A Day In The Life

It's nice to see you have returned for another update!

We have talked in the past about becoming part of a small community and having new friends over for supper. It wasn't planned this way, but as it turned out, this would be our Thanksgiving dinner. Between us are Alethea and Bill Eason of California. They have been in Chile for almost a year. Alethea teaches at a girl's school while Bill tutors students in their home. With elections front and centre in both of our homelands, and having met at church, we covered both politics and religion and managed to end the night as friends! Good sign!
Alethea has also published a children's novel called "Hungry". (Harper Collins)



Saturday was also "Time Change" day here, so we of course moved our clocks back before going to bed. Dooohh!! As we are going into summer here, we should have moved the clocks ahead! I've never really stopped to think about the effects of time change from north to south. Anyway, we are now three hours ahead of Saskatchewan.

We spent Monday wandering around our neighborhood and taking pictures of what daily life looks like. We have talked about the pleasure of shopping for fruits and vegetables at the local market. The apartment building in the upper right is not ours, but is close to it. The market is three blocks away from home.






On this corner there are several small shops, including this newspaper stand. It is immediately outside of the veggie store, and by magazine stand standards, is quite large. These kiosks are very common, especially in the older downtown area where pedestrian traffic is higher. As you might expect, they also sell chocolate bars, gum, cigarettes, etc. . Some also have pay phones attached.



In the downtown area, it seems that most proprietors will sit inside the booths virtually all day.
Chlostrophobics need not apply! There is barely room to change your mind!



And after you pick up your fresh fruit, vegetables and the paper, you can stop at the Ferreteria for some supplies. I needed a screw driver for my chair project, and this is where I went. (ferreteria = hardware)




There is also another veggie market between the hardware store and the corner market. You can see some of the produce on the right. To the left is a flower stand that is run by the same people that run the small veggie market. They are very friendly people.



Charlene keeps fresh flowers on the table and buys a bouquet of Alstromeria for about $3.00.
There is no reason for men not to bring flowers home!





A little further afield now as we made the 20 minute walk downtown and stumbled upon the home office of the local football team, Everton. Early in the blog we mentioned the Sausalito Stadium and wanting to take in an Everton home game. That hasn't happened yet, and I have been unable to find the date of the next home game on line so when opportunity knocks . . .

The office was locked but we managed to get in and ask a question or two. . . sort of. We left not knowing too much more than when we arrived but did get a short look around and a glimpse of what felt like a hallowed shrine of championship memorabilia. It seems that there is a break in the schedule with play resuming in November. Attending a football game in SA is on the list of "musts" before we come home. By the way, the stadium is named "Sausalito" as Vina del Mar is a sister city of Sausalito, California.





Still in the downtown area, and more specifically at the Plaza O'Higgins, there are many hansom cabs available and they seem quite popular with the tourists. There are also several in our home area as we are close to the ocean and the casino, and therefore a high volume of tourists. Generally, the horses don't look very healthy.
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Some of you have wondered whether Halloween happens in this part of the world. As you can see, the answer is "yes". This is a display in a grocery store. Time will tell what form it will take and what differences we'll see between what we are used to and what we will see here.



If you are living around here and would like your car washed (inside and out), you can park on the street, make a deal with a local parking attendant / car washer and walk away. The people that wash the cars have 5 gallon pails of water available and always seem to be busy. This seems like a pretty good system but also makes us think about the question of employment. It seems that most people are working at something, whether it is washing cars or selling trinkets on street corners. We have seen very little panhandling here.



While walking (and we have done plenty!) we have learned to keep our eyes on the path that lies ahead. This grate is in place but behind it is a cavern that would normally be covered with wooden planks. This one has been open for days now with no warning and is only an example of the danger that is everywhere. Friends (Bill and Alethea) witnessed an incident in Valparaiso where a child fell into a hole. The mother then disappeared into the hole as she jumped in after her child. A ladder was needed to get them out and fortunately, neither were hurt.



With the advent of Daylight Savings time, there is more time in the evening to enjoy the beach. As we walked, we came across some artwork.
(You can decide which one is most like me!!)
The artist said it took him 12 hours for the gorilla and 5 hours for Homer. We believe those numbers to be correct but we sometimes walk away from Spanish conversations (even very basic ones) and wonder if either side really understood what the other was saying.



Of course, Homer has an empty cervesa in his hand!



Ending the day by sitting on a rock and watching the waves roll in is something that we have come to appreciate and will miss when we move on to our next location.
Till then, . . . . aaahhhhh!



Random notes:
Wave update - The waves have once again grown and it is a full moon. Admittedly, my research may not hold up in the scientific community but what we have witnessed coincides with what I have read on the net about the tide cycles. (higher tides during full and new moons)
Whatever the reason, the larger waves are infinitely more interesting to watch and listen to.

Shopping - As discussed, small shops of almost every variety are commonplace here. There are also monstrous grocery, hardware and home furnishing stores. This contrast reminded us of a large home made poster that we saw when we first came to Valparaiso. I don't recall the exact wording (mostly because it was in Spanish) but the message was to preserve the traditional methods of shopping. Judging by the crowds in the supermarkets, the large retailers are winning the fight. Given that, we hope that the "little guys" can keep enough market share to survive. It is definitely part of the charm of this place.

This afternoon we are off to look at an apartment in Valpariaso. Valparaiso has such a different feel about it that life would be significantly different there. Different, however, is not necessarily bad. We are also hopeful that we will have a student starting on Monday. We will let you know how these and other adventures turn out in the next installment!

As the Chileans say "Ciao"
Norm and Charlene

Odds and Sods

Welcome back folks!

In our last post, we mentioned that we were posting our billboards in Universities and grocery stores. Not only will this help to get our name out there, but it is also an excuse to talk to the school administration while seeking permission to use their bulletin boards. On a couple of occasions, we have come away with heightened optimism about our prospects. On one hand, it's good to have hope. On the other, it's a disappointment when nothing materializes. This is Charlene at the University of Vina del Mar. It is about a 30 minute bus ride from downtown to the campus on a free University bus system. This campus, one of UVMs many, is out of town on the highway to Santiago.



Phase 2 of the ad campaign is the distribution of business cards. We have become very familiar faces in the local print shop, mostly because it's close to our apartment, and the resident graphic artist speaks reasonably good English. This is Loreto and I designing the business cards.
We hope to distribute them to businesses and perhaps on the street to people who look like they may have the resources to pay. Something will surely turn up soon. Ooops . . . there I go again having hope.




Last Saturday (October 4) felt like a good day for a trip to "the city". Charlene had found a shop in Santiago on line where she could pick up some supplies not available in Vina. We would also check out sights that we didn't get to during our first stay.
Once again, transportation turned out to be very easy. Twenty minutes on the bus to Valparaiso, buy a ticket to Santiago (4,200 pesos each = $8.40), and literally turn around and get on the bus for a 90 minute ride to the big city. The bus stops at a subway terminal, and of course, the subway comes every 5 minutes or so. A 25 minute ride to central Santiago and we were set for the day! It is about a 2 1/2 hour trip from our apartment to downtown Santiago, but as I said, easy!

There was no problem finding the shop that we wanted, so that left the rest of the day for . . .
you guessed it . . . more walking to see what we could see. The first destination was the Museo de Belles Artes. It is an art gallery that is housed in a grand old building from the early 1900's. (It seems that the early 1900s were very prosperous around here). The shot is of two statues in the central hall, but above the stone work you can see a glass dome that runs the length of the courtyard.






This was taken looking south (I think) as we were leaving the museum. Once again the shot doesn't do the actual scenery justice. The park and the Andes in the background were beautiful.

This seems like a good time to suggest to those who may not know...... you can enlarge the photos on the blog. Clicking on the image may do the trick or you can right click and follow the directions. (It won't work with the videos)



Charlene had read about a restaurant in Santiago and we planned our day to end up there. At about 6:00, we found it (always a nice surprise) and it looked very nice. Unfortunately, it didn't open until 7:30. With that news, we headed back to Vina and rustled up a little grub at home. Charlene made herself a sandwich while I satisfied my hunger and curiosity with takeout at Dominos Pizza down the street. (Surprisingly similar to what we would expect at home)

Sunday was another sunny warm day, and after the service at St. Peter's, we strolled to the Palacia Rioja. It is another palace built in the early 1900's by a young entrepreneur. The owner arrived in Chile when he was 18 and among other things, started the tobacco industry. The family lived here until 1956 and after that, the city took it over in lieu of back taxes. The property suffered major damage in an earthquake but has since been restored, complete with original furniture. We were the only ones in the house at the time and even had some English literature to help with the tour.





This seemed wierd at the time, and something that we had never come across, but before entering the museum, we were asked to slip on these booties to protect the floor! Tres chic don't ya think! Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures inside.



After the tour, we walked a block and had empanadas (the best so far) for lunch.... mmmmm!
Since being in Chile, we have noticed the presence of glass pop bottles. There is no shortage of plastic of course but these and other glass bottles are very common. Note the small plaque beside the bottles. This is the menu. Only empanadas were served here, and they were made fresh which made the experience of eating them even better. On one side of the menu fried (frita) empanadas are listed, on the other oven roasted/baked (el horno). The empanadas have different shapes depending on the filling. If you enlarge this photo, you may notice that the drawings of the empanadas have dots. We have tried to figure out what the dots indicate, but haven't gotten any answers as yet.



We also spent some time at the Museo Arquelogico Francisco Fonck in Vina. We find that museums are often a crap shoot. Some are wonderful, some... not so much! This one turned out to be very good, and only a 15 minute walk from home.



The entire main floor was devoted to the archeology of the Indigenous people of Chile. (The Mapuche and Incas). Easter Island (Rapa Nui) was also represented quite extensively. The more we read about the island, the more intrigued we become. The artifacts and presentations would rival any North American museum, and once again, we were pleasantly surprised at the presence of some English information.





The upper level was devoted to natural history. This room is mostly mounted insects while the adjoining rooms are larger birds and animals. There is a stuffed Albatros which made us think of the animated movie in which John Candy was the voice of the Albatros. Bob Newhart also voiced a character. We can't think of the title. Anybody out there know what it is??



Some of the statues on Easter Island were 20 metres tall. How did they do it??!!



One of the things that I find most difficult about being away is not having access to my garage and tools to tinker away at fixing things. There are, however, things in our apartment that are in need of repair. Two of the kitchen chairs were unsafe to sit on and with company coming for supper this Saturday, something had to be done. I managed to borrow some tools from the building and already had some glue from an earlier project so was able to salvage the chairs, and gain a few hours of "repair" therapy at the same time!



With the Pacific Ocean and a sandy beach just 100 yards away, we had often talked about a picnic on the beach. We finally got around to it recently, and it's a very nice way to watch the sun go down while the waves crash in.



We noticed last week that the waves were coming in stronger than usual and have since noticed that they have again subsided. Although the tide doesn't seem to be significant around here, we wonder whether the phase of the moon has an impact on the waves. At the time when the waves were strongest, the moon was but a sliver. We will keep an eye on the moon and the ocean over the next few weeks.



Ramblings:

Early in the blog I mentioned that the sales tax was included in the price tags. This is convenient but we also had no idea how much tax was being paid. We now know that the sales tax here is 19% . . . and it is on everything . . . including food!! The good news is if you are a resident (and making a decent wage) income tax is low. It is a flat rate of 17%.

Some of you have been leaving comments on the blog and we very much enjoy reading them. However, some of you have also mentioned having trouble with your password lately. I have made a change to a setting that should make it possible to comment without the need for a password. Now I need a volunteer to check that out. I look forward to seeing the results.

We feel that we are establishing a community here in Vina. However, there are still things that we are uncertain about. The biggest issue is work. The other issue is finding a new place to live should we decide to stay in Vina. Our apartment is great, but the price is a little high especially when we aren't working. Also, rent goes through the roof during the summer months (December-February), and we know that we can't afford the luxury of an ocean view. So....we will be on the lookout again and will keep you posted as to what happens with that.

After an initial adjustment period ("culture shock"??), we feel we are settling in here and starting to really enjoy Chile. The people are friendly, we are establishing some friendships, we have a church community, we can walk along the beach and enjoy the waves and sunsets, we love shopping at the little corner markets for fruit, vegetables and flowers, there are many sights to see that are just a bus ride away, and the wine is cheap and muy bien. So, life is good, and we need to keep the faith that work will come.

We hope that you enjoyed this edition and also that you have (had) a most enjoyable Thanksgiving weekend. We will miss the turkey and trimmings with our friends and family, but you will all be in our hearts and prayers.

Hasta luega,
Amor,
Norm and Charlene

ROAD TRIP!!

For those of you who like video, today is your lucky day! You'll find 4 movies in this edition.

We start with the previous night when we received a phone call in very broken English. We managed to gather that this person was looking for English lessons and were able to set up a meeting at 9:00 the following morning. We met at McDonald's because it was close and when language is a problem, everyone knows "McDonalds"! (As an aside, telephone conversations with a language barrier are VERY difficult! In person, we can almost always communicate using body language etc.) There were two gentlemen (35 and 55-ish) who were wanting English lessons from now until December. They also said that they represented two others for a total of 4 students. They apparently needed English as they are moving to Vancouver in January to work for a snow removal company. Hmmmmm. We felt that the meeting went well and they were to call us that afternoon. Well, that was five days ago and still no call. Oh well, we have now moved on to phase two of the ad campaign. We have posted our billboards in grocery stores and universities in the hopes of attracting students. In the past, our focus has been on finding employment within an institution.


Ines had suggested a day trip to a village south of Valparaiso, and after the McDonald's meeting, we were off to Quintay. It is a fishing village with a past and apparently a future. If you look very closely, you can see a resort development in the distance. (More on that, and a better look, in a moment)




The village is about 40 minutes from Vina del Mar. We headed out on the road to Santiago and then branched off to the south through the many steep hills, similar to the foothills of the Rockies with similar vegetation. (Pine trees) We did our best to ask Ines about wildlife in the area. She laughed when we asked about bears, and from what we can gather, she communicated that there were only birds, rabbits and snakes in the area. So far, we have seen no road kill on the highways, so we assume that the wildlife is smart enough to stay in the forest!






The village now relies on fishing and tourism, but at one time was at the heart of Chile's whaling industry. The abandoned dock in this shot has a set of rails leading from the end back to what was a processing area. The old whaling facility has been turned into a museum. There is still much work to do but what is there is quite interesting.



Same shot but from a different angle and somewhat elevated. The existing village is off to the right and once again the resort development is off in the distance.



The video should provide a better idea of the area and how everything fits together.



Ines and Charlene. You may notice that Charlene is carrying some paperwork. We were thrilled when an official approached us with an English translation of the exhibits, and that is what is in her hands.



Might you want to know more about catching a whale? First the whale is harpooned, and a grenade is exploded inside the animal. That of course kills him, but now comes the job of getting the catch home. As the whales could be up to three times the size of the boat, they had to be towed back to port but first were pumped full of air so that they would stay afloat.



These frames are some of what remains of the plant. The largest of the whaling companies in Chile shut down in 1965 and whaling was banned in 1967. I believe that today, only Japan and Norway(?) continue to harvest whales.



For the record, I will occasionally appear on camera! (But not often . . . I promise. It's better that I stay behind the lens!)



On the short walk back to the village, this gentleman was filleting the day's catch of Merluza.
It would seem as though you become quite good at it after a million or so!! We marvelled at how fast he worked! There are also other fishy treasures on the table. I believe he referred to caviar.



We have had Congreo both in restaurants and at home. Today we learned what they look like fresh (fresco) out of the sea. Notice the different style of tail. These guys were so fresh, they were still breathing (or trying to!)



From the village we made our way to La Grande Playa. The beach is across the bay and in front of the resort village. Aside from the obvious, what impressed me most was that the resort community has been built well away from the beach. We spent about an hour lingering on the beach, taking pictures, watching and listening to the waves and picking up small pieces of quartz. Ines was particularly interested in the quartz. She referred to its "energy" but beyond that, I'm not sure why.





There was plenty of bamboo washed up on the beach although I'm not sure where it may have come from. We meant to find out before we left but didn't get around to it. I would be interested to know so will try to find out.







Beauty eh!!



Here you get another sense of how far away the resort is. (Well done to the planners!) I suspect that the tallest structures are about 8 to 10 stories.








This was a most lovely spot. We had the beach to ourselves and could have stayed all day being mesmerized by the waves. Charlene in particular loves to spend time near the water. Some of the pictures of the waves turned out OK, so I have been spending some time with Photoshop cropping, coloring, sizing and generally just playing with them. Without the time, energy and kindness of Ines, we would not be experiencing these hidden treasures and we are truly thankful.
The trip home meant a stop for lunch where it was my turn for a culinary adventure. I wasn't comprehending the menu or the conversation between Ines and the waitress so I indicated that she should just order for me. My only stipulation was "no fish". Cazuela is what was ordered, and I gathered that I would be getting soup with meat and vegetables. Indeed, that is what I got . . . . and it was good. The presentation is what surprised me. Essentially it was beef and vegetable soup. The difference was that the beef was still on a large bone, and the vegetables were whole (potatoes and carrots). While Campbell's asks the question "Fork or Spoon", Chileans answer "Fork AND Spoon AND Knife" when it comes to Cazuela! Charlene and Ines had a very enjoyable serving of fried fish.

This week may prove to be a turning point in our adventure. If some work doesn't materialize in the near future, we will need to re-evaluate the plan. We do want to see some of the South and will have to do that before the cash runs out. While we will continue to beat the bushes in Vina / Valparaiso over the next couple of weeks, we will soon begin to look at the south both for employment and sight seeing opportunities.

We always look forward to hearing from you and enjoy your comments and e-mails.

Till next time,
N & C

Some More Bits and Pieces

Several pics but not much to say on this "Clean Up" edition.

This is a shot from a few day ago. We had gone to visit the Palacia Vergara but it was closed. Last Sunday it was indeed open and splendid. I believe that it was built near 1900 by the Vergara family (one of the founding families of Vina del Mar) and has now been turned into an art gallery. There was a bit of an historical re-enactment going on complete with costumes but without Espanol, it didn't mean much.



We're guessing that this would have been a ballroom and demonstrates what the interior was like. It was either wonderfully preserved or nicely restored! This is one of the nicest public buildings that we have been in since coming to Chile. It is also surrounded by a park. This is where I shot the close up of the "Bird Of Paradise" plant and Charlene in the background (from a previous blog).



This painting is spectacular, not only in size but beauty. (Like I know anything about art!!) Note the doorframe to the right of the painting. This gives a visual marker of how large this painting is.



It was done by G. Guay (Le Tullianum - Pendant la Persecution Martyre de St. Pauline) I believe but I haven't been able to find out any more information on it. Perhaps one of you art aficianados will recognise it. We would love to know more about it, as it is truly an awe-inspiring piece of art.



This is the entrance to Sacred Heart Church in Valparaiso. I particularly liked the doorway and its stonework. Right across the street was apparently one of Chile's finest antique shops. While there were some objects of interest, we didn't find anything that we couldn't live without . . . and that would fit in our backpack!







While in Valparaiso, we also came across this monument. The "British Arch" seems to declare that Valparaiso was indeed a part of the British Empire.



We had also mentioned recently that we found an English-speaking church. This is St. Peter's Anglican Church. We've now attended the last two weeks and feel like it could be home. Not much choice actually....if we want church and want it in English . . . this is it!


The church was built in 1906 after a huge earthquake that devastated much of the area. It is a lovely building that has been well maintained throughout the years. We had a hard time finding it as it is tucked away between houses and other buildings that surround it. A very unlikely place for a church it seems, but while in Chile, we have come to expect the unexpected!



My best guess at capacity would be about 150, but I suspect that it's been a long time since the pews were full. The attendance on the two Sundays that we have attended would be about 30. The congregation is mostly elderly and very British! There are however, a few younger couples that we have chatted with. We also chatted with the elderly people....just so you don't think we ignored them!






This is Pastor Richard Pamplin and his wife Lynn. They are British but were living in Switzerland prior to moving here last year. We had supper with them last week, and it was nice to share the common experience of living amongst the Chileans.



Random notes:
We ventured in to the Chilean bureaucracy recently, and that meant an office tower in Valparaiso.
While that is another story for another time, the thing that struck us as odd was the elevator. The building would be about 18 - 20 stories, and I would guess that it was about 20 years old.
We got on the elevator and found that there was a full-time operator to push the buttons. That was the first surprise. The second came when we asked for the 15th floor and found that the elevator only goes to the even numbered floors. The indicator lights show all floors but the buttons only have even numbers. We got off at 16 and walked down to 15!

The elevator operator was just another example of the employment in Chile. It seems that there is an effort made to have as many people employed as possible. Even in the smallest of shops, there are people tending to the customers while another sits in a booth and collects the money. By NA standards, it doesn't seem very efficient but perhaps there is method in the madness.

There are also private security guards in flak jackets in many of the drug stores, small and large grocery stores, department stores and others.

The next edition is a road trip to the Chilean countryside. You won't want to miss that!

Later,
Norm and Charlene