Book Festival in Santiago until November 16

If you're already in Chile, there is no doubt that you have noticed the lack of Barnes and Nobel type sit-with-a-stack-of-books-and-coffee bookstores. You've also probably noticed the lack of people with their noses in books. You're in the waiting-room at the clinic, most likely not a single person is reading a book...twiddling their thumbs, talking on the phone, yes. Reading, no. Why? I'm not really sure. As I've previously mentioned, books are much more expensive in Chile than in the rest of South America because of an outrageous book tax.

If you're craving a few cheap books or just want to browse, I suggest going to the 28 Feria International del Libro de Santiago (28th International Book Festival of Santiago). Here you will find thousands of books to get lost in. This year the festival is open to the public until November 16 in the Estación Mapocho. You can get there by taking the L2 on the metro and getting off at Puente Cal y Canto. You'll see the station with huge signs for the festival (as shown above).

The festival costs 1.000 pesos (a little under $2) on weekdays and 2.000 (a little under $4) on Saturday and Sunday. Check the times before you go.

For more on the Feria Internacional del Libro: http://www.camlibro.cl/filsa/