More Chilean Businesses and Thriving Industries with a Chilean Barbeque (5/13)

At Viña Indómita, it was interesting to see how vast of an area the vineyard covered. There were lots of dead grapes because it was late in the agricultural season, but we were still able to eat the grapes. They had a different taste than in the U.S. (and had pits in them) but were tasty nonetheless. There was a patio that oversaw the vineyard and the surrounding area. Also, it was unique to stare at Viña’s huge sign that mirrored that of Hollywood’s. It seemed to be a trend for other businesses to use large white letters of its company name. Inside Viña, there were lots of barrels filled with wine. We even saw workers extracting wine from the fomenters. It was a unique experience and definitely would be an industry I would consider. After, we were able to taste wine that was made at Viña. The white wine resembled pineapple and both red wines had distinct (but different) tastes of grape. Almost every student bought a bottle and it was very cheap (it is a domestic product and was not imported).

During lunch, I indulged in more Chilean cuisine. It was breaded steak with ham in between topped with cheese, eggs, onions, and French fries (bistec pobre). It was my favorite meal of the trip thus far and very filling, especially after the wine tasting. Afterward, we toured LAN airlines. There was massive space for the airplanes and we got to see the engineers working on them. It was unique to see the inside of the planes and to discuss the industry. International flights interest me, but I feel that there may be too much engineering involved for me to comprehend. Still, the tour provided quality information and we received free items from LAN.

At night, we had a barbecue at Werner’s. The food was delicious and there as a lot of it. Most of us had seconds and thirds. After dinner, we practiced social dances that were more common in clubs and among Chilean students. This was fun, as the sound of the music resembled that of the U.S. but the dancing was vastly different. Later, we went to a multi-floor night club that incorporated many Chilean dance elements, each room specified to a particular type of dancing (salsa, Reggeaton, and so forth). We stayed in the room with social dancing for the most part, but it was fun to watch Chileans dance and try to dance similarly.