in the long, skinny country: Los medios de transporte

So, we have mentioned a few modes of transportation, but until now we haven’t given you the best glimpse of them or their characteristics. There are some really interesting ones here in Chile.

Micros

These exciting, scary, interesting, prayer-inducing vehicles are the main form of transportation I take every day. They are your typical city bus, albeit a little smaller than the ones in the States. It’s exhilarating! Flying around the tight curves in the road, without slowing down. God forbid you be on one during rush hour. You will be crammed up next to strangers and get to know each other in an almost Biblical sense, hoping you put on deodorant that morning and that your breath doesn’t smell too strongly of the tea you just drank. I have mixed views about the micro. It’s efficient to use during non-rush hour traffic, and affordable. I’ve had some extremely nice micro drivers and some others who I’m fairly certain cheated me out of 12¢. What’s more, sometimes they won’t stop. Whether they’re too full or the driver’s having a bad day, we’ll never know. They run around the clock, but you might have to wait since there are fewer on the rode as the night gets later.

Price: Cheapest. $120, $150, or $180 Chilean pesos with a student bus pass. It’s usually $370 for other times, or for local trips $300. The prices are standard no matter the time.

Colectivos

These interesting vehicles are similar to the micro, in that they have assigned routes they take everyday. However, they offer you the comfort of less people and perhaps the possibility of being dropped off exactly where you need to go. It is literally a car, with a sign on top showing the routes. I have mixed views on colectivos. I’ve had a few great drivers who were nice and tried to talk to me about my time in Chile. I’ve also some quiet ones who didn’t feel the need to look at me, and one whom I’m fairly certain would have tried to keep my change had I not been staring him down. They are pretty readily available; more so than the micro, especially as it starts to get later.

Price: More than a micro. To get to Rachel’s house from my house will cost me $700 pesos. More local trips could be between $400 and $600 pesos. However, the price of a colectivo goes up after 11pm.

Metro

The metro is an amazing invention. Something the states should incorporate into their mass transit systems… Oh, wait. We have the subway too. However, el metro is pretty nice and a very fast way of getting around. It is underground which offers cover from the elements while you wait. It does have a somewhat more guaranteed schedule than the micro or colectivo. They open at 6:00am and stop running most nights at 11:00pm. As mentioned, rush hour can be hectic. You will also be squished next to people who can’t help but be amused at how pale your skin is or how blond your hair is. (Or is that just me?) Also, you get the added excitement of people performing on the metro. Usually it’s a guy with a guitar. Street vendors also make appearances from time to time: selling their sweets, selling their bracelets, selling (insert something else you don’t have a need for.) Just say “no, gracias” and you’ll be fine.

The metro uses a system wherein you scan your card through a machine that lets you pass the gate and then when you exit the station, you scan your card again and actually pay for your ride. The rates vary by day (the weekends are cheaper than weekdays) and by time (during rush hour it's a few pesos more expensive than other times). And of course, the further you go, the more you pay.

Price: A ride from our school to Rachel’s stop by her house usually costs $273. Not too shabby.

Bus UVM

Now this monster is what every band or choir kid could recognize: a charter bus! Once a week Rachel and I catch this sweet ride on our way to the main UVM (Universidad Viña del Mar) Campus, Rodelillo. It has a very specific schedule and has never failed us. It’s a luxurious space inside with slightly leaning seats (just enough to give you the sleepies before you arrive for class) and plenty of scholarly chatter. There’s only one thing we have to watch out for. The last Bus UVM leaves from the Rodelillo campus at 8:40pm and we get out of class at 8:30pm. It hasn’t been a problem yet though. What’s more, this bus drops me off at my doorstep since I’m on the way down the hill.

Price: FREE!!!! ABSOLUTELY, 100% FREE!

While colectivos are black cars with signs on top,
taxis are black cars with yellow tops.

Taxi

Taxis here are just like back in the states. Call/Hail one, get in, tell the driver where you want to go, done. Perhaps similar to home (I wouldn’t know because I’ve never taken one here, or there) taxis are quite expensive. We were told to take one if we didn’t feel safe in an area or needed to get home quickly. The very cheap part of me says I’ll never feel the need to use one, and I hope I don’t.

Price: A ride home from somewhere in Viña could easily cost you $20-$40 American dollars, if not more.

Victoria

Need to get somewhere in style? Take a horse-drawn carriage. These animals show just how touristy Viña really is. I hear they’re a little expensive and I’ve never felt the need to take a tour of the city when my feet are perfectly capable of showing me the way. The horses are pretty and it’s amusing to watch them slide along the concrete with their horseshoes on.

Price: too much.