Wednesday th 18th, Centro & Dinner with Tio Johnny
We headed downtown again; I don't think its possible to get bored of watching people. The kids seem to be really punk rock, and the skinny jean lives here proudly :) We had lunch at a peruvian restaurant with one of my dads best friends, Enrique. A lovely gentleman, he spoke mainly english to me, so I was able to actually have a conversation! My broken Spanish continues to frustrate me, although I can hear it getting better. Enrique has started a construction business, and the broker in me immediately asked him about his course of construction....ahhh, old habits die hard. I was suprised to find out that they don't have it here, as insurance is kind of a new thing here in South America. I imagine with the corruption of most of the governments, it would be exceedingly difficult to manage risk. Where there is a will, there is a way, and I suppose it won`t be long. I know Aviva has an office here...just another reason to become fluent in the language!
We walked a little further to Mc Iver street to check out the Jewellry (Bling Bling, Dad is getting me some gold hoops!) and we walked past the theatre...equivalent to the Queen Elizabeth? So Beautiful! My Dad informs me he's only been there once, must be a pretty swish place ;)
We came home in time for a nap (the sun is so exhausting!) and then headed to the wine district of Maipu, which is where my uncle Johnny lives. We enjoyed dinner with his beautiful wife Yasna, and three delightful kids Tomas (16) Sofia (11) and Antonia (9). It was a wonderful night, Tio Johnny is an incredibly gifted artist and his house is a reflection of his creativity, full of art, eclectic furniture and light fixtures. Yasna is a lovely cook, and we ate, drank and conversed all night. The family photos are all being posted on FB, so consult there for more description!
It is a beautiful day in the neighbourhood. Centro, that is!
It was a hot one in Santiago today; we left the house at 1:30 pm and it was 30 degrees and rising. I talked my dad into bussing around today; we caught the 508 downtown to the Plaza de Armas. It is the centre of the city and what is now called Plaza de Lima in a tongue in cheek manner by Chilenos, a reference to the amount of Peruvians that have immigrated here.
It was packed full of people shopping, eating and generally milling around. Right now we are at the end of summer vacation, and all the kids go back to school March 2nd, so there were a lot of loitering teenagers...some things are universal, non? Plaza de Armas is basically a large square surrounded by buildings, namely city hall, the post office and Cathedral de Santiago. There is a large fountain in the middle, and a section for artists to sell thier paintings. It is similar in feel to Granville street downtown in terms of shopping, department stores and smaller boutiques, but you know...much, much older.
We came home to Tia Patti, with her Granddaughter Amelia (daughter of my cousin Paola). The family resemblances make me laugh, all the girls look like thier mom, and all the boys looks like thier dad. My Tia Patti looks just like my Tia Pily, and I can see her in Paola and Amelia As well. We are having dinner with them Thursday night, I will post the photos asap.
santiago, 15th &16 th
It was a long haul from Vancouver to Santiago. We left the house at 4:30 am to catch our 5 oclock shuttle to Seattle. Our 1:30 flight to Dallas was about a half an hour behind schedule, but our pilot made it up in the sky, no problem. I`ve never flown american airlines before, and I`ve got to admit, Ì was prepared for disaster, but was plesantly surprised. Besides the fact that the planes were clearly not as shiny and new as the Westjet planes I`m used to, nor are the flight attendants nearly as cheerful, they were still very professional, competant, and beyond the unreal amount of turbulence on they way into Dallas, the flight was outstanding. The same could be said of the flight into Santiago, although next time I think we are coughing up for the upgrade to first class...it`s simply not possible to get a decent sleep in coach. Getting through customs was also very interesting. I was unaware of the $132USD fee to get into the country, because of my canadian citizenship. Ouch!! Once that was out of the way, along with getting my passport stamped and clearing my luggage, i was greeted by my long lost uncles, Tio Johnny & Tio Marcelo. It`s funny, I haven`t seen them in nearly twenty years, and even though I can see how theyve aged, they look exactly the same to me :) We swung by Tio Johnny`s place for a little breakfast, and I got to meet his wife Jasna, his son Tomas who just turned 17 (so handsome!!) on the 14th and his two daughters Cecilia & Antonio (dead ringers for Yvonne. They are just like what I image she and I were like at that age). The beginning of family that Ive never met!! Tio Johnny got married after I visited last, so although Ì am facebook friends with my cousins, this is the first time I`ve met them.
We headed further into town, to the apartment of my Abuelita. I must admit to getting a little teary eyed at seeing her, it has been so long, but she is still so beautiful. I really wish that I had taken a spanish course before I left, so I can talk to her some more, but I can already feel it coming back, so hopefully I`ll be in better shape by the end of the trip :) Its very interesting to watch my Tio Marcelo with her. He is the last single uncle, and he still lives with her, taking care of her. I hope that myy children take as good a care of me when I`m her age!!
I must admit I didn`t last long, I was totally exhausted, took an enormous afternoon nap, woke up in time for tea, and went right back to bed. Tio Marcelo was kind enough to give me his bed for this trip, and I slept like a corpse.
I woke this morning to the sound of breakfast. mmmm, fresh bread and manjar...if I`m not careful, I`m going to be as big as a house when I leave. We left the house for groceries, which was SO much fun...I wish i could have wandered around a little more looking at what they have. So much is marketed in English, it was really interesting to see. there is very little that is fresh, most things are canned or powdered. I can`t help but wonder if this is because of the heat- fresh things would go bad so much more quickly, and air conditioning is not the norm here.
We are just about the have lunch, so I`ll sign off for now. More to come later, with lots of pictures!
Three more sleeps
After eighteen long years of absence, I am returning to the motherland. Well, the fatherland to be more precise. Santiago, Chile-Here I Come! I was sad to learn of the 18% sales tax, though...that's going to cut a hole into my shopping.
