A Night At A Building Site

Monday 5 February

It was still dark when we got up this morning, and I remembered that I hadn’t taken many piccys of the actual hotel area. I did try to capture a few shots, but not too successfully, as even though the moon was shining brightly, it didn’t provide sufficient illumination for the details to appear on camera. I will have to look on the web when we get home – there’s bound to be some good photos there.

We enjoyed another brief breakfast in the bar, where we found out that the Spanish group would be accompanying us all the way to Santiago, where they would make their way home via Buenos Aires and Madrid to Bilbao. We were a bit concerned about all the accumulated luggage, but when the minibus arrived in the courtyard, it was pulling a large covered trailer behind – even then, all the cases and bags only just went in. We were all sorry to be leaving this lovely setting and great hospitality – I wonder if the new complex they are building on Easter Island will be the same - other guests have told us that the Explora in Patagonia is always full and very difficult to get in,

The drive back to Calama was on the same road as we traveled to get here (if you have a late flight, you have the opportunity to visit some mining villages and towns on a different route) – through mile after mile of dunes and rocky mountains, and it was a quiet and reflective group that arrived at the airport, just as it was opening. We started the queue at the Lan Chile desk for booking in, but it was another quarter of an hour before the team emerged to man the desks. We had done some serious sorting of our cases – not wanting to be charged again, and Colin’s now weighed in at 20.2 kgs while mine – still a bit overweight (like its owner) was 22.4 kgs. But they booked it all the way through to La Serena with no problems. Tamsin from Journey Latin America had told us that we may bee charged for all the changes made to our flight times. There must obviously have been a note on the computer to that effect, as the manager was sent for – but he came and told us that it had been Lan Chile’s responsibility and that we need not pay anything – well done Mr Manager.

The flight stopped at Antofagasta before Santiago – which is actually not too far from La Serena – about half an hour’s flight time - but, due to the new schedules we now had to fly all the way to the capital and back again - taking about six hours – seven if you count the late arrival of the last plane. Both flights were uneventful – I am missing not having a reading book and have now completed half a book of crosswords whilst on the various plane journeys. We bade fond farewells to the Spanish group before passing the intervening couple of hours in Santiago airport, by blogging and listening to a book. The new flight itinerary showed snacks on both planes – not surprisingly more half sandwiches with ham, tomato and cold green beans were served on the first flight, but on the second shorter flight (only an hour) we were given a bag of mini breadsticks flavoured with ham and a soft drink – it took longer to give them out than to eat them.

When we arrived at La Serena, the small airport arrivals hall was packed to capacity with police, photographers and reporters. One man asked me if I was Russian! We then found ourselves standing next to one of the Chilean tennis players, who was here to take part in the Davis Cup Match over the next couple of days, and being interviewed about his team’s prospects. The Russian team and Fernando Gonzales (runner up in the Australian Open) had also been on our plane!!

Our guide was waiting and took us to a waiting car and as we left, the tennis cavalcade pulled out behind us with a full police escort. But before we reached the main street, they turned off – they were not staying at the same hotel as us. We continued on through the town of La Serena – a much larger city than I had expected – 100,000 people live here – and it’s right on the coast – but with very small houses and shops that were really no more than dark sheds or huts – not inspiring for doing any shopping. The main square was home to the cathedral – another tall white building with seats in the centre of the square amidst trees and grass. Quite a few people were lounging around here doing nothing – it was about 16.00 by this time.

We pulled up at our hotel in a street just off the square – oh dear, I knew why the tennis team was not staying here – another disaster – the old building was being extended at both sides – just the narrow entrance way and steps were not covered in scaffolding – but huge grey concrete pillars and floors (looking a bit like an empty multi storey car park) were being constructed at each side, and we could see a team of labourers still working. Up the steep flight of stairs, the inside was not a lot better. Probably in its ‘hey-day’, back in the 1920’s or 30’s it might have been smart – there was evidence of marble floors and dark wood paneling, both now jaded and discoloured through age. We asked our guide about what sights we should be sure to see in La Serena and about where to eat out tonight. She ignored the sights question (she had shown us the cathedral on the way hadn’t she?), and said that really we should just eat in the hotel, as all the restaurants were at the beach, a good half an hour’s walk away, and it might be dangerous for us to walk around at night! Colin suggested a taxi – and she said “definitely not a good idea”!!!! So we were stuck with the building site! What we had seen of the town now wouldn’t be enough tempt us outside again till morning.

The ladies at the desk booked us in, and told us in which direction to take our luggage! We just stared at them disbelievingly – and eventually one called a young guy, acting as a porter. He had probably taken one look at our mountain of bags and tried to hide, knowing - as he would have – that there was no lift in this hotel, and the bags have to be carried up flights of stairs. Luckily for him, we were on the first floor – just two stairways up – not the fourth! He staggered with the two cases, while we carried our hand luggage. On entering we saw that our room, was about the same size as the one in Arica – small – and just a poorly furnished – a narrow tressle table held a television, and there was a small beside table on either side of a narrow bed covered in a horrid khaki green and black bedspread, and one chair – that was all. I thought my bathroom at home was small, but here the bath, washbasin and loo were all having a love affair with the two feet square space to stand in – and the door opened inwards too! It was a good job we were only staying here for the one night – or we might have been on the move.

I blogged in our room to the sound of banging and crashing as metal hit metal – I think they were erecting even more scaffolding at the back of the hotel, where our room was located, looking out on to the swimming pool – empty of water, but filled with more scaffolding poles – and garden – currently littered with building debris of old bricks, plastic bags and tools. Colin found last weekend’s Arsenal match against Middlesborough on the television (with a Spanish commentary of course), but we can all understand Gooooooo….aaaaaaalllllllllll! - we know now where the English commentators learnt that word!

It was then time to explore the hotel a bit more for drinks and dinner. The stairs down were covered in a tatty, almost threadbare patterned carpet and the corridor leading to reception had flakes of paint all over the even worse maroon carpet that was curling at the edges – probably fallen down with all the banging and crashing of the renovation works. We went into the bar, set out in 1930’s style – small dark tables and chairs in rigid lines, a dark wooden bar with some tile pictures on the wall behind of the Spanish conquest of Chile. Everything was very dusty – especially shown up as the sun was shining blindingly through the window – overlooking one part of the “car park”. No one was about, so Colin went and asked at reception if the bar was open. They fetched a waiter from the dining room – a small, round, slightly hunched, greasy haired man aged about mid 60’s +. To his credit when I ordered a glass of red wine, he went back to the dining room to fetch a wine glass (didn’t just give me a tumbler) and when Colin ordered a ‘gin con tonica’, he picked up a large tumbler, half filled it with ice, covered the ice with gin and added a very small splash of tonic from a can. He also produced a tray of nibbles, including crisps, almonds and raisins. He went back to the dining room while we supped, but kept returning to ensure we didn’t want anything else - as Colin was taking a long time over his drink, I did have another glass of wine.

We found the restaurant – a shining beacon along another corridor, due to all the white paint and bright sunshine yellow table coverings in the large, high ceilinged room – perhaps it had been a ballroom in days gone by. The tables were all round, and we found one laid only for two, that would have comfortably accommodated six. The same waiter brought us menus, all in Spanish, and offered no explanation of what was on offer. It was quite an extensive menu with pages for entrees and soups, meats and fish, and desserts. Luckily Colin had brought our dictionary with him, so we were able to determine some of the ingredients. We both chose soup and a pork dish – corn soup and Scandinavian style pork for Colin with lots of mashed prunes and bacon on top, and asparagus soup followed by Diablo pork for me with lots of sliced onions and chilli oil. Both came with small round balls of potatoes that had been deep fried or lightly roasted. We finished off with chamomile teas. Not the best meal we have had, but at least edible.

The hotel had told us that there was internet available in the small lounge near the dining room, so we took the ‘Thai Shite’ and, after getting a password from reception, we were able to connect. We only checked and sent a few emails and checked the latest news – we had been out of touch for four days, but could find nothing very exciting that happened during our sabbatical. Feeling exhausted by now after our early morning travels, we decided it was time for bed. We could find no news programmes or anything in English on the television – we had been hoping there might have been a film we could understand. Still, off to the Hacienda tomorrow – hopefully a little better than La Serena.