Forget Wayo's Gyros

AAAAAAAAAAH! Forget anything I ever said about Wayo's Gyros. Today there was an entire chicken foot in my salad. Asqueroso!

Won't be going back there for lunch anytime soon. Subway it is, I suppose. It's healthy and there are no body parts in my food.

photo!

Thought I'd post a picture of the four of us from last weekend at Kyles birthday party (from left to right: Emma, Kyle, Tamsin and Amanda).

Shame many are missing :( but we can always take another photo again soon.

Wayo's Gyros

Wayo's Gyros are delicious and located right by where I live -- in between Metro Manuel Montt and Metro Salvador right on 11 de Septiembre.

They are so good. In case you aren't sure what a gyro is this guy has a picture of one from Wayo's., it's like a pita sandwich, with lettuce, tomato, garlic yogurt sauce, parsley and your choice of chicken or beef (I think? I'm not sure, I always get chicken). Wayo's Gyros only sells gyros and gyro salads (all of the above ingredients plus Parmesan cheese and olives). A gyro plus a big drink will run you $2,000. They are huge, so I feel like that's a pretty cheap price!

I'm obsessed with this place, I can't get enough. Seriously, I've eaten there for lunch every single day this week :)

And best of all, I just discovered that they deliver. 235 0907

Flaite entero aweonao

So I was walking home from the pool today along Alameda, my 25-foot long shadow before me, and I noticed someone following me. Half of his shadow was in front of me as well. So assuming he would get a clue, without looking back at him, I strongly veered left and his shadow did too, so then I veered strongly back to the right, and his shadow was still following me. So to make it really clear to him that I wasn’t a tourist, completely oblivious to flaites, I turned around, began walking in the opposite direction and looked back at him to make sure he didn’t follow me. At this point I started to get a little freaked out and looked for a paco and started planning what to do in case this dude tried something. Luckily he didn’t follow me. I took a micro back the direction I was originally going and tried to spot the guy. He had on a pink button-up shirt. But I didn’t see him. I would have enjoyed chewing him out, but was afraid he might pull a knife or something. I suppose I did what I could do. On my way to the micro, I ran into a cop, but the sketchy dude was no longer near me so I didn’t even bother telling him. What's the point? Santiago's got lots of flaites.

Anybody else have to deal with this before? Usually a flaite lays off right away if I notice him (or her), but this dude was either entero aweonao or he didn't care.

¡Aloha!

Hi everyone! I must say this is a great idea to have a blog for the long haul traveler. It can be pretty difficult living abroad, though I enjoy it most of the time. Well, I´ve been in Chile for a few years studying Hispanic Literature and am about to finish, God-willing. I lived in Valpo for a couple years which was absolutely awesome. What a beautiful city! (You do have to accept the dirtiness to enjoy it). It’s such a creative, artsy city, has good nightlife (Valpo's full of universities) and beautiful hills that make for great paseos. The ex-cárcel is a great cultural space where people hang out and sometimes there are concerts and other events there. I saw the best human circus of my life at the ex-carcel. It was beautifully silly, incredible and intimate with a sort of existencial ending, not to mention the circus people were sharing this big renovated house in the port where I lived with several good friends I met there. So we got to know the circus performers and their kids for like two weeks before we actually went to their fabulous show. Los mil tambores was another great cultural plus to Valpo. When I lived in Cerro Alegre, I could hear them drumming from Playa Ancha (that’s a long ways away). In Valpo, there are bars and houses hidden in little nooks in the hills and more bars and discos in the port.

Anyway…so my boyfriend Vuko and I have been dating for a few years. He’s from Viña and is the reason I’ve been living in Santiasco for the last two years. That’s when he found a job here and we relocated to Chile’s lovely capital. So I traded this artsy port city with sensational views of the Pacific for molotovs, guanacos and tear gas, Transantiago and smog. But it’s worth it because I get to be with Vuko. Santiago does have it’s good side which includes Vuko, my friends who live here, my capoeira group, hot weather (I´m making up for all those 40 below zero days I suffered in Northern Minnesota), the Santiago library (I recommend a visit—it’s something Lagos got right), the National Library, el Barrio Lastarria, lots of yummy restaurants and fun bars, and the sweet swimming pool I found the other day.

I´m an ethnologist aficionado or maybe a culture addict and a geophiliac. I can invent hordes of interpretations and comparisons of US and Chilean cultures and throw in a splattering of Spanish experiences as well. My favorite topics to talk or gripe about in no specific order are jotes, pedestrians, food, places, dancing, parties, smog, clothing, health and diet, entre otros.

I´m looking forward to getting to know you all and hearing about your experiences.

Bienvenido!

Hello ladies!

Lovely to be here and to be part of this very exciting new group of Chilean-men-(and-Chile)-loving people! Well, my name is Tamsin (or Tam, or Tams, or sometimes even Tam Tam) and definitely NOT Tapsin which is a very well known brand of cold/flu medication here; when I first introduce myself to Chilean people I always get a funny look as they seem to be completely incapable of differentiating the two names. And no it's really NOT funny.

Anywho, I left the UK in January (just as Winter arrived in its full frosty glory) and arrived into Santiago to be with my fiancee, Anibal (prounounced Aneeehbal).

It's been just over a month and I am slowly starting to settle nicely into Chilean life. Lots going on at the moment so life is pretty good. And especially since meeting these fellow girlies. It's good to know I'm not the only loony who packed up, left home all in the name of sweet love.

Do bear with me as I'm still pretty new to the country and will no doubt be posting a lot more in the months to come. . .

For now, I'm going to enjoy my palta on toast (typical Chilean breakfast of avocado on toast, delish) and enjoy the Santiago sunshine on my balcony...

Hasta pronto!

Tamsin

Gyny/Obstet/Paediatrician Recommendations

Hello all!

I'm Rachel from London who came to Chile for a love that's still going strong. Apart from the odd impasse as they say.

It's excellently brilliant to have this blog specially for foreigners going out with/dating/engaged to/married to Chilean men, it's just what I needed when I arrived in Chile 2 and a half years ago to be with my then-boyfriend and now-husband.

Unfortunately I'm only going to 'need' it for 2 more weeks as we're off to a new life in Shanghai, but I'm going to be reading it whilst I'm there. Oh no I'm not, there's The Great Firewall of China that blocks Blogger. I will find a way.

So, before I go, and being a Baby Mama, I'd like to pass on a couple of numbers that will be of use to all of you whether babied up or not.

The first one is the best gynecologist/obstetrician in Santiago/Chile. He is called Rodrigo Hess, he speaks fluent English and is, although quite 'business like' rather than lovey dovey, a consumate professional. He was my surgeon when I had 2 cysts removed from my ovary 2 years ago and left no scars. Then 8 months ago, he was my gyne/obstetrician throughout my pregnancy and the surgeon who performed my C-section when the gorgeous Bella came into our world. He is amazing - don't bother going elsewhere. I did and Rodrigo wins hands down.
His address is 1407 Manqueue Norte (opposite the back of Clinica Alemana) and his surgery reception phone number is 02 201 9661.

The second one only applies to those of you with babies.
As soon as a baby is born here, it goes from being Rodrigo Hess's preoccupation to being that of the paediatrician. I have tried 4. The first 3 were rubbish, handing out medicines left right and centre to our newborn baby just to make my husband (also called Rodrigo like what seems like 50% of Chilean men) and I feel better.
Then Marcial Osorio was recommended to me. He's slightly less 'business like' than Rodrigo Hess, but again, not lovely dovey at all. I far prefer this manner - you can really trust them as they don't pander to your panicky needs as a new mother unless there's a reason to. He speaks a tiny bit of English and loves the Beatles, so if you're English I hope you've been to Liverpool. I haven't and he's never recovered from the disappointment.
He is based in the Pueblo Ingles (again opposite the back of Clinica Alemana on Manqueue Norte) and his surgery reception phone number is 02 218 2395.

Oh and if you want to get your baby's/child's eyes checked out, I've also found the BEST opthalmologist/optician who's a baby/child eye specialist. He's called Eduardo Villaseca and he speaks perfect English (it can be quite reassuring in certain medical situations to know that the communication is easy and clear). He is based at Clinica Las Condes, Building 3, Floor 4. His surgery reception phone number is ... oh bugger I've deleted it. I will try and find it and get back to you. But you have the address for the meantime.

On the subject of all things medical (can't believe I'm an expert in it and not even a hypochondriac). I've been to Clinica Las Condes and Tabancura and Clinica Alemana is BY FAR the best. It is like a 5 star hotel. Having had an operation and a baby there I can't recommend it highly enough and they're far kinder than at CLC. They actually made having a baby easy. And how many people can say that? Go there. Punto.

Right, well, I'll be off. When I think of other things to pass on, I will post them here.

Actually, I've just thought of one. As you've probably realised, clothes shoppping ain't up to much in Santiago. Go to Ripley in La Dehesa. And Zara in Parque Arauco. Oh and Bebe is the best baby-things shop (Manqueue Norte again) and Mimo and Zara baby (both in Parque Arauco) the best baby clothes shops. But I have found that buying everything in England each time I go to be the best option.

I would love to be able to recommend book shops. But they're not numerous, not great and so expensive you won't want to buy the books that they do have anyway.

Hope some of that's of use. Hasta luego folks.

*Edited by Kyle

I thought I'd add to Ray's incredibly helpful post. I've been to two other hospitals in Santiago as well, the Clinica Universidad la Catolica, and Clinica Santa Maria. I would definitely not recommend going to La Catolica, Santa Maria was far superior and only a bit more expensive.

Speaking of costs, if you're moving to Chile and don't have health insurance, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Health care is NOT expensive here. By Chilean standards, if you're making a Chilean salary, yes, going to a good clinica is pricey. But if you have money saved up from the U.S. you'll be fine. I went to the emergency room, had a doctor come to my house, and then went twice to the best throat specialist in all of South America (plus meds, and labs) and all total my cost was under $500.00.

Anyways, just thought since the topic was similar that I'd add the little information I have :)

Welcome to Sex in the Ciudad!

Hello ladies,

Here's the new blog for awesome women living in Chile/married to Chileans/with any random connection to Chile.

Use it to post helpful hints for other expats or if you want to invite everyone to an event, or just to piss and moan about things you hate here :)