Great, now I find out I wasn’t supposed to go to the Concha y Toro winery — just outside of Santiago, Chile — because it’s considered “wine for dummies” (I don’t know, I thought the wine was quite good myself), and, instead, I should have trekked to the Casablanca or Colchagua valleys to sample the country’s best wines.

For a few more tips, this week Matador’s continuing their “What NOT to Do in . . .” with Chile, a country where, according to #9, you’re not supposed to try to speak the language (well, you can try, you’re just probably going to be unsuccessful), or eat the salmon (#8 — it contains antibiotics and dyes banned in many other countries).

My own “Don’t Do,” you ask? Don’t schedule your visit there on the tail end of another trip (ahem). With over 2,600 miles from one end to the other, ranging from temperate, desert-like conditions in the North; the Mediterranean vibe in the central region; to the cool, Patagonian region in the South, the country’s way to diverse to pack in during a few days. (Why didn’t I take this advice? Oh yeah, ran out of vacation days.)

If you want to visit Cape Verde and actually enjoy the scenery, it’s recommended that you skip out on the island of Sal (one of the main islands for arriving international flights) and head out by plane to one of the many other islands that make up this 10-island archipelago, as was discovered in this Guardian article.

About 45 minutes from Sal is Cape Verde’s largest island, Santiago, the lush, mountainous home to half the country’s population as well as to renowned year-round beaches.

And only 20 minutes from Santiago is the island of Fogo (Portuguese for “fire”), home to Mount Fogo, Cape Verde’s highest peak and active volcano (the last big eruption was in 1995). Here you can hike the 2,829 meters to the top or hang out in the small village of Chã das Caldeiras and sample some local wine.

Also, keep your ears peeled for the unique sounds of local musicians who blend musical influences from Africa, Portugal and Brazil (thanks Putumayo).

Though Chile is known for its laid-back attitude, it doesn’t take long for one to discover its vibrant culture.

By Matt Stabile

Let’s just say I was already feeling a little light-headed before I found myself thousands of feet in the air, looking out over the Andes Mountains. Buenos Aires is not exactly known as a sleeper-friendly city, and the last five days for me there were no exception. So by the time I got to the Airport for my 5:45 flight to Santiago, Chile — after only heading to bed a few hours before — my head already felt like I had been aloft for several hours.

I was initially going to spend my entire trip in Argentina, but after finding out that my friend’s brother was living and teaching English in Santiago, I decided that I might as well try to see as much as I could in the time I had in South America. There are plenty of daily flights between the two capitals but no discount airlines operating in either of those countries, so I booked a ticket through the large Chilean airliner LAN for US$250.

On a bus ride back from San Antonio de Areco to Buenos Aires I met a trio of girls from Colorado who’d been backpacking around the continent for the last three months. The girl sitting next to me began showing me pictures on her camera and we came across some incredible shots of the Andes from her flight to Argentina. I told her I was flying out the next day and she recommended getting a window seat to get the best view. So the next day on my early-morning flight when the stewardesses disappeared behind the first-class curtain before takeoff, I sneaked into an empty window seat in the bulkhead aisle and promptly leaned my head against the window and shut my eyes, avoiding any impression of impropriety. (more…)