MORE ODDS AND ENDS

I´m back from our dinner in the hotel dining room. Looking at the menu, we thought it was going to be unusally cheap. Must have miscalulated. Total for two meals was over $40. Still that was not unreasonable. Very nice restaurant. Tasty food, well prepared, pleasingly presented. Courteous waiters in black vests and ties.

The excursions are not cheap. An upcoming all-day tour is about $200 apiece.

Don´t recall seeing any utility bikes. Or scooters. Some light motorcycles. Mostly cars. Small cars. Seems like every make from everywhere is represented. Chevrolets, Japanese cars, Korean cars. Chile does not manufacture cars.

We were told gasoline is about $4.50 per gallon (lots of tax in that).

We´re riding in really first class buses.

Santiago has lots of parks and green spaces. Nice boulevard with grass in the middle.

One section of a main street is all-one-way just over a certain distance and just at certain hours (rush hours), otherwise 2-way. The direction markers painted on the streets remain 2-way.

We´re told it´s safe to walk the streets in daytime but we should use a cab after dark. And we should take precautions against pickpockets. For one thing, take photostatic copy of passport and leave the real passport in the safe in our room. Things are said to be safe in our rooms.

There are four of these computers for guests and a heck of a lot of guests in the hotel. Yet it seems easy to get on one of the computers. At worst its been a ten minute wait till one frees up.

I´m supposed to use and always have used dstilled water in my CPAP machine. Tonight I will use tap water. Interestingly, I was told you can´t buy distilled water in a grocery store but you can buy it at a gas station. (Gas stations use it for batteries and radiators.) I was told there is a gas station some eight blocks from here. Certainly not far for me to walk. (In the daytime.)

Maybe I already remarked about drinking water. The tap water has been treated, and some or most of the locals drink it. Toursists are advised to use bottled water for drinking and tap water for tooth brushing.

I was unable to stay alert during the orientation this afternoon. But I´m doing very well considering recent sleep deficits. We expect to get a lot of sleep tonight.

;-)

Bernie