Think about it.

"In nature, there is no prize nor punishment. Only consequences." Do all the Chileans feel as concerned as this writer about the environment? Not so sure about it, it may not be their number one concern...

Inside out.

Am I standing on the platform or am I inside the subway train? The express service was down, "green-line" customers had to share the metro with the "red-line" customers...and everything went rather well, I have to say. But it would be nice if it didn't happen again, thanx.

Spring is coming up.

Are we almost done with the rain, the cold, the grey and the wind? On this beautiful and warm Saturday afternoon, it sure does look like it. Let's just not get our hopes too high too quickly, however. A 65 year-old Chilean plumber (whose name is not Mario) told me yesterday that we still had a good month of winter ahead of us...Please for once, may the ancients and their experience be wrong!

Silent protest.

XXIst century in a southamerican country, so westernised in terms of...well...almost everything...but still so middle-age when it comes to women and woman's right of deciding what she wants to do with her own body. In Chile, abortion is a crime and therefore, punished...heavily.

Yes we (can) vote.

Elections are coming up...Beginning of 2010 will see the dawn of the era "post-Bachelet". Chilean Constitution doesn't allow a President to be candidate again right away. And if Michele Bachelet did pretty good for her country, the 3 main candidates and potential presidents are trying hard to seduce the young audience...who is just not interested in voting.

Sky blue.

The rain eventually stopped. Santiago's atmosphere is clean, cleaner than it has been in a very long time...And the contrast between the great blue sky and the spotless white snow on the surrounding mountains is absolutely mesmerizing... It is just a perfect ski day.

Wet Santiago.

After a month spent enjoying warm warm France, I had to put my raincoat and rain boots back on...It is definitely still winter here, in Santiago.

A purple fetish.

Waiting for the metro to arrive, with his purple friend on his laps... Another victim of the Tubby Trauma?

Early winter morning sun.

A lot easier to stand the cold when the sun shines through the window, so early in the morning.

Pick a card.

It seems that Chilean men have a little thing with magic... The gentleman with the hat was yesterday night (and probably all day as well) doing a demonstration and selling items to entertain friends and family at home...And passers-by just loved it!!

Playing Taka-Taka in San Jose de Maipo

Pool, fussball (taka-taka) or ping-pong available to everyone who wants to share a great moment of fun with friends and/or family for a very small price. Nothing better than getting together on a Sunday afternoon in this cute little village in the mountains.

An impressive firetruck.

The 1st Fire Brigade of the Santiago Fire Department owns this beautiful American vehicle, that always catch passers-by's attention... And more than anyone, kids like to pose in front of this red rocket always spotless clean!

At the Chinese supermarket.

Isn't that just so classy?? this beautiful Chinese woman sitting on the toilets, reading a fashion magazine...thanks to this "Defecation Tea"... Don't you just like Chinese supermarkets?

Dear Ludwig van B.

San Jose de Maipo is a quiet little village 35 kilometers of Santiago, in the mountains. It is peaceful, and very very cold in this time of year. There is a little park, right in the center of this town, where people gather to tchat, play Taka-Taka (fussball), pool, or have a look at the crafts market. And there is this stone, this weird face with a citation from Ludwig van Beethoven, probably listening to some sonate or symphony, facing the beautiful Cordillera...

Virus Alert!

Dropping off some backpackers at "La Casa Roja", one of the best guesthouses in Santiago, this little note at the reception desk caught my attention... I would have to say now that it doesn't matter if you're coming from the U.S.A or Peru, or Argentina because this AH1N1 is now a pandemy... A nice global virus we all share!! And in Chile just as much as everywhere else...if not more.

On the way to school.

"Thank God it's Friday" must be thinking those kids on their way to school, on a very cold morning. The big sister is in charge of her siblings and they will all take the metro to get to class on time... And soon will come the winter holidays...maybe even today when the bell rings?

Under a blood red sky.

Photo taken in Farellones, a Chilean ski resort, 45 minutes away from Santiago. This is what you get when you manage to get out of the smog...Definitely worth it, isn't it?

A Chilean dog's life.

Those poor dogs are freezing cold, living in the street, nowhere to go. There are thousands of them, running free in Santiago, abandoned by careless people who buy puppies as presents for their kids. Puppies get bigger, and they are not as cute, they eat a bit more and they become a burden... Everything but agressive, those dogs are only looking for TLC (tender loving care)...

Above Santiago´s smog...

45 minutes away from Santiago, on the way to Farellones, a family ski resort, on a beautiful winter day.

A cold and rainy Sunday afternoon.

What's better than sharing a coffee with a friend on such a lousy day? Wide choice of nice places in Santiago Centro, but I particularly enjoy this one, the Café Concepto. Small, warm, nice music, wifi, tea and pastries...What a great coffee shop to scare away the usual Sunday evening blues!