on this page you will find some interesting hints concerning chile, argentina and travelling by bicycle in these two countries. i'm sure there are several interesting points for you.
as a european you first have accustom to the food, which might appear different to our food. i had more than once problems with my digestion. so you should be careful and converge slowly to these mostly greasy meals. chilean and argentinean eat a lot of meat and fried potatoes. 
chilean food is boring. this fat can also cause some problems with your digestion. the absence of cleanness in kitchens is also a big problem. before eating in a restaurant take always a look at the environment and the other guests. if it is clean and there are many guests, that don't look like normal workers, then maybe the food is better.
what you should also never eat and drink in restaurants are: salad, fresh fruits, unbottled water, syrup, ice in beverages and tortes/creams that are exposed in a show case. also ice cream that is produced by local dealers might be a problem. you never know how long this ice cream was exposed under room conditions and you don't know about the origin of the water that is used to produce it. you should never drink the tap water! cook it before and/or use a water filter (ex. katadyn).
what you always can eat is: packed products from supermarkets and bread. there are also a lot of products from nestlé and other known brands, that ensure a good quality. if you buy fresh fruits, clean and peal them before you eat them. good food for the journey was always: bananas, cereal bars, bread with cheese and meat.
the currency of chile is the chilean peso. the currency of argentina is the argentinean peso. before the trip i heard rumours that i should take some u.s. dollars with me, because in some places this is the only currency that is accepted. for chile and argentina this is not true. they take only the pesos, u.s. dollars have to be changed. maybe in other south american countries, where the currency is not so stable, it would bee good not to take too much local currency with you.
the prices are deeper than here in europe. in argentina the things you buy are even cheaper than in chile. you notice that especially while eating in a restaurant. you can eat very cheap (but not always good, see point above "the food"). what wasn't always cheap are hostals and hotels. as mentionned on the page "
hostals" they were mostly in bad condition, even if they weren't cheap. touristic activity surely won't be cheap too.
| |||
| |||
|
the public transport of chile and argentina is mainly done by busses. that's why that especially in cities it smells really ugly and unhealthy. it seems that every vehicle that can drive, is allowed to. no matter about exhaust-gas and security. the traffic may get a problem, if you're travelling with your bicycle. most of the busses and trucks drive regardless of cyclists or walkers. on the panamericana there was most of the time a emergency lane. driving on that was not so dangerous. the problem is, if you are on a small street with a lot of traffic (like the one to the paso bermejo). a rearview mirror is recommended anyway.
the chilean and argentinean people are very nice, open and helpful. not like in europe. they are interested in visitors. they may talk with you about you and your journey. talk with them too. for you it is a possibility to get to know more of them and the country you're travelling. the thing i've learned: the poorer the people are, the more gentle and helpful are they.
the spanish they speak maybe different in every region you're travelling through. around santiago we understood the most they said. the more we came to the south, the more diffcult was it. there is also a big difference between chilean and argentinean spanish.
in the evening the like to got out. usually they go to eat at about 9.00 pm, not earlier. they like seeing sport in television and they are really patriotic!
