Brazil

Last Friday I flew to Sao Paulo and then on to Brasilia to meet up with Bruce. My teacher unexpectedly canceled my last class Friday morning so what was aiming to be a hectic morning turned out to be relaxed as I packed and prepared to leave.  Unfortunately one half hour before my taxi arrived Lidia, my landlady, suffered a plumbing disaster.

I have been impressed through South America that all the bathrooms are required to have floor drains. So if the toilet or tub flows over there is somewhere for the water to go. Friday morning there were torrential rains in Buenos Aires and apparently they haven’t had much rain for a while because the roof drainage system backed up through the bathroom drain that was designed to protect it. Water was flowing out from the bathroom over the hardwood floors in the the hallway, living room and bedrooms. The super for the building was there to help as was Mauro my fellow renter but I had to leave in the midst of the drama so I don’t know how it played out. I’ll find out when I return next Monday to collect my bags.

My flights to Sao Paulo and then on to Brasilia were uneventful. Of course they were delayed which must be commonplace. As the appointed time to load the plane passed and no announcement was made I was surprised by the lack of concern from the other passengers. I was a little worried as I only had a two hour layover in Sao Paulo and had to make it through customs. My ignorance of time changes played in my favor this time as it turned out Brazil is one hour behind Argentina. So I arrived in Brasilia a little late after 8:30 pm.

I took a taxi to the hotel and got my first glimpse of this very interesting city. Bruce was waiting for me and we met up with some other teachers for a pleasant meal sitting outside in the perfectly temperate climate. All the teachers were involved in the forensics competition being held at the American school in Brasilia.

Saturday morning Bruce left early for the tournament. He had arranged for David Watkins to tour me around the city. David is a past student of the American school and has lived in Brasilia all his life. His father is Welsh and his mother is Brazilian. We got caught in a couple rain storms and at one point waited out the rain for about half an hour under the TV tower.

Conceived in the 40’s planned in the 50’s and built in the 50’s and 60’s Brasilia is like a time warp of architecture and urban planning. It was definitely designed with the car in mind and there is little that is pedestrian friendly. However there are thoughtfully placed commercial centers in the residential “wings” of the city.

The city was designed in the shape of an airplane (I’ve posted a picture of the plan). The wide broad main avenue runs the length of the fuselage. Along this avenue are the majority of the government buildings with an expansive park between the two directions of the avenue which can stretch to 6 lanes each direction. Near the center of the airplane where the fuselage and the wings meet is the business and hotel centers with towers of 30 floors and more. There is also a TV tower near the center with an observation platform on the 20th floor, a great place to gain a perspective on the city. The wings are the primary residential areas of the city. These are mostly apartments as there are very few houses within the airplane of the city except the embassies. There are residential areas with large homes across the lakes and outside of the airplane. Looking at these neighborhoods reminded me of many areas around Seattle.

My first impression of the city was of a gigantic university campus or an industrial park with vast expanses of green space. There are many areas throughout the planned city that are simply left to be open space, never planned to be built. It appears there wouldn’t be much of a traffic problem as most of the main roads are at least three lanes each direction and there is an intricate and sometimes complicated mode of roundabouts to avoid left turns.

And then there is the architecture. All the original architects were Brazilian. There is a monument to the original designer of the city and there is one architect who was the main force behind many of the original buildings ( I apologize I cannot remember their names). The original architecture is in true mid century fashion with clean straight low lines. Then there are the occasional curves and bowls. Time will tell how ageless the architecture will truly be however many of the buildings are showing their age and in need of renovation. Many of the newer civic buildings are carrying on the tradition of modern design as well. Even the embassies carry the modern theme with the exception of the US embassy which resembles a fortified military base. The city will forever be an homage to a specific time and style. It is a real treat to see so much in one place.

David told me that much of the Brazilian debt is due to Brasilia. It was obviously no simple task to completely move the capital and construct a new city in the middle of nowhere. There are now upwards of 4 million people living in the vicinity with a number of suburbs surrounding the city, one of which is over 1 million. It is truly amazing considering there was nothing only 60 years ago and only thousands 50 years ago.

In the afternoon I met up with Bruce, Michelle and the students. We had a quick lunch, at Pizza Hut no less, and then took a brief bus tour of the city. Eventually we ended up at a mall. I haven’t spent much time with teenagers in a while so I was unaware of the importance of mall time. Bruce had us very early to the airport so the students had ample time to review the comments from their competition. A number of them had won trophies and a few proudly exhibited them as we walked through the airport, boarded the plan, collected our bags and parted ways.

Bruce lives in the Morumbi area of Sao Paulo which is unbelievably huge somewhere around 20 million people. The Graded School is within walking distance so most of my time has been spent around here. I have ventured out for some excellent meals (thai food last night and a churascaria the night before).

I have spent much of the last few days preparing for the coming months, looking for housing in Bolivia and a volunteer opportunity. Bruce has introduced me to a number of his friends from the school. Teachers are usually interesting people, curious, knowledgeable and good conversationalists. I have found that those that elect to teach abroad are even more intriguing. Their stories of the countries they’ve lived in, the languages they’ve learned and their travels have enthralled me over many great meals.

Tomorrow morning I fly to Rio and Bruce follows Friday afternoon. My time in Brazil is flying by and it won’t be long until it’s Monday and I’m back in Buenos Aires preparing to take off driving north.

Buenos Aires

It’s been a few days since my last post. Life in a city quickly becomes more routine than on the road so there generally isn’t much to report.

The teacher I found after the first called sick (he emailed me that he has pneumonia) has turned out to be great. We meet at his studio apartment for 2 or 3 hours a day. He will have met with me everyday possible, including Saturday and Sunday, which I really appreciate. He is very good at working on pronunciation and listening. I am having a lot of difficulty understanding people, so we have been working with videos and the like.

Last week I occupied much of my time with going to the consulates of both Brazil and Bolivia. They both require visas to enter their countries. Brazil was very detailed and complicated, Bolivia was much more friendly though also more expensive. The Bolivian requirement is new since I entered the country last, it went into force December 1st. With those tasks in process, they each had to keep my passport for a few days, I also turned my attention towards the routine car check. I had the “check engine” light checked (the catalytic converter which no longer exists), the oil changed, the lights adjusted (again – for some reason the right front light continually moves up), the rear driver’s side axle seal checked (it was showing a little sign of oil seepage) and again asked about the air conditioning, which of course was not working.

On Friday they told me that the work was done. They also told me then that they couldn’t do the work on the air conditioning and it would have to be taken to another shop near them. I understood they were taking the car there. So when I hadn’t heard from them on Monday I called early Tuesday to inquire about the status. Then I learned that they couldn’t move the car to the other shop, I had to. They don’t have any of the papers allowing them to drive the car. This is a perfect example of the difficulties I have talking on the phone in Spanish. Little did they know that when we took the car to the a/c place (one of the mechanics accompanied me – thankfully because I would have never found this place) I didn’t have the proper documents with me as well, I had left them back at the apartment, oops.

So Ernie now resides at a very secure garage about 10 miles from here, where he will remain until I return to Buenos Aires on March 3rd. The current, and final, estimation is a complete overhaul of the system, including a new condenser. This is the final large expense on the air conditioning. I hope it works and if doesn’t it’s a sweat box for the rest of the trip. I drove the whole way south without a/c so I guess I can do it going back. From here I’m heading up into Paraguay which is supposed to be deadly hot and humid. So I hope the a/c gods shine on me this time around…

Merritt and Alvin arrived in town on Friday. They had been on a cruise ship that started in Rio and ended in Buenos Aires. I met up with them Friday evening and every day until they left, yesterday. We had some great meals and Merritt and I completed the walking tour that I started with Arnoldo the weekend before. It was great to see them both. Merritt was originally planning on traveling with me from Palm Springs to Nicaragua in July, but the delay in my departure made that impossible. We’re both still hoping he will meet up with me another time to drive for a while. I think they really enjoyed Buenos Aires and I think they should be arriving home in Palm Springs in the next few hours.

It is amazing how big cities make time fly. I am only two days away from leaving for Brazil to meet up with Bruce. I will leave much of my luggage here at the apartment and stay here two days upon my return before driving out of town heading north. My accommodations have been great. Lidia is a dream as she is celiac and has been making me wheat free dishes the whole time I’m here. Last week she made a pizza and she plans on doing that again tomorrow. Every morning I home made wheat free bread which is very good with jam, a true luxury for me, eggs and fruit. Finally I have a breakfast to satisfy. She also talks with me quite a bit and helps with my Spanish. My usual routine includes working out at a gym which is about 10 blocks away. It feels so good to be able to work out. I will have been to the gym 8 times in these two weeks.

Buenos Aires is a city I definitely will want to return to. I’ve been using the subway but not so much the buses. The subway line near the apartment dates to 1914 and has some of the original old cars with wood paneling and benches. They look like they belong in a museum and are about the only place that doesn’t have graffiti. The waiting areas for the trains have old fans that also could be seen in museums.

I’ve been reading the paper every morning and following much of the US news. The presidential race is always in the front part of the paper, not the front page but definitely second or third. And many people ask my opinion. It has made for interesting conversations in taxis. One taxi driver, who had lived in the US for 5 years, let me know he believes the American Dream is gone, it just doesn’t exist anymore. Everyone is glad to see Bush leave office. And there have been many articles in the papers about what it will take for the US to regain respect around the world.

Last week the temperature was very mild, likely not much more than 80, and with a nice breeze. This week the heat has hit with a vengeance, I’m sure well over 90, and on Monday the humidity was extremely high. A couple days have been very calm with no breeze, which makes the heat all the worse. Fortunately I don’t have to wear pants and am living in shorts. I expected Buenos Aires to be much more dressed up than I’ve found. I haven’t been attending plays and concerts; but in the different neighborhoods and the streets, both during the days and nights, and in restaurants I haven’t seen high fashion like I expected. It is the height of summer and I believe a number of people are on vacation so that may be part of it.

Next week I will be in Sao Paulo with Bruce and then will head to Rio for the weekend. My job for the early part of the week is sending off applications (there are a couple of courses on conflict resolution and peace building that have intrigued me) and making contacts in Bolivia for the month of April. So here is a request – if anyone knows of, or has contact with anyone who may know of possible volunteer opportunities for me in Bolivia please pass the information on to me. I expect to be there for the month of April and want to volunteer with a NGO hopefully practicing my Spanish as well.

En Buenos Aires no hay monedas

The drive into Buenos Aires was fortunately uneventful. I was a little worried as I approached the city because of the heavy dark clouds. I hit two strong storm burst with very strong downpours. But before I could really consider driving into the city in the rain the clouds lightened and I had dry overcast for the last 20 miles in. The speed limits are very curious. Generally out in the country the limit is either 80 or 100 kilometers per hour. One hundred kph is about equal to 65 mhp. As I approached the city the speed limit went up. First it climbed to 110, then 120 and finally settled at 130 kph. Trucks and buses were still limited to 80 kph.

The directions I had received via email from Lidia (the owner of the B&B I’m staying at) were excellent. I had no problem finding the building in the Congreso neighborhood.

It is actually a perfect place for me. I’m on the 6th floor of a 1970’s building about 7 blocks from the Congreso (the house of the legislative bodies). I have my own small balcony with double doors so I have lots of fresh air. I believe this 3 bedroom apartment is where Lidia raised her family and she and her husband occupy a place nearby. She spends some nights here and I met her husband briefly on Sunday.

There is a guy (my age) and his mother from Israel in another room. They had lived here years ago and are visiting. And there is a younger guy who works in the film industry who occupies a smaller room. He’s here for 2 months and was instrumental in getting my wifi working. My room is actually fairly large with two twin beds. There is a wall of built in desks and bookshelves. Lidia told me this was the kids’ play room and then the study/library. The kids are long gone and she has two grandchildren. She has been great in getting me hooked up with a mechanic, finding the Brazilian embassy, figuring out my cell phone, etc.

In my correspondence with her I wanted the cheap room for $14 per night, listed as having a private bath. She emailed it wasn’t available (the younger guy has it for 2 months) so I said sorry but I couldn’t afford one of the other two rooms because they were $40 per night. She came back at $22 per night and it was a done deal. When I saw the small $14 a night room I was really pleased with the outcome. That was undoubtedly the maids room. The whole room is the size of two twin beds with one filling half the room. The private bath turns out to be just a toilet and sink. He shares the shower with me in my bath, which is in the main hallway.

Saturday I walked around a little on my own. Sunday I took a guided walking tour and got a great feel for some of the different neighborhoods. It is a very walkable city. Of course people always say Buenos Aires is the Paris of South America and I can see why. There is definitely the sense of a planned grandeur. But in an odd sense the wide Avenidas and smaller Calles spread out in their grid also remind me of New York. The music, street murals, hipster characters hawking their handicrafts and the colorful buildings with colonial style balconies also remind of New Orleans. There is a lot going on here. Beauty abounds; in the grand 19th century buildings, the expansive parks and in the people walking the streets.

There are the disgusting sides as well. Lot’s and lot’s of dog shit on the sidewalk. The river alongside La Boca, a colorful blue collar neighborhood that turns trendy street mall on the weekends (also the birthplace of the tango), is so polluted it reeks. It’s a brown color with lots of debris floating in it. There are also the hassle factors. In order to take the bus you have to have coins (moneda). It took Me and Arnoldo (my walking guide) about 20 minutes to find a store that could give change when we bought gum. The constant answer “no hay monedas”. There are frequent signs that say “no hay monedas”. Often times change is given without using the coins, sometimes you get shorted and sometimes you get a little deal.

Today I was supposed to start my language course. But my teacher called me sick. He canceled today and the next few days. So I placed a few calls and found another teacher. I meet with him tomorrow afternoon. If he’s good I’ll call and cancel the sick teacher. Or maybe I’ll see them both. It seems they all just want to meet for 2 hours a day so there is a possibility to see both.

Bahia Blanca

Pablo and Marco arrived while Britt and I were on the beach enjoying the sun.  It was pretty windy so neither of us had gone swimming, but that didn’t stop the large family from the large house next door.  They had their motorboat and kayaks in the water and all but the mothers were swimming.  At first they weren’t too pleased with Luna, telling her to get away.  But after they saw how she loved to swim and retrieve the ball from the water they ended up occupying most of her time.  Even the little 3 year old got into the game, after learning not to throw rocks at Luna’s head.

Back up at the house, while Marco and Pablo went into town for more pre-mixed pisco drinks, I started a fire for the grill and Britt prepared the food. The grill was a barrel cut in half with a grill over it.  I built what I thought was a large wood fire. But later when we went to grill the meat the fire wasn’t quite large enough and there weren’t enough coals.  So the meat took a really long time to cook.  I had said I like it rare and Marco kept calling me out to see the meat, which each time was still dripping blood and floppy like raw meat.

Eventually the meat appeared ready and it all turned out perfectly.  The meat was very slowed cooked, but tastey and tender. I don’t know if I could replicate that, but slow cooking works well.

I went to bed right after dinner hoping to get up early and leave for Argentina. I did get up before anyone else, but after breakfast was prepared and eaten and lots of great conversation I didn’t get on the road until 10 am.  I really wish I could have stayed. I learned about both Pablo and Marco’s histories. Marco is 50 and came from a family that had a factory, until Allende’s government started nationalizing lots of industries.  Pablo is 40 and came from a family in the country with not much growing up.  Their respective stories of how their lives were affected and changed with the Allende then Pinochet regimes were very interesting.  Nothing is black and white.

They had to get into town and start preparing for their clients who are arriving on Friday. So we all said goodbye and headed off in our respective directions.  If anyone is thinking about adventure travel in Chile or Argentina definitely contact Pablo at www. gradosur.cl.

The drive back through the mountains, the border and back onto the Argentine Ruta 40 was uneventful, but beautiful none the less.  After turning north on the 40 I was now on new territory.  I drove by deep blue lakes, a very large river, Rio Negro, that looks more like and lake and finally ended up in Picun Leufu at a small roadside hotel.

I again hoped to get an early start. It was very warm and it took a while for my room to cool down.  I don’t think I fell a sleep until well after 1 pm.  Considering the restaurant attached to the small hotel didn’t even open until 9 pm I was operating well on Argentinian time.  I heard the roosters in the morning and one in particular gave me quite a fright.  I swear this one rooster purposely planned to be silent until he was perfectly situated below my window (I was on the ground floor) and then screeched and squealed at the top of his little lungs.  I jumped out of bed but was relieved when he didn’t continue and left as quietly as he’d arrived.  The roosters stopped and I fell back to sleep only to be awakened by a phone in the room next door, it was 9 am. So I was off late again today.

Today was another uneventful (thankfully) day of driving.  The only excitement of the day occurred when I became worried I was approaching a bad accident.  There were people running to and fro ahead as I slowed.  To my left was a mess of debris, apparently the result of a truck either wrecking or simply ending up on it’s side.  The truck however was no where to be seen.  The commotion was due to the fact that what the truck left was cases and cases of beer. Much of it destroyed, what was left was fast being cleared away by the motorists who had stopped.  In fact everyone stopped. I was the only driver who didn’t stop at the scene.

I drove through dry monotonous deserts only broken by occasional lakes then into a lush green plateau of agriculture.  There were many roadside stands selling fruit and vegetables.  Then I was back to desert.  Maybe desert isn’t the right word, this is the Pampa.  It is flat with southwestern US like geology, craggy ridges off in the distance and lots of small grass like plants, mostly dry and dead looking.  At one point I drove straight, literally straight, for nearly 100 miles.  These are all two lane highways so the passing can be quite intense considering everyone is sharing the road from large gas tankers to small old puegots that cannot go over 35 miles per hour.

Finally I arrived at Bahia Blanca, my goal for the day.  The book describes it as a small city, but there are lots of 10 plus story buildings and apparently it is home to the largest navel base in South America.  I found a decent hotel in the center of the city a block from the main square.  There are many 19th century buildings dotted among mostly not so great 20th century ones.

Tomorrow I will set my alarm and head first for Plata del Mar which is south of Buenos Aries.  From what I can tell one of the few autopistas (freeways) runs from Plata del Mar to Buenos Aries.  I’ll head north to the city of Dolores which is about 200 kilometers from central Buenos Aries. I’ll spend the night there and then head into Buenos Aires early Friday to hopefully arrive before noon.  The plan was put together via internet with the owner of the B&B I’ll be staying at.  I’m still waiting for the map to see exactly how I will get to her place in that city of 9 million.

Puerto Varas

Britt arrived at the grand hotel not long after I had finished writing my last blog. We both fantasized about staying at the hotel, but that didn’t last for long. We headed out along the main road towards Osorno in hopes of finding a camp ground along the lake but soon realized they were all full, it was Saturday. We ended up driving all the way to Puerto Varas and finding the house that she and Pablo had arranged to arrive at on Sunday. It is the house rented by some Americans who have moved here for a year. Pablo had helped them with a lot of issues when they moved here and they offered him the use of their house while they were out of the country for visa purposes for a few days.

It is a great little cabin with lots of unfinished raw knotty pine inside and shake siding outside but with modern conveniences like 3 bedrooms each with it’s own bath. But we have lost power twice already. We think the house to the west is the owner’s house, it is much larger and grander and this is likely the little guest house to it. The large house appears to be rented out as well. It is the equivalent of August here and much of Santiago goes on vacation renting places along the lakes etc. We have a little bit of a haul down to the lake (about a quarter mile) but that hasn’t stopped us.

Britt and I arrived just after sunset, found the key, read the copious notes from the friend/renter and had a beer. The next morning we got up and went into town to shop for the next few days. Pablo was due later in the day (Britt wasn’t exactly sure) along with a driver and a van full of bicycles. Pablo is a guide for mountain bike rides, kayaking trips, horse trips – the gamut. Name the adventure travel in Chile and I expect Pablo has done it and toured tourists on it. Check out his website at www. gradosur.cl .He even does Elder Hostel trips. He and Britt will be meeting a handful of Americans from New York in Bariloche this Friday for a combined mountain bide, horseback, kayak trip. Unfortunately for Britt she has to be back at work next week and will only make the mountain bike part.

After shopping Britt and I drove east along the southern edge of Lake Llanquihue close to the base of Volcan Osorno. We did a short hike into a wonderful falls. It reminded me of the top part of Multnomah Falls, only I think with much more water. The falls have formed a deep canyon with lush vegetation clinging to the walls. There were about 30 people who had hiked in milling about, coming and going and walking in under and around the back of the falls. It was very damp and humid with lots of spray blowing around the from the intense crash of the water filling the small lake bed.

We ate a small snack and enjoyed the extreme beauty of nature’s crash course in spectacular errosion. We also managed and enjoyed Luna’s antics. My first impression of Luna, Britt’s 3.5 year old golden retriever, was that she was mellow. That was a false first impression. When not resting and sleeping, which I haven’t seen a lot of, she is very active as if she’s been cafinated. She is very cute, almost childlike, the way she brings things from around the house to Britt; mostly stuffed animals from the child’s room, but also small packages of food from the kitchen. She’ll stand in front of Britt with her loot simultaneously exhibiting pride and shame as if she knows it’s wrong but she just can’t help herself. She also surprisingly terrified the neighbor’s dog, which apparently is a permanent resident of the area, a very beautiful and intimidatingly large mixed breed that she chased away creating quite a commotion.

Last night Britt and I decided to go into town for a nice dinner. We still don’t understand the cause of the traffic jam on the way into town. We are staying about 9 kilometers east of town along the lake and for almost 7 of those kilometers it was stop and go. There was a police officer directing traffic as we reached the edge of town, but it appears it was just so many vacationers returning to town from enjoying the various beaches, trails, falls, etc. Tired of waiting in the car we stopped at a Mexican restaurant on the edge of town. As we pulled into the parking lot the whole city went dark. The power had gone out over the whole area.

The restaurant was not to be stopped. They weren’t serving a lot, only three items from the menu, but we were satisfied with one of the options and the margaritas were still available. We had a quaint meal by candlelight with a singer serenading the two tables that stayed for a meal.

After dinner we returned to the cabin not even thinking it may be without power as well. That means no water either. Headlamps working we managed to get a call off to Krista and John back in Portland, our common link. They had just finished watching the superbowl.

We had our phone conversation out on the large grass yard with an amazing display of stars overhead. The night was completely clear, no lights as the power was out everywhere and no moon. I don’t believe I’ve seen such bright stars since I was in Africa. The milky way was completely visible as was the southern cross, orian’s belt and many more (those are the only constellations I can name).

Pablo had phoned Britt that he was getting a late start and would be arriving Monday instead. Apparently they were planning on driving through the night. This morning we awoke and Britt got a call that Pablo had left his phone in a gas station along the highway. Today Britt and I went into Puerto Varas, had a snack, bought some meat for tonight, left a note at a hostel to see if there are people wanting to ride with me tomorrow towards Buenos Aires and came back to the cabin. Britt has talked with Pablo a couple of times and he’s still delayed even more. It is currently 4:30, Britt has had a nice bike ride and we are heading down to the beach to swim. Well at least Britt will swim I don’t know because the water is pretty cold. Yesterday Britt and I hauled her Kayak down the hill to the beach where she practiced rolling (pictures posted).

El Bolson to Puyehue

I’m sitting in a posh mountainside hotel “Puyehue Termas Hotel”. It’s not unlike Skamania lodge, but bigger, with much more land and hot springs and I think skiing in the winter. Lots of families here. I have no idea of the price, but it must be expensive. I had to give the name of a guest at the entrance gate so I played stupid and gave my own. They let me through so?

I’m meeting Britt Swanson, friend of Kirsta and John’s who I met at their wedding. She lives in Santiago and teaches at an international school there. We’ve been trying to meet up for the last month or two while she has been vacationing in the lake district. We’re not staying here at the hotel, but it made a good meeting place. From here we’ll drive on a few miles to a smaller more relaxed hots springs area and likely camp.

I left El Bolson this morning rather late, about noon. I met a couple, David and Kim, in the hotel restaurant who are from Utah and Wyoming. They had taught at an international school in Cochabamba, Bolivia in 2000 and had lots of interesting information to share.

The drive from El Bolson to Bariloche is beautiful. It was enhanced when I picked up Thomas (age 20) hitch hiking just outside of El Bolson. He said he had been waiting for 3 hours. He was easier to understand than Norbert and was very interesting to talk with. He’s studying psychology. We chatted the full 1.5 hours, driving lakeside in deep mountain canyons. I dropped Thomas at a gas station in Bariloche and got directions to the border. I was getting a little worried about the time because I was supposed to meet Britt at 4 pm.

The Argentinian border crossing is about 41 kilometers from the Chilean crossing. I assume this is because the pass is likely closed at times in the winter and this way the offices aren’t at the peak. I finished the paperwork on the Argentinian side just at 4 pm. I was going to be late. Then about 2 miles beyond I realized it was now 3 pm in Chile! So I wasn’t late yet.

The Chilean crossing went well (both were only about 30 minutes) and I reached the hotel about 4:15. No sign of Britt, but it’s a huge place and the only bar (the first place I looked) is closed and dark. I find it curious that there is no bar/restaurant with tables to take in the view, outside lounging etc.

I changed chips in my phone and called Britt. She’s running late as well. And that gives me time to catch up the blog. I’m certainly glad I didn’t give away or totally use up my Chilean chip.