Arriving on a high!!

Flying over the Argentinean heartlands took me back to basic geography classes with enormous rivers meandering through U-shaped, once glacial valleys, leaving cut-off oxbows on a vast scale. As the plane climbed to cross the Andes we were gifted the most spectacular views of this seemingly endless, snow crusted mountain range. As the pilot banked right and then sharply left I had just started to muse on whether I would start to eat meat again – should the need arise (!) when I realised he was beginning the steep descent to Santiago airport where he touched down so gently, no-one noticed till he slammed the brakes on! South America seems to specialise in short runways with steep entry and exit – paths.

Geography 101

So….. here we are. Our first impression of the people is that they are extraordinarily friendly and helpful but we are both going to have to study the language if we are to ensure we make the most of this great opportunity though – few people speak any English. Our apartment is in Providencia – a priviledged neighbourhood of tree lined avenues coming into spring blossom and manicured gardens. We look east towards the Andes, a view that changes almost hourly as the sun rises through the cloudless sky. On the 11th floor we hear more birdsong than traffic noise. We set out to find the local supermarket stocked with all manner of goodies including a mountain of perfect artichokes and more seafood than you can shake a net at – nomnomnom. We caught a cab home for about £2 and the concierge – Benito – brought a trolley out and carried it all up for us, which is just as well as the travelling suddenly caught up with us so we had a bottle of wine for supper and slept ten hours straight!!

Sunday morning is very quiet in this neighbourhood. We had missed the morning service by the time we’d got showered and dressed so we decided to explore further afield. Our local Metro station is only a 10 minute walk away, past a lovely green park with a children’s playground and green parrots in the trees (just like home). The Metro system is v modern, safe and clean with just 4 lines which they call 1,2,3 and 5 Hmmmm. Of course Chile is a predominantly Roman Catholic country so most shops close on Sundays with just the odd, dull Mall open for business.

Up and up . . .

We decided to attend a special six o’clock service at the one-time Anglican, now Ecumenical but English – speaking church nearby. 9/11 has a special resonance here as it marks the start of the military coup d’etat led by Pinochet in 1973. The congregation was predominantly American and the service ‘A time of Remembrance, Penitance and Hope’ invited us to share memories from those times (9/11/73 and 9/11/01), explore what emerged for those around us and look to the future with a positive sense of personal contribution to the resolution of conflict. The Pastor and his wife (who led the event ..) welcomed us most warmly as did the rest of the group – US, Canadian, Scots and S Americans who had chosen US citizenship. I’m looking forward to Communion next Sunday.

View from our appt

The former occupants – Michael and his wife – left us well provided for in this modern, comfortable space
including bottles of Chilean bubbly and wine plus a bottle of Pisco. Fortunately I hadn’t forgotten how to mix a Pisco Sour. Unfortunately I had forgotten just how potent it can be and fell into the whirling pit :o(

Monday was uneventful as I had to wait home for a landline to be fitted – the appointed hour came and went and still no phone guy. Clearly it’s the same the whole world over. I decided to make up for it on Tuesday with a long walk towards the centre of town. I finally found the English language bookstore and bought a Dictionary and phrase book – fingers crossed!! I lunched on a seafood I’ve never encountered before – sort of cross between razor clams and mussels – very good. I also found an Information bureau where they told us about their Independence celebrations which are set to go on from Saturday for a week with music, feasting and dancing in the parks and all over Chile. Watch this space.