Chile, Day 1
Whew!
Ok, so I flew from Cincinnati to Dallas then on to Santiago Chile. The flights were good - both times I had two seats to my self back in coach. I think that having two seats to myself in coach is better than one in first class - MORE LEG ROOM! Upon arriving in Santiago, I paid my $100 for a visa for my visit, went through customs, picked up my bags, and got some information regarding transportation to the beach. I then asked about hotels. I needed one for this evening. In order to get to any information, I had to take the final sweep past security to get the hotel information.
This is where I think I messed up. See, I didn't stop at the taxi station prior to exiting security because I didn't know where I was going, which also means that I didn't make a reservation with the right taxi person. At security, a guy helped me with my luggage - and refused to let me push it myself. Then because we had somewhat of a language barrier, 2 other guys similarly dressed came over to help. All three of them escorted me to the hotel kiosk, one called, put in a reservation, then all three of them escorted me out to a parking lot where a car pulled up. from here, the first guy put my baggage in the trunk, I tipped him, a second guy got in the car to be the 'co-pilot' and the third and fourth guys said their 'adios' while a 5th guy was behind the wheel to drive. When we arrived at the hotel the co-pilot got out of the car and handled all of my luggage. helped me check into the hotel, and then asked for 70,000 pesos (for those of you keeping track, that's about $140). I refuesed, and we settled on a price of around $30 - a price I felt fair because they had been so helpful.
Ok, so here's the details of the room - I'm staying at the Cuidad de Vitoria Hotel. It's small (about 32 rooms) but it has character. The room is quite comfortable with a king size bed, small marble topped desk, etc.. on the plus side, I'm borrowing free internet from a business next door. Once my room had been cleaned, I settled in, changed clothes, and went for an adventure around what is commonly refered to as Santiago Centro (or downtown Santiago). I first walked past the Plaza de Armas, a large square with trees, benches, vendors selling artwork, etc. My eye was caught by the Catedral Metropolitana. I stopped inside, and it was georgous. Marble everywhere. beautiful dipictions of St. Michael, St. Theresa, etc. It was quiet, yet bustling with activity. People were coming in and out, sitting, praying, etc.
Upon exiting, I began to notice more and more people to be dressed in what looked like battered clothing. Not only were they dressed oddly, but they were also without shoes, and had stuff in their hair and what looked to be paint all over their clothes and body. The interesting thing about all of these people is that they would walk around (or sit) in groups of 2 or 3 and collect (beg) for money. All of these people were also very young. THey had to range in age from 15-20 years old. They weren't just in the Plaza de Armas, but they were all around the Paseo Huerfanos (or pedestrian malls).
Speaking of interesting forms of dress, as I was walking around, I would notice girls, usually in pairs dressed exactly the same. No two pairs were dressed the same, but it's interesting to note this. Perhaps, each pair of women worked at the same place together where a business suit was the common uniform. I don't know. To describe one pair they would be as follows: Blue skirt & suit jacket, red, white, yellow and blue striped collard button up blouse, etc. They all had a business look about them.
Anyway, Ice Cream seemed to be everywhere, and in the wake of the Russian IceCream case (Ice-Fili) I decided to have a portion and see how Chile fairs in this area. Not bad, I must say. I had a small twist cone (vanillia & chocolate) - definately different than how we do it in USA, but still delicious, and enough to keep me cool in the 77 degree temperature.
Next, I found myself heading toward the Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino. I walked past, but did not go in as there seemed to be no clear entrance. OUtside however, there were many exhibits, all in spanish, so I looked at the pictures, and tried to discipher what was being communicated. next, I walked over to the Museo de Santiago. This small museum had built to scale replications of how the city of Santiago evolved. Each dipicted a different stage of development. All in all, pretty neat, and only 550 pesos to get in (about a dollar).
On my way home, I continued to walk along the pedestrain malls, and found a place to purchase a calling card for about 2,000 pesos (4 dollars) - unfortunately I could not make it work in the public telephones. I will try again tomorrow with the rest of the girls.
On my way home, I found a small beauty shop that had a sign for manicures in the window - one of my goals - to get a manicure! Whoo Hoo! so I stopped in, and waited about 20 minutes for my speacial treatment. and was it worth the wait! the woman was fabulous. She spent more time on my hands than anyone has in the past. And for only 4,500 pesos (9 dollars) it couldn't be any cheaper in the US! I tipped her and made my way back to the hotel. By this time, my head began to hurt, which I think is probably due to the combination of a - lack of proper food, b - cigarette smoke in the beauty salon, c - a flair in allergies, and perhaps d - walking all day in the warm sun.
On that note, I'm off to fetch some dinner. Who knows where that will take me....
Hasta!
Sammi
Ok, so I flew from Cincinnati to Dallas then on to Santiago Chile. The flights were good - both times I had two seats to my self back in coach. I think that having two seats to myself in coach is better than one in first class - MORE LEG ROOM! Upon arriving in Santiago, I paid my $100 for a visa for my visit, went through customs, picked up my bags, and got some information regarding transportation to the beach. I then asked about hotels. I needed one for this evening. In order to get to any information, I had to take the final sweep past security to get the hotel information.
This is where I think I messed up. See, I didn't stop at the taxi station prior to exiting security because I didn't know where I was going, which also means that I didn't make a reservation with the right taxi person. At security, a guy helped me with my luggage - and refused to let me push it myself. Then because we had somewhat of a language barrier, 2 other guys similarly dressed came over to help. All three of them escorted me to the hotel kiosk, one called, put in a reservation, then all three of them escorted me out to a parking lot where a car pulled up. from here, the first guy put my baggage in the trunk, I tipped him, a second guy got in the car to be the 'co-pilot' and the third and fourth guys said their 'adios' while a 5th guy was behind the wheel to drive. When we arrived at the hotel the co-pilot got out of the car and handled all of my luggage. helped me check into the hotel, and then asked for 70,000 pesos (for those of you keeping track, that's about $140). I refuesed, and we settled on a price of around $30 - a price I felt fair because they had been so helpful.
Ok, so here's the details of the room - I'm staying at the Cuidad de Vitoria Hotel. It's small (about 32 rooms) but it has character. The room is quite comfortable with a king size bed, small marble topped desk, etc.. on the plus side, I'm borrowing free internet from a business next door. Once my room had been cleaned, I settled in, changed clothes, and went for an adventure around what is commonly refered to as Santiago Centro (or downtown Santiago). I first walked past the Plaza de Armas, a large square with trees, benches, vendors selling artwork, etc. My eye was caught by the Catedral Metropolitana. I stopped inside, and it was georgous. Marble everywhere. beautiful dipictions of St. Michael, St. Theresa, etc. It was quiet, yet bustling with activity. People were coming in and out, sitting, praying, etc.
Upon exiting, I began to notice more and more people to be dressed in what looked like battered clothing. Not only were they dressed oddly, but they were also without shoes, and had stuff in their hair and what looked to be paint all over their clothes and body. The interesting thing about all of these people is that they would walk around (or sit) in groups of 2 or 3 and collect (beg) for money. All of these people were also very young. THey had to range in age from 15-20 years old. They weren't just in the Plaza de Armas, but they were all around the Paseo Huerfanos (or pedestrian malls).
Speaking of interesting forms of dress, as I was walking around, I would notice girls, usually in pairs dressed exactly the same. No two pairs were dressed the same, but it's interesting to note this. Perhaps, each pair of women worked at the same place together where a business suit was the common uniform. I don't know. To describe one pair they would be as follows: Blue skirt & suit jacket, red, white, yellow and blue striped collard button up blouse, etc. They all had a business look about them.
Anyway, Ice Cream seemed to be everywhere, and in the wake of the Russian IceCream case (Ice-Fili) I decided to have a portion and see how Chile fairs in this area. Not bad, I must say. I had a small twist cone (vanillia & chocolate) - definately different than how we do it in USA, but still delicious, and enough to keep me cool in the 77 degree temperature.
Next, I found myself heading toward the Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino. I walked past, but did not go in as there seemed to be no clear entrance. OUtside however, there were many exhibits, all in spanish, so I looked at the pictures, and tried to discipher what was being communicated. next, I walked over to the Museo de Santiago. This small museum had built to scale replications of how the city of Santiago evolved. Each dipicted a different stage of development. All in all, pretty neat, and only 550 pesos to get in (about a dollar).
On my way home, I continued to walk along the pedestrain malls, and found a place to purchase a calling card for about 2,000 pesos (4 dollars) - unfortunately I could not make it work in the public telephones. I will try again tomorrow with the rest of the girls.
On my way home, I found a small beauty shop that had a sign for manicures in the window - one of my goals - to get a manicure! Whoo Hoo! so I stopped in, and waited about 20 minutes for my speacial treatment. and was it worth the wait! the woman was fabulous. She spent more time on my hands than anyone has in the past. And for only 4,500 pesos (9 dollars) it couldn't be any cheaper in the US! I tipped her and made my way back to the hotel. By this time, my head began to hurt, which I think is probably due to the combination of a - lack of proper food, b - cigarette smoke in the beauty salon, c - a flair in allergies, and perhaps d - walking all day in the warm sun.
On that note, I'm off to fetch some dinner. Who knows where that will take me....
Hasta!
Sammi