Chile vs. Ecuador

We just got to Chile a few weeks ago.  After being in Ecuador for nearly three months, it was odd to see a first world country again.  It was delightful, though, to explore a fresh place, and see all the differences between Ecuador and Chile.  

One of the differences between Ecuador and Chile is that in Ecuador, there are many indigenous (native) people.  On the streets of lots of Ecuadorian cities, you see indigenous people everywhere, identifying them by their traditional clothing.  In Chile, however, there are close to no indigenous people in the cities.  On the streets of Chilean cities, you see people who are dressed in modern clothes, and most of the time, you see no indigenous people. There are some indigenous people in other parts of Chile that I haven't seen yet.

Another difference between Ecuador and Chile is the cities.  For instance, based on Cuenca and Quito, when you say the word "ciudad" in Ecuador, you mean a place with a grid of blocks, semi-crowded streets, stores, restaurants, houses lining the blocks, and a main square, where many people are sitting on benches.   When you say "ciudad" in Chile, based on Valparaíso and Santiago, you mean a place with many people living on grids and grids of blocks, fancy restaurants, skyscrapers, huge parks, and apartment buildings. In Chile, the mindset of a city, is closer to the mindset of a city in the US.  This is because Ecuador is more of a developing country than Chile.

Another interesting difference between Chile and Ecuador is the type of language spoken.  Both Chileans and Ecuadorians speak Spanish, but with very different accents and pronunciation.  For example, Ecuadorian Spanish is slow and easy to understand.  Chilean Spanish is fast, and hard for a non-native Spanish speaker to understand. After being in Ecuador for nearly three months, I was mostly able to know what people were saying to me.  Being in Chile, I can pick up a few words, but mostly hear a mishmash of scrambled up Spanish.

Finally, Ecuador and Chile use different currencies.  In Ecuador, the currency is the  US Dollar, while in Chile, the currency is the Chilean Peso.  I found it easier when I was in a country that used the same currency as the US, because you can get a feel for how much things cost.  For instance, if something costs €10,000 (10,000 Chilean Pesos) it would be hard for me to tell if it's over priced, or cheap.