A full day on the town

Saturday was a day of unexpected sights and surprises. We had the opportunity to meet with the Chilean cousin of our neighbor in Saskatoon. We were totally unprepared for the hospitality and warmth of this lovely woman (Ines). See photos coming up. She not only met us at our hotel, but she spent over six hours touring us around Valparaiso, Vina del Mar, Renaca, and ConCon. These four cities are connected one after another along the Pacific coast. Saturday was a beautiful day, and we stopped at many places along the coast to enjoy the sun, surf and spectacular views.

This is the Cerro Castillo palace, the summer home of Chile's presidents. It is located in Vina del Mar. Vina was established as Valparaiso's seaside resort in the mid-19th century, and it is obviously a tourist mecca. We are here at the beginning of the spring season, and even now, it is possible to imagine what it might be like during the height of the summer. We looked into renting an apartment today for one month, and prices are elevated because of the national holiday that takes place on September 18. It would seem that everyone comes here for the holiday in both September and the summer season Dec-Feb. We have decided that we want to be as far away from here as possible during Chilean summer!



This is the casino in Vina del Mar. It is a huge building right on the waterfront. Ines said that gambling is not a big problem here in terms of addictions, etc.; however, we have noticed that many people are buying lotterty tickets in the grocery store as well as betting on the horses and listening to the races on the radio.




This was an unexpected view from the shore along the highway to Renaca. This is all sand up in the hills. Ines referred to it as "the dunes". The highway separates the dunes from the ocean.





More views along the coast. Looking south towards Valparaiso. This city was established as a major port in 1541 by the Spanish. It is one of the first Chilean cities founded and was the main port for Santiago. It became less important after the building of the Panama Canal.








Our friend, Ines with Valparaiso in the background.




A shot of Valparaiso from one of the many heights. It is an amazing city in that it is built on hills surrounding the ocean. We have never experienced streets and driving like we have in Valparaiso! We were thankful that Ines was an expert driver. She got through spaces and tiny entranceways that would seem impossible. She also could teach many of us how to parallel park; although often, there were street attendants guiding people into parking spaces. We never could figure out how the parking attendants actually were assigned to areas. They just seemed to be there, and Ines would pay them 200-300 pesos (25-30 cents Cdn.) for their service. We have yet to see a parking meter.





More examples of the twisty, winding streets......



Norm just had to go into the ocean. He was not only the only man wearing shorts that day (although it was a beautiful sunny day), he was the only person in the ocean!

People here are still bundled up in their warm clothes, parkas and scarves.





A Canadian in Valparaiso.....




The houses here are very brightly colored and appealing to the eye, although one doesn't have to look too hard to see the poverty. The higher in the hills we went, the more obvious the poverty became.



The other thing that is a real issue is the stray dogs and their waste. One must be very careful walking or an unpleasant surprise will end up on the bottom of your shoe! The dogs are a sad reality in the streets. Ines said that many people do not spay or neuter their dogs, and puppies end up on the streets to survive however they can. We saw so many dogs that were sick and thin. Some were injured from who knows what (possibly cars), and were limping along the street. They don't seem to bother people or beg for food, but are happy if they get a handout.

There are also many stray cats, but they seem healthier. Perhaps they have more access to food in the form of birds and mice....




Because Valparaiso is built on hills, the streets are very steep. People ride in ascensors/funiculars up the hills. There are 15 of these located throughout the city. They are like trams, hauled up the hills by cables. Some of them appear as though they shouldn't be carrying people anywhere, let alone up a steep hill, but they are apparently safe. Most of them were built in the early 1900's. We rode in one with Ines.....











Random notes......hotels don't seem to have facecloths. When we were in Santiago, I attempted to ask our maid for a facecloth. Of course, she didn't speak English, and it turned into her giving us a sponge to wash the dishes. Once we had checked into our third hotel, we came to realize that facecloths are not used here--at least in hotels!

Another thing we wonder about is the average Chilean income, what a monthly budget for food might look like, etc. They seem very family-oriented, and children seem to receive lots of positive attention. We wonder about daycare, etc. Do both parents tend to work? We will attempt to find out about these things.

In closing, our time with Ines was incredible, and we feel that we have made a true friend of the heart. However, I must mention that she spoke less English than we did Spanish. We communicated amazingly well throughout the day; however, one funny incident occured during lunch. We agreed to let her order for us, and when she asked us if we liked "choclo", we assumed she meant chocolate. We couldn't figure out why we would have chocolate with our potatoes, but we soon realized that "choclo" means corn!

Until next time.....Love, N&C

It's Friday so it must be Valparaiso!

Actually it's Saturday but all of the content for today's post took place yesterday. I have the laptop set up at the open window of our European style (tiny!) hotel room overlooking the hills of Valparaiso and listening to the sounds of gulls in the harbour. A continental breakfast awaits but first things first....


The squeegee kids have nothin' on these guys! This was at an intersection in Santiago. The previ0us red light was a three person gymnastics performance . . .followed by a request for donations of course. We were on our way to catch catch a bus to Valparaiso. It was about a 40 minute cab ride to the bus terminal ($10 / 5,000 Pesos) and we were able to see more of the city along the way. Some good . . . some not so much!
The picture below is typical of the terrain west of Santiago.



Valparaiso is a port city on the coast. It took about 1 1/2 hours on the bus to arrive and we were unable to book a hotel before arriving. We must have looked lost and bewildered as a young woman approached us and put us in touch with a tourist operator with some English. She in turn got on the phone and found some accommodations for us. As you can see, she did OK!
Look closely and you will see Charlene in front. Below and to the left is a deck overlooking the city where we had a most lovely supper.


Our room . . . yes that's a bottle of wine on top of the bureau!





View from our window looking out towards
Vina del Mar.



It was just about the time that we were taking in the view from the room when we realized that I had lost Chrlene's jacket. We still have hope that it can be retrieved but those hopes are fading. As we have come to expect, the people of Chile go above and beyond in trying to help us out. Our hotel people have been most helpful in trying to help us find the jacket. We think that it may have been left on the bus from Santiago. We will go today to the office at the station and see if it turned up.
We still had time before it got dark to do a short tour of the downtown.



The locals were gathering in the park. Check out the tiles. They appear to rise and fall but of course are flat.


We made quick friends with a local artisan . . .


and made our way back home for supper. Para mi (for me) steak with mashed potatoes.
Charlene had Seabass and mashed potatoes. We also shared mushrooms in a red wine sauce and a Greek salad. (Not like any Greek salad we've seen before but good just the same)


Supper on the deck also gave us the opportunity to relax and evaluate where we were, what our expectations were and re-evaluate the master plan. We were both feeling the need to be somewhere that feels like it could be "home". Skype and email are good but they don't replace a hug or a smile from a loved one.



Random notes of interest from our travels so far: Chilean people are warm and friendly even in the big city of Santiago. More than once, people would stop to offer help when we appeared lost. Two women offered to make a phone call for us to our hotel operator in Santiago, when that didn't work, one of the women took us with her to a call center. Two men in the bus station in Santiago made sure that we got to where we needed to be and one man stayed with us until right before we got on the bus. Road system is good, highways are good from what we have experienced. Everyone seems to listen to North American music. The cab driver couldn't speak English yesterday, but he said "Elvis" when he started singing on the radio. Johnny Mathis was up next! We have even heard Celine Dion!!
We are suprised, even in the warmer climate of Valparaiso, how people are dressed in parka-type jackets, scarves, some touques. There doesn't seem to be a great variety of color in their dress, mostly black and earth tones. Women often have spike-heeled shoes that appear impossible to walk in.

It's now 10:30 on Saturday morning, the sun is shining, and we are off to meet with Inez (Our neighbor's cousin). We will report again soon.

Hasta luega!
Norm and Charlene

Our Last Day in Santiago

When we closed our last entry, the plan was to scale cerra san cristbal (hill of St. Christopher was named after St. Christopher as the hill provided a landmark for travelers) and that is how we started the day. It was a beautiful sunny day and the rain had washed away the smog. We started out at 10:30.
This is simply a lovely neighborhood on the way to the hill.
And speaking of walking anywhere, it seems as though "Don't Walk" lights only apply if there is traffic coming. Locals will cross whenever they feel it is relatively safe to do so! We Canadians are very conditioned to the rules. We also noticed that locals tend to carry babies instead of using ATV strollers that we see in Canada.
















This is a tree that we have come to like although we don't know what it is. The roots are huge and largely above ground. Most look like enormous elephant's feet!















Here is our destination. Among the communication towers on top is a statue of the Virgin Mary along with lookouts, gardens and chapels.












On the approach to Cerra San Cristobal, there was another stray dog. As mentioned before, they are very common. This one isn't dead (I don't think) . . . just having a siesta!












We were glad not to have to walk to the top. This a million year old tram (funicular) to the first level of lookouts. It provides a wonderful view of the city and the Andes.













The movie doesn't do it justice but it was a bit of an experiment to use video on the blog. As much as it was a very clear and sunny day, you can still see a haze over the city. The city is surrounded by mountains and so the smog doesn't have a chance to blow away.







Ahhh . . . the summit! Yesterday I thought that we would find St. Christopher but alas, it is only the hill that is named after him. Mary looks out over the city from it's highest point.
To get down we took a cable car that provided another wonderful view of the city, walked another mile through a neighborhood of individual dwellings, mostly fenced and very well kept, and caught the metro (subway) to our next destination, Cerra Santa Lucia. (hill of Santa Lucia)









We are on top of the Santa Lucia with Cerra San Cristobal in the background. Santa Lucia is a maze of pathways, castle fronts and turrets built into an outcrop of rock. A most amazing place. I would like to find a post card as our photos can't possibly capture this wonder. The founder of the city first camped here in 1540.








And speaking of the city's founder, here he is, Don Pedro de Valdevia.

































Our last stop of the day was the Presidential Palace. Salvador Illende committed suicide here during the coup that brought Agusto Pinochet to power in 1973. So far we have seen no official sign of Senor Pinochet!









Back home now to check email, get supper together, sip vino tinto (red wine) and pack as we are on the road to Valparaiso in the morning. It is on the coast about an hour and a half west of Santiago by bus.








The sun setting on the Andes. This from our balcony.















We now know what living in an ant hill must be like! At certain times of the day, the steets are literally jammed with pedestrian traffic and the smell of exhaust is ever present. We have become comfortable with the subway but we have yet to get a seat! It is always full. The city has been good to us but we are ready to try a little slower pace. We are in tourist mode but are starting to feel the need to put down some roots.

Until next time, we'd love to hear from you.
Love,
N & C

The explortion of Santiago

We set out this morning to find the OTHER side of the big nasty city. That started with a trip to the tourist inf0 office and came away with a mitt full of brochures and a plan. We were off to the "Old" city where we would discover some ,








weird but cool sculptures















interesting architecture














and a contrast of old and new. The church on the left looks interesting from the outside but on the inside it was spectacular. (no pictures as we couldn't have done it justice!)















This is a huge market, mostly devoted to the preparation and selling of every kind of sea critter that you can imagine. We sat and had a beer and a plate of breaded garlic shrimp. mmmmm

























Opposite the market is the highest point in Santiago, Cerro San Cristobal, and we will tackle it tomorrow. It will offer a spectacular view and there is also a huge statue of St. Christoper, the patron saint of travelers. Perhaps we'll stop by and pay him a visit!








It was a long walk home. In fact, we gave up and took the subway. On the way, Charlene met a new friend. Stray dogs are everywhere! Some look quite good but others are the most mangy things that you've ever seen.








Supper was in a restaurant near our hotel where we chatted with a local who had been to Calgary for the Stampede! Small world. Home about 8:00 to prepare for the next adventure.
Love N&C

Aaaand They're Off!

Monday was D-Day (departure day) and of course there were the obligitory photos before leaving for the airport. For those of you saying "Who's the guy in the back?", his name is Justin and is our soon to be son-in law! (After we get back)
















We also couldn't leave town without having a picture at the airport. I often wear a bright color when traveling to be more easily seen in a crowd if we get separated. If you'll notice, the front of my shirt says "Mexico".



















Turns out not to be the best choice. Once we hit the ground in Chile, everyone assumed that I could speak Spanish!
Thanks to those who came to see us off. It was an emotional, difficult good-bye (so long).

Ok. . . so we are now in Santiago (with our luggage! Thank you Air Canada. You ripped our bags but didn't loose them!) and our first day was mostly TCB. (Takin' Care Of business)
A shuttle from the airport to our hotel revealed Santiago to be a large, polluted metropolis. No big surprise I guess! It will be our job to find the beauty and history of the city when we head out later. Our hotel is essentially a small apartment. (Bedroom, Living room, bathroom, galley kitchen and small balcony.

















This is the view of the Andes and the neighborhood (barrio) of Providencia from our balcony








After getting settled in, we struck out to find a power plug adaptor (the one I brought didn't work), and get some groceries.



We got all we needed at a large supermarket















but there were also street stands selling fruit and veggies. Artichokes and avicadoes at this one. Notice the jackets and touques! It's the end of Winter here . . . about 12 degrees.






We also explored the subway system, and checked into getting cell phones. See what I mean? TCB! While doing all this, we soon found out just how little English there is on the streets of Santiago but so far no problem in that regard.






Following the crowd in Providencia, Santiago.








At the end of what was a very long day, Charlene prepared our first meal and of course served it with some fine (cheap) Chilean wine.


For those familiar with the beautiful pottery of Elaine Friesen, check out the wine gobblets! You can't see it very well in the photo, but both goblets have some prairie wheat etched into the pottery. Thanks, Elaine for allowing us to have a little bit of home when we are so far away.











Communication seems to be working as we had hoped. SKYPE is magic and email makes home feel just a little bit closer.
The sky is clearing so it's off to discover something cool! Yesterday we were so tired wandering around the streets of the city not really sure where we were going. Usually we both have a good sense of direction, but yesterday just didn't click, I would think we were going North and Charlene would think we were going South. We did agree at times, but it was all very confusing!
At least today we are familiar with the metro and know where, roughly, we want to go.
Till next time, adios,
Love N & C