While the caramel-like manjar is sweet, I found manjar tasted best when spread on something else and not eaten by itself.

Try manjar on some of these foods:

Pan Amasado by Tom

Bread - be it marraqueta, hallulla, pan amasado, or other fresh, warm bread is delicious.

Berlin - a donut-style desert stuffed with manjar makes a nice treat.

Alfajor by Silvio Tanaka

Alfajor - manjar spread between two cookies and then covered in chocolate

Cake - pound cake, or any cake for that matter

Panqueques - Chilean pancakes made like crepes

Sopaipilla

Sopapillas - especially warm are a great match for some manjar

Crackers - you may find non-salty crackers a good partner to manjar

Cookies - crispy cookies seem the best for spreading

Churros - a churro is extra rich when stuffed with manjar.

What food do you like to put manjar on? Let us know in the comments below.

Machuca

Released in 2004, this film shows Chile in 1973 (year of Pinochet’s coup) through the eyes of a young boy.

You can watch Machuca on Google Video:

Read more about Machuca on IMDb.com.
Read the New York Times movie review of Machuca.

Kiltro

A martial arts film from 2006, Kiltro features Chilean-born stuntman Marko Zaror.

See Kiltro’s movie trailer:

Read more about Kiltro on IMDb.com.

Promedio Rojo

Promedio Rojo is a comedy from 2004 that revolves around a high school boy’s trials and reality of his life.

Watch the first 8 minutes:

Watch promedio rojo in Comedy  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Official site: www.promediorojo.com
Read about Promedio Rojo on IMDb.com.

Mi Mejor Enemigo

This 2005 film takes the viewer back to the 1970’s when Chile and Argentina were on the verge of war over a border dispute in Southern Chile and shows how the young soldiers on the front interacted with each other.

Read about Mi Mejor Enemigo on IMDb.com.

La Sagrada Familia

In this 2004 film, a boy’s girlfriend comes to visit his well-to-do and traditional family at their beach house and turns things upside down.

Read about La Sagrada Familia on IMDb.com.

Caluga o Menta

This 1990 film follows members of Chile’s lower class during the country’s transition from dictatorship to democracy.

Read about Caluga o Menta on IMDb.com.

Se Arrienda

Se Arrienda (2005) is the story of an aspiring composer whose life doesn’t turn out quite like he was planning.

Read about Se Arrienda on IMDb.com.

Largo Viaje

A 1967 film, Largo Viaje is a classic Chilean film that will give you insights into Chile via the life of a little boy living during this time.

Read about Largo Viaje on IMDb.com.
Read a review of Largo Viaje (in Spanish).

Taxi Para Tres

Taxi Para Tres (2001) is a film about a taxi driver who is forced to accompany some crooks as they make their rounds.

Read about Taxi Para Tres on IMDb.com.

Sub Terra

This 2003 film tells the story of coal miners in 1897 who try to improve their lot in life.

Read about Sub Terra on IMDb.com.

La Frontera (1991)

An exiled teacher is sent to a southern Chile town in which tidal waves often strike, but is where he falls in love with a local girl.

Read more about La Frontera on IMDb.com.

Do you have a favorite?

What is your favorite Chilean film? Let us know in the comments below.

Cerro Castillo

She tells me that “the castle with the flag is where the President stays whenever she visits the 5th region.”

The Cerro Castillo is a hill located on the south side of the mouth of the Marga Marga river in Viña del Mar in Chile. It gets its name from colonial times, where it was built as a fortress because of its strategic location.

Vergara Pier

You can view a virtual panorama of Muelle Pier at: vrpanoramas.cl

Plaza Mexico

Plaza Mexico is a central plaza that is popular for meeting up with friends and is a great place to then take readily available transportation to where ever you want to go.

Train / Metro

Similar to the Metro in Santiago, this one is a metropolitan railway that connects the communities of Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Quilpué, Villa Alemana and Limache.

Chile stretches from near Visviri (it’s northernmost populated area) and the Tripartite border with Bolivia and Peru, south to Águila Islet of the Diego Ramirez Islands in the cold waters of the Drake Passage.

If you consider that Chile claims a piece of Antarctica, then it’s southern extremity continues all the way to the South Pole. This, of course, will give you a significantly longer length than what you may see referenced elsewhere.

Chile, from the northern border with Peru and Bolivia down to its southernmost island, is about 2700 miles or 4300 kilometers in length.

From the northern tip down to the South Pole increases that length to about 5000 miles or 8000 kilometers.

For comparison purposes, excluding Antarctica, Chile:

• would stretch from the Canadian/American border all the way to the end of Mexico
• is about the distance from Maine to San Diego, California
• is longer than the distance between Lisbon, Portugal and Moscow, Russia
• could easily provide a land bridge between the Eastern tip of Brazil and the west coast of Africa

You can see a comprehensive list of the extreme points of Chile on Wikipedia.

In the beginning of time, God created the wonders of the world. When he was finished, he saw that he had many leftover pieces. He had parts of rivers and valleys, of oceans and lakes, of glaciers and deserts, of mountains and forests, and of meadows and hills. Rather than let such beauty go to waste, God put them all together and cast them to the most remote corner of the Earth. This is how Chile was born.

The diversity of Chile’s geography and climates attest to the validity of this legend. Where else can you find both the driest desert on earth and huge ice glaciers? Chile is a land of contrasts and beauties found no where else on Earth.

In reference to the legend’s “remote corner of the earth” statement, many Chileans today refer to Chile as the “end of the world.”

In fact, a large part of Chile is found farther south than Australia or even South Africa which share the southern reaches of the globe’s Southern Hemisphere.

If you’re curious, Chile’s name also has an interesting origin.

If you want to try typical Chilean food, the New York Times has a great review of Hosteria Doña Tina which is located on the upper east side of Santiago.

You can read reviews of other restaurants in Santiago and find directions on any of these sites:

• Trip Advisor has a map showing Santiago restaurants
• New York Times Santiago Restaurant Listings
• 10 Best Restaurants in Santiago, Chile with reviews and directions
• Santiago, Chile Restaurant reviews from a freelance write based in Santiago
• Chow.com’s list of Santiago restaurants is divided by food genres
• Yahoo Travel has restaurant listings and reviews

If you speak Spanish, then www.santiagourmet.com is a great choice as it has a comprehensive list of Santiago restaurants broken out by location, genre, and price.

If you are visiting Chile, you may be tempted to eat at international restaurants that you recognize. Don’t do it! The food will likely taste just like it did at home. Where’s the fun in that?

Enjoy your experience in Chile by trying new foods and getting a taste for some typical Chilean food dishes.

Why May 21st? The Battle of Iquique

May 21st marks the anniversary of the great naval battle of Iquique. This battle, on May 21, 1879, took place during the War of the Pacific between the naval forces of Chile and Peru.

Iquique is a port town in northern Chile that at the time was controlled by Peruvian forces. Chile’s navy had blockaded the port with two ships the Esmeralda and the Covadonga. Peru sent two vessels, the Huáscar and the Independencia to confront the Chilean blockade.

The Peruvian vessels where iron-clad and better armed than their wooden, Chilean counterparts. The Independencia chased the Convadonga away while the Esmeralda was left to fend off the Huáscar.

The cannon fire of the Esmeralda was ineffective against the iron-clad Huáscar and while the Peruvian vessel’s shots took a toll on the personnel of the Chilean ship, the damage to the ship was minimal.

The Peruvian captain of the Huáscar decided to ram the Esmeralda. The Chilean captain, Arturo Prat, yelled to his men to board the Peruvian ship but unfortunately not many heard him and he leaped onto the enemy ship and was shortly killed.

What is fascinating is that Chile technically lost this celebrated battle and had to leave Iquique. The Esmeralda was sunk with significant loss of life along with her Captain, Arturo Prat.

So while this battle was lost, it became a great rallying cry for Chileans and the memory of Prat’s heroism encouraged a surge in recruitment. This enabled Chile to ultimately win the greater war and claim a large part of land that is today the extreme northern part of Chile.

Prat is now considered a national hero and you’ll find at least one street named after him in almost every Chilean town.

How is May 21st Celebrated?

Since this is an official holiday, stores and businesses across Chile will be closed. Public transportation will be limited.

Due to the military history of this day, you’ll find numerous parades and processions like these videos show throughout the country:

Military Parade:

Parade in Laja:

Parade in Valparaiso:

You can also learn more about the Battle of Iquique and Captain Arturo Prat on Wikipedia.

The reason for this is that Chile claims a piece of Antarctica as Chilean territory. So naturally, they would report the weather for it just as they would any other part of the country.

Territory Claimed

The Chilean Antarctic Territory covers 1,236,000 km² and stretches south of the 60th parallel down to the South Pole.

Chilean Settlement

Chile has a permanent village, Villa Las Estrellas, which averages about 100 residents year around. This village has a church, school, post office, and bank, among other services.

History of the Claim

Wikipedia offers an interesting insight into why Chile holds firm to its claim:

According to the Chilean argument, its claim to the Antártica Chilena Province is as old as Chile itself. The Tordesilhas Line established a west/east division of colonial territories between Portugal and Spain. On the first organization of the new conquered territories, Charles V, ruler of the Spanish Empire assigned to Pedro Sancho de la Hoz control over Terra Australis, which included the Southern part of South America, Tierra del Fuego Archipelago, and all southern undiscovered territories (Terra Australis Ignota). This gobernation eventually merged with other territories in the Captaincy General of Chile.

Disputed Claim

Chile’s Antarctic claim is disputed by many international countries, some of which also claim parts of Antarctica.

Chile was an original signer of the Antarctic Treaty establishing international standards for regulating Antarctica.

According to Chile’s Department of Labor, employers can not require employees that typically work Monday to Friday (or Saturday) to work on May 1st.

This offical holiday starts at 9:00pm the night before and ends at 6:00am on May 2nd.

Chilean President Carlos Ibáñez del Campo signed the law that declared May 1st an official Chilean holiday in 1931.

Most public places close down on May 1st so if you are traveling in Chile during that time, plan for a lack of options and even a shortage of public transportation.

May 1st will also bring out protesters that may even spill into riots. If you see any of this activity, stay clear and go the opposite direction.

Where is Alejandro Selkirk Island?

Alejandro Selkirk Island is the most westerly island of the Juan Fernández island chain. In fact, before 1966 the island was called “Isla Más Afuera” which literally means “Farthest Away Island.”

View Larger Map

Who was Alejandro Selkirk?

Alejandro Selkirk Island is named after a Scottish sailor who was marooned on the island in 1704 and survived for four more years before being rescued. His amazing story inspired Daniel Defoe’s novel, Robinson Crusoe.

Pictures of Alejandro Selkirk Island:

Here is an historic engraving of the Northwest side of Alejandro Selkirk Island (then Isla Más Afuera) from 1773:

More pictures:
http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Island/1698/english/Fotos.html
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/7476562
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=Alejandro+Selkirk+isla

If you know some Spanish, you can read about Selkirk’s experience on the island.