Chilean Charisma

Santiago’s geography has shaped its character, preserving a cosmopolitan feel and a positive personality.

- Ralf Walters

Buena Ondo,” which translates as “Good Vibes,” is a phrase that captures the essence of Latin American cultures. And for Chile, a narrow stretched-out arm of land sandwiched between the Pacific coast and the Andes Mountains from its northern border with Peru to the southernmost tip of South America at Cape Horn, the good vibes take on their own distinctive flavor. Indeed, I felt good vibes and tasted the distinctive flavors as soon as I boarded the LATAM Airline flight from JFK to Santiago.

The buena ondo feel continued as dinner was served early in the flight. LATAM had just introduced their new Economy cabin menu for its long-haul international flights and I was eager to sample. There were three choices available: I opted for gnocchi with parmesan sauce, sautéed mushrooms and pesto with a glass of Gandolini Las 3 Maria Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon 2012, to complement – it was “Muy delicioso!”

After dessert, I began to reflect on just how just far south Santiago is from New York City. Adjusting my east-to-west, North Star orientation, I pondered the idea that my flight would be almost as long as the number of hours it took me to fly JFK to Cairo a few years earlier. At a notch above 5,100 miles, the distance to Santiago is just shy of my journey to the Land of the Pharaohs. Contemplating this as the plane went dark, I fell asleep.

When the sun rose, everyone was awakened for breakfast. We would be landing in Santiago in six more hours, far below the equator and 693 miles south of the Tropic of Capricorn. Raising the shade, I was impressed by the beauty of the snow-capped Andes Mountains. Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport, aka Santiago International Airport (SCL), awaited.