Hello from Valparaiso Chile

Monday the Santiago Park Plaza hotel rates went back up the the regular $210 and I decided to head over to the beaches and historical Valparaiso a couple hours to the west. With its array of funky funiculars and busy shipping harbor, it deserves its reputation as an old colonial city bypassed by modern times. The day I sampled one of the Funiculars also provided a reason to visit the Valparaiso home of Chile's most famous poet, Pablo Neruda. Every school child here knows the name. The days I spent there were bombarded with rock music and street dance performances, to mention only a few of the dozens of events being presented by the city in its annual Arts Festival. As hotel possibilities didn't look too promising in the city itself, I took the Merval (the metro train) over to nearby Vina del Mar where the pickings were better. My first hotel turned out by luck to be the $120 Cap Ducal, down to $80 with bargaining. Designed like a ship with mahogany panelled hallways and brass fittings, it hangs over the surf adding to the nautical effect. It appears to be a favorite with couples looking for a romantic interlude. 

People come to this beach town to get away from the city. There is a large Las Vegas style casino and numerous very expensive five star hotels for those willing to splurge. Two I checked offered rooms in the $250 to $350 range. I did what I usually do in a new place: walk and look. Enterprising guys will wash your car when parallel parked along the streets near the pedestrian mall. In California style supermarkets people steal and eat food with impunity. I saw a mother with four kids all eating cups of yogurt and later saw two of them surreptitiously set the empty cups on a display shelf. The numerous uniformed security personnel spying among the isles had no effect what so ever as far as I could tell. I thought I must be back in western China when on several occasions young men gave me their seats on buses; no fanfare, they just stood up and motioned for me to sit down. Buses and metro cars are among the few places where smokers refrain from polluting the air.  

In one of the large modern shopping malls the hostess who seated me in a better restaurant delighted in showing off her very good English. "How much does a waitress make here?" I asked. "...about 3,000 pesos for an eleven hour shift." she replied. A quick calculation prompted me to confirm her numbers. Yes, these kids are paid about $6 for working 11 hours or about fifty cents and hour... plus tips. "Do they receive many tips?" I asked. "Some of the foreign tourists tip pretty well... the Americans and Europeans are best... the Argentineans and Brazilians the worst." she noted. "How about someone with a better job like yours?" I inquired. "Well; I make more than the average... I've been working here for three years... Let's see, I make about $15 for each 5 hour shift... other hostesses make about $10." she added. Given the high prices for everything and all the eager buyers roaming the shopping malls, some people must make a lot more than that. Then I remembered that in this part of the world there is a shameful disparity between the richest and poorest segments of society. People, including small children openly demonstrate physical affection in public; young lovers kiss passionately, older kids hug their younger siblings, many of both sexes walk the sidewalks hand in hand. During one exploration I discovered the $75 Hotel Marina del Rey, a Best Western hotel and moved there to be closer to the central bus terminal for my return trip to Santiago the next day. 

Photos taken while in Valparaiso and Vina del Mar are here. 

29-31 December 2005: Santiago Chile 

Returning to Santiago I chose the excellent $49 Tur Express Hotel conveniently located on the third floor of the Tur Bus terminal itself. Any other hotel presented the problem of arranging a transfer out to the airport. Tur Bus offers a choice of airport transfer options, one of which leaves from the main terminal. So, spending the night here means it is only a few steps to the place where a bus leaves every fifteen minutes for the airport. The hotel has two Internet terminals in the lobby with few guests tying them up like I do. On 31 December I caught the flight for Rapa Nui where the story started at the beginning of this postcard. As a reminder, photos taken during my previous stay in Santiago are still here. 

Until the next postcard, 

Peace
Fred Bellomy