The weeks before christmas we've hit an annoying streak of bad luck. I truly hope we are over it by now!! Here a few "highlights": End of November I lost my purse to pickpockets in the Santiago metro. Nothing of value, but the Chilean bureaucracy to get your documents back, is soo nerve-wracking. Also, in Valle De Elqui we dropped our new camera so unfortunately, that it turned out to be beyond repair. Then Florian let the local ATM's eat up two important banking cards. Ruddy habits, because here in Chile you first get the money, and afterwards(!) you get your card back, ...should you still be there. A few days later in Valparaíso, a youth gang tried to snatch my bag. No success, but they threw a glass bottle after us anyway. Scary experience. On December 19, Florian sprained his ankle and ended up in the ER at his birthday! Nothing broken, but he had to use freezer packs 24/7 and wear an orthopedic shoe for a week. Fortunalety, Christmas Eve was actually really nice! And no more bad luck since then :-)
Right after Christmas, Coen, Jan, Nadine and Marloes flew in from Europe. A brief sightseeing of Santiago, and we were off to Valparaíso, THE Place To Be for Chile's New Year's Eve fiesta. All of Santiago migrates to the coast on December 31. In fact, it's so popular, I had to organize our lodging already in May 2011! Being early, we got hold of a stylish apartment with a 360° panoramic roof terrace.
At 8 o'clock sharp we raised glasses to the New Year. Chileans looked at each other as we were nuts. Never mind^^ To all of our friends and family in Germany and The Netherlands: We wish you a happy New Year :-) May it be full of happiness, love, prosperity, and all the things you desire. Oh, and what about visiting Chile in 2012?!!
Meanwhile the roof terrace became crowded with all kinds of people. Everyone was in high spirits. At 00:00:00 a deep sound from the boat horns in the harbour pronounced the start of "Año Nuevo En El Mar", Chile's famous firework show. Pyrotechnics were launched from sea pontoons, so the whole bay between Valparaíso, Viña del Mar and Concón would be flooded in sparkles. That's over 20km of coastline! And it went on for nearly 30 minutes! For me, one of the most amazing firework experiences ever. It left everybody thrilled. After finishing BBQ and bubbles, we joined the crowd outside, because the real fiesta is on the streets. It was so packed, you couldn't move a foot forward, even after 4am. But despite the bustle, the mood stayed laid-back and cheerful. We got hugs from all sides!
Meanwhile the roof terrace became crowded with all kinds of people. Everyone was in high spirits. At 00:00:00 a deep sound from the boat horns in the harbour pronounced the start of "Año Nuevo En El Mar", Chile's famous firework show. Pyrotechnics were launched from sea pontoons, so the whole bay between Valparaíso, Viña del Mar and Concón would be flooded in sparkles. That's over 20km of coastline! And it went on for nearly 30 minutes! For me, one of the most amazing firework experiences ever. It left everybody thrilled. After finishing BBQ and bubbles, we joined the crowd outside, because the real fiesta is on the streets. It was so packed, you couldn't move a foot forward, even after 4am. But despite the bustle, the mood stayed laid-back and cheerful. We got hugs from all sides!
On the way home some very Chilean experiences:
First: We drove with our car alarm wailing at 120 decibel (remote control got wet on the beach), 6 people squeezed in a four seater, no valid driving license. Very suspicious, in either case. Not so for the Chilean police. They didn't stop us, didn't look alarmed, they didn't care at all! Ergo: Car alarms are useless here, just an annoying gadget.
Second: Halfway to Santiago, in the Casablanca valley, we stopped for a wine tasting. The tasting began with a simple, but delicious Sauvignon Blanc. We loved it and wanted to take a few bottles. Their answer: "No me queda", Spanish for "We don't have it / There is a problem". We hear it a lot here :-( How can you offer something for tasting that is not available for sale anyway?? In these situations all you can do is relax and stop thinking German.
First: We drove with our car alarm wailing at 120 decibel (remote control got wet on the beach), 6 people squeezed in a four seater, no valid driving license. Very suspicious, in either case. Not so for the Chilean police. They didn't stop us, didn't look alarmed, they didn't care at all! Ergo: Car alarms are useless here, just an annoying gadget.
Second: Halfway to Santiago, in the Casablanca valley, we stopped for a wine tasting. The tasting began with a simple, but delicious Sauvignon Blanc. We loved it and wanted to take a few bottles. Their answer: "No me queda", Spanish for "We don't have it / There is a problem". We hear it a lot here :-( How can you offer something for tasting that is not available for sale anyway?? In these situations all you can do is relax and stop thinking German.
