So this city is probably never going to make Top 10 capitals of the world, but there are worse places to find yourself unexpectedly for 4 days.
In the end things resolved themselves more smoothly than could reasonably have been expected. I phoned the Hotel Espana in Santiago, where I am already staying the last two nights of the trip, from Auckland, and happily they had a room free for the next 4 nights. They also fixed a taxi from the airport, and the rescheduled flight ran on time. This also gives me somewhere to leave a big bag of luggage while I am down in Patagonia. I am still feeling philosophical, and surprisingly unrobbed, about Bolivia - it will give me the excuse to go properly, and with Kate, some time.
Meanwhile after 7 weeks on the road, to be in one place for 4 nights in a row for the first time, and without any pressure to do anything much, is a luxury. So I am reading and writing idly and enjoying the minor triumphs of securing coffees and and meals with my very basic Spanish (phrase book bought in NZ now looks a sensible precaution). Jetlag has caught up with me for the first time - I can´t sleep at night but would happily snooze all morning. We are 16 hours behind NZ so maybe not surprising - plus point is Chile is only 3 hours behind UK, so if I can crack it, shouldn´t be a problem when I get home.
Santiago city centre is nothing special, but I quite like the "realness" of it - no tourists and no allowances made by the locals. Apart from when I open my mouth, I can blend in with comfortable anonymity. Christmas preps are now in full swing, which is odd when its 25C outside and clear blue skies and light till 9pm, but there´s a huge Christmas tree in the square next to the main cathedral and Santas in all the department stores.
For the first time I find myself REALLY missing Kate and the girls hard. It´s been there as low level background throughout but now I suddenly want to just be with them and do normal home-like things. That said I am under no illusions about Hollywood-style joyful reunions with my daughters (Kate I have slightly higher hopes of). I had already imagined Ellen - who doesn´t really do "missing people" and dispatched me in October with "I can´t see" (the TV) - coming out of school the day I get back simply with "Daddy, can we do spinning?" Spinning is a bedtime thing - a complex set of jumps off and onto our bed I oversee and which is one of my (few) favourable points of differentiation in their eyes (Kate won´t do it). Kate confirms this has already been raised by them both with some nervousness that I may have forgotten how to...
On Monday I fly south to Punta Arenas, almost at the tip of South America, for the final full week of the trip, trekking in Patagonia. Not expecting too many internet cafes down there, so probably radio silence from me for the next little while.
In the end things resolved themselves more smoothly than could reasonably have been expected. I phoned the Hotel Espana in Santiago, where I am already staying the last two nights of the trip, from Auckland, and happily they had a room free for the next 4 nights. They also fixed a taxi from the airport, and the rescheduled flight ran on time. This also gives me somewhere to leave a big bag of luggage while I am down in Patagonia. I am still feeling philosophical, and surprisingly unrobbed, about Bolivia - it will give me the excuse to go properly, and with Kate, some time.
Meanwhile after 7 weeks on the road, to be in one place for 4 nights in a row for the first time, and without any pressure to do anything much, is a luxury. So I am reading and writing idly and enjoying the minor triumphs of securing coffees and and meals with my very basic Spanish (phrase book bought in NZ now looks a sensible precaution). Jetlag has caught up with me for the first time - I can´t sleep at night but would happily snooze all morning. We are 16 hours behind NZ so maybe not surprising - plus point is Chile is only 3 hours behind UK, so if I can crack it, shouldn´t be a problem when I get home.
Santiago city centre is nothing special, but I quite like the "realness" of it - no tourists and no allowances made by the locals. Apart from when I open my mouth, I can blend in with comfortable anonymity. Christmas preps are now in full swing, which is odd when its 25C outside and clear blue skies and light till 9pm, but there´s a huge Christmas tree in the square next to the main cathedral and Santas in all the department stores.
For the first time I find myself REALLY missing Kate and the girls hard. It´s been there as low level background throughout but now I suddenly want to just be with them and do normal home-like things. That said I am under no illusions about Hollywood-style joyful reunions with my daughters (Kate I have slightly higher hopes of). I had already imagined Ellen - who doesn´t really do "missing people" and dispatched me in October with "I can´t see" (the TV) - coming out of school the day I get back simply with "Daddy, can we do spinning?" Spinning is a bedtime thing - a complex set of jumps off and onto our bed I oversee and which is one of my (few) favourable points of differentiation in their eyes (Kate won´t do it). Kate confirms this has already been raised by them both with some nervousness that I may have forgotten how to...
On Monday I fly south to Punta Arenas, almost at the tip of South America, for the final full week of the trip, trekking in Patagonia. Not expecting too many internet cafes down there, so probably radio silence from me for the next little while.
1 comment:
Hello darling
I am so enjoying your blog. It is giving me so much inspiration to do interesting stuff myself. I can't believe you are nearly coming home!!!
I am in Dubai, in an executive lounge on the 14th floor of some ridiculously modern luxury hotel. Dubai is just one place you'd never want to come on holiday too. It's all mammon and modernity. I am here for the former (doing an annual report for a PE company).
I tried to write to you a week ago but - feeble excuse - I forget my password and they wouldn't let me input a new one as they kept saying I already existed. Doh! Then I remembered I had an alternative work email address.
Dirk and I split up. He had more baggage than a Samsonite store. A real blow at the time, a month ago, but more cheery now. At least I still have Bertie (and dear friends like you, of course).
Enjoy the rest of your time dear man. Wishing you the loveliest of homecomings.
Rebecca
XXX
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