflation, so the lovely menu they just printed instantly became obsolete. So no posted prices it is. Or else lots of stickers. When we went out for Mexican, it was the most expensive Mexican I've ever had, aside from Hong Kong I suppose. But the idea is the same. In countries far away from Mexico, Mexican food is considered rare and gourmet. In the U.S., it is not. But was it still delicious? Yes, of course it was.

Since Drew was solo dad-ing for dinner, he stopped by a gourmet sandwich shop down the street from our Airbnb. This gentleman has been hand slicing sandwich toppings for 40 years. Super tasty. 

Friday was a rainy day, but that didn't stop us from doing some final sightseeing. Our first stop was the Congress Building, which honestly looked very familiar. We also saw the outside of Teatro Colon, which is a super famous theatre, as well as their Supreme Court Building. We wanted to also go see the Recoletta Cemetery which is where Evita is buried, but it cost $20/person to go in, so we skipped it. Maybe next time. 

Lunch was a hole in the wall pizza place, which was super interesting. It was clearly an institution, one of those places where nothing has changed in 50 years. The pizza was amazing; we had a glazed pineapple and ham pizza. But some of the pizzas came with tomato sauce and some didn't. Our didn't, and it honestly didn't need it. But can't say I've ever had pizza with no sauce.

Our flight back home was Saturday night, but that didn't stop us from heading to ChoriFest Saturday afternoon to get our last Choripan fix. It was everything we hoped for and more. We tried 5 different variations of Choripan, and they were all delicious. 

The icing on the Buenos Aires cake was getting to see a Military Practice Parade on our walk home. Our Airbnb was close to the Military School, and apparently every Saturday they do these parades for hours all throughout the neighborhood. Almost everyone is on horseback, even the band. Could you imagine playing your instrument while riding a horse? I think they do this so often for the horses to practice just as much as the riders. They do this parade so often that they don't close the streets, so cars were going right alongside the horses in the other lanes. Good practice, I suppose!

Buenos Aires Day 3 & 4: Plaza de Mayo

Day 3 and 4 in Buenos Aires were sightseeing heavy. I loved all the statues and sculptures around town, and this large white one was my favorite. It was enormous and beautiful and a cool landmark to see everyday.

We visited the Ecoparque. which is a free zoo in the middle of town. It was incredibly crowded the day we went, because all of Buenos Aires was on their winter break at the same time. We kind of breezed through the zoo, because it wasn't super well kept, and the main reason we were there was to do a simulated "Flight of the Condor," which was kind of like a ride at Universal Studios, where you sit in a chair that moves around in front of a wrap around screen that makes you feel like you're flying. The whole concept was to provide awareness and help with conservation efforts of the condor, which I didn't mind spending money on. The Ecoparque did have an adorable Giant Otter play structure, but it was so crowded we didn't spend alot of time there. 

The following day was major sightseeing. We first stopped at the Centro Cultural Plaza, which was where the Kirchner building was on the bus map. The building itself was originally the Secretaria de Comunicaciones, and it is stunning. This was one of my favorite parts of Buenos Aires, walking around and looking at these super old, ornate government buildings. Santiago has a few buildings like this, but many were destroyed in the numerous earthquakes throughout its history, while Buenos Aires has never had to deal with that. So as long as the buildings are properly maintained, anything built will remain standing. So it definitely beats Santiago in the beautiful old buildings department.

The one thing the city was missing was public restrooms. I didn't see any in any public park we went to. So we often found ourselves taking pit stops in local cafes, grabbing a quick coffee and bathroom break before carrying on. This particular cafe looked like it was a million years old; notice the old school bar stools. It was filled only with grumpy old men and had the vibe to match. 

Next stop was Plaza de Mayo, which is the main government square. Most cities in South America have what they call the Plaza de Armas (weapons), which was the central plaza the town was centered around. In this case, it's called the Plaza de Mayo (May, like the month), to commemorate the May Revolution of 1810, which was the beginning of Argentina's breakaway from Spain. The first building on the Plaza is the Casa Rosada, the original presidential palace, the rosada coming from the pink color of the stone used in its construction. It would be the equivalent of our White House. The balcony to the left there is also where Evita gave many of her crowd stirring speeches. Who is Evita you might ask? Another infamous person from South American history and politics that many of us North Americans haven't bothered to care about. A musical theatre lover such as myself maybe has heard of her from the musical that bears her name and the famous song "Don't Cry for Me Argentina."  There was also a movie about her played by Madonna from 1996. Spoiler alert, Evita died at age 33 from cancer. Imagine what kind of career she could have had if she had lived? Tempted enough to do some research now? 

At the northwest corner of the Plaza, a major street runs diagonally away from the Plaza towards the Plaza de la Republica, which is where the Obelisco stands, the large which pillar you can see at the focal point of the photo below. It was cool to see how the urban planning resulted in such an impressive cityscape. The Obelisco was built in 1936, celebrating the 400 year anniversary of the city's founding in 1536 by Pedro de Mendoza. To put this into context, we all know Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492, but the Mayflower didn't land in Massachusetts until 1620, at which point the city of Buenos Aires had already been founded for over 80 years. Putting South American history alongside North American history again reminds me that the two have been inextricably linked throughout time. Indigenous peoples aside (how sad to say), as a kid I always assumed that because the United States had a more stable democracy and developed economy, it thereby had a longer history, essentially more time to get our shit together. but that is simply not the case. South American history runs right alongside ours, we just often times don't care enough about it to notice it. There are numerous factors as to why the US has experienced more stability than the majority of South America, and I threw my 15 sec Gemini answer at the bottom of the blog if you want to read more about the reasons why. This is literally as surface level as you could possibly be, so I realize this discussion goes much, much deeper, and I also realize I am not at all qualified to lead it. But I like asking questions and living down here has certainly opened my eyes to an entire continent's history that, before this, I didn't care much about. But I guess that's the point.

The building on the right is the Metropolitan Cathedral. It actually looks more like a courthouse than a church from the outside, but the inside blew me away. 

Inside the Cathedral is the Mausoleum of General José de San Martin, who was THE guy in liberating Argentina, Chile, and Peru from Spanish rule in the early 1800s. His tomb is guarded by the Grenadiers, which can trace their history back to San Martin's original regiment.

Next to the Mausoleum was this archaic flag, which looks like one of the original inspirations of the current Argentinian flag, with the sun and blue and white stripes. 

 

After Plaza de Mayo, we made our way over to Cafe Tortoni, which is allegedly the oldest cafe in Buenos Aires. It opened in 1858 and was named after a famous cafe in Paris. There was a small side room with a stage for viewing performances and lots of dark wood and marble. The boys loved their chocolate caliente con churros, as did I. I can just see the intellectuals and artists gathering at this cafe to discuss everything under the sun. My kind of place. I was expecting a kind of Cafe du Monte experience where it's so busy its overwhelming, but we were able to walk right in and get a table. Granted it was a Wednesday, but it was still winter break for the entire school system, and we didn't have a problem. 

We ended the day by making our way to China Town for some of the best noodles we've had in a long time. That was another lovely surprise about Buenos Aires. It's known for amazing Argentinian food, with all the meat and cheese you can eat. But every other type of cuisine we tried was also equally amazing. We had amazing Chinese and amazing Middle Eastern food (we ate our body weight in shawarma, hummus, and falafel the night before). So far in Santiago, we've been underwhelmed at the ethnic food options, but it's possible we just haven't found the best places yet. In Santiago we tend to eat mostly at home. It is also known that Argentina has had way more immigration, while Chile was very homogenous for a long time and only within the last 30 years has had a major jump in immigration. 

Gemini Question: Why is USA more stable politically and economically compared to the countries in South America?

The USA generally exhibits greater political and economic stability compared to many South American countries due to a combination of historical development, institutional strength, economic diversification, and differing policy approaches.

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Political Stability

The United States benefits from a long-established democratic tradition with robust institutions and a strong rule of law.

• Institutional Strength and Checks and Balances: The US Constitution, with its system of checks and balances (executive, legislative, and judicial branches), has historically provided a resilient framework against the concentration of power and arbitrary rule.¹ This system, developed over centuries, fosters a culture of respecting legal processes and electoral outcomes.

• Political Consensus and Moderation: While polarization exists, the US political system has historically been characterized by a broader, albeit sometimes challenged, consensus on democratic norms and the peaceful transfer of power. There's generally a strong public belief in the legitimacy of elections.

• Absence of Military Intervention: Unlike many South American nations, the US has not experienced widespread military coups or frequent forceful changes of government. This allows for more consistent policy development and less disruption to governance.

• Strong Civil Society: A vibrant civil society, including a free press and independent advocacy groups, acts as an additional check on power and promotes accountability.

In contrast, many South American countries have historically faced:

• Fragile Democratic Institutions: A history marked by frequent coups, military dictatorships, and populist leaders who often undermine democratic institutions. Many countries struggled to establish stable democratic systems after gaining independence.

• Weak Rule of Law and Corruption: Corruption and a less consistently applied rule of law can erode public trust in government and institutions, leading to dissatisfaction and unrest.

• Political Fragmentation and Polarization: Political landscapes are often highly fragmented, with numerous parties and strong ideological divides, making it difficult to form stable governing coalitions and implement long-term policies.² This can lead to frequent government collapses and leadership changes.

• Personalist Leadership: The prevalence of personalist leaders who seek to circumvent checks and balances and consolidate power, sometimes at the expense of democratic norms, contributes to instability.³

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Economic Stability

The economic stability of the USA is rooted in its large, diversified economy, strong financial systems, and generally consistent policy frameworks.

• Diversified Economy: The US economy is highly diversified, with strong sectors in technology, manufacturing, services, agriculture, and finance. This diversification makes it less susceptible to the volatility of single commodity prices, which often impacts commodity-dependent South American economies.

• Stable Monetary and Fiscal Policy: The Federal Reserve, as an independent central bank, pursues monetary policies aimed at price stability and full employment. The US also generally maintains more predictable fiscal policies, although debates on debt and spending are ongoing. This provides a more stable environment for investment and economic growth.

• Strong Financial Markets: The US possesses deep, liquid, and well-regulated financial markets, making it a global hub for investment and capital.⁴ This allows for easier access to funding and greater resilience to economic shocks.

• Innovation and Entrepreneurship: The US fosters a strong culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, leading to continuous economic growth and adaptation.

Conversely, South American economies often grapple with:

• Commodity Dependence: Many South American countries are heavily reliant on exporting a few primary commodities (e.g., oil, minerals, agricultural products).⁵ Fluctuations in global commodity prices can lead to significant economic volatility, including boom-bust cycles and currency crises.

• Macroeconomic Instability: Historically, many South American nations have experienced high inflation, recurrent debt crises, and currency devaluations. This is often linked to inconsistent macroeconomic policies, political interference in central banks, and a lack of fiscal discipline.

• Income Inequality: While efforts have been made, many South American countries still face high levels of income inequality, which can lead to social unrest and political instability, further impacting economic performance.

• Lower Productivity and Competitiveness: Challenges in education quality, technology transfer, and overall competitiveness can hinder long-term sustainable growth and make it difficult to escape the "middle-income trap."

• External Shocks: South American economies are often more vulnerable to external economic shocks, such as changes in global interest rates, US economic performance, or Chinese demand, due to their integration into global markets and reliance on foreign investment and trade.

In summary, while both regions face their own challenges, the USA's deeper historical roots in democratic governance, more robust institutional frameworks, and a highly diversified and stable economic structure contribute to its greater overall political and economic stability compared to many countries in South America.