Saturday, May 10

Today we all went horseback riding north of Vina del Mar. We rode for about three hours through marshes and dunes and then along the beach. After the ride we had a barbecue in the woods. We were served at tables with tablecloths, real dishes, glasses and flatware. The food, especially the pork, was delicious. Two students got rather wet but otherwise we all survived.

Friday, May 9

Today we went to Santiago. Getting off the bus we were fortunate enough to see the changing of the guard at la Moneda (something like the White House though the president doesn't actually live there). Our first stop was the Bolsa de Comercio or the stock exchange. Actually it handles stocks, bonds, money market instruments and derivatives. It is the largest exchange in Chile and the third largest in Latin America. We saw a video and then a power point presentation about the exchange. Then we had a tour of the trading room, though it is pretty empty now given that most trading in electronic. After the Bolsa de Comercio, we walked around a bit and visited a new museum that is associated with la Moneda. Our next stop was for Pescados and Mariscos (fish and shell fish) at the Mercado Central. This lunch was arranged by a former Santa Maria student who also spent a semester at Pitt. In the afternoon we went to one of the parks on a hill. Most of the students rode a cable car to see a statute of the Virgin. We were so high we could see much of Santiago but so smoggy we could not see even a trace of the Andes. After that we went shopping and then came back to the hotel. It was a long (12 hours) day but interesting I think. Pictures from a few days ago are now posted and there should be more on Monday.

Thursday, May 8

It is actually Friday because I was too exhausted to post a blog last night. Thursday we went on our second day of company visits. In the morning we went to Lan Airlines where we had a presentation and then went to the hanger to see how they maintain planes. The Lan manager was very impressed with the questions asked by our students. After a quick group lunch, we went to Vina Indomita to see how they make wine. After the tour we had a wine taste. Last night was relatively quiet as I think the students have realized they can't party every night until 2 or 3. A couple of students have or had colds and stomach problems, but I hope this will not become widespread. Friday (today) we are off to the Santiago stock exchange and then a tour of Santiago. I have not been able to add pictures for a couple of days because of server problems at Pitt but I hope that will be fixed soon.

Wednesday, May 7

Today we started our company visits with trips to Centauro Conservas and Gerdau Aza. Centauro produces canned tomato paste, tomato sauce, canned fruits and other canned products. We visited the factory where they produce tomato products and were given a tour by Mario Bozzolo, great grandson of the founder. After that tour we had a nice group lunch at a restaurant called Pura Carne (pure meat), though some people had fish or pasta. In the afternoon we went to Gerdau Aza, another company that has been in business for 100 years but has been owned by a Brazilian firm since 1992. They make various steel products from scrap. We had a great lecture but they were not able to arrange a plant visit (perhaps there were just too many of us). On the way back into Vina I commented on the huge amount of traffic considering that it was after 8 PM. One of the Chilean students told me the heavy traffic was because most of the bus drivers were on strike today. Between student strikes and bus driver strikes I think we might be in France rather than Chile.

Tuesday, May 6

Another late posting because we were busy all day and evening. The problems of last night led to the main campus of Santa Maria being closed for two days. Therefore, we went to the Vina del Mar campus of the college for our lecture this morning. Those students are also on strike but the campus was not closed because there were not blockades near that campus. We heard some lectures on doing business in Chile and then had lunch on the campus. In the afternoon we took a tour of Valparaiso, Vina del Mar and some rocks on the beach. In the evening we went to a barbecue at the home of Werner Kristjanpoller. Tomorrow and Thursday we have four of our company visits.

Monday, May 5

Sorry this is such a late posting but we spent all day at the University of Santa Maria. We are happy to report that all students and all suitcases are now in Hotel Americas. At the University we had lectures on Chilean culture, Latin American economics and the Salsa. We all ate a filling lunch in the student cafeteria. Perhaps the most interesting part of the day involved a student strike. The students, all of whom are commuters, have been on strike for several weeks because the student bus fares were raised about 60%. (The strike means that they are not attending classes but they are still on campus.) During the day we witnessed a big meeting of the students and I will post photos later. Unfortunately, some of the students decided to block the main road to make their point and the police did not like that. We had to cut our salsa class short and leave the campus before the police moved in. It reminded me of the bad old days of the late 60s and 70s, but it was a shock for everyone else including our Chilean student guides. I was very impressed with how quickly our Santa Maria student guides got us off campus and took us back to the hotel via the train. Never a dull moment.

Greetings from Chile

Most of us arrived in Santiago this morning. We are missing one student and six Pittsburgh suitcases but all of them should arrive tomorrow morning. One student was detained in customs for trying to smuggle in carrots and trail mix, but they finally released her without a fine. We are now settling into the hotel but at 2:30 we leave for a soccer game. It is rather cold and cloudy but not raining. If you heard about a volcano erupting and earthquakes, they were far in the south, not near us.