General Information

Date

December 10th-18th.

Address

Universidad de Chile, ICT Building

Beauchef 850, Casilla 170/3 Correo 3, Santiago, CHILE.

Phone: (56 2) 695 27 61 - Fax: (56 2) 671 27 99

E-mail

To contact us: optimo@dim.uchile.cl

E-mail during the meeting: flama@dim.uchile.cl.

Web site: http//:www.dim.uchile.cl/~optimo/

Registration

Registration for the School and 5FLAMA will take place at the Secretary of the meeting located at the second floor of ICT building (see map) on Wednesday, Dec. 9th, from 16:00 through 19:00 and also on Thursday, Dec. 10th, from 8:00 to 8:45.

VISA

CEE citizens are not required to hold a visa to enter Chile. Citizens from Argentina, Brasil, Peru, Uruguay, need only a national identity card. Participants from other countries are advised to check at the closest chilean consulate.

Moving around

Santiago's International Airport is located 17kms from downtown. You may reach downtown by:

- bus (US$2)

- minishuttle Transfer or Delfos (recommended, US$8, counter located at first floor of the airport)

- taxi (approx. US$20).

The best way to move at Santiago is by Metro (subway). You can buy individual tickets, or you may purchase the "Boleto Inteligente" which automatically discounts the price of each trip until exhausting the total value of the ticket. You can also reach virtually "any" part of Santiago by bus...the sometimes picturesque "micros"... you should try that once! There are no tickets for the bus, and you pay directly to the driver. Price for micro or metro is approximately US$0.40 per trip.

Reaching the congress site

The congress will be held at the ICT Building of Facultad de Ciencias Fisicas y Matematicas, Universidad de Chile. The simplest way to get there is by taking metro line 1 and change to line 2 at Los Heroes station, direction La Cisterna (see map). Get off at Parque O'Higgins station and walk through the park (3 minutes) to reach Avenida Tupper. The Faculty is the group of buildings across the street (see map). From there follow the "5FLAMA" announcements.

Hotels

Alcala del Rio

Padre Mariano 331, Providencia

Phone (56)(2)2360871 - Fax (56)(2)2360987

Single 68US$ / Double 78US$

Conde Ansurez

Republica 25, Santiago

Phone (56)(2)6718376 - Fax (56)(2)6958475

Single 45US$ / Double 54US$ / Triple 65US$

Rent-a-Home

Ramon Carnicer 131, Providencia

Phone: (56)(2)2223241 - Fax (56)(2)2310393

Appartment (double/triple) 62US$

Warning!!! These prices hold if you pay in US$ or by Credit Card. If payed in Chilean pesos add 18% tax.

Climate

During December, weather in Santiago is warm and dry. Maximal temperature may rise up to 30 Celsius degrees, but evening is rather fresh (12 Celsius degrees).

Money/Shopping

Chilean currency is the "peso" ($). Present exchange rate is $471 per US$1.00. Money exchange is available at banks, exchange booths and main hotels. Major credit cards (American Express, Visa, Mastercard,...) are accepted in shops, hotels and travel agencies, and you may also access a dense network of automatic cashiers ("cajero automatico", distributeur automatique) on which you can make withdrawals on your personal account at an advantageous rate. Banks are open Monday through Friday, from 9:00 to 14:00. Exchange booths have the same opening hours as shops: Monday through Friday from 10:00 to 20:00, Saturday from 10:00 to 14:00. Shopping centers are open Monday through Sunday from 10:00 to 21:00.

Tourist information

Servicio Nacional de Turismo

Avda. Providencia 1550, Santiago, Chile.

Tel: (562)236 1420 - 236 1416

Fax: (562)251 8469

For more information (museums, gastronomy,... and much more) take a look at Chile.html