travel news review

29 December '98
Following the arrest of former president Augusto Pinochet, and again during the extradition proceedings, both the British and the US governments issued cautionary warnings for their citizens travelling in Chile. LP author Wayne Bernhardson, currently travelling in Argentina and Chile, has this to say.

'My judgment is that British citizens have nothing to fear about travel in Chile at present, except that they should not volunteer political opinions on the topic of Pinochet unless they know the people they are speaking with well. Other than that, they should avoid the immediate area of the British and Spanish embassies, which are the only really contentious places where they could have problems. People in the tourist trade tell me, by the way, that Spaniards are not cancelling their reservations for Chile despite the controversy.'

He continues, 'On a related topic, the Chilean government has asked LanChile to suspend flights to the Falklands, but last Saturday's flight went on as scheduled. This bears watching, however, as the situation could change and visitors from South America could conceivably be stranded and have to return via England.'

28 October '98
General Pinochet, Chile's former dictator and currently a Senator for life, was recently arrested in Britain, where he was seeking medical care. A Spanish judge issued the warrant for his arrest which includes charges of genocide, torture and terrorism. Chile has demanded his release and is accusing Britain of kidnapping him. Britain is currently trying to determine if Pinochet should be extradited to Spain or returned to Chile.

Groups of demonstrators both for and against Pinochet's release have been gathering in Santiago. The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises that anti-British feeling is running high in Chile, and that a few people mistakenly identified as British have been abused or attacked. They recommend that British travellers keep a low profile, avoid demonstrations, give Brit hangouts a wide berth and perhaps talk in a funny accent.

30 September '98
In a move to deal with an electricity shortage, Chile is moving its clocks forward an hour one month earlier than usual. Low rainfall during the winter has lowered water levels, and power output, at the country's hydro-electric plants. By taking advantage of more daylight hours, the country hopes to conserve electricity.

16 September '98
As violent as the event it commemorates, observation of the 25th Pronunciamento Militar de 1973 (Military Coup of 1973) holiday on 11 September began with a march of protest through the capital and ended with rioting. The fighting between protesters and police ended with two dead, 75 injured and over 300 arrested.

The Pronunciamento Militar commemorates the September coup of 1973, in which General Augusto Pinochet forcibly took power from the elected socialist government. During the coup the president, Salvador Allende, was killed in the Presidential Palace. In the years following the coup, Chile's economy improved markedly, but human rights went out the window. The good news is that this will be the last year the celebration will be held. In late August, the Chilean Senate voted to annul this holiday and will instead, starting in 1999, create a new holiday on 1 September which will be a nod to Chile's fledgling democratic national unity.

12 August '98
Australians no longer require a visa to enter Chile. The new visa-free arrangement came into effect on July 22 1998. But Australians arriving at Santiago International Airport will be required to pay a US$20 administrative fee. Travellers arriving at other airports in Chile or overland are not required to pay the fee.

8 July '98
National Airlines, one of the main domestic carriers, has announced that it will be handing its portion of the domestic market to recent start-up, Avant Airlines. National plans to concentrate on improving its international service, primarily to the Caribbean and Florida.

10 June '98
Chile has a privatised and very competitive telecom system and lots of mobile phone users. Like everywhere else in the world they like to use them when driving and as in many other places that's illegal. But a recent police blitz on telephoning drivers revealed that one third of those stopped were actually using fake mobile phones and just pretending to talk.

20 May '98
Severe pollution levels in Santiago have forced city officials to declare a state of emergency. New regulations confining operation of public and private vehicles to certain days and times will be in effect until the crisis passes, so expect new schedules and routes for all city transport.

6 May '98
A new toll highway built to connect the Pacific coast with Santiago is slowly strangling the economy of Pomaire, a small town outside Santiago. The town, famous for its cheap and beautiful pottery, is a favorite day trip from Santiago. In attempting to capitalise on the town's popularity, the new toll highway requires visitors to pay a toll each way, and has also blocked the shorter of the two roads leading to the town. With these added hurdles, fewer visitors are making the trip, and pottery sales, and the economy, are starting to dry up.

25 March '98
Health authorities in Chile have issued a formal warning against eating raw or partially cooked eggs and egg products, after 86 guests at a wedding party suffered salmonella poisoning from eating fresh mayonnaise prepared from eggs. In response to the warning, many Chilean bars and hotels have stopped serving some traditional cocktails, such as pisco sour and vaina, that are often prepared using raw eggs. Stopping short of a moratorium on omelette consumption, authorities urge that all eggs be well cooked before eating until the outbreak can be contained.

25 February '98
Forest fires are raging out of control in southern Chile and forcing visitors to head for the cities. Dry summer conditions and winds are helping the fires spread rapidly through the region, destroying large stretches of virgin forests in many national parks. Officials suspect that the illegal grass fires started the flames.

14 January '98
Government health officials suspect that cholera caused several recent deaths near San Pedro de Atacama, a popular tourist destination in northern Chile. The government is conducting tests and based on their findings, may quarantine the town