First full day in Santiago

OK, here's the "what I did on my holidays" stuff.

I picked up a map of the area round the hotel from a cafe yesterday and I took that out with me when I left in a rush. So I went to the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in Parque Forestal, which is a small but fairly pleasant park. It was quite interesting and free, despite the sign outside saying it cost CLP600 to get in. I wanted to go to the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo next door, but it appeared to be shut.

After that I picked the Museo de Santiago - Casa Colorada somewhat at random off the list of museums at the bottom of the map and walked over there. That took me into the Plaza de Armas, so I ended up nipping into the cathedral. Although the recorded chants they were playing gave it quite a solemn air, I couldn't help thinking it had a touch of the stately home about the architecture, it didn't look as classically 'cathedrally' as I'd expected.

On a slightly strange whim I went into the post office next door and it turned out they have a fairly interesting free museum, so I had a look round there. I rounded off with the Museo Historico Nacional, also on Plaza de Armas, which was the only one I had to pay to get in, and it was only CLP600, or less than a quid. I was feeling a bit tired by this point and there was a certain element of forcing myself to be out seeing stuff, and although it had its points I didn't find myself getting that interested. I am not sure I saw everything in there, although I didn't obviously miss anything except one room where there were clearly exhibits but where I was met with some incomprehensible explanation from a member of staff when I tried to go in. I think they may have been closing, because it was about 5pm and it said outside they were only open til 5:30pm. Partly because of that I was also looking round a bit superficially towards the end.

So I never actually went to the Casa Colorada place. Maybe some other day.

After that I went to get something to eat and then came back here to book the Punta Arenas flights. I ended up going to a restuarant called El Txoko Alavés near the Bellas Artes metro station. I didn't actually like it very much, I broke my usual rule of not eating anywhere where I can't see the menu in advance (either in the window or, in a bar, by sitting down and just having a drink first) because the vague descriptions outside looked promising. When i got the menu, it turned out that there were no descriptions of any of the dishes, just their names. I hate it when restaurants do that. How the hell do I know what "beef a la Hoxton" (I made that up, of course) is? I'm sure it would have been better if I'd known more of the Spanish, but that was my major gripe. (Yeah, in theory I could ask the waiter, but even in English I'd feel an idiot running down the entire menu doing that.)

I compromised by ordering the beef with green salad without the salad. Yes, really. (I had french fries with it instead.) I have no complaints about the food itself, the steak was about an inch thick and excellent. I ordered it medium (partly because I always do given the choice, and partly because I don't have a clue how to say 'rare' or 'well done' in Spanish) and it was rarer than I'd have expected, but that's probably just me. It was fine anyway.

I seem to have resisted the temptation to go out tonight anyway. In fact, I'm amazed how late it is already when there's so much stuff I want to or could do tonight. It doesn't get dark here until well after 9pm which I am finding distinctly odd. It may be something to do with the relative position of the city in its time zone, because I don't remember noticing the same in Rio or Sao Paulo.

I popped across the road earlier to get some diet coke and bought a couple three-litre bottles at the minimarket across the road, so I should be supplied for the next day or two at least. Oddly enough, to me at least, it's one of those 'old-fashioned' shops where everything is behind the counter and you ask for it. A bit like "Open All Hours". I got by with the language but the guy serving me realised I was a foreigner and it turned out he spoke some English, which I suppose was nice. I need to practice sometimes though.

I think I can generally make myself understood, although I don't always have the right phrases to do it neatly (it's those little everyday bits of the language that seem to be some of the hardest to get the hang of), where I struggle is when people start gabbling at me. I hope that will improve with practice, and I guess I should probably make some sort of effort to listen to the radio or watch the news while I'm over here, my Spanish teacher says that sort of thing is good practice.

Oh, I bought a cheap secondhand book from a stall in the street this morning, just something to read and then maybe leave lying around for someone else. It's a teenage kind of novel from 1978 called "The Pistachio Prescription" by Paula Danziger. I've already read the whole thing and it's actually quite good in an undemanding sort of way. But some absolute bastard has ripped the last page out. It's not quite as bad as in a detective story or something and I doubt there's any definitive resolution to the plot, such as it is, but still. The guy at the stall did actually have two copies, one paperback and one hardback, and since he wanted the same for both I naturally chose the hardback, even though the paperback would have been more convenient, just because it felt like better value. :-) If he's there tomorrow (and I can find the place) I may go and buy the other one, although it feels like a massive con. (I'd try to return it, but it was only CLP1000, or about £1.50, and I stupidly wrote some bookcrossing.com details in the front of the book, so he'd probably argue I've defaced it.)

P.S. Problem solved. I used the "search inside" option on amazon.com (the book is still in print, it must be something of a classic) to look for a distinctive phrase on the last page in my copy, and I've just been able to read the missing two sides on there. Sorted. Respect due.