Residential chores

10-23 Wednesday
Sunshine, cold air, puffy clouds moving across the blue sky. Richard had stopped on his way home yesterday at the office of Telefonica Sur to confirm that our internet service is rated by speed, not data delivery. Good to know.

First task today: phone Priceline’s Customer Service. They’d responded to R’s detailed email of complaint with a request that he phone. He tried via Skype, but could not use the Skype touchpad to punch in his Priceline Trip # … so he called from his Chilean cell phone. Very frustrating, poor connection, lots of time waiting on hold. He finally got the Priceline human to understand that email is what works for communicating from here. We are holding Priceline responsible for the fact that R had to buy a full price ticket to get to Chile on Oct 1, when United Air refused to let him board, claiming that one leg of his Priceline-booked trip had been cancelled by the airline.

Onward, into the sunshine. Second task was to report to the PDI (Policia De Investigaciones) and let them know R’s new address. A brisk walk up over the hill beyond the Jumbo market, beyond the Deutsche Schule, to the neighborhood house used by the PDI. Posters in the reception area state the rights of the victim and the rights of the accused in both Spanish and English. The officer who took Richard’s information typed it all into a computer with his two index fingers, and that was that. Richard is a “Permanent Resident” now, and has 30 days from making any change in his address to let the PDI know where he’s living.

Next, we wanted to buy a second set of sheets for our bed, so as to have some laundry time between changes. We walked down the hill to El Mall, anchored by the two 5-story towers of Ripley’s and Falabella’s department stores. We’d already searched, one day last week, so we knew that Falabella had the right stuff; and now that we knew the metric measurement of our bed (200 x 200 cm … a super king!), we bought the ones that would fit. Not a lot of choices in your super king.

I spotted a lavanderia on San Martin a few blocks from the Mall; we left the sheets there for laundering. If we’d been able to find a BICE Bank, we could have finished our list with complete success. We did learn that there IS one in Puerto Montt, but it’s in the Sector Alto, up on the second bench above the waterfront. We’ll make our way up there tomorrow. R’s Kindle broke when he accidentally leaned against his backpack at the wrong moment. To get a new one shipped by Amazon’s Chilean office in Santiago, he has to make the payment to Amazon thru BICE Bank. We’ll find out how well the shipment service works.

After a tasty lunch at the Patagonia Café downtown, we hiked back up to our building … a good half mile or so, with a decent challenge in elevation gain. I have to stop at the top of the first slope, where the path levels out and I can gaze across the brush at the “Bikram Yoga of Chile” building. Then I have to stop again just above the deli and fresh vegetables market, where a patch of wild fennel is getting taller every day. Short rests – don’t want to get soft.

We both went out for individual walks again later in the afternoon: R headed to Angelmo to pick up the last laundry from Rodrigo. I walked back downtown to get the new sheets from the other laundry. We’re getting plenty of exercise!

I’ve been reading the Sunday newspaper, dictionary in hand. The crafts and produce markets of Angelmo are threatened with a lengthy shut down because of problems with the electricity. The city claims to have spent a lot of money already trying to improve the situation, but more must be done, and maybe the company that did the electrical overhaul last year is to blame for faulty work. This is my interpretation of the text.
When I ride the bus thru Angelmo, I see the main street lined with shops that are like the booths at a country fair: open-fronted, packed with products on display, roofed with sheets of tin or shingled panels, dirt floors. Puddles the size of ponds cover the road after a downpour; dogs roam freely, wood stoves smoke. Conditions might be too primitive for electricity to function well for any length of time. This is my interpretation of the situation.

In another story, CORFO, an arm of the Chilean government’s Economic Development Plan focused on helping people who have good ideas for a growing business enterprise, has a lot of money to deal out. Check out the CORFO web site for many stories of entrepreneurs who have benefited from this government support.

Manyaña, to the marina, maybe, after our chores are done. Richard has put the For Sale sign up in Abrazo’s rigging. He’s thinking about bidding on a job of rebuilding the masts for a boat called the Blimey Limey. Maybe I’ll get to socialize with Vanya and Mauricio, the Italians who have just returned to their boat after leaving her here in Puerto Montt for the winter while they were back on their island in the Adriatic Sea. Margaret and Chris from Australia are also getting ready to sail south to the Beagle Channel. Faraway John is looking for crew again; I can’t remember which way he means to sail. Lots of sailors varnishing and outfitting in preparation for their spring voyages, whichever way they’re going ... and I’m delighted to be an observer. Today’s internet brought the good news that Dennis and Barb on Landfall have come safely to harbor in New Zealand; they logged 10,000 miles since leaving Puerto Montt in March.