Random thoughts/ reflections on this part of Chile

After 3 days here, I offer these thoughts;

a large chunk of the population are under employed. Everything is labour intensive. Take for example parking cars. There are no parking meters. On every street there are parking wardens (both official and unofficial). The official ones collected the parking fee. They dont cover both sides of the street, but rather have one person for eah side of the street. They don't cover the whole street, but rather have a person for each block (about 50 metres long), so a lot of people are employed (low wage I presume). The unofficial wardens work the free parking areas (which is anywhere really other than official parking zones. They guide in parking, offer to wash your car (at a price), ensure it is secure while you are away, and stop traffic so you can leave again. All for a donation.
Even local fast food joints have large numbers of workes, who takes your order, finds you a table etc.

The second reflection, this is still a nation of instant coffee drinkers, no filter coffee (well I found one place yesterday at Vina del Mar). But that aside, all the coffee houses offer instant coffee.

Third reflection: This si a country for stray dogs, they are everywhere, they wander everywhere, they foul everywhere, but people tolerate them, feed them etc. They all looked pretty healthy, but sleep everywhere (you have to watch where you walk.

Fourth: They don't believe in using indicators when driving, they see a small gap and go for it. I'm glad I am not driving.

Sunday another town

After breakfast - very European (ham and cheese with little pieces of bread) we drove to Valpraiso, the main port of Chile. What a busy palce..very long local market full of evrything you ould imagine (from what I could see out the car window). Found a car park then went up a funcular (cable car) to explore the old part of town. I should mention that Valpariso is built on hills, so the houses appear to cling to steep hillsides. Up amongst the house the roads are very narow and windy. All the houses are painted in bright colours, very spectular sight. After a time we caught another funcular back down. This mode of transport is under threat of disappearing and are under some kind of international environmental protection. Pablo assures me the local government is doing something about protecting them. Anyway we arrived at the port section, saw the Chilean Navy headquaters and a great monument celebrating Chile's defeat of Bolivia and Peru in the battle of the Pacific (in the 1870's I think). Bolivia lost its Pacific coastline as a result of losing this war. Anway saw parts of the Chilean navy (all british brought).
We then headed back to the car and drove to Vina del Mar for lunch (seafood empanada's). Which were great and very filling. Had real coffee and churros on the beach, had a good walk around Vina. The town is very american, all the chains are there - burgerking, dominios pizza,mackers, starbucks etc. around 7pm we left, had just under a 2 hour freeway (well tollway) drive back to Santiago.

Saturday, the beach

After breakfast we left Racagua. Tried to get a park near the Plaza de Armas in Racagua, but there must have been something on...cars and people everywhere. So we drove back to Santiago to pick up Camelia (Pablos girlfriend) then hit another set of toll roads and headed towards the coast. The day was sunny and warm, well after the fog had burnt off. Very large vineyards everywhere. Which reminds me, had a great Chilean Sav Blanc last night with tea.

Arrived at Pablos dad's aprtment around 2 pm. The apartment is right on the beach, no road in front, just a sandy walkway. The water was blue and inviting, but Pablo assured us the water was very cold...this was supported when we watched two girls run down to the water, as soon as they hit the water they did an immedisate stop and retreated back up the beach.

Had a great lunch, hamburgers with lots of mashed avocardo and tomato. We then walked around the beach..lots and lots of high rise apartments. And lots and lots of stray dogs, really thought one or two of them had a death wish as they wandered across the road, which was very busy.

In the evening we went out for a fish meal..it was very good. Salmon, swordfish and some local species called congario (spelling could be a bit off). Had loco (abalone) and scallops for entree.

Day 1 in Santiago

After a slow start, we meet up with Hamish (a NZ student friend of Karla's who is on exchange), we walked over to catch a cable car up San Cristobal. It was closed for repairs. Hamish suggested we walk around and catch the funicular up to the statute of virgin Maria. Well we walked half way round this hill in very sunny warm weather (took about 1 to 1 and a half hours), but we achieved the exercise. While the atmosphere above the city was polluted we did see the Andes (covered in snow) plus aview over a very large city (population 5 million or more). We then caught the subway back to Providencia. Stopped at Dominio's (as suggested by Pablo) for an Italian hotdog and fresh fruit drink. Very good, would recommend the place.
We then packed our bags as we were off for the weekend. We drove down to Rancagua (about 100 km's south of Santiago. The road was a toll road all the way. An example of private public partnership, where you had to pay every 15km's either electronically or at booths. According to Pablo the roads were built by Spanish companies so they have to get their return on investment ($6000 pesos approximately NZ$18). Rancagua is where Pablos mother lives, so we had dinner with her and Pablos younger brother. Their house is a large mansion in a gated community, very, very large by NZ standards. The meal was excellent, fish and shell fish.
With it being Lynley's birthday she was showered with gifts. Pablo and Hamish gave her flowers and Pablos mother gave her a birthday cake and perfume. Extremely nice of them.
While driving down we detoured to see Pablos mothers gym, a very big business and she is planning to build another on.
Racagua has a population of 300,00 it is a mixture of old and young buildings and narrow streets. The whole trip (once we left Santiago was through horticulture - vines, kiwi fruit and orchards. Avocardo's were $400 a kilo (that is NZ$1.25 ).

Tomorrow we are off to the coast to stay the night at Pablos fathers apartment. the name of the town is Algarrobo, it is south of Valparaiso and Vina del Mar. Looking forward to that.

Until tomorrw...ka kite ano.

Finally here in South Ameica

Well, Chile to be correct.
The flight over went well. LAN Chile was surprisingly a good airline. While the flight (11 and half hours) began to drag out the entertainment selection was very good. The flight, which arrived 10 minutes early, took a very southern route. The on board flight plotter showed we flew close to Antartica before turning north to Santiago.

Pablo picked us up from the airport and gave us a brief tour of the city before taking us to his apartment, for a brief (3 hour sleep) rest. In the late afternoon we took the subway downtown for a typical Chilean meal. We ate at the Catina El Hoyo (apparently has an international reputation). The meals were rural in basis being pork and beef with potatoes. Very typical. It was a very pleasant experience (somewhat marred by smokers- in Chile they allow smoking in sections of the resturant). After that we walked around the central part of downtown Santiago. Visited the Moneda (where Allende Goosens) was deposed in 1973. Visited the Plaza de Armas (vrey busy) anda display about Pacific culture (Easter Island and other pacific island nations - NZ included). To do this sightseeing we had to use the subway, very glad to have Pablo and his girlfriend - Camelia acting as guides. The subway is very modern and effeicient, all so very packed as it was peak hour travel.
The weather was very sunny and warm, the evening very mild, like a NZ summer night. Most enjoyable.
Getting accoustomed to the rapdid spanish and currency and prices will be a somewhat drawn out affair I am affraid to say.
The other noticeable feature of Santiago is just how modern it is, also how americanised it is, all the fast food outlets you associate with both NZ and US are everywhere. I did see a few shantytowns on the river bank while driving in from the airport.

Now it is time for sleep. Tomorrow we are driving south to visit Pablo's mother and his home town.
All in all it was a great day 1 in Chile and South America (and of course Hawkes Bay won their game against Tasman- who were in Wellington airport as we were flying out).
Ka kite ano

Our 2009 adventure

After a few months of planning we are due to leave for South America. This trip will see us visit parts of Chile, Bolivia and Argentina. After some 29 years we are returning to South America, with both excitement and trepidation. Our first port of call is Santiago, Chile where we are visiting Pablo (our AFS student from 2002), then we fly to Santa Cruz (Bolivia) to visit Marielia (AFS student from 2003), then it is back to Chile to spend time in the Atacama desert before flying on to Buenos Aires.

We hope to keep daily blogs.