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The week of fiestas had finally arrived! The Chileans had been talking about this week for at least a month, asking me if I had plans and inviting me to Fondas (big fairs in parks around the city) in honor of September 18th (“Dieciocho” as it’s called). Although the actual day of independence is sometime in February, Chile has instead decided to celebrate the day the revolution began, since it also coincides with the beginning of Spring.
Chileans really know how to party for patriotism, and Dieciocho far outshines the three-day weekend of barbecues during Fourth of July in the US. With four others from the program, we decided to go back to Valparaiso for a long weekend. We planned the trip so that we would be back in Santiago for the 18th itself because the capital supposedly has the best celebrations in the country. We left Saturday morning and arrived at our hostel, Casa Verde Limon, which was relatively close to the area were we stayed last time. After dropping off excess luggage, we headed to the coast to catch a bus up to the sand dunes of Concón, where we sand boarded while thoroughly enjoying the sun.
Later on, we walked around the center of Valparaiso to find women in traditional dresses and men wearing boots with spurs, waving around handkerchiefs as they danced the national dance: the cueca. Tents were set up with vendors yelling “una luca, solo una luca!” (one thousand pesos only!) selling all kinds of artisanal gifts. One of the highlights of this trip was finding an empanadería that sold 100 different types of fried empanadas. I have quickly learned that in Chile empanadas are not small snacks, instead they are large meals, stuffed to the brim with melting cheese and meat.
As evening set in, we hopped on another bus and went to one of the Fondas in the area, one that would widely be considered “flaite” by Chileans, which is a not-so-nice term to describe low socioeconomic status. There was no entrance fee, unlike the four other Fondas I went to throughout the week, and it was probably one of the best experiences out of all the festivities. There were fair rides set up all around the dirt park, and nearly everything—from the anticuchos (meat kabab) to the terremotos (strong drink consisting of white wine, grenadine, and pineapple ice cream)—cost only a thousand pesos (less than two dollars). We ended the night by watching an extremely entertaining drag show and eating chorrillana (loaded chilean fries that originated from Valparaiso itself).
The following day, we visited a cemetery, an old prison converted into a museum, and we took a boat ride to see the port, the city, and even sea lions. For our final night on the coast, we decided to explore the Fonda in Viña del Mar. While there were definitely some differences in the prices and the people, the general vibe was just as fun and festive as the Fonda from the night before. I went to two more Fondas once I was back in Santiago, and each was worth exploring to find the best food, drink, games, and gifts.
On Dieciocho itself, I visited the Fonda were my host brother was working. The ground was slick with mud which the rain had caused the night before. I had never before seen so many borracho (drunk) people all in one place, and it was highly entertaining to join in on all of the fun. Speaking Spanish became easier and so did dancing the cueca on the muddy ground. Chileans will take any excuse to celebrate, and nothing made that more clear than the fact that many Fondas received permission from their county to stay open one more day to makeup for the rain three nights before.
