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Published: April 15th 2006
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La Portada, Antofagasta
In person this is huge and way cool Argh. My dad just typed a summary of today´s travels and what we planned on doing the next few days, and I ("like a nimrod," he says) accidentally opened a song file that changed the web page, and when I went back everything he typed was gone. In my defense, I was well aware that playing a song with windows media player opens a web page, but EVERY OTHER TIME it has ALWAYS opened it up in a new browser.
Well, anyway, I´ll summarize what we did today and then finish up with what I was going to say. Today was my day (so I was told last night), and so of course I decided to sleep in. Dad woke up at 8 or 9 or so, and I slept til 12:30 or 1. It was really nice, catching up on some sleep. After showering and all that, we headed over to Reñaca Beach, down the coast a ways, a really nice beach with a bunch of stores and stuff. I had brought a swimming suit in case I wanted to swim, and the water looked so inviting, I just had to go for it (even though I knew it
Waves
Waves crashing against a rock (that´s La Portada in the background). would be freezing). While I was changing my clothes, Dad asked a lady nearby why virtually no one was swimming. She pointed to a sign about 15 feet away which said (in Spanish) "No swimming." This, we learned, was because only twenty or thirty feet out was a huge dropoff, a powerful undercurrent, whirlpools that would suck you under, a giant octopus waiting to devour you, bones and all, and a hazardous coral reef. Okay, there was everything except the coral reef, but still... that would explain why no one was swimming.
As long as I didn´t go in over my chest or waist, though, I´d be okay, so I went out there. The water was freezing and the sand a mixture of normal beach-variety sand and razor-sharp seashell shards... that kinda hurt, but other than that, it was fun. Afterward wasn´t so much fun - changing back into my clothes - but all in all I think it was worth it.
I threw away the old t-shirt I had been wearing and bought one that says Viña del Mar, which is a pretty cool souvenir, and then we took a taxi to Valparaíso, Viña´s sister city. (By
Viña del Mar
A view of Viña from Reñaca Beach the way, Viña del Mar means Vineyard of the Sea, and Valparaíso means Paradise Valley.) Valparaíso was cool, a pretty little city by the sea, and we saw the sun set over the water while we were driving. But then the wind picked up, and there we were in our t-shirts and Dad in his shorts, looking like total gringos. We took a tram-thing up to an overlook area at the top of Valparaíso, and while we were there I bought some old coins for Grandpa Bown (he´d given me some money for that very cause) and an alpaca jacket, scarf, and hat for myself, as another souvenir of Chile. They´re all pretty toasty.
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This is Mark.
I´ll only add a quick note. (ie: correction. ha). There were not only a "few" people in the water, there were NO other people in the water. Only Justin. During the summer they wade out to the dropoff, but it was pretty chilly. Justin had fun doing it, though.
One other thing, while we were walking through a park, a woman asked for some money for her baby. I´ve been conned before, and I could see she was a pro
Cold
Me swimming in the freezing waters of Reñaca. at it. I thought Justin could use a little culture, so I talked to her, gave her 2 bucks usa. She figured she had a live one, so she said she was a spiritual woman, with insights into the world beyond, and as a gift to us for the money, wanted to give us a "molata", I think she called it. Probably remembering pronunciation wrong, tho I´d had her repeat it 3 times. Anyway, it was a palm reading and blessing of sorts. She was dressed in a gypsy-type dress and poncho. We sat on the grass, she kept telling me to sit closer. I suspiciously clutched by backpack, but that was not her intent.... it was my wallet.
She read my palm, saying I was this and that, and a bit rabioso, which literally means "rabid", but in intent is "occassionally angry" Ok, fine. Kind of like getting a fortune cookie that says you are a nice person. Anyway, then she got too it. She told me she needed another money, not for her, but for me to hold in my palm while she finalized the blessing. I pulled out a coin. She said it had to be a
Cap Ducal
A picture of the Cap Ducal restaurant in Viña del Mar. bill. I pulled out a mil (thousand) peso note, about 2 bucks, assuming that was the last I´d see of it, so together with the other I´d be out 4 dollars, but worth a bit of diversion.
She then said it needed another bill, to form a cross in my hand. I said she could use the other one I gave her for it. She said that one was for the baby, she needed another for ME, not for her. I said I had no other. She said how about this document holder right here?, tapping the lower pocket of my cargo pants - the one she´d tapped a few times whilst performing her magic.
No money, says I. "think I´d bring my money out here where it could get taken by a con artist?", I added, with a wink to her.
She didn´t believe me, and said I had to bring out at least a hundred dollar bill, or the blessing would not work.
I told her I´d have to settle for the mil peso blessing variety then, cuz there no more money is coming out of my pocket. She persisted a bit, and as she folded and refolded MY mil peso, for MY use, it ended up clutched in her hand. Then she turned to Justin, and gave him a quick palm reading, saying he was an exception "straight A" student, and that he´d one day find the love of his life. So, at least he´s got that going for him, which is nice.
We wrapped it up, and I asked her what she was doing with MY mil peso that she was only holding for ME. Of course, she said it had to be a gift now to her, for good luck. She added that if I would bring out a hundred american she´s bless the bill for me, which I could keep. Of course I could. Just like the other.
I said, "nice try". She could tell I was mocking a bit, and ended the session. I told her I wanted to give her a pointer, and said that I liked the chanting parts about the reading, but she needed to spruce that up a bit if she wanted to get the tourists to go along. Maybe add a couple "visions" or "I see dead people" comments. She didn´t think it was funny, nor appreciate the advice.
All in all, a pretty funny time for only a couple bucks spent.
Chao
(as they say (and spell) in Chile - the second greatest country in the world)
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