Five cool things about Chile

Detroit Free Press (MCT) - 1. Besides wine, Chile has two intriguing beverages. Try Mote con Huesillo _ a popular summer nonalcoholic drink made with wheat, peaches and sugar water. Or try the national drink, the Pisco Sour, made with the local brandy, lime and egg white.

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2. Divorce finally became legal in 2004 in heavily Catholic Chile.

3. Most beaches are too cold for swimming. The Humboldt Current, a stream of water from Antarctica, rushes up the coast to northern Chile before veering off to the west. People mostly just sit on the beaches, even on the hottest days.

4. The blue stone lapis lazuli is mined in only two countries in the world _ Chile and Afghanistan. If you love lapis jewelry, Chile is the place to get it.

5. You almost never hear Chileans call the Andes "the Andes." They just call the longest mountain range in the world "the cordillera" _ meaning mountains by the coast, or "little cord" in Spanish.

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IF YOU GO:

Upon arrival, you must pay a $131 entrance fee at immigration. Tourists need a passport but no visa.

THE BASICS: Chile is a safe country, although be alert as in all big cities for pickpockets. Outside the big cities, few people speak English. Even basic Spanish can be helpful, although Chilean Spanish contains a lot of slang. Exchange rate is about 600 Chilean pesos to $1. ATMs are available and so are money exchange kiosks.

HOTEL: In Santiago, try the Santiago Park Plaza Hotel in the Providencia section. (www.parkplaza.cl, no U.S. phone number but send e-mail to bookings@parkplaza.cl. About $105-up.)

In northern Chile near Arica, try Hotel Arica, where rooms have a view of the Pacific Ocean. (www.panamericanahoteles.cl; no U.S. phone number but send e-mail to reservas@hotelarica.cl. About $98-up.)

TRANSPORTATION: Most tourists fly between major regions on LAN Airlines (www.lan.com, 866-435-9526 ). Chile also has bus and train service, or rent a car. Some spots in southern Chile are inaccessible except by boat or air.

TOURS: Unless you plan to stay only in the Santiago area, it's a good idea to set up a tour ahead of time.

Try the agency Visit Chile (www.visitchile.com, 800-560-2340). It offers a wide variety of tours and can create a tour based on what you want to see.

Or contact MC Tours, based in Santiago. In addition to typical city or winery tours, it can arrange more specialized tours, such as a Pablo Neruda tour or human rights tour (www.mctours.cl; no U.S. phone so send e-mail to tours@mctours.cl).

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© 2009, Detroit Free Press.