One of the biggest infrastructure problems in Chile has been reaching isolated towns in the deep south. Now that Douglass Tompkins is dead and his lands are passing to the Chilean government, it will be more feasible to put a highway through from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales. There are … Read More
The year 2015 saw the largest decline in global freedom in the past decade — so asserts human-rights NGO Freedom House in their latest report, “Freedom in the World 2016: Anxious Dictators, Wavering Democracies.” Each year, the US-based organization evaluates the state of freedom in 195 countries and 15 territories … Read More
Lying, cheating and dishonesty are par for the course in Chile. This fact has hardly been hidden from my readers. The problem is so pernicious and pervasive in Chile that it is worth mentioning again, and I have recetly been reminded of it as I myself fell victim to a … Read More
Over the last 20 years that I have been associated with Chile and bringing things down here from the United States and Europe, several “little” items pop up as necessities that simply are not available in the country. Therefore, I suggest that whether you are bringing a container, pallet or … Read More
Immigrants from 51% of the countries of the world are not readily welcome in Chile. It is very difficult for most people in the world even to obtain a tourist visa. The restriction applies mainly, although not exclusively, to Third World, Muslim, violence-ridden and communist countries. Some notable non-Muslim standouts included in the lists are ... Read More
It is difficult being a manager or business owner: long hours, dealing with employees and their problems, financial and time pressures, etc. In Chile, add to the mix poor customer service and often deceit. Let me give a couple of recent examples of situations in Chile when the business owner had to deal with returning………………………………………… ... Read More
Anyone who was not a true believer in Chilean construction quality before, sure must be now. On September 16, 2015, just before 8 p.m. (the sun had recently set), central Chile was struck by a powerful 8.4 Richter Scale earthquake, followed shortly thereafter by major aftershocks on that scale of 7.6, 7.2 and 6.7. The ... Read More
One of the worst parts of holding an American passport, besides FATCA rules that impede financial privacy and freedom overseas in general, and the obligation to pay income taxes on worldwide income, is traveling among hostiles. I am not just talking about travel within Arab countries or places like Central America, Venezuela, Cuba, Russia and……………… ... Read More
Not often, but every once in a while, a Chilean company gets a plug on my blog. I am not in the business of offering free advertising or promoting brands in general. However, when some benefit arises that truly affects the well-being of newcomers to Chile, I am happy to report it. For nearly 20…………………………………………………………………………… ... Read More
