Countryside

The typical Chilean countryside lies just south of Santiago, in a region which is also home of the most famous vineyards. This is the place were you can find huasos, the typical peasant, riding his horse with his hat. From this region comes the most famous Chilean folklore, specially the cueca, already mentioned in the previous post. One good example is Santa Cruz, were I had been before for a wine festival. Another example is Buin, just south from Santiago, where a very good friend of mine comes from and where her family is. Buin is not more than a small town, but you can still find bars, discos and a lot of entertainment. However, the grace of it is that it keeps the same family standards and habits that I left in Portugal. I went a couple of times to visit her and her family and the feeling is so familiar that for some moments there, I went back to the family reunions in my grandparents' house. First of all, they are excellent hosts, food and wine on the table, they make you feel comfortable and part of their home. Then comes the atmosphere, quite a big family, the cold outside and the fireplace inside, the smell of burning wood, the unlit nights. Also, the neighbours and the ease for them to drop by, come and visit, talk to you and make you feel comfortable as well, even though it is not their home. Finally, the conversations that last hours and never die and even the bad habit that people have to create couples and make them blush in shame. All this was part of my childhood, but I live it now in a different way, more as a participant than as a spectator that would use these reunions to play until later because nobody would go to bed. These are the moments that are really special and that you can only reach by living for a while in a certain place, as you go deeper and deeper into Chile's roots and traditions.