30.7.10

Vivre à Santiago, la nuit.

Partying in Santiago

Karaoke, discos, live music, and trendy bars are all part of the entertaining alternatives that the capital’s bohemian neighborhoods offer for an unforgettable night.

En la noche, la capital chilena es lugar de un un sinnúmero de fiestas, los llamados "carretes".

Ya sea en una casa, un pub, una disco o en un centro de eventos, los chilenos son buenos para celebrar, aun cuando no haya motivo alguno.

Santiago is a metropolis with an interesting cultural and recreational life, and not just in the daytime. At night the Chilean capital is a place with countless parties, known locally as “carretes.” Chileans like to celebrate, whether in a house, a pub, a discotheque or an events center, regardless of whether they have a reason for doing so or not.

Let there be no doubt, carrete is a party and carretear is to party. Everything begins in the previa (pre-party), a gathering (generally in a house) where friends meet to share, drink and eat something in preparation for what is to come. In general parties in Chile are quite long and begin late, at close to 23:00 (when the majority of discos open), meaning that the previa can begin at around 21:00 or earlier.

Some people head to an afterhours venue to continue the party once it is over, after lasting through 3:00 or even later. This can be a house or else an establishment that offers food as well as alcoholic beverages. There are also places where they sell snacks to revitalize the body, such as lomitos or completos, two of Chile’s most traditional sandwiches. Chileans tend to refer to such dishes as “the slump,” as they are aimed at combating hunger and the effects of the much-feared hangover, which Chileans call “caña.”

If you are up to this Chilean-style celebration, we present you with a guide of the capital’s main nightlife neighborhoods where you can go and have an incredible time.

Barrio Bellavista: the party neighborhood

Located between the municipalities of Santiago and Recoleta, it is the maximum representation of the city’s arts scene, though in its origins - the early 19th century - it was characterized as an eminently Catholic and aristocratic area.

These days popular bars coexist with cultural centers and international gastronomy, along a much-frequented Pío Nono Street that acts as the backbone of the area. The most famous venues include Club La Feria, Club Surreal, Club Dominica 54, Ex Oz and Patio Bellavista, a popular cultural center that also has restaurants. For its part, the street Constitución has bars like Constitución and Raza.

Providencia: bars everywhere

This is another sector famous for its nightlife, especially because it can be easily reached by car, taxi and metro. Here the Paseo Orrego Lugo and Manuel Montt stand out, both near the municipality’s main avenue, Providencia. Vittamina Bar, Subterráneo, Club Ambar, Vicious, El Bodeguero, Xampanyet and El Cachafaz are only some of the many establishments in the area for dancing, listening to live music and also to enjoy a delicious meal and a drink.

The famous Liguria deserves a special mention, with its Chilean cuisine and good drinks served in two branches in this municipality: in Manuel Montt and Luis Thayer Ojeda.

Vitacura - Borde Río: discotheques and good food

If the goal of your celebration is to dance, then a good alternative is the municipality of Vitacura, which is also characterized by being a very safe area. There you can find bars like Pub Dublín, Forest Pub, La Previa and Alba Bar, in addition to discotheques like Club Eve, Ananda Club, Soho Lounge and Las Urracas. In addition, this district includes BordeRío, a gastronomical center with restaurants representing different specialties and which offers important discounts that are ideal for enjoying on summer afternoons.

Plaza Ñuñoa: the pleasure of a good conversation

Located in eastern Santiago, this neighborhood offers a well-known circuit of bars and restaurants. Pub Blue, Bar República, Bar Sin Nombre, the traditional brew pub HBH, Pub Armenia and Akbar are some of the most popular venues for a conversation alongside a drink, while to dance you have the Club de la Salsa and El Atico. Now, if the idea is to listen to live music you have the bars La Batuta, Rock y Guitarras and House Rock & Blues for an active calendar of emergent national bands and tribute groups.

Las Condes and La Reina: dancing and drinks

Ideal for young adults, this area in the southeastern part of the capital has numerous pubs and discotheques that complement the Santiago nightlife with good music. They include Pub Licity, Bar Apoquindo, Pro- bar, Mambo Bar, Dominga and Playback. This latter venue has a recording studio so you can make your own CD. Meanwhile, for dancing there are the clubs Sala Murano, Domus, Tejazo Lounge and Club Sweet, the majority with electronic and 1980s music.

The bars in the municipality of La Reina are a good option for entertainment, which mainly stand out for their gastronomy and drinks that they offer. They include Aire Bar, Bar Bocca Pub, Bar Cheeba and Tejazo.

Downtown Santiago: places for all tastes

The municipality located in the center of the capital has many mythical nightlife centers, including the Centro Arte Alameda, with concerts by national bands; Catedral, Club La Berenjena and Barabajo, a place exclusively dedicated to Chilean Music that is located in the heart of Barrio Concha y Toro.

The flavor of Caribbean beats is present in the salsa clubs Klub Mangosta and Papagayo’s Club, while electronic and alternative music can be found in Piso 33 y Blondie, respectively.

For its part, Barrio Brasil is a traditional sector where culture and arts are mixed with nightlife and where there is an ample selection of pubs, including Baires, Al Fondo, Litros and the rock bar Pandemonium.

28.7.10

Francophones à Santiago: Passez par Le Comptoir!

Mercredi 28 Juillet 2010
Santiago, Chili

Je persiste et signe: radio et internet sont devenus des outils indispensables pour rapprocher les mondes, les gens, les âmes, et même des voisines qui ignoraient tout l'une de l'autre jusqu'à...
Jusqu'à mon passage sur l'antenne de France Inter dans feu l'émission "Allo la planète" d'Eric Lange, saisi au vol par Maryline, la fée "franchute" qui vit depuis bien plus longtemps que moi à Santiago et qui est la reine du Comptoir, la belle petite librairire française drôlement bien garnie avec juste l'embarras du choix!

Un mail, deux mails, trois mails, des cafés, un resto mexicain, et voilà! Maryline est ma copine, et à bien y penser, peut-être bien la seule qui puisse comprendre vraiment ce que je vis ici... coups de blues, manque du pays, exaspération, trop-plein de chilien parfois, ras-le-bol de tout... On parle un coup, on boit un verre, et on repart de plus belle!!

Alors juste un conseil, si vous vivez à Santiago, ou y êtes de passage, allez faire le plein de bouquins et de conseils-lecture au Comptoir, Avda Vitacura 6780 - Local F3 Shopping Los Cobres - Santiago.

Vous pouvez la retrouver et la suivre de près ou de loin sur son blog: http://librairielecomptoir.blogspot.com/

Librairie "Le Comptoir". (c) Lau

19.7.10

Futurs visiteurs du Chili, une bonne nouvelle

La semaine dernière, via FB, j'avais donné l'info ainsi que le lien vers le site de LAN, la compagnie nationale chilienne.
Tarifs exceptionnels, à saisir d'urgence si vous souhaitez venir vous prendre un coup de froid patagonien, ou un coup de chaud atacamesque...

Je ne vous assure pas que vous me trouverez, je navigue en plein chaos kafkaïen, mais le Chili reste un pays à découvrir. Alors si vous le pouvez, sautez sur l'occasion, et je serai toujours lá pour vous donner les bons plans et les ptits tuyaux...

14.7.10

14 Juillet: Inauguration du site france.fr...dommage

Et bien voilà un beau petit flop supplémentaire pour mon bel Hexagone, en ce traditionnel 14 juillet... Ils ont inauguré le site portail pour la France, déjà avec beacoup de retard par rapport à nos voisins européens, mais en plus avec une très belle page d'accueil...Site indisponible... Il n'y a vraiment pas grand-chose qui fonctionne dans ce beau pays en ce moment... #FAIL

12.7.10

Blanche poudreuse, ciel bleu...

Santiago, Chili
12 juillet 2010

...et pas un seul skieur à l'horizon, hier dimanche, jour de Finale de Coupe du Monde.
3.200m d'altitude, 230cm de neige, une poudreuse incroyable, pas de vent, un grand soleil...jusqu'à la montée du brouillard façon purée de pois ascendant éclipse de soleil.

Mes 10 citations préférées de Sir Winston Churchill.

1 -

"I am easily satisfied with the very best."

Something we have in common, sir Winston.

2 -

"I am never going to have anything more to do with politics or politicians. When this war is over I shall confine myself entirely to writing and painting."

Look at that! Something else we have in common! i've told myself the exact same thing for the past 6 weeks...

3 -

"I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me."

Unfortunately, alcohol has taken a lot more out of me...

4 -

"If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack. "

I shall not forget that.Hit, hit, hit and WHACK!

5 -

"Meeting Franklin Roosevelt was like opening your first bottle of champagne; knowing him was like drinking it. "

Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles...

6 -

"It is no use saying, 'We are doing our best.' You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary. "

Oh my god, my mum is Winston Churchill!

7 -

"Never, never, never give up."

Me? Never...

8 -

"The first quality that is needed is audacity. "

My first, my last, my everything.

9 -

"There is no such thing as public opinion. There is only published opinion."

This quote I shall really remember for next meeting.

10 -

"You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life."

Goooooooooood! Get it, weon?

Le Soleil avait rendez-vous avec la Lune, dans le Pacifique.

Hier, dimanche 11 Juillet 2010, a eu lieu une éclipse totale de soleil, à plus de 99% au-dessus de Rapa Nui, et à presque 50% au-dessus de Santiago.

Evènement rare, attendu, apprécié, et peut-être même plus dans le cadre enchanteur de la mystérieuse Île de Pâques...