Ahhhhh . . . the bus!

Without having a car, or any real desire to drive in Chile, the bus system quickly became very important to us. It is also a system that, at times, has scared the crap out of us!! At all times though, and for various reasons, riding the bus has been an interesting experience.

First of all, the big picture. Public transportation between cities, particularly, Santiago and Valparaiso / Vina is world class. . . . comfortable, frequent, cheap and reliable! This story is more about local transportation.

The buses used for urban travel are referred to locally as "Micros" (Mee' cros - short for "Microbus" in Spanish which, in English, means "Mini bus". Spanish doesn't seem that hard, eh?!) They are almost all manufactured by Mercedes Benz and come from a plant in Brazil. As you might imagine, some are relatively new . . . but most have seen many, many hard miles.

The buses come in four main colours and the colours somehow relate to the territory that they cover. There are red, green, blue and orange ones, but by far, we most often find ourselves on a "pumpkin". While living in Valpo, our favorite has been the #510 as we can catch it almost anywhere downtown and get off in front of our apartment building. This shot is in front of the "Jumbo" grocery store. From here, we can be home in about 5 minutes.



Generally, the system is very reliable and efficient. We rarely wait for a bus for more than five minutes and virtually always get to within walking distance of our destination without having to change buses. At about 90 cents per ride, can one ask for anything more from public transportation? This is a sample of a green bus.



The system is very popular among locals and tourists alike. It is unusual to see a bus that is less than half full, and often there is standing room only! (Sometimes, not even that!) We understand that the more passengers there are, the more money the driver makes .... so there's always room for one more!



OK . . . now you know that the buses are colour coded, cheap, well used, efficient, and made in Brazil . . . . but what is it that makes these trips so . . . hmmmm . . . interesting!? In a past blog, I mentioned that the drivers seem to have free rein to decorate their rides as they want. Since mentioning that, and deciding to take pictures, Murphy's Law has taken over, and most of what we have seen lately has been pretty tame. Either that, or we have settled into a routine where we are taking the same buses all the time. Anyway, this bus has a few trinkets hanging at the front. The driver is apparently a "Santiago Wanders" fan, worships the Virgin Mary, and may watch Barney the Dinosaur!



Most interesting though is what is on the divider behind him!



It is a prayer of some sort. We haven't got a full translation but it starts with "Jehova is the Guardian . . ."



I started with this particular bus because, with the local geography (hills etc), crazy (loco) drivers, questionable mechanical soundness of the chariots, and a schedule to keep, . . . prayer often seems like a pretty good idea!! Notice the hands of these passengers. Everyone is holding onto the seat in front of them!



We, however, felt perfectly safe! Slightly above and to the left of the #2 in the windshield, is a Canadian flag!!



This is some video of the daily trip from our apartment. Often, the bus screams down the hill (Avenida Matta) and seems as though it won't, or can't, stop for passengers. (I should invest in a brake shop here!) After getting on, it is important to get a seat before reaching the first corner, or you could be in for a tumble. You will see that we make our way around the plaza (Plaza Conquista) and pull up to a stop. The first fellow at the door reaches in and grabs a piece of paper so that he can punch the time clock that is mounted on the light post.



After having the clock punched, the driver will often carry on at a most leisurely pace.

Exact change is not required but is appreciated. Otherwise, the driver has to make change and give you the ticket stubs while driving.



This guys loves everyone . . . from Pooh to the Pope (and Alex apparently)!!



This bus looks fairly typical with flags etc. at the front. To the upper left you will see two notices:
1) Velocidad maxima 50 (Maximum speed 50 Km) - hahaha . . . ahh . . . they make me laugh!
2) Prohibido fumar - No Smoking (thankfully, that rule is followed).



We don't know what this flag represents, but it isn't the only one that we have seen. The large insect in the bottom right also seems popular!



A large part of the bus riding experience comes from the vendors that jump on board to sell their wares. Almost always, it is ice cream (Helados) or soft drinks (Bebidas), but occasionally, we get the opportunity to buy flash lights, scissors, band-aides, pens, cards, nuts, candy . . .
When you're watching, notice that the buses are moving at a good clip when the vendors jump off.





Sometimes we are treated to the sounds of local musicians who climb on board in the hopes of making a few hundred pesos. Sorry, no video here.

I particularly liked the custom upholstery job on this bus . . . complete with a matching gear shift cover.



Many of the buses also have a seat at the front for someone. It seems to be available for anyone who wants it during the day, but at night, the drivers travel with a partner who uses that seat. We have speculated that the partner is there for two reasons . . . to help drum up business by calling out destinations at the bus stops and also for security for the driver.



The street that runs along the coastline between Valparaiso and Vina is called Avenida Espana. It is from this street that we must make a steep ascent into Cerro Placeres, and home. Many drivers will speed up and take a run at the hill! Now that's exciting! I only wish that the camera could capture the feeling of how fast some of these guys travel! Standing in the isle with three or four bags of groceries while making this trip is well worth the price of admission! Yee Haa! This video will give you an idea of what part of the journey is like.



If you are a real keener, and would like to experience the longer version, this one starts at the bottom of the hill, turns left onto Avenida Diego Portales, turns right up Avenida Matte, goes around Plaza Conquista and, being the #501, lets us off about a block from our apartment. The #510 takes a slightly different route and stops in front of our building. You can also hear the radio playing in this video. The drivers also have free rein over the music, and we, therefore, experience tunes from AC-DC to Abba. Incidentally, ABBA remains very popular in Chile! We have recently seen signs posted in the buses that suggest that the drivers are obligated to adhere to the wishes of the passengers. (ie. Could you please turn that up/down!)



The only thing remaining in our story is the cable cars. These relics are electric and do not venture into the hills. Last week, we got on board for our first ride.



To give you an idea of the vintage, I don't recall seeing any sign of plastic on this bus! The seat backs are metal, the bi-fold doors at the front are made of wood, and unless I miss my guess, the light covers are glass! The cable cars of Valparaiso are on the endangered species list! I'm not sure if that is an official designation or not, but like many things in this strange land, they are in need of attention.



You may have noticed a flood of postings lately. That's because we have been trying to catch up so that we can start the next leg of our adventure with a clean slate. The Valparaiso portion of our adventure is over as of Monday February 2nd. That's when we . . . no, wait . . . perhaps I'll wait for just one more day to reveal our plans!

Hasta luego,
Amor,
Norm y Charlene

Odds and Ends - Part 3

With the U.V. index in Chile running at about a gagillion, perhaps its a good thing that Charlene was able to find me on the beach before I began to glow like the very sun that we worship! Consuming a beer at least kept my core temperature down!

And so . . . I'm back in the blog saddle once again. There is much work to do!

Before I get started, I have some old business to take care of. It turns out that Valparaiso's "Santiago Wanderers" futbol (soccer) team was named after the fellow that founded them . . . Santiago! Thanks Alethea.

It's time once again to clean out the miscellaneous folder, and, by looking at the pictures, it seems to break down into two categories . . . Vina del Mar and Valparaiso. We'll start with Vina.

In 1962, Chile hosted the World Cup of Soccer. The floral clock at the south end of the city was a gift from Switzerland to commemorate the event.



It continues to be a popular stop for the tourist types and, being in Vina, it is very nicely kept and maintained.



This shot isn't too far from the clock, and the building on the left is the Sheraton Hotel. As I've said before, hangin' on the beach is a popular pastime.



Tourists from Chile, Argentina and beyond come here for the sand and surf. Oddly, most beaches that we have walked along have signs posted saying that people shouldn't swim there (we assume it is because of the undertow). Some beaches will post coloured flags to indicate the level of danger on any given day.



It clearly is not a big concern for most people. Although, I believe that the majority of people on the beach are there only for the sun and sand, and never actually go in the water!



This church is in downtown Vina. We have walked by it many times but it never seemed to be open when we wanted to go in. Recently, we got our chance. Beautiful! There was also a wedding ceremony going on at the time.



OK entrepreneurs . . . listen up . . . again! If you didn't like the toothbrush vending machine idea, I have another one for you. In Vina, you can gather 20 or so of your closest friends and colleagues, sit around a table, and have a crane hoist you into the sky!



While up there, you can eat, or have a chef prepare whatever you choose to have catered, or just sit and enjoy the view. And what happens when nature calls?? Lower the crane and scamper over to the bathroom of course.



And yes, seatbelts are required. If this all sounds a little strange, I invite you to check out the website. Afterward, I suspect that it will still sound strange, but at least you will know more about it!



Alright . . . back into Valpo now. What do you do when you need more office space, don't want to move and your home is a heritage building that can't be knocked down? You save the facade, and build the new tower within the existing walls of course! Hmmm . . . interesting. This is the Plaza Sotomayor across from the statue of Arturo Prat.



On the main floor of this complex is "Easy", a giant hardware store similar to Home Depot. On the upper level is the Jumbo supermarket and from the first time that we visited Jumbo . . .



. . . I've wondered how shopping carts can go up and down the escalators without careening out of control.



And it's clearly not due to the amazing control of the drivers! These carts have been sent home by themselves!



It turns out that none of the shopping cart wheels are flat like we are used to. They all have inside and outside edges that easily fit into the slots of the escalator tracks. Now I know what you're thinking, but I assure you that this is important stuff! . . . at least as important as how the light switches work in Chile!



A little closer to home now . . .

For some reason, I really like this shot. It was taken just down the street from our apartment. The two old ladies standing in the street, the hill dropping off into oblivion, and the hills of the city in the background, somehow sum up our world. The only thing missing is a dog sleeping on the sidewalk!



Since being in Chile, we have seen people willing to work hard for what we assume to be next to no money (Washing cars, selling band-aides on the street, carrying 50-pound propane tanks up steep stair cases, etc). Here is one of many fellows in town that collect used cardboard, presumably to trade it in for a few pesos. That in itself is interesting, but Valparaiso's hills add a whole new dimension to this occupation. Consider how you might get a fully loaded wagon down a steep hill. . . . .



The short answer is to jump on and ride . . . but . . . and I can tell that you are already one step ahead of me on this one . . . how does one stop!!!! Notice the rubber pads on either side of the front wheels. The rider puts his feet on these pads and pushes down!! I'm not kidding! Yup, just one step up from Fred Flintstone's brakes. As a side note, I believe that these wheels are not actual wheels at all, but old bearings and all of these carts use them.



And if a cardboard collector is really doing well, he uses one of these units!!



This fellow is a charming throwback to an earlier time. He is the local knife sharpener and occasionally wanders the neighborhood with his cart, stones and whistle.



This clip is just so that you can hear the lovely sound of the whistle. The video itself is not important. (You can also hear the dogs barking!)



A trip to the Portales fish market revealed another welcome discovery . . . an English speaker. Here, she is holding one of the two Reineta that we bought that day. Two fish translated into three meals plus some leftover snacks. Charlene enjoys leftover fish for breakfast!!



Click "Play" if you want a lesson in filleting!



We always enjoy coming across cute and interesting critters during our travels. This guy doesn't seem to share that emotion! He couldn't have cared less if we were there or not, and despite our gentle verbal prodding, he never even bothered to open his eyes. He is sleeping on a binder full of small posters and pictures in plastic sleeves.



And finally, this guy!! Strangely, in a city of about 300,000 people, seeing a donkey on the street is not all that unusual. And yes . . . that's a "No Parking" sign that he is tied to!



Isn't he just the cutest thing . . . in a homely sort of way!



And speaking of critters . . . Charlene sacrificed herself today to the first and only mosquito that we have seen since being in Chile. I don't expect to see another as long as we stay in the city, but it's possible should we once again find ourselves in the campo (country).

Mission accomplished! Our file of bits and pieces is now empty.

We've now been away from home for just over five months! Before leaving, friends warned us that the time would fly by. We wanted so much not to believe them but sadly . . . they were right. We are now just a few days away from leaving Valparaiso and embarking on the final leg of our adventure. We are sad to be leaving but excited about what lies ahead. You, however, will have to tune in later for the details!

Hasta luego,
Amor,
Norm and Charlene

A Dog Day Afternoon - In Valparaiso, Chile

I am sure you will notice a change in writing style in this blog, so I will "come clean" from the beginning and let you know that the editor has given Norm a much-deserved rest and given me (Charlene) the "big" story of the day. Norm was last seen drinking beer on a beach in Vina.....

The title of this blog will give you a hint that this is a story about dogs. Shortly after our arrival in Santiago last August, we noticed the dogs on the streets. Coming from Canada where dogs are either on leashes or enclosed in yards, it was very unusual for us to see them wandering around or sleeping on the sidewalk seemingly unattached to anyone. That was the beginning of what has become not only a love/hate relationship with the dogs of Chile but also a growing confusion about why the situation has been allowed to get so out of control.

Our first night in Valparaiso brought the dawning awareness of just how bad the abandoned dog situation here really is. We realized that if we wanted to live in this city, we would have to accept a number of realities regarding dogs. I will give you a brief outline of what some of these "realities" entail.......Valparaiso has as many as 70,000 abandoned dogs (this number comes from a quote in "El Mercurio", a reputable daily newspaper). "Survival of the Fittest" is the code by which they live......some are starving, some have been injured by cars and are limping, some appear near death with clumps of fur missing and open sores on their bodies, some appear quite healthy and happy. They all have fleas and fleas transfer from dogs to humans (more on this later). They sleep through most of the day sometimes when we see them laying on the sidewalks, we have to look twice at some to make sure they are alive.









This guy was in a panic trying to go down an "up" escalator in a local grocery store. One may ask what he was doing in the grocery store in the first place??



They come to life at night to bark and roam the streets in packs (they roam together during the day sometimes too; once, when we were in Concon, what started out as a pair of dogs following us, grew into a pack of 10 dogs within a few minutes). Interestingly, most of the dogs are very passive, and we have only felt threatened a few times by a dog that nipped at our heels while walking to our friend's house (it is of note that this particular dog has an "owner"). Here is the offending dog.......I must say that once we became assertive with him, he backed right off and he is now our "friend".



This is his buddy.....they are kind of a "Mutt and Jeff" team, and they are the self-appointed protectors of the street. Although this guy is bigger, he is a real sweetheart.



The following photo is of a very "special" (try to put a heavy dose of sarcasm on that word) dog in our neighborhood. This guy barks almost non-stop day and night, and we have given him a "special" name that we choose not to print! (Again....an "owned" dog!!!)



Norm and I love dogs. We do not own a dog, but we admire them for their beauty and intelligence. I have often made eye contact with street dogs here, and there is no doubt in my mind that there is more going on in their heads than we give them credit for. The street dogs do not behave as we think they should. These dogs have a sadness and wisdom in their eyes that speaks volumes of what their lives are like. They rarely wag their tails, and often, they keep their tails tucked between their legs. They do not run and/or play with people, and I have seen them cower in fear from people and vehicles speeding by them. However, I think for some of them, their lives are very happy. They seem to exist with people in a relationship that displays their understanding of their place in society. The dogs do not beg for food, and when it is offered to them, they take it very politely and seem grateful for whatever they get. I have come to see some of these dogs like people who live on the street......they make the best of their situation but some fare better than others.



We have been amazed by the intelligence of dogs many times since being here. Maybe some of you have heard about "The Hero Dog of Chile" (a direct quote from "The Valparaiso Times" online newspaper). This abandoned dog risked his own life to try and save his "partner" dog who had been hit by a car on a busy freeway.

Our friends have told us the story of a dog they "met" in Santiago while dining in an outdoor cafe, only to be approached by this same dog again the next day many miles from the original spot. We have had dogs "guide" us down streets, staying with us for many blocks, often looking back to make sure that we are still following.

The most memorable and heartbreaking personal story of a dog encounter (and cat too, but I will tell you about that later) occurred a few weeks ago while we were with our friends. We visited the Polanco ascensor which is in a part of Valparaiso that definitely shows signs of poverty, but it is not the worst area we have seen. While walking down the hill, we noticed a mother dog with one puppy (the puppy was maybe six weeks old). It was obvious from its condition, that the puppy likely wouldn't live very long, or the mother either. As we walked on, we saw another puppy lying dead on the sidewalk. Very sad....but we had to agree that the dead puppy was the lucky one.

Remember I mentioned the wisdom of dogs? Well......later that same day, we were waiting for the bus in Vina del Mar......A dog approached me while I sat on the bench. He came directly to me, making eye contact, and sat down in front of me. I talked to him saying that I couldn't pet him because of his fleas, and before I knew it, he placed his paw on my knee. He seemed to be acting as a "street dog ambassador" saying that while life can be rough for some dogs (like the mother/puppy we'd seen earlier), some dogs are doing OK. I eventually touched his paw, and that seemed to be enough......he then laid down at my feet, and rolled over so we could all scratch his belly. He kind of reminded me of "The Littlest Hobo".....those of you under the age of 30 likely won't know what I'm talking about!

Speaking of Vina......It has been mentioned in previous blogs that the cities of Valparaiso and Vina del Mar are geographically close, but that is where the similarity ends. Vina is a city totally dedicated to tourists and the wealthy of Chile. It is beautiful, and abandoned dogs do not add to the ambiance.....so apparently, in Vina, they deal with the dogs differently...our friend said that they euthanize them.

Now, I have mentioned that the dogs here have fleas and that fleas can transfer from dogs to humans.....so I have a policy of not petting the dogs. This is very difficult because so many of them just cry out for human contact. However, if you have ever had a flea bite (or two or three.....or 10 or 20), you will know that you don't want to expose yourself to unnecessary risks (just as an aside for those of you thinking of coming to South America....fleas are more attracted to fair-skinned people!).

Cats also have a rough go of it around here, but in general, they seem to do better than the dogs. On the same day that we saw the dead puppy, we also saw two litters of kittens that were obviously very sick and likely not long for this world.



This little one was in really bad shape......



The dog situation can be a very volatile topic here in Valparaiso. A few years ago, the city decided that something needed to be done. We aren't sure what they planned, sterilization or euthanization, but it was enough to set off a violent reaction from an animal rights group......they started setting off bombs! The dog pound is over crowded, and it has been difficult to convince the current city council to come up with the necessary funds to build a new one (we have heard from a reliable source that the money is there, but.....). Two local women have come up with their own solution (which really isn't a solution at all) by taking in stray dogs (see photos).

Photo by Gardner Hamilton


"More than 550 dogs and 100 cats have been housed for the past three years on a small residential property on Merced Hill in the Chilean coastal city of Valparaíso. Neighbors have complained incessantly about the putrid smells and unsanitary conditions that impact the surrounding residential area." Wes Kimbell, Valparaiso Times

A happy ending to "A Dog Day Afternoon"....something is finally being done to address the abandoned dog situation here in Valparaiso. This poster, which we have now noticed in several communities, advertises "free canine sterilization".....



The headline story in "El Mercurio" (January 9, 2009) tells of a sterilization program that will utilize mobile clinics to go into neighborhoods and sterilize up to 20,000 dogs over the next two years. That still leaves 50,000 others.....but I guess it's a start!

I like this photo of our friend, Bill. It shows how special the connection between a dog and people can be. This is not his dog, but rather, another situation where the dog has chosen to "spread the love" and adopted Bill and his wife, Alethea.



So, that is a little bit of life with the dogs of Valparaiso......at least from our side of the dog house!

I'm off now to try to find Norm......

Love, Charlene