Chile Offers Travelers Hospitality, Safety
<B> Chile Offers Travelers Hospitality, Safety</B>
By Marshall Krantz
<I>Santiago</I> - First-time business travelers to Santiago will find Chile's capital of some five million people a thriving, sophisticated city, thanks to strong economic growth and the more open society that has emerged under a democratic government.
"People are extremely friendly," said Leonor Pupo, a vice president in international private banking for First Union National Bank of Miami. "They're very nice to foreigners and they make you feel at home."
English is widely spoken in Santiago business circles, in upscale shops and restaurants, and by taxi drivers, according to Pupo, who has traveled to Santiago four times a year for the past 26 years.
Although U.S. dollars are widely accepted here, another longtime, frequent business traveler in Latin America, Efrain Melendez, a sales specialist for Caterpillar, recommended exchanging dollars for Chilean pesos at the airport. The exchange rate in early April was about 450 pesos to the dollar, he said. Major credit cards also are widely accepted in Santiago, as are travelers checks.
Outside the capital, however, dollars are not readily acceptable, and neither are credit cards, Melendez said. But personal checks drawn on Chilean banks are accepted almost universally because the government imposes strict penalties on check bouncers.
Both travelers agreed that Santiago is a safe city. "I feel confident in Santiago; I wear jewelry. Nothing has ever happened to me," Pupo said.
To ensure safety and for convenience, however, Pupo said she takes taxis from her hotel and then has the driver wait. Taxis are safe; there are no gypsy cabs as in some other cities.
Black-and-yellow cabs operate throughout the city using meters, or travelers can negotiate slightly cheaper fixed rates. At the airport, passengers can buy a fixed-rate taxi ticket inside the terminal or negotiate curbside. The fare from the airport to downtown runs about 6,000 pesos; heading to hotels in outlying residential districts costs about 2,000 pesos more. Some better-quality cabs work exclusively for specific hotels, and charge slightly higher rates. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes to drive from the airport to downtown, depending on traffic.
Downtown empties at night and becomes less safe, Melendez cautioned, so travelers should not wander the streets alone, but rather take cabs to and from their downtown nighttime destinations.
Two lively and safe areas for Santiago nightlife are the fashionable Providencia district and the bohemian quarter, Bellavista, although in Bellavista a greater degree of caution was recommended by both travelers. Both districts abound with good restaurants. Pupo recommended a well-known seafood restaurant in Providencia called Aqui' Esta' Coco, and the Italian San Fruttuoso restaurant in Bellavista.
Dinner for two, including wine, tax and tip, can top $100. Tap water is generally safe to drink, but raw vegetables should be avoided and fruits peeled when traveling outside upscale and international-standard restaurants.
Regarding gratuities, Melendez recommended 10 to 15 percent at restaurants, a maximum 10 percent to cab drivers and 500 to 800 pesos (about $1) a bag to hotel bellmen. The electrical current is 220 volts.
As for retail store hours, the popular enclosed shopping malls located throughout the city are open daily from about 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Banks are open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Business hours are similar to those in the United States, although people typically take up to two hours for lunch--business lunches are popular--and work into the early evening. There's also less concern with on-the-dot punctuality. Arriving 10 minutes late to an appointment is considered acceptable, they said.
Santiago summers are hot; spring and fall are mild to cool; and winters are cool, rainy and smoggy.