Ten Things I Love About You

I was asked what I LOVE about Chile the other day - a great question, so I've been jotting down a few things, ten in fact. There's no logic to the order.

1. Nature. The mountains that ring Santiago are imposing, magnificent things. And I'm told of awesome beauty all through the north and south of the land.
2. Topics of conversation. People love a rollicking discussion and they're really interesting in what's going on politically.
3. Men taking the lead. Men seem sure of what it is to be a man, and comfortable kicking off discussions or making decisions.
4. Graffiti. The graffiti here is impressively classy and creative.
5. Style. There's an - alternative, cutting-edge - element of Chilean society that has just got so much style. It's as if they took the best of Melbourne's dark quirkness, added bold, confident colour and design, and ended up with something all their own. 
6. Literature. I'm still on the outside looking in at this, but it's obvious that literature and poetry is highly prized, at least among the rich/er. If nothing else, the surfeit of quality bookshops that manage to stay in business, selling (expensive) books tells me so.
7. Humour. I feel like I must be missing something, but so far the humour seems to be akin to that of Australia, even including giving the people you love a hard time. ♥
8. Taking it easy. There's no popping in to visit someone: instead you hang around chatting a while and enjoying a bite to eat. Plans can be equally fluid, but people treat each other with such warmth that no offence is taken. 
9. Hospitality. As I mentioned before, the hospitality is generous and welcoming.
10. Warmth and openess. I'm not talking about the climate here (at least not for this time of year), but rather the affection and trust that comes so naturally to folks here.