Blogs from Valparaíso Region, Chile, South America - page 2

I wanted to love quirky little hotel Winebox but to be honest, shipping containers aren’t very soundproof so we had a restless night of traffic, barking dogs and plumbing noises, compounded by the continued fallout from the Fritz & Franz pigeon poo lunch. However, they redeem themselves at breakfast with fruit salad, smashed avocado, poached egg and fresh orange juice. I’d almost forgotten what fruit juice tasted like! We spend the morning in Valparaiso with no specific plan (we consulted 3 maps and they were all completely different) other than a combination of murals and funicular railways. We walk down our hill (Cerro Florida) then take the Ascensor Espiritu Santo up the next hill (Cerro Bellavista) to the Museo a Cielo Abierto, an area my guidebook says is adorned with colourful murals. Unfortunately, the museum and ... read more

So the last three months or so have been pleasant, if not a bit sweaty, as it has been summer in Santiago, and the weather has been hot, at times unbearably so, but the traffic has been light, and the smog mostly lighter, and it's been a chance to get to the coast and enjoy the beach, and be thankful that we ended up renting a place with a pool. My mind is still in hoser mode, so it is still adjusting to the fact that it is February, and that any time I see a temperature of 35 degrees, it usually says "temperature with windchill" and has a minus in front of it. So it's been pretty nice to end up going through what is kind of an endless summer that we have been having, ... read more

So I don’t know if you have actually seen a lot of black and white films from the fifties, I have to be honest, I have not, but I do know there is a movie called 12 angry men about a jury (starring Henry Fonda apparently, and not Jimmy Stewart as I thought, I guess not every movie from the fifties was “a wonderful life”) angrily deliberating a verdict. The reason I use that as a title, is one of my work meetings this week was much the same, although it was more like 20 angry hombres, and one semi angry, although mostly retrained mujere (who by the way, is my boss) angrily deliberating a construction project. And the thing is, I have never worked in construction, and am now working on a $5 billion construction ... read more

30-31 juillet et 1 août (À San Pedro de Atacama) "Valparaiso, how absurd you are... you haven't combed your hair, you've never had time to get dressed, life has always surprised you" Pablo Neruda Mon retour à Santiago s'organise tranquillement alors que j'étudie mes options: A- San Pedro de Atacama vers Santiago en bus: 23h de transport Premium = 49 900 peso (100$ cad) B- San Pedro de Atacama vers Santiago en avion (Jetsmart): 2h d'avion = 28 000 peso (56$ cad) + 12 000 peso (24$ cad) pour le transfert vers l'aéroport de Calama + 15 000 peso (30$ cad) pour le bagage. Choix presqu'évident: pour 10$ de plus, je me sauve un 21h de bus. Voilà. Je me rendrai donc à Santiago par les airs. ... Dès mon arrivée à la capitale chilienne, je ... read more

There’s no way to say it but to just say it I suppose. I started dating someone from my dance group…in secret…and on accident. I know that sounds really weird. Let me explain. I met him last year back in November when I joined classes at the YMCA. But like I mentioned in my last blog, I wasn’t too impressed with anything or anyone. My instructor made me dance with a chair, remember? And the “already cool people” that the instructor spent the majority of his time with? This guy was one of them. They were awesome dancers but, the class being separated by levels, I would never get the chance to dance with any of them. However, one of those guys started asking me to dance with him during the breaks. I didn’t think anything ... read more