Yes it is true there are swine flu cases in Chile. Today I did a little calculation. I do know it is not accurate but it is a different attempt from the sensational attempt in the media 
I will just recycle a comment I made earlier on Cachando Chile’s blog:
The normal flue kills 36,000 people in the US per year! The source is the US Government
Compare this to 85 swine flue deaths world wide.
Here is my extreme view on Chances of dying from swine flue in Chile. Take it with a grain of salt. The chance to get the virus is 29 out of 16.000.000 (I know this is rising) and then a 0.77% of actually dying from swine flu. Do we have any maths experts here to calculate the chances of dying from swine flu in terms of percentage?
It is more likely to die from biting your own tongue then from swine flu.
Posted in Chile | 7 Comments »
..that is what we in Austria call countries where there is no consistency in laws and you cannot trust your politicians.
See here the meaning of Banana Republic
There have been many examples (please add your examples in the comments) about bad politics in Argentina and I will list the ones that I have heard about through international media (mostly economist) here:
Current event: Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (the president) is working on a law to impose a new electronic tax on TV’s, Laptops, personal Computers, GPS Navigation Systems and phones if they are not produced in the south of Argentina. This will raise the VAT of such goods to 21% from previously 10.5% . Now the populist President calls things like laptops and computers luxury goods and this is the reason why she had proposed this law. The problem as I see it: A GPS system or a PC will never be produced in Argentina anyway. All that can and might happen is that they will be assembled in Argentina so the Argentinean companies will buy the usual components (GPS modules, computer chips, batteries, lcd screens etc…) from foreign companies and assemble them in Argentina. In my opinion two things will happen: Some people will build these assembling companies in the south of Argentina but not many. Reason being in a "Banana Republic" laws change quickly and there is no guarantee of investment. Imagine building a factory and then 1 year later the law which was responsible for you building the factory changes. Goods produced in Argentina will become more expensive as there is a lot less competition. The rich Argentinian consumers will still be able to afford computers and will mostly bring them from their holidays in Chile, Uruguay or the US but the poor will be pushed out and that is a real shame / no computer / no access to knowledge.
This is bad because there are foreign companies that have invested in Argentina and created good jobs there. The mostly Argentinean employees of these corporations will suffer. But it is worse because the general Argentinean consumer will suffer by paying higher prices for luxury goods (sic) – essential goods like a computer (!) It is hard enough for Argentineans to afford a computer right now.
While I did not find a international price comparison for Computers here is one for TV’s before the new tax
Lets hope the Argentinan MP’s don’t vote for this new “luxury tax”.
There is a Facebook cause which you can join and there are also blogs which have been created to speak about this issue: No Al Impuestazo technologico
This is my personal opinion about Argentinian politics. I like the people, the food and the country itsself but the politics are terrible. If you have an opinion I invite you to state it in the comments below. Feel free to comment in English or Spanish or even in German (I volunteer for translating the German 
Posted in Argentina, Business, Economy, Politics | 2 Comments »
I have not done much sport lately because I never really found good paths for roller blading (inline skating) here in Santiago.
Today I found out about that there are streets closed for cars in La Reina just for cyclists every sunday. The even better news is that this will be extended to La Florida, Lo Prado, Providencia, and Santiago. I will let you know once I have done it. I will be back in Chile beginning of June. More info on the CicloRecreoVía here.
There is more info on the Spanish version on the site including a map. Looks like Las Condes also closes a street on Sundays. http://www.ciclorecreovia.cl/ciclorecreovia-las-condes/
Posted in Chile, Health, expat | Tagged green initiatives | Leave a Comment »
Valle Nevado – Skiing in Chile
I am scared about the smog in Santiago… yes (!) But as Liz mentioned there is a possibility to escape every weekend. The sea side is very near and has very clear and fresh air and today I investigated the ski resorts. I am originally from the Tyrolean region which is known to be one of the best places to ski in the world. I used to live within a 1 to 2 hour distance to resorts like Ischgl, St. Anton, Serfaus and Kitzbuehel so you can imagine I was not expecting much from Skiing in Santiago. However with the winter approaching very fast I wanted to do some research about the skiing options. Valle Nevado is situated 40 km from where we live in Santiago and from what I saw from the website it looks like a great place!!! It is said to be the best place to ski in South America. Have a look at the trail map below. The highest point for skiing is about 3,470 meters. The Heli skiing option on 4520 meters will make my Austrian friends really jealous. See below a trail map and a random picture I found on Flickr of Valle Nevado
Foto by: Leon Calquin
Dear Winter, now I am looking forward to you and I am no longer scared
Posted in Chile, expat, skiing | 3 Comments »
Foto Credit C.hileno (found via Image Search)
One of my biggest concern about living in Santiago is the Smog. The six months I spent here in summer were amazing and while there was some smog in summer it was not at all bad. I know, I know the hard time will be the winter and that is what I am a little scared off. I have been asking lots of people. How is it really like? And I got very mixed answers. Mexicans (from the Capital) and real Santigans did not see it as a huge issue. Even one expat from Belgium said it was not bad but ALL the other Expats were heavily complaining and that is what I am a little scared of. What is your experience? Do you suffer from the winter smog?
Vote in the sidebar
BTW Here is a brilliant Article about the Santiago Smog Santiago struggles with Smog
As Smog was one of my main concerns about living in Santiago I will be reporting about it throughout the winter (btw I am not here for the next 4 weeks so the report will start afterwards)
Posted in Chile, Smog, expat | 7 Comments »
now you have seen the ring you want to know how, when and where… Emily asked me and we are happy to share the story.
On Friday I asked Liz to marry me. Liz was under the impression that we were going out for a romantic dinner. I had told her that I wanted to have a belated Valentines dinner with her.
We went to Restaurant Zully in the Center. I had asked for a romantic and isolated table as I wanted to propose to my girlfriend. I remembered that they had so many different rooms in Zully and I was sure there was somewhere quiet to for us. I was right. They placed us in the wine cellar which has very romantic tables. We were seated in a nice bay and from where we sat no other guests saw us and vice versa. The ambient was perfect. We ordered cocktails to begin with and after we said cheers and sipped a little I got up and gave her the box which I had carefully hidden in my camera bag and asked her if she wanted to marry me. She said no no no no I can’t believe it… Of course I want….! She did not expect me to propose but was ultra happy. Seeing how happy she was I noticed the tears coming down my cheeks. The moment could not have been better.
Liz opened the box (see pic below) and after she looked at the ring and told me a hundred times how beautiful it was she gave it back to me and I put it on her finger. The ring fit perfectly no adjustments needed.
The rest of the evening was wonderful. Zully is definitely the place to go for a romantic evening. The food is good (4 out of 5) and the ambient and service is amazing (6 out of 5) This mix makes it Liz’s favourite restaurant in Santiago.
Posted in Chile, Personal, Restaurants, expat | 9 Comments »
