Presidential elections coming soon. In my country, is a very important process since democracy return. Currently we have four candidates in the race for the post of president. First in the polls is Sebastian Piñera who is a businessman with deep pockets, and above all: lust for power. He owns several major corporations as LanChile or Chilevision. Try to win the people buying their votes. Piñera represents the right's people, people of high society ... but based on deception is gaining the confidence of poor people who are tired of the actual government. Second, Eduardo Frei, who like piñerita is a businessman with really deep pockets. He has been a senator and president and has been involved in several scandals. In her period, he do nothing good. Finally, Ominami and Arrate are candidates unhappy with the concertación they have chosen to campaign on their own to feed their personal egos. In the end, those candidates with fewer votes will be negotiate votes with the candidates with more support, to obtain benefits for themselves. It is short for the electoral process and there is nothing new, only the options that gives us a representative democracy. Again, I prefer to abstain and not be part of this political circus. Anyway, most people like to vote. people feel they are asserting their rights as citizens. Especially older people, I believe that most of the time they feel heard, then they feel that voting can give their opinion.

WHAT TO DO / WHERE TO GO IN SANTIAGO

If you are a foreigner visiting santiago for first time, I honestly recommend you visit other cities, because Santiago is a very unclean and boring sometimes. Whatever, you can find some interesting activities and places where spend a good time and meet people. First you must taste Chilean food so you should visit the central market. In this place you will find lots of meats, seafood and other typical meals like empanado. Following with the tour, in central plaza or "plaza de armas" (you can take the subway) there are some historical buildings and museums to. Other intersting place there is the cathedral, built after the founding of Santiago. In Forest Park you can get a lot of fun, most of people met there. On Sundays there are shows of jugglers and acrobats. Finally two great places are the stage of Italian audax la Florida district, home to the best team in football soccer of this country and then you can drink a good beer in rockandguitarras club in Macul avenue, listening a rock bands alive. I chose these sites because most of them I know very well and I have visited more than once, so I can assure you'll have a good time. That's all.

SEPTEMBER 18TH

This date is a very important date to Chile because one hundred ninety nine years ago people made the first "junta de gobierno", when Napoleon took prisoner to the King of Spain, FernandoVII. But most people believe that in this day we celebrate the independence of the country, but is not true. Anyway, in national holidays we do typical activities like fly kites, eat empanadas, drink chicha that is an alcoholic drink made of grapes, and cook barbecues. Almost all of Chile, and especially in the countryside people build Ramadas or fondas, that are places where you can eat chilean food, play typical games like trompo, dance the cueca and drink a lot of chicha or wine. There are several Fondas in the city like o'higgins park, but the best are in the countryside. Me and my family go to Linares, near Talca. Linares is a small city but in this date the fondas are really big and are builded in the middle of countryside. People practice a very strange sport call Rodeo, where huasos in their horses follow a little cow. Is very entertaining, but sad for the pour cow. This year I will not go to Linares and stay in Santiago because I have a lot of work. Probably I will see my friends and go to the city's fondas that are very entertaining to.