Changes

The best places in Chile for hitchhiking are easily in the extreme south, in the Region of Magallanes. From [[Punta Arenas]], one can easily find a semi truck all the way to Santiago; while in Punta Arenas,[[User:Themodernnomad|themodernnomad]] was offered a ride all the way to Arica (on the border of Peru), but, sadly, had to turn it down due to the fact that he was trying to lose himself in Isla Riesco.

Chile is a very safe and easy country to camp or squat. Hostals are rather expensive, so camping is a better method. The local gas stations (usually COPEC) are almost always hitchhiker friendly, and will be happy to let you crash behind the place for the night. The cities to exert special caution in when crashing out are Valparaíso (known for a somewhat dodgy center) and the capital Santiago -- those two make for the lion's share of crime in Chile.

Posta rurales :

"In Chile, the posta rurales operate on a no-pay basis, which is very different form the way proper hospitals do things in this country. In the postas, anyone, from anywhere, in entitled to free medical treatment and any medicines that are available, similar to the way they do things in Bolivia. The sacrifice is that the postas are not equipped with proper doctors (only paramedics), or operating facilities. " - from http://hitchtheworld.com

These are only on the Ruta 5 (or Panamericana Sur), but, as usual, are a very good place to hitch rides.

[[File:12326_10150150686580517_883880516_11613816_3268024_n.jpg‎|250px|thumb|right|[[User:Themodernnomad|themodernnomad]] on Reten Y-368, northern Chile, after being rescued by a rogue Dutch cyclist with water. ]]

== Cities ==

* [[Castro]]

* [[Chillan]]