BACK TO SUNNY SANTIAGO

MONDAY 6th JUNE

  Well I said it rained last night, and when I looked out this morning it was still wet and cloudy.  But gradually the clouds dispersed and I was able to see the surrounding mountains and they had snow caps on.  Obviously up there it fell as snow.  As the morning progressed the skies cleared and it was quite warm again although a few clouds hung around the mountains, you could clearly see the snow.

  Having written some postcards to the kids, I had totally failed to find a post office to buy stamps and post them.  So taking my courage in both hands I asked the man at the front desk "Donde esta correo?"  He seemed to understand what I wanted, but his explanation was lengthy and totally beyond my grasp.  I followed the direction he had pointed in with faint hope of success.  My pessimism was not ill founded for I still found no sign of a post office.  I went into the Bank of Chile and extracted some more cash - the e-mail from the Tupa Hotel in the Easter Islands warned me they did not take credit cards, but whether that only referred to the taxi from the airport, or the complete stay was not clear.  I thought it best to have adequate reserves on me.  Upon exiting from the bank I saw a couple of office workers having a fag, one of each sex.  I broached them with my question, precacing it with an "Excusate".  "Correo, ah Plaza de Armas".  Now that I knew the location of and set off for said location.  Upon getting to the square, I ignored the cathedral, that wasn't going to be it.  But just around the corner, there it was "Correo de Chile"!  Well stone me,I had previously mistaken it for an opera house or theatre.  Certainly Wembley Post Office never looked anything like this, nor come to think of it, neither did the post office in Oakhurst.  But one thing never changes wherever in the world you may be; massive queues!  I eventually got my stamps and posted the cards.

  By now it was really warm so I thought I would take a further look around the Plaza de Armas.  Knowing Bridie and Angela's propensity for popping into any church they came across, I thought, well maybe, I shouldn't miss out on looking in at the Cathedral of Santiago.  I went in had a look around and sat down for a spot of quiet meditation.

  I then took in a carving in the square that had previously eluded me and then carried on to a cafe in the corner.  I asked for an "Inglese" menu and duly got one, but all the main courses were in Spanish! However I

was able to order a banana split and a cappucino.  The split came with three large portions of ice-cream, vanilla, strawberry and peach, lashings of cream, bananas and a cherry.  The coffee too came with whipped cream on it and was certainly one of the best coffees I've had in a while.  On the other side of the square was what looked kie a bandstand, but when I got closer I noticed it was populated by chess players.

My path homeward took me past my supermarket, but I had no occasion to step inside this time.

  I then strolled back to the accomodation, and checked on the e-mail, washed some socks and sorted out some packing.  I then set off about 8.00pm for dinner.  I found the Bombay Cafe open, but it turned out not to be an Indian Restaurant, but rather a coffee shop.  I wandered around quite a while without finding anywhere that really grabbed me, in fact I wasn't that hungry after the whopping banana split, and in the end decided I had walked enough and dived into a cafe, where I managed to ordered a ham roll with molten cheese and a beer.  I also bought a cake that I took home to have later.

  Alex came on line and we had a chat, and usefully he told me that Equador deals in US dollars.  Also they have no national post office.  He had tried to send a birthdaycard to his grandmother and was told that it could be done for $80!  I shall have to save my postcards from Equador for posting from Peru!

CHILLY SUNDAY

SUNDAY 5th JUNE

  Well just when I thought I'd conquered this sleepless business, I had another restless night.  I don't know what's gone wrong with my ability to drop off the moment my head hits the pillow! It hastotally deserted me at present.  I woke to a distinct lack of sunshine, instead it was cloudy all over.  I checked my e-mails and to my delight had confirmation from the two hotels that hadn't confirmed picking me up from the airport (Easter Island and Lima).  Obviously I have either Jeannette or Juan to thank for contacting them for me.  I feel a bit more confident now, especially in Lima where I arrive at midnight.  If I was left to the mercy of the local cab drivers, gawd knows what it might have cost me!  I caught up with the Test Match scores, but rain seems to have been the predominating theme.  In an effort to reduce my luggage weight I removed the relevant pages from my South American Lonely Planet book and disposed of the remainder (that must be a kilo to the good!). I have written post cards to the kids but so far have failed to find a Post Office (which I believe is Correos in Spanish).  However today was not a good day for looking as most shops were closed, as was the Bombay Restaurant that I espied in my travels.

  I decided to set off in the direction of the river today, but when I got there it was a bit of a disappointment:

There was a narrow flow on the right hand side but not a lot else, it must be the dry season!  Although when I looked out the window a few minutes ago I noticed it looked a bit wet out there, so maybe the rainy season is about to start.  Anyway noticing a bit of a drop in temperature I had donned my warm jacket a scarf and bobble hat and set off on one of my walks.  In my travels I noticed a digital display giving the temperature as 11 degrees, but later came across another one stating it was 15! I'm not too sure which one was right. Opposite the river was a building that I'm fairly sure is the main market hall in town.  Looking to the left along the river one can see the start of the mountains in the distance.

 Whilst if you look right there is a large monument commemorating something that happened in 1879, but what that was I'm not too sure.

A short walk down brought me to the square that has the cathedral down one side, that I'm fairly sure is called "Plaza de Armas".  There was a chap giving an oration of some kind in the square which kept the crowd well amused, and exchanged repartee and banter was exchanged.  I stood and watched for a while without understanding a word.  Instead I headed down towards the Government buildings thinking I could get a better shot of the building without the sun shining from behind it, and I was right!

I then turned around and started heading for home along the Bernardo O'Higgins road, spotting a nice building on the other side which was right opposite the metro station for the University, so could it be a part of that?  I spotted a chemist that was open and popped in taking Mark's advise to get some strong pain killers for the back, he suggested Tramadol.  "Tarmadol?" I enquired.  Only on prescription is I'm fairly sure what the answer was.  I indicated to my back and winced.  "Sans prescriptione?"  I asked.  The woman retired to the shelves behind her and came back with a pack of Mioflam, containing 10 tablets.  She indicated that I should only take one a day.  I nodded, "Comprendo".  Well I've just taken one, well see if it does any good.

  I cut off down one of the side street in the hope of catching a supermarket open and did so by the skin of my teeth, investing in two one litre bottles of Cristal beer.  Thus suitably armed I headed decisively for home.  My path took me past a church that was curiously trapped between two modern tower blocks in a somewhat incongruous position.

  As I'm completing this blog I can hear the rain hammering down outside and beating on the panes.  Time, I think, to retire and have a good soak and read.

ASCENDING SANTA LUCIA HILL

SATURDAY 4th JUNE

  Well first night's decent sleep I've had in Chile, and I slept in as well!  Back is much better although still not 100%, I'm being advised by Mark and Robert to go for Tramadol.  I shall have to go through my phrase book and work out how to ask "have you got any Tramadol?" in Spanish, as I've noticed the chemists do not have any goods on display, you have to go up to the counter and ask.

  I decided to saunter up Avenue Bernardo O'Higgins in the opposite direction to my previous excursions and soon came across Santa Lucia Hill, which apparently became a public park in 1875.  It is quite a hefty climb to get to the very top but I managed to achieve it, and was able to see the many sights contained therein.  It was known by the natives as "Huelen" meaning pain or sadness.  On December 13th, 1541 Pedro de Valdivia conquered it on Santa Lucia Day, hence the name.  There is a statue to the man on the site.

  Fort Hidalgo was built in 1820 and it has now been restored with a cannon being fired at 12.00 each day.

I think the tall building near the left with the red sign on top is the Infinity by Ameristar, namely my residence.

As can be seen from the foregoing photos there are many aspects to Santa Lucia Hill, most of which I believe I covered, including the view from the very top.  (The mountains virtually merge with the clouds).

Santa Lucia Hill viewed from Bernardo O'Higgins street.

By the time I had finished exploring the Hill, dusk was falling and I went off to the restaurant I thought I would try tonight.  However when I got there it was closed.  So much for that then, it was back to the Indianapolis.  I went for a salami pizza this time with a beer, and went shopping for beer and crisps on the way home.  Mark phoned on Skype soon after I got in and told me of the pane of glass that had fallen out of his window.  I suggested taking the window out, and if he spoke nicely to Alan he might take it for him to the glaziers by the Target Roundabout.  I wrote some postcards, but so far don't recall having seen any post offices around, I'll have to have another look on Monday. .And so what with the blog and a few beers that really saw the rest of the night out.

SANTIAGO SIGHTSEEING - NICK'S BIRTHDAY

FRIDAY 3rd JUNE

                                            A nine-year-old Tiger!
  I had taken the precaution of leaving Nick's birthdaycard and gift in Oz, so he would get it promptly on the day, taking my example from Bridie, what with the crossing the International Time Line, I would never have worked it out when his birthday would fall.  Anyway I sent him a postcard from Auckland of a Maori canoe crew so with a bit of luck and a tailwind it might get there on his birthday as well!

  Again my best sleep was after 8.00am, but I managed to rise about 11.30am.  Back still not brilliant, but sun shining brightly.  The temperature according to a display I saw in one of the streets stated that it was 18 degrees C.  I went up Estado until I came to a large square with a cathedral on the left.

At the top of the square, there was a theatre and a museum.  Again there was masses of people around.

  I decided I had gone far enough with a sore back and started heading back.  I came across an arcade with nothing but travel bags and suitcases - anyway there was nothing that stood out as a bargain compared to the one I got.  I decided to indulge in a "helados" - a strawberry one at that.  I asked for a single scoop, and was promptly told I had to go to a separate cash desk and pay first.  Having done this I was given a large tub of said ice cream with a cone stuck in it upside down!  I guess it was the equivalent of about four cones.  I sat down on a bench to consume it as this was a major undertaking.  Just as I was starting, a dog pounced on a strolling pigeon, tore it to shreds and then walked off highly satisfied.  I managed to ignore the mess on the pavement as I consumed by helados.

  I popped into a supermarket and eventually found some milk as well as butter, jam, bread and biscuits.  Armed with these provisions I returned to the digs and checked out my e-mails, and set about checking out a Bobby Womack compilation for Charly, a task that kept me busy until after dusk.

SANTIAGO 2

THURSDAY 2nd JUNE

  Another bad night's sleep despite reading until midnight.  I finally nodded off about 8.00am and dozed through til lunchtime.  Having got through on e-mail to the accomodation in Cucoa in Equador that Alex found, I ascertained that they wanted $30 (US) deposit, but the only way I could pay it was by PayPal.  I confirmed the reservation and then went to make the payment and it was turned down.  They stated that they wanted a direct payment from my bank.  This takes about 3-5 days and at the end I'm fairly sure LloydsTSB will require a confirmation on my mobile, which they won't get because I have no network connection.  (Seemingly there is only one network here called Moviestar.  If you have GSM International Roaming, you can get connected.  You have to go into your menu and do all sorts of things that I'm not even going to begin to try, so basically I'm sans mobile).  I checked out a forum on the web and seemingly this non acceptance of credit cards is widespread by PayPal, but I failed to find any solutions.  So I informed Alex of the situation and the hostel people, telling them we would just have to take a chance on the accomodation still being available when we got there.  They replied that they would try to keep the room open for us without the deposit being paid.

  I went out for another walk and this time found a shop with reasonable size travel bag for about £10.  I think I may have trouble with my luggage weight on my travels in South America as I think they restrict me to 23Kg whereas the South African - Australia - New Zealand flights were 2 x 23Kg.  However if I spread the load over two bags I may have a better chance, well see.  I discovered that my flight to Easter Island leaves at 8.20am, which probably means leaving the hotel shortly after 6.00am.  I don't know if Louis will still be so keen to pick me up!  I've sent an e-mail to Robert asking him if he can ask Jeannette to phone the hotels in Easter Island and Lima and ask if they will pick me up from the airport.  I've sent e-mail requests to both but haven't received a reply.

       Looking up the Avenue de Liberatore Bernado O'Higgins towards the University area.

  I'm amazed at the crowds that throng the streets in the centre of Santiago, seemingly all day.  Most of the eating places are pretty busy as well.  I bought some coffee, biscuits and cheese but couldn't find any "lece", so gave up and went to the "Inianapolis" again.  This time they gave me a menu with English subtitles!  I picked a soup to start with a sort of consomme with an egg thrown in - it wasn't bad.  Then I had a "Bistec Milano" and asked for the mashed potatoes option.  It consequently came with chips and so many I was unable to finish them all.  All this washed down with a beer - the first one on the list - which turned out to be a dark beer.  My back was still giving me grief, and all this walking had left me exhausted, so I returned to the hotel where I discovered I had a bit of a gyppy tummy.  So all in all after a bath I turned in early again.  But could I get to sleep, could I hell!  The sun rises about 8.00am but you don't get to see it until about 9.00am

SANTIAGO

WEDNESDAY 1st JUNE

  Well I was fairly knackered last night and after a bath adjourned to bed about 9.00pm.  However sleep did not come easy.  Initially I kept getting cramp in the leg which necessitated getting up and stretching it.  Then I kept waking up until about 5.00am, but then nodded off until 11.30am.  It was another sunny day, and after about an hour's work on the computer I went out for a walk.  I strolled down the opposite side of the main drag going down various side streets, looking for a shop that sells bags or rucksacks but failed to find one. My appartment is located near one of the main thoroughfares entitled:

  The man was the illegitimate son of an Irish emigre, Ambrosio O'Higgins who had become the Viceroy of Peru and a wealthy landowner.  He only officially recognised his son on his deathbed in 1801, and as a result Bernado toobecame a wealthy land owner, having spent several years in London with his mother, far from wealthy.  However back in Chile, he got drawn into the struggle for Independence from the Spanish and

led the ragged rebel army. Despite having no formal military training, he commanded the army with valour and bravery between 1810-1818, when Chile finally achieved Independence.  He is recognised as the liberator of Chile.

  Further down the road is the goverment palace, which I think is called Palacio de Gobierno. Viewed here from front and rear:

  Just a tad further down the road is an enormous tower, the Chilean version of the Post Office Tower:

  I crossed over the road and walked back towards my residence.  I stopped off at the "Indianoplois" Fuente de Soda and looked at the menu in which I recognised several words such as "Cerveza", "Vino" and "Cafe con leche" but not much else.  I took a plunge and ordered a "Lomito Italiano" and a "cafe con leche".  I got a big bun with slices of meat, tomatoes, mayo and guacamole.  It was quite filling and should do me for the day. The turning of the main street is a cobbled road called "Londres" that leads to the appartment, and it has several cafes and a bar that I have yet to explore.  There is also the Plaza Londres.

Right at the end of the street is no 840 Padre Alonso de Ovalle.  You would never know it was a residence for hire, unless the big red sign at the top is a clue?  I got back to my rooms with the back still very stiff and

sore, despite the fact that it had felt fine all through the night.  I indulged in a couple of pain killers in the hope that it would ease matters.  I'm having problems with the lifts here.  Not only do you have to press the floor number, but you then have to confirm it.  If you do the confirmation too quickly or too slowly it ignores you.  On average I reckon I have about five attempts to get it right!  Last night I dropped a Coke in the lift in my agitation to get the poxy lift moving and it spilt all over the floor.  In the end I went to a different lift to get upstatirs.  I was glad to see that the lift was clean today, with my Coke having been suitably mopped up!

  I am trying to reserve a double room in Canoa for Alex and I am having problems, because they only seem to accept PayPal payments as a deposit for the room.  My PayPal refused to accept both my credit card and debit card for payment and has asked me to set up a payment through my bank account.  It then tells me this will take 3-5 days and I will need to fill in cash transfer.  I can see it coming, Lloyds will send confirmation on my mobile phone, and I haven't got network access with Vodaphone here in Chile, so I will never get their request and be unable to confirm it.  It's one thing after another!