OK car enthusiasts (Lanny), we start with a call for help! While walking in downtown Vina on Sunday, we came across a couple of gems from the General Motors archives. We didn't get a chance to talk to the owner(s) to get the story on these so now I'm looking for an authority to identify them.
The oldest GM vehicles that we had seen up to this point were early 70s Novas. My guess on this one is an early 60s Chev Impala.
And this one. . . late 50s Pontiac or Oldsmobile.
While we were out for another walk around the lovely Vina del Mar, we came upon another wonderful example of our favorite tree. (It sounds odd to be talking about a favorite tree. . . .)
Anyway, we still don't know it's name and none of the staff in the building know either. The gardener, Mario, and I walked down to the park this morning so that he could have a good look at what I was talking about. After some head scratching and mumbling. . . he thought it might be a Ceibo. On the way out of the park, Mario started talking to a grounds keeper and asked him. His answer was Bamboo! (NOT!) Ceibo is also not the right answer. Any other guesses out there? If we find out, we'll post it in a future entry.
You may also notice in the foreground that there is a young couple snuggling under the tree. This open show of affection is very, very common in parks, on the beaches and in the streets.
Just a thought . . . but perhaps this helps to explain the extraordinarily high number of babies that we have seen in Chile!
I opened today's post by talking about seeing the sites of Vina and then moving to Valparaiso. Here is the reason. The most prominent building in this shot is indeed the "Oasis". It has been home for the past 6 weeks but will soon be the place that we used to live!
We will be moving to Valparaiso at the end of the month!
You may recall that accommodations in Vina are difficult to find in the Chilean summer due to a massive influx of tourists. As with so many things in life, if you talk to enough people, eventually somebody knows somebody else that has what you are looking for. Through a contact we made weeks ago, we have found a lovely new apartment in Valparaiso. Once again, we are surprised to be moving into a high rise! The building however is in an older neighborhood. We hope to be able to connect with the community and get a better sense of what life is like for the "Average Chilean". There are so many things that we wonder about and have yet to find answers for. I was told recently that minimum wage type jobs would pay about 30% - 40% of what would be expected at home. Remember that the cost of living is very similar to NA. We have met several Chileans that have spent time in the States. They go for a couple of years to make "the big bucks" and then return home with the loot to buy a house, start a business . . .
This also means that they can no longer return to the States as they were staying illegally on a tourist visa. Speaking of visas, in a couple of weeks, we will be making a trip to Mendoza, Argentina so that we can renew our tourist visa upon re-entering Chile.
Sorry . . . I got side tracked!
Because it will soon be our new home, the remainder of this post will therefore be dedicated to the grand old city of Valparaiso!
For those following along, this shot of the San Francisco church will look familiar. We had talked in a post dated September 26, about how dilapidated it appeared. Since that post, the church has been closed due to structural instability. When we were first there, we couldn't go in as it didn't open for another couple of hours. (4:00) Who knew that it would have been our last chance!
There is now caution tape across the entrance.
A closer look will reveal the word "PELIGRO" on the tape. It translates as "DANGER". Mental note: If we happen to be on this street during an earthquake, RUN!!"
Last weekend we attended the 150th anniversary celebrations of St. Paul's Anglican Church. It was built by the British of course and it's size is symbolic of the influence that the British had on the building of Valparaiso. You may also notice that there is no cross or tower on the church. At the time, 1858, Christian symbols were not allowed by "Disidents" (Protestants).
A piper played as people entered. Ahhh . . . nothing beats the pipes . . . at least in small doses!!
There are no longer services held here. It is however, used each weekend for organ recitals. On either side of this shot (but not included) are the organ pipes.
This is one side of the pipes. The pipe organ is considered to be one of the best in Chile and was dedicated to Queen Victoria. You can see her insignia featured top centre. The dates of her reign are also prominently displayed on the organ. 1837 on one side and 1901 on the other.
You can see the organ in this video but we recorded mostly for the sound. Don't worry . . .
you won't hear me singing!
Do you recall what I said in an earlier blog about keeping your eyes on the path before you? If you look further up the sidewalk, you will see more cavernous hazards.
And you think that Canadian infrastructure is crumbling!
We got clever on this trip and were able to cut some of the climbing by using the ascensors. This isn't a great shot (should have shot video!!) but it shows the tracks and one car passing the other. One is on the way up and the other on the way down.
Yes, graffitti is an issue here as well as at home.
While wandering Cerro Bellavista, this street stood out as having some of the best kept homes that we had seen so far. This is what Valparaiso is supposed to be about. In my eyes, most of the city is quite run down and tired looking. While Charlene agrees, she is more able to find an historic charm about the place.
Same street, different direction.
Cerro Bellavista is also the location of several wall murals. (The murals are part of an open air museum near Ferrari Street) Only through Charlene's persistence do we find many of these hidden treasures.
This beach (Playa Caleta Portales) will soon be our closest access to the ocean. Our new apartment is directly up the hill (Cerro Placeres) from where this picture was taken. While we will retain a fabulous view of the ocean, we will be about a kilometer away from the water. Between us and the water is a large university (Santa Maria). We have visited there and hope to recruit some students in need of help with their English as they head into exams.
Random notes:
We had previously reported that recycling (aside from glass) was virtually non-existent here in Chile. While not wide spread, we have started to see more evidence that some paper and plastic can also be returned.
When buses come to a stop, street vendors will often jump on and hawk their wares. Usually, its ice cream. We recently noticed that people were selling packages of bandages (band-aides). It looked like each sheet contained a dozen or so. We don't get it, but someday if I need one and don't have any, I'll be wishing I'd picked up a pack on the bus . . . or not!
Greeting cards seem to be relatively scarce around here. Perhaps it's simply a case of not knowing where to look. What has struck us as odd is that the envelopes are not kept with the cards in the display case. After you select your card, you have to go to the till or the customer service desk to receive your envelope.
And finally, a note on the language. Even when we were studying Spanish last winter, we were being told that Spanish in Chile was "different". The Chileans speak very quickly and tend to "swallow" or drop letters and sometimes full syllables from words. We have found all of this to be true. In fact, people here are starting to refer to it as "Chileno" instead of Spanish.
For example:
Buenos Dias = Bueno Dia = Bueno or sometimes just dia.
Hasta Luego = ta luego = luego
We have also read and since noticed that the letter "s" will often be dropped from the middle of a word.
As frustrating as this is to those of us trying to understand, it was pointed out recently it is not that unusual. Had we, for example, stopped to consider what different countries and regions do with English? How about Texas, Newfoundland, Scotland, England, Australia! All very different.
So . . . while in Chile we will learn what we can of whatever language we need to be understood.
Ta luego
Amor,
Norm and Charlene
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