Santiago / Chile

What Chileans Are Proud Of

Keisuke Takahashi / Marubeni Chile Corporation

Ask the Chileans what they are proud of, and they will answer immediately, "the three Ws."

They stand for are Wine, Weather and Women. Chileans boast that their wines have a taste and quality comparable to those of France, the homeland of fine wine. Prices start from 100 yen, and 1000 yen will get you a bottle of the most exquisite wine.

Chile occupies an area of land approximately twice that of Japan, and while its breadth from east to west is only 175 km, the land stretches from north to south for 4329 km. As its name suggests, it is shaped like a chili pepper. Northern Chile is mostly desert, while the ice fields of the Antarctica and Patagonia extend into southern Chile. The capital, Santiago, in central Chile is blessed with sunny skies at least 300 days each year. It is a beautiful place, except for the heavy smog and strong ultraviolet rays. It is said that the most beautiful women of Central and South America are found in the three Cs (Colombia, Costa Rica and Chile). I would refrain from comment, because that is a matter of taste.

Although Chileans take pride in the three Ws of their country all the same, their official language is Spanish. I do not know if there is any sense in speaking of national pride in a foreign language, but in any case, I have chosen Chile's three As in Spanish, solely at my discretion. These 3As have been much talked about recently.

The first is the Andes Mountains. Needless to say, the Andes is the longest mountain chain in the world. Just by looking at the magnificent mountains, I feel refreshed and satisfied.

The second is aromatherapia. Chileans use herbs rather than aromatic oils. Especially famous is rose hip, which is a wild flower that grows along ridges of Andes Mountains. I heard that rose hip tea and rose hip oil are very popular in Japan recently, because the plant is effective in revitalizing one's complexion. These products are very inexpensive in Chile, so they would make good souvenirs to bring back for families and friends in Japan.

The third is Anita Alvarado. As you may know, she is the ex-wife of Mr. Senda, who is accused of having stolen public money from an agency affiliated with the Aomori Prefectural government. She is very famous in Chile also, and has appeared frequently in magazines and on television. Her Caribbean Restaurant is full every day. What's more, she has made a debut as a singer and launched a CD. It seems that no one can stop Anita.

Seen from Japan, Chile is located at the opposite side of earth and seems like the end of the world. But there is a lot more to enjoy in Chile than the three Ws and the three As, so come and find out more about Chile when you have the chance.