Monday 30 April, 2018 1800hrs, Los Vilos

The shag was very tame but wasn't that keen to be petted.

A snorkelers dream - rocky and thick weed beds!!

A pleasant enough village to stop over, but I was surprised at the cost of restaurant food - and you won't necessarily get what you think you've ordered. I pointed to another diner's meal that looked nice (a fillet of fish) and thought the waiter understood what I meant - but got two Conger Eel steaks! Maybe the other diner had Conger Eel fillets, I don't know, but I think the waiter should have been able to interpret my request more accurately. I have to say, it was well done and tasty but expensive I felt at 8,500 pesos (almost NZD$20). accompanied only by french fries. The two small Coronas were dear, too, at 2,500 each - in local bars you can get a litre bottle for less per bottle.
Three nights here was enough. I look forward to Coquimbo and La Serena.
There's potential here for tourism and I was dying to get into the sea for a snorkel as it looked so inviting - rocky and thick beds of sea weed which suggested there would be plenty of fish life and maybe even Paua. My hand dipped in the water suggested the temperature was around 16 C which I could tolerate for half an hour or so without a wet suit (Wellington is often colder). But didn't see any outlets offering dive gear for hire. The other potential is trail bike riding - the foothills of the Andes are steep but negotiable and being devoid of large trees would offer great freedom riding. 
I do believe that tourism is more well developed further North - opportunities for paragliding, surfing and more.
Thankfully the host here was able to add credit to my mobile phone using his credit card (mine didn't work, for some reason) so I now have maps and language apps back. My bank account just grew by 376,470 pesos, too! My pension payment! I could save quite a lot by living here! Lol.
Catch up soon!

Monday 30 April 2018 in Los Vilos - 1130hrs

Make no mistake about it, when cafes see you coming in Los Vilos they adjust their prices up for tourists - I just spent 5,500 pesos (about NZD$12.00) for a ham toasted sandwich and a medium cup of coffee - I expected to pay around 3,500 pesos (about NZD$8.00). I've so far only struck this in Los Vilos and hope it's the exception.
I was going to post a link to my next accommodation in Coquimbo, (EDIFICIO COSTA PEÑUELAS) but my blog is public and it could lead to me being targeted by hawkers and others so I'll leave it out - it looks like the place I stayed at in Valpo (a modern high rise apartment with good facilities and hopefully hotter water than here!). At NZD$30 per night it's only NZD$13 per night dearer than this dorm accommodation, which they want me to pay USD$22 per night from tomorrow - not going to happen! I've booked my Pullman Bus from here departing 1330 Tuesday for the 4 hour trip North (7,000 pesos - NZD$15.00). The coaches have beds you can book if you want to travel long distances overnight, but I prefer to travel during the day so I can see the view - I book a recliner that is similar to a "Lazy Boy" lounger.
My plan is to stay 3 nights in Coquimbo and then head inland to Vicuna where access to the observatories is easier. I have one picked out that does tours in English and has a massive 63cm telescope which is state of the art, apparently. Hopefully the full moon will be waning by then as they don't do tours 5 days either side of it - I'll check Google and stay longer around La Serena if I need to.
I haven't been able to find out much about the "Elephant" sculpture which is close to my digs here and I walk past it when I take that route into town but part of the marble plaque on it is missing and anyway it's only in Spanish so I'd be none the wiser. My guess is it was excavated from somewhere around here (as Anne suggested).
There is a large copper exporting port here, just across the bay from the town, but I haven't seen any ships loading while I've been here - it looks like they load bulk ore going to a smelter as it has that kind of infrastructure (conveyors).
My mobile phone ran out of credit yesterday and so far I haven't been able to recharge it - I can get to the Movistar web site and even find the plan I want but can't work out how to buy it. I hope the host here, who speaks a smattering of English may be able to help. Thankfully I still have the laptop and access to Wi-Fi but I'm missing my Google Maps and language translator apps which I use all the time. The maps app in particular has ensured the taxi drivers get me to my destinations by the most direct route (they sometimes seem to try circuitous routes but I can usually make myself understood by pointing out the correct turns to take according to the GPS).
A lost puppy's life here must be a sad one - this little guy in Valpo was separated from his mother and all alone at night on a busy street, looking for some kind soul to take pity on him and take him home for a warm bed and some food. I couldn't, of course, but hopefully some local did!

Sunday 29 April in Los Vilos 2018

Arrived by luxury coach from Valpo, departing there 1520 arriving here 1900 just on dusk. Caught a  taxi to my digs - 1,500 pesos (NZD$3) and managed to draw the attention of the host to let me in. It's cheap - NZD$17 / night and you get what you pay for. Just thought I'd reinforce that! The apartment in Valpo was dearer at around NZD$35 per night but far better value despite being in a big city. Twice the price but 10 times better. It's not tourist season here so the whole town is quiet and I won't stay longer here unless the host is prepared to meet my offer of NZD$17 per night for any extra nights I decide to stay. Meals are also about the same price as in Valpo and Santiago - around NZD$12 with a coffee. I wandered down to the sea front this morning for a stroll and to get some brunch -  I was hoping for muesli (granola) or something similar but had to settle for fish with fresh diced tomato and finely chopped onion and boiled rice (often served on the side instead of potato) unless you ask for papa (fries). Despite asking for a cafe / latte / cappuccino and thinking I was understood I got a hot chocolate which I didn't drink and made it clear that it was definitely coffee I wanted - it came. The fish was disappointing - a large boneless fillet but dry and not what I expected for a fishing village like this. It may have been partly the species and partly overcooked (deep fried in a cornflour coating). There's plenty of fresh shellfish in the market including huge pipis, tuatua and mussells. A large sea lion was swimming under the wharf while I strolled along it and a few fishermen trying their luck with rods and lines at the end - no sign of any catch, though. Restaurants add 10 or 15 percent of the cost of meals to the bill, by the way, which surprised me. Apparently it isn't compulsory to pay that "service charge / tip" and at times I don't. Street vendors, on the other hand only charge the net cost e.g. 1,000 pesos for an Empanada (pie). A butcher shop I was in this morning had no prices displayed on the meat and I suspect have a two tier pricing system - one for the locals and one for the tourists. Supermarkets on the other hand have their meats priced so there's no surprises at the cashier. I'm not cooking, of course, no facilities for that in this establishment but there is a small common use kitchen and dining room where you can fix a coffee (and eat a pastry if you happen to have one).
At last I was able to find an ATM that "spoke" English so I could get some money out - I was getting a bit worried that I might run out before I found one! In Valpo I tried and gave up because I just couldn't decipher the options, but here I found one with an English language option so was able to trawl through the menu to withdraw 50,000 to keep me going for the next week or so - I still had a couple of hundred USD but finding a money exchange is almost impossible and no-one takes USD cash (not even banks, it seems!).
The weather is cool here - the air comes off the cold Humbolt (?) current which sweeps up this coast from the Antarctic but despite that I'd like to get in for a dive if I could as the water is crystal clear and the coast rocky like Island Bay / Owhiro Bay. If the water temperature is above 17 C I'll see if I can hire a snorkel and gear and go in (are there sharks in these waters??). The air condenses into fog as it comes ashore which is how the trees survive - no water in the ground by the look of it - bone dry everywhere!
I may stay here longer in my deserted dorm room (unless a noisy troupe of flamenco dancers arrive to destroy the peace and quiet and I decide to move on earlier) lol.
All for now. Adios!

Maybe the wharf needs some minor repairs?

The fishing boats add a dash of colour to the beach.

Saturday evening April 28, 2018

Arrived at Los Vilos around 7pm - an interesting coach trip from Valpo and it looks like it will be a nice few days here. The host at the Airbnb seemed somewhat confused about how he was going to get paid - I think I'm the first guest here!! He seemed to think that I was to pay directly to him but of course AirBnB pay the hosts after debiting the guest's credit card. He was okay after I explained how it all worked, but wanted me to pay for the extra few days I said I might stay in advance at USD$22/night - since I'm only paying NZD$17/night for the three nights I booked through AirBnB I'll leave that one until I've decided if I'll stay on or not. The host then took me to his restaurant not far from the digs here (by car) and I had a steak and eggs meal with fresh tomatoes and fresh salsa along with a bottle of white wine. I sat with a friendly chap from Santiago who is up here for work - he's an electrician - and we managed to converse with his little amount of English and my even smaller amount of Spanish (with the help of my language translation app on my phone). I seem to be the only person booked into this accommodation and have a six bed dorm room to myself. The host is very attentive and I imagine is keen to promote the place to get more guests. I can recommend it. It's austere but clean and fairly quiet (but I can hear some dogs barking - this is Chile!!).
The coach arrived on time in Valpo much to my relief - and it was another luxury job with all the mod cons - TV, on board steward service like an airline, lots of legroom, reclining seats, aircon of course - snacks and drinks served by the steward (gratis) as you travel. 6,000 pesos/ NZD$15.00  from Valpo to here - about 2 hours travel. The countryside is barren and as the day was overcast, monochromatic, a grey sky silhouetting grey hills with sepia tone foreground of scrubby desert. For the botanists, the oleanders are flowering everywhere, lots of bougainvillea, palms (date and phoenix), loquat trees, hundreds of acres of Avos, figs, eucalyptus, orchards of Custard Apples (Chirimoya), citrus, bamboo, cabbage trees, pelargoniums, and everywhere convolulus (morning glory??).
The coach was fairly direct stopping only at a few places en route, but at each stop the hawkers hop on to try to sell their wares (food, mainly). The ear popping ascents up to the tunnel portals through the mountains are reminiscent of flying on DC3s in the fifties - no cabin pressurisation - but with 600+ horsepower pulling you up you hardly notice any decline in speed going up the hills. I did laugh in Santiago when I was about to board my coach there for Valpo - the very black steward outside the coach proudly announced in a voice that could only be described as from Bob Marley "This is your marchine!" as he guided me onto it.
You never know what you'll see as you travel along the highway - even a parked up dusty looking but otherwise intact Boeing 737!! Just parked up in a car wrecker's yard, not an airport or runway anywhere in sight!! Just makes you smile!
Along the highway, roadside stalls with attendants flailing flags and what look like Toitoi (Pampas Grass) to try to grab your attention to stop and buy, which when you're traveling at 110 kph seems unlikely - but some must stop or they wouldn't persist.
Time to turn in - I'm looking forward to my days in Los Vilos! Adios!

Saturday morning 28 April 2018, Valpo

Well, it's my last day in Valpo but I hope to come back again in June on my way back to Santiago as it's such a vibrant and interesting city. Despite its reputation for crime I always felt safe here, even at night in the city walking alone on some of the less lit interconnecting streets between main thoroughfares. I almost didn't go out last night but in the end after a short siesta arose around 8pm feeling more energised and decided to catch a bus into the port area for a meal. So glad I did! I just posted one of the video clips on FB and I'll post another one one this blog - such a vibrant and colourful country - this is why I travel!! Before I left NZ everyone looked at me as though I was mad when I said I was traveling to Chile - like, why Chile?? But as you read my blogs I think you'll agree it is a number one destination for travelers tired of the same old, same old of Western destinations (which also have their charms, but lack a lot of the cultural diversity of more out of the way and less explored countries). Sure, there's poverty and wealth here, side by side, and maybe Allende's dream of  a more equitable society was the right one for this wealthy country, but you can't change history and I imagine that America (the USA) had a hand in financing Pinochet's bloody reign of terror after Allende nationalised so many overseas owned companies (mineral extraction companies, in particular). With Chile's huge mineral wealth (copper, silver, nitrates, etc) it should be one of the wealthiest countries on Earth with the wealth shared amongst the people who live here at least by offering social housing, free medical care for all and free education for all. Anyway, enough about politics. Today I head North a bit further (200kms?) to Los Vilos, supposedly named after "Lord Willow" a British pirate who was shipwrecked there and must have liked the spot because he stayed on. I like coastal towns but a lot of the more interesting places such as the astronomical observatories are well inland, so I'll no doubt be making some trips to those places - I have at least one earmarked for a visit. I'll keep you posted on that.
My bus (coach?) leaves here at 3:20pm (I hope!) so I expect to be in Los Vilos around 6pm. Catch up with a new post then. Adios.

Friday 27 April

Well, frustratingly, I seem to have lost yesterday's (Thursday's) long blog! Despite saving it as I went along and then clicking on "publish" at the end it doesn't appear to have gone online. Oh well, it contained a lot of interesting stuff and three photos from the day as well. I'll move on. Today I planned to find one or two funiculars for which Valpo is famous after reading my guide book and working out how to get to them. I needed to go into the centre of town as well to buy a bus ticket for tomorrow from here to Los Vilos, up the coast a bit. Once in town I discovered that most of the funiculars are not operating due to mechanical problems. A disappointment. I wasn't prepared to walk up the steep hills just to get a view of the city since I get the best view from this apartment anyway. I've only seen one of the occupants here briefly since I arrived and it feels as though I have the place to myself. The bus operator from here to Los Vilos looks like a small local company, not like the swish Pullman coach service I used from Santiago to here. The ticket office is a small booth on the first floor of an old building in town and the ticketing agent speaks only Spanish so it was a bit of a mission explaining what I needed (the language translator app on my phone came in very handy). The ticket was issued for a bus departing Saturday at 12:30pm and I expected it might be less than 6,000 pesos so was short by about 30 pesos so I had to explain that I needed to find a bank to change some US dollars. Easier said than done! None of the banks here seem to do money exchange so after walking some distance I came across a lovely Venezuelan girl selling cosmetics from a bag on her arm who by chance could speak some English and who was more than willing to find where a money exchange was and take me there. As I'd interrupted her selling time I was more than happy to give her 5,000 pesos for her trouble. She didn't want to take it but I insisted as it saved me a lot of time and walking. She explained to me that she is qualified as an engineer, which I totally believe. I guess there just aren't any jobs for her in Venezuela. There seems to be migrants here in Chile from many of the neighbouring countries. I made my way back to the bus ticketing office where the agent had put my issued ticket aside but then she was trying to tell  me something else which I didn't understand. Finally I gave her my phone so she could type in the question - she wanted the ticket that she'd just handed me back. She then explained that the 12:30pm bus had been cancelled and I was now on the 3:20pm bus! So she wrote out a new ticket for the 3:20pm bus. Go figure! I'm just so glad that I couldn't pay for the ticket earlier and had to go away to get change or I might have been standing on the side of the road waiting for hours for the next bus (they only go every couple of hours from here to Los Vilos).  On one of my local bus trips around the city today there was free entertainment provided by a very happy chap with a guitar and a dog - I took a video clip which I'll try to post along with today's blog (and hope it doesn't go missing like yesterday's). It's moments like that that make travel in foreign countries so interesting (no-one else on the bus took any notice at all, so I guess it is not unusual). Catch up again tomorrow from Los Vilos (Saturday, here).

Thursday 26 April - 2pm here, 5am in NZ

Technology is great - but sometimes a little inaccurate when you're in a high rise apartment, it seems. I just returned from the city centre - about a half hour leisurely walk - and decided to check my direction using the compass app on my phone just around the corner from my apartment - on the sidewalk I determined that the best way into town (after checking my compass heading against the sun) was a heading of 45 degrees (NE) for about 400 metres then take a side street to the left heading approximately North into town - or you can follow the trolley bus wires in the same general directions (or catch a trolley bus heading to Ave Argentina (the main street) for 280 pesos (NZD  60 cents). Once up on the 26th floor the North heading on my compass app looked more like West, so I'm guessing that it is affected by the steel in the building.
Anyway, I caught a trolley into town and hopped off where it was obviously turning to go back along the other side of Ave. Argentina. A huge copper clad monument on the avenue is testament to the mineral wealth of this nation - copper is king, here!
A short walk further North along Ave. Argentina brought me to a huge department store of several levels, called Jumbo - they sell everything imaginable all on one floor (but the fresh fish didn't look too fresh - the street vendors are a better choice here from what I could see) and I bought a bottle of Sav Blanc for $4.00 and a bottle of Pisco for $12.00 (the national drink of Chile, fiercely contested by Peruvians who claim it as their own) which I'm interested to try. 40% alcohol - same as whiskey so it'll only be a small dram occasionally! My EFT-POS card, which I decided to try for the first time was declined but I assume that was because I didn't understand the terminal's instructions in Spanish - I probably just selected the wrong account to debit. Of note, wherever chicken is sold is the size of the bird - I've never seen such huge thighs and whole birds (growth hormones, maybe??). Looking at some of the population it's possible they eat a lot of chicken - obesity seems to be a big issue here. The fast food outlets in the malls (large, modern air-conditioned malls with big food courts that include all the international brands as well as local brands) always try to sell a "combo meal" when you order just a burger (except Subway, who seem to only sell their subs without fries or drinks). I'm always insistent that I only want the item I've ordered without all the fattening extras.
The cinemas play all the current movies, including Peter Rabbit without subtitles, which I was tempted to see since I've just seen the English language version but in the end gave it a miss.
Outside the malls and back in reality you notice the number of dogs lying around on the pavement asleep and looking hungry and thirsty - some may already be dead, you wouldn't know. They're all large dogs like Alsatians or their crosses and with no birth control measures no doubt they just breed indiscriminately. You need to look where you're stepping for more than one reason! 

Definitely Wednesday 25 April

Hola, all, checked out of my digs in Santiago this morning and made my way to the bus terminal as described in the travel guide (after struggling to find it and walking for miles before my GPS on my phone eventually led me there - it assumes you're driving and takes all the one way streets which can add miles to the walking trip!!). But it was the wrong terminal for buses going to the mid coast - the bus company had a sales window there but only for buses going South! En route while walking I did come across a very long line (about 500 metres long) of people obviously queuing for something and imagining that maybe it was leading to the bus station I followed it (not joined it!) to it's end point - Department of Immigration!  I'm guessing that line is just as long every day as thousands of migrants from poorer Latin American countries queue in hope of a better life here in Chile. So, back on my feet armed with more directions I hopped on a train to the correct station (University of Santiago) where the signing was clear and the exit took me straight to the Pullman Bus terminal only a minute's walk from the platform. There's a choice of bus companies, Turbus and Pullman, both running modern luxury air conditioned coaches from Santiago to all over Chile. The trip to Valparaiso takes about 90 minutes (3000 pesos / NZD$8.00 - discounted down from the usual 7400 pesos for some reason) on wide modern motorways which include a couple of long tunnels through the mountains between Santiago and the coast. The countryside is desolate and barren, very dry with only scrubby trees that look like manuka and the only wildlife I spotted were some feral (?) horses amongst the scrub. As we got closer to the coast it became more obvious that the soil was better for agriculture and there appeared to be water available for irrigation as there were large tracts of land in grapes, avocados, corn/maize, and other crops. It was good to be out of the smog of Santiago, too.
On arrival into Valaparaiso I was ready to eat and found a cafe where I could sit down at a table and ordered a litre of beer (2,000 pesos / NZD$4.00) and a Completo which turned out to be a long bun with a frankfurter and lots of fresh finely chopped vegetables (salsa) dressed with a mayo of some description (1,500 pesos / NZD $3.00). The bread here is very good - light and airy and always fresh. After lunch I foolishly decided (maybe it was the beer?) to find my own way to my accommodation. With backpack on and manbag slung across my shoulder I spotted an apartment high up on a nearby hill that looked just like the one on Google Street View and started up the very steep and narrow street toward it. As I got closer I checked my GPS again and found that I'd just climbed up a long high hill and was nowhere near it. I tried to hail a taxi but to no avail - they were all full. So down I went back to the bottom (it felt like I'd just climbed to the top of the Andes and back) and into town where I was successful in getting a taxi. The driver didn't know the address so I pulled up Google Maps and he was able to follow that while he drove (with a few corrections from me en route as he tried to deviate from the suggested route). It turned out that the apartment isn't on a hill at all - it just looks that way from the photo on AirBnB because they're taken from the 24th floor (which is where I am right now). It's only a short walk from the town centre and bus terminal, if  only I'd known.
Feeling a little weary I had a nanna nap in the afternoon and woke up around 8pm, feeling a little peckish. So, with nothing yet in the cupboard I ventured out into the night to find an eating spot. The streets are still busy at that hour with sidewalk vendors hawking everything you can imagine from toilet paper to trinket jewelry (and of course, food). I found a tiny and very noisy bar cum cafe with tables crowded to overflowing with workers enjoying the beer and each other's company while they sang noisily to what looked to me to be a very fat but impeccably dressed Mexican singer on a big screen TV. The music is from a digital jukebox where they can choose the songs they want and sing along with gusto to the video. There were mother's and children all joining in as well and obviously the worse for wear after probably several hours of drinking, but it was all good fun and they were happy. I ordered a chicken sandwich washed down with half a litre of beer and joined in the fun.
This morning (Thursday) has dawned bright and clear and I plan to do more exploring of this interesting city before I head further North on Saturday or Sunday. Not sure to where, yet, but I'll let you know!

Tuesday 24 April (I think)

Well, I solved the noise problem last night, I'm pleased to say - I stuffed one of the Qantas earplugs so far into my ear I thought it might come out the other side (and it worked - silence!!). I also wore the eye shades from the same pack and took half a Zopiclone and crashed within minutes (a full day of walking probably also helped!!). Talking of walking, the trip hazards here on the sidewalks are numerous, everything from short bits of steel pipe sticking up to coils of power lines hanging down from the poles above not to mention "rabbit holes" big enough to break an ankle in! It's a miracle that I didn't see a single person trip and fall the whole time I was here. I put that down to the fact that everyone is aware of the hazards and actually watch where they put their feet (even when they're watching their phones while they walk).
I think I saw enough of the city to satisfy myself that it's a city worth spending a few days in before touring Chile proper - lots of historic buildings and interesting architecture but not unlike many cities in Latin America, probably. The most notable exhibition I visited was of the handcraft work from the archipelago of Chiloe which was isolated from the influence of mainland Chile and the Spanish influence to some extent and retained it's unique weaving and basketcraft work - absolutely intricate work done by the women with fine fibres woven into baskets and containers of every size and shape (traditionally used for gathering of shellfish and other food from the environment they live in as well as other uses). Some wonderful carving, also, including a very big fruit press with the screw (and all the other fittings) carved by hand from hardwood.
Tired of walking I caught a bus going out into the suburbs just for a look around (I managed to buy a Bip! card from an automatic dispenser at a subway station this morning - so easy) and found myself experiencing the real poverty of the city. Really dirty streets, graffiti everywhere, rubbish strewn around, dogs wandering around in search of scraps to eat - the sort of life no-one should have to endure but when you're unemployed and can't get work in a country like this you simply have to put up with. I'm guessing that alcoholism and drug addition is also a big problem here as the two seem to go hand in hand. Vodka retails for around $5.00 a 750ml bottle. The buses don't accept cash so a Bip! card is the only way to pay your fare. About fifty cents to anywhere, on the bus.
If you become "temporarily disoriented" as I did on my way back into the city you can usually rely on either finding a significant historic building and locating that on your city map and then using your compass app on your phone to head in the right general direction until you find a cross street with buses heading in the general direction you want to go or alternatively (a better way) is to find a subway station and jump on any train going in any direction and study the intuitive map on the train to see what stations you are stopping at and work out from that where you need to change to get on the right line back to your station (Santa Lucia, in my case). If all else fails, taxis are cheap and generally reliable (although they may take a longer route than necessary in order to get a bigger fare out of you).
I booked my next three nights in Valparaiso on the coast (total NZD$133.00) and I'll catch a bus from here around midday to get there an hour or so later. Until  then, adios, amigos!

Monday in the city

Monday morning, after a restless night, I ventured by shanks pony along the busy road that I guessed would take me into the city central and stopped en route for a coffee - Spanish language isn't my strong point but I managed to convey the general idea to the cafe and wound up getting a small glass cup of the brew but the waitress had to go out of the cafe to change my 20,000 peso note. I was glad to have the change in smaller 1,000 peso denominations. I also made a note to myself to next time ask for a "cappachino grand" in order to get a large coffee with milk. You learn fast. The language translation app on my phone is brilliant - type in the English phrase and you get the Spanish translation including a voice option so you get the pronunciation correct (almost). The compass app must need calibrating, though, or else the sun is rising in the South here and is due East at midday?? I'll see if I can get it more accurate tomorrow as it could be useful. The smog is quite bad but I can just distinguish where the sun is most of the time. The mountains surrounding the city are quite close and would look spectacular on a clear day (after rain??). Some early snow evident on the highest peaks. The day was mild (around 17 or 18 C) today and I was the only person in Santiago wearing shorts and sandals! Many even had puffer jackets on. I walked for hours sightseeing, (including to the top of a very steep hill for an overview of the city) referring to my guide book along the way and seeing many of the most interesting points of interest but also reading and learning a huge amount about Chile's rather tumultuous past, especially the overthrow of the socialist Allende government by dictator Pinochet in 1973 - what a bloody coup that was and years of weeding out any opposition to his reign. Thankfully Chile is now quite stable politically with a democratically elected government, although the presence of military personnel everywhere suggests an undertone of instability.
Food vendors are everywhere - especially on the streets, but I'd be hesitant to buy from some of them due to what I perceive as a lack of hygiene. No evidence of hand washing facilities and unwrapped food open to whatever pathogens happen to be floating around in the madding crowd. Indoor restaurants abound and I had a steak, chips and eggs lunch almost too much to manage for 5,700 pesos (about NZD$13.00/USD$10.00).
After walking almost the entire length of the main road I wanted to catch a train back to my accommodation and knew to buy a smart card for 1,500 pesos ($3.00) and load it with enough cash to get me around the city for the next few days but despite pointing to the sales brochure and tendering 2,000 pesos the cashier kept asking for something else in Spanish which was lost on me so I finished up walking all the way back as well. Hopefully my bi-lingual host will be able to explain what I was missing when he gets home tonight so I can buy one tomorrow. The subway system is clean and efficient despite being very busy so I hope to use it as much as possible while I'm here.
Understandably, in a city of c.7 million people rubbish is an issue and some bins are overflowing (probably within hours of being emptied). Public toilets (Bano) could be an issue, too, but there are both free ones and pay per use ones (Eco Bano) - (the signs say $500 but of course they are 500 pesos - about a dollar). A dollar well spent as they're very clean with attendants constantly mopping the floors and keeping everything clean and hygienic. Starbucks could use an attendant at their outlets, too, as surprisingly they weren't as clean as I expected. All the major multinationals are here of course - Burger King, Subway, Maccas, Starbucks, etc. but I try to avoid them in favour of the local cuisine (steak and chips, LOL!). I'll try the enchiladas tomorrow! No doubt I'll think of other things to post after I've published this one for today, but they'll have to wait until tomorrow.

Santiago first day

Left Sydney on time around 11am Sunday morning and had one of the better seats on the plane (747) well forward and in the exit row I'd pre selected and paid extra for (tons of legroom) seated between a Peruvian lady from Sydney returning to Lima to visit her family and an Australian man flying to Buenos Aires to visit friends from a time when he previously taught at a school there. He introduced me to an app for my mobile phone which may be useful - a language translator. I haven't tried it yet, but I need it! Thankfully, Douglas (pronounced Dooglaas, here) the host at my AirBnB is bilingual and a great help with information. The flight arrived into a hazy Santiago on time at 11am Sunday morning having crossed the date line and saving a day. It didn't feel like I'd just left Sydney a few minutes earlier, though, as I think my doctor gave me placebos instead of real Zopiclones. I didn't sleep on the plane but managed to get some rest during the 5 or 6 hours of darkness that was a compressed night somewhere over Antartica (I guess). On arrival the usual horde of touts approached wanting to ferry me into the city to my accommodation but as I had about 8 hours to kill before I could check in I opted to take a bus. USD$100 converted at a money changer gave me 57,000 pesos - two of the notes are 20,000 pesos each, which sounds a lot but they don't go that far. The bus fare into the city was 1,800 pesos (about USD$3) and a "small" pizza I bought for tea was 4,400 pesos but it would have fed two people easily!! Unlike most places, the pizza was made to fit the box i.e. it was square rather than round so there was a lot more of it. And a pizza that measures 24cms x 24cms is quite a stomach full, especially when there's plenty of topping on it! 

My accommodation is NOISY!! Excellent apartment (new) but on a noisy street and although I went to bed exhausted at about 8pm last night I woke several times to loud noise - it takes ages for the rubbish collectors to empty dozens (maybe hundreds) of bins full of empty bottles into their rubbish truck at midnight - the high rise apartments here are HUGE and where I'm staying is just one of several on this street. Then the traffic is blasting horns at each other all night and then every half hour a pack of dogs start up loud barking which is amplified in the concrete canyons. So, I'll be glad to move on to smaller towns in the next few days.

Today I'll get my bearings and bus into the central city (which is close) and see what kind of tours I can join to see the sights. If I'm game I may even try the subway system which is extensive. I don't have any photos to post this time but will likely have at least one worth posting by tonight. All for now.

From my room, and the hotel pool.

Thursday 19 April

Today, Thursday, woke to a fine sunny day on Brighton Beach (at the Novotel) and enjoyed a cooked breakfast overlooking the glassy waters of Botany Bay as kayakers cruised along the water's edge and mothers with young children played on the beach and in the shallows. Realising I'd left a couple of fairly important cable connectors behind I decided to make a trip into the city to Paddy's Market to get one for my phone so I can download photos (I hope) that I intend to post on this blog as I travel. Also a shirt, as I forgot to open my wardrobe before I left and failed to pack several light shirts I intended to bring with me and found I only had two. A stop at Mascot en route to the city (prompted by the sighting of a Vinnies store and the hope of a $3 shirt or two) proved fruitless and an impromptu visit to a dental surgery there equally fruitless as one of the two dentists was away and the other snowed under (the broken tooth may have to wait until I get to Chile).
In the city I spotted the Capitol Theatre near Paddy's and checked out the shows - Mama Mia playing there and The Book of Mormon playing at the Lyric. The Lyric hold a draw for tickets to that night's show every afternoon between 5:30pm and 6pm - you put your name in the box and if it's drawn out at 6pm you get a ticket in the front row for $40 - usually at least twice that price. A sizeable crowd was present for the draw and despite 20 seats being up for grabs I was unlucky (thought I might get the last seat, as usual). So, it was back to my hotel by shanks pony, train, bus and courtesy bus from the RSL (after the meal special which was fish and chips at $14 again). The end of a fairly uneventful day.

Napier to Sydney

Wednesday 18th April 2018, got to Napier airport at around 1100hrs for my standby flight to Auckland on Jetstar departing at 1210 and to my relief was issued a seat number straight away - always a good sign that the plane isn't going to be full. When you only pay $29 for the fare you don't get high priority over other passengers! With an arrival time into Auckland of 1315hrs and my standby connection to Sydney departing 1515hrs I needed to make a hasty transfer across to the International terminal but it seems the free terminal transfer bus had just departed so I waited another 20 minutes for the next one, getting to the Qantas check in desk about an hour before departure. It was still too early as passengers were still checking in for the flight and it was showing as full. So, told to come back at 1430hrs I waited along with others on standby wondering which of us would be lucky enough to make it on board. They called several standby passengers to the counter ahead of me and I could see my chances diminishing - then my name was called. Yay! I got on, which considering I had a hotel booked for my first two nights in Sydney was a relief (I may have lost my prepaid room cost otherwise). The standby passengers behind me were turned away as the flight was now full.
I landed in Sydney at 1700hrs and investigated options for getting to the Novotel at Brighton Beach, which isn't far from the airport but not on a train route. A transfer by car from the airport was $78 and a taxi would have been about $40 so I opted to use the Opal card I have and go by train from the airport to Hurstville and then by bus from there to Brighton Beach, if possible. As it was rush hour I guessed this would be quicker than a taxi as well as cheaper. so, the train to Wolli Creek was just pulling in as I reached the airport station platform and the transfer at Wolli Creek was equally as fast. By sheer chance it was likely the same train from Wolli Creek to Hurstville that my daughter Ruth was on heading home from her work in the city, but not knowing that I didn't see her. I should have texted her a few minutes earlier and I'd have known.
At Hurstville I found  that buses don't go close to Brighton Beach from there but do go to the Ramsgate RSL which isn't that far away, so I jumped on one to there knowing that they serve an excellent meal with daily specials - and Wednesday night is steak night ($14) for a large steak cooked to your liking with salad and chips - just my kind of meal! Like all RSLs they operate a courtesy bus to and from the club for members - but not necessarily for visitors, like me. However, if there's a spare seat after all the members are in they'll take non members (standby, again!!). Again, I was lucky, one spare seat in the bus and I sat up front next to another Keith, which amused us both. Nice chap and a friendly chat about Sydney and the woes of local government issues, including the mothballed desalination plant at Kurnell which cost millions and has never been used! As this is my first posting on this new blog spot I'll leave it here but will look at adding photos as well if I can - it may get more interesting as my travel advances toward Chile - I hope so. All for now, Keith.