Esme y Mia

My two teenaged kittens are now spayed and in our spare bedroom. They are so cute. They are sisters, and they occasionally fight like sisters, but in this photo they quite liked each other.

Afternoon delight

Chileans eat lunch, or almuerzo, at around 1 or 2. They don't eat dinner until about 8 or 9, so in between they have a little 'once' (or tea) or cortado. This is a little milky coffee in a demitasse cup, usually served with two tiny cookies and a small glass of sparkling water. It's a great little drink that also serves as a time for a break, or small time to relax. I have included the website so you can see the definition and try to recreate this yourselves. See how happy Richard looks! He liked his first little Cortado!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortado

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2010ygac.php

I felt my first earthquake tonight. It was very strange. Definitely felt it! I was sitting on the couch, and I felt the jiggle. Look at the web site above for information.

The economy and who wants to be a millionaire!

I have been asked about prices and the economy. Santiago, like any other HUGE city, has it's rich, it's poor and it's huddled masses yearning to be free. The rich wear very nice clothes, the women walk in expensive boots on bad pavement (you can always tell the Americans- we wear tennis type shoes and have lighter hair) and they always seem to be in a hurry. They probably live in a very nice area, like Los Condes, where we live, in a high rise. The others live in little houses, some out of tin and cardboard, and survive on not much. Laundry powder, for instance, is about $7.00 American for a little box. The nanas here have been known to STEAL laundry detergent, just because it is so expensive.

Food is about the same, and veggies and fruits are available in stores, at open air markets, and from vendors along the streets. Chile imports very little, so whatever is growing is what the people eat. Since all is grown locally, I wash the fruits and vegetables, no matter where I buy them, in a bleach and water mix. Gasoline is expensive, but we really don't drive much unless we go out of town.

We get a water bill, an electric bill, a gas bill and a hot water bill. I don't know what that hot water thing is, but that's just the way it is. We also have cable, phone and internet, which is just about the same as the US.

The subway is a card which is loaded with whatever amount you want, and the meter clicks off about 450 pesos each time you ride, which is less than a dollar. One could actually ride the subway and connect with other lines to various points of town for relatively little money. Just watch your wallet, purse, or anything else of value when you get out too far into the suburbs. I am showing you more money, as I finally HAVE more money in my wallet. The 500 coin is about a dollar, the 1000 peso bill is two dollars, and the rest, again, you guys are math wizards, and can figure those out. A million pesos? Yeah, I can get that!

If anyone has any questions, please lt me know what you'd like to see or hear next. Things that are mundane to me might be of interest to others.

Picasso is rolling over in his grave about now

I bought an art canvas the other day at an office supply, and I already had acrylic paint, so I thought I would create. Given the time I thought this would take, I hoped to be entertained for a week or so. Not so. Acrylic dries way too fast, and I knocked out my "creation" in a few hours. I named it "Broken Heart". Richard said "Oh, who has a broken heart?", like it was me, or someone I know, or I had really given it some DEEP thought. I said nobody, that the canvas just "spoke" to me. Yeah, right! Picasso I am NOT!!!! Just jam a bunch of stuff on a white surface and lt it dry. BUT- be very serious about your work when you talk about it. Fake everybody out.

Leave the driving to someone else...

Richard sent an email to me today about a strike affecting the public transportation in Santiago. Approximately 600 employees are striking to protest non-payment of wages. This will affect about 150 busses. This action will put a strain on the taxi and subway systems. Also, there may be protests, so we are being told to avoid large groups of people and obvious protest groups. How exciting, as well as slightly inconvenient. I do not take the bus, as it is so difficult to figure out, but I occasionally take a taxi and I love the subway. The red line (our line) doesn't get as crowded as some of the other sub lines, as the workers coming to this affluent area usually ride in "collectivos", or special taxis that pick up riders going to very specific places. It's like if you wanted to go to downtown from the Galleria, you would flag down a collectivo, and jam yourself in with up to 4 other people, and they take you only from point A to point B. The stops are posted on a sign on top of the cab. Can get really cozy. The maids, or nanas, as they are called here, take a collectivo from the poorer parts of town to Los Condes, and then walk to their jobs. It's the only afforable way to commute, as the subway may be inconvenient and the bus too slow. The collectivo is about 1000 pesos, which is $2.00 American.

I am taking a collectivo up to the mountains next week, so I will report on that aventure later.

Up high in the sky

I went with one of my new friends to the clinic for her checkup yesterday, and the view from the 14th floor was just spectacular. The mountains in the background are so beautiful, and the cityscape is really impressive too. Sorry now much has happened that is worth reporting lately, but next week could be better.