Advertisement
Published: April 29th 2005
View from Balcony - Valparaiso
Yes, the cemetery is atop the hill opposite.Saturday 23rd April 2005 : Final day in Mendoza
Lazy breakfast, the usual:
“Hugo de naranja y medialunas por todos,
Dos cafes con leche
Y dos chocolates”
Mooched around town centre, went looking for pizza at dinner-time and found a market stall selling vegetarian empanadas/pasties.
Boys bought what they thought were bargain PC games but back at the apartment one needed a password and the other consistently froze the pc after 5 mins or so. Back to the shop , we find out where the password d is on the CD and change the other CD for something different. Later we get the password in and it installs fine but does not want to run, repeatedly asking for the disc to be inserted in the drive. Unfortunately it is now 8pm and they did not give us the 24/7 help desk number.
My Spanish lessons come in handy as I manage to explain to the man on reception that I’d like him to order us a taxi for the morning. This is the same man for whom I had to draw a picture of a saucepan two weeks ago !
We also had a deep discussion
View out to sea
Cerro Juan de Dios on the subtle distinction between “manyana”, “a la manyana”, “dias”, “tardes” and “noches”.
I retire early with an upset stomach and have a rotten night.
Sunday 24th April 2005 : Santiago
Awake early, dark, gloomy, cold and raining. Not just spitting but raining, perhaps it really is autumn. We piled in and set off through the deserted, wet, leaf-strewn streets of Mendoza. As more and more raindrops settled on the windscreen I wondered if the driver knew how to use the wipers, maybe it was so rare he did not. We reached the airport without incident.
Checked in and then had to pay local airport taxes. So did everyone else so perhaps it was no big deal.
Took off on time in the rain. Not much to see due to thick cloud. After we had crossed the Andes the sky cleared but we had missed the best views by then.
Pestered by taxi-drivers at Santiago. One wanted 16000 to take us into Santiago or 60000 direct to Valparaiso. I asked at the information desk. They pointed at the bus directly outside which would go to a terminal where we could get the Valparaiso
bus. It would but we did not realise at the time that we were sailing past our stop. Never mind, it gave us the chance to practice our Spanish with the bus driver and the the subway people. Thankfully it was Sunday and not at all busy. Whatever, we got to Universidad de Santiago terminal at 12:45 and I bought tickets for the 13:00 to Valparaiso - no sweat.
Which platform ? “6, 7 or 8” was the reply. I asked at platform 6 and did not understand any of the next three replies, though they did suggest 6, 7 or 8. Finally one of the gestured for mee to follow him behind the bus at platform 6. There was the Valparaiso bus. It clicked. The three busses currently in 6,7 and 8 all had departure times of 12:50. It was pot luck which would be vacant first.
We all had a laugh.
Then off to Valparaiso. Arrived in the middle of the biggest flea-market I’ve seen for a long while. Shame, our aim at present is to get to the hostel and dump our bags. I phoned and they sent a taxi - brilliant.
What
we saw was not very inspiring. Valparaiso is a working port and naval base, not a Cornish fishing village repainted each year for tourists. Most buildings seem to have been well-built from brick or concrete once upon a time. Most now have been repaired with a combination of corrugated iron and stirling (Dave, did I spell that correctly ?) board.
However our hostel was a pleasant surprise, being a detached villa, though it has seen better days it still has style and charm (Hostelling International, Villa Maria Antonieta, Cerro Juan de Dios - big ad in bus station).
I went to bed early, Deb took the boys out to find a shop. They were followed home by a dog.
Monday 25th April 2005 : Valparaiso
Breakfast. Best bread since we arrived in South America. Jam looked good but tasted only of sugar.
Into town. The route down Calle Ecuador is mainly bars which are not open, and which were not open last night according to Deb.
(Observation: The Beatles remain overtly popular in Brazil, Argentina and Chile. Everywhere we have seen a Beatles +/or Liverpool bar, and images of the Abbey Road pedestrian crossing
abound.
One of our Argentinian Spanish teachers told me she was inspired to learn English by the Beatles.
In shops what we might call a turtle-neck jumper or shirt is a “Beatle”. )
The relatively flat area along the sea-front has mostly three/four parallel roads, and a railway right on the front (which means you canot easily walk along the sea-front for the most part). There are millions of small buses, or “colectivos” buzzing about plus an equal number of taxis, though not so many private saloons. The buses have a large sign with a number and route name plus a minimum of three further smaller signs with stopping points in the front window. Some also have additional info on the side window written in the white stuff that greengrocers and butchers used to use in England.
The boys want to go to a beach so we walk to the nearest, past lots of tiny, ancient-looking shops and a spanking new supermarket. I noticed clusters of men in many shop doorways. They were watching, and queuing up to play amusement arcade machines but each shop had just one. They were not just one-armed bandits, some were the waterfall
type where your coin has to nudge others over to the next level. Perhaps there’s an opening for an amusement arcade here ? Or maybe whoever runs the casino in neighbouring Vina del Mar controls licencing here.
After a dusty walk we reached the beach. It was not too pretty, with the “prom” and seawall currently being rebuilt. I thought I knew the name of the next real beach around the bay. We walked to the next stop and hurriedly scanned destinations on the next bus. I stuck my arm out in good time …and the bus stopped about 150 yards down the road.
“Playa Ancha”
“Si”
“Cuatro,por favour”
We took our seats and had a tour of one of the higher suburbs before the bus rejoined the main road and we sailed back into town again !
We got off the bus at the other end of town. Time to eat. I saw a place called Donde Yoli. We piled in, the boys were happy as Today’s Special was burger, egg and chips plus a fizzy drink.
Deb and I were not quite so lucky. I had seen lentils on the menu but on enquiring
(in Spanish of course) how they were cooked it turned out they involved some kind of meat. Never mind, the chips were freshly cooked and the salad delicious.
Took our time walking back through town. Still unimpressed.
A different dog followed us back to the hostel, occasionally making off to chase taxis but always returning.
On t’Internet made some enquiries re flights from Lima to Cusco to try and avoid arriving at Lima , battling into the city and then out again a day or two later. We’ll see.
Tuesday 26th April 2005 : Vina Del Mar
Breakfast bread brilliant again.
Successfully boarded a bus for Vina del Mar, and disembarked at Vina Del Mar too.
Wandered around a big park and up into a concrete amphitheatre.
Walked into what I thought was the Museum Fonck and it turned out to be the town library. Found Fonck next door. Two charming buildings amongst what is mainly modern holiday and residential apartment blocks. Museum very good, had significant exhibition on Easter Island , 25% in English - enough for the boys. Also info on many tribes/races I cannot recall hearing of before
who inhabited the Pacific coast of S America over the last 1800 years.
Onto the beach and Rory dug a hole while Owen gazed thoughtfully into the distance. Too cold and dangerous for swimming.
Caught the correct bus back to Valp’o, did some shopping for tea and were followed home by a third dog. I think that did it for us, we do not expect to return here.
Wednesday 27th April 2005 : Back to Santiago
Breakfast bread brilliant again.
Taxi to the bus station, Santiago bus just about to leave - straight on the bus no messing. Comfy ride to Santiago.
In Santiago, tube to Los Heroes, found hostel, brill.
Dumped bags and off out. But it got cool, and then cold !
Bunch of people in Plaza de Armas banging saucepans etc but I never figured out what the protest was.
Bought socks for boys, went to supermatket and returned to get warm and cook tea.
Lovely wine, Los Misiones 2003 carmenere. Only 2000 Pesos.
Tips for somewhere to stay in Mexico. Then bed.
Thursday 28th April 2005 : What a difference a day makes
Woke up to pouring rain and coolness. No-one on the pc, checked email. Agent wanted signed docs and photocopies of passport and credit card to arrange Cusco tickets. I replied appropriately.
Two hours later the sky had cleared and it was beautiful.
Had breakfast and set off for LAN Chile shop to book tickets direct. No probs once we found it. Now we can plan our stay in Cuzco and the valley.
Next wander along the Parque Forestale. Not as foresty as I expected but OK, found my second equestrian statue. Found way to the Cristobal Teleferico. Bought tickets and off we go - first on the funicular, then visit the church of the Virgin at the top then on to the cable car. No big deal but Deb not too comfy. Fortunately it did not halt during our first leg. Got off and then it stopped, but started again not long after.
Once we were back on for the return journey it stopped with us in mid-air - wahoo !
Advertisement
Tot: 0.15s; Tpl: 0.017s; cc: 22; qc: 88; dbt: 0.0835s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.3mb
