Mendoza-Santiago

Sat 0941 Sat on bus. All OK, though the guy putting my bag in the boot pretty much demanded a tip. Not happy - didn't see anyone else tipping (I *have* seen this when people have been *collecting* bags at end of trip) and feels a bit out of order (like I say, it's one thing at the other end when collecting bag - though TBH it also feels a bit off since it's not exactly a major service and I am fucking paying for the trip, the guy isn't carrying my bag for miles) but I gave him 10 (was planning on tipping 20 at the other end, and if they're Chilean and don't like ARS then can't be helped). It's all highly bureaucratic so I doubt he can disappear my bag but feel a bit cheesed off.

Rained quite heavily maybe 2am. Refreshing but in my drowsy half-worried state (kept waking up) was worried I'd have to walk to bus terminal in rain and get soaked.

Bit cooler with some breeze and the rain and it being generally early in day. Got up 8am after snoozing intentionally on alarms; had been half awake for ages, or so it felt. Not put any sunscreen on. Had a shower, handed over key to host, walked to terminal (maybe 40 mins).

1001 We're off.

1050 Guzzled remains of nuts and raisins and two alfajores we were given; there's the usual wanky question about carrying plant and animal matter on the customs and immigration declaration and given I'm crossing by bus and don't want any unnecessary delays I've just eaten it all. Mildly annoying but meh.

1053 Passing quite nice strikingly light blue lake.

1107 Reminded by seeing a muddy but moderately "rough" looking river next to road that there were various horse riding (can't ride, not interested) and rafting (can't swim yet) opportunities from Mendoza.

1527 I think we're about to drive out of Los Libertadores customs point. We got here IIRC about 1305. First 1h 20 ish just sitting on bus outside (allowed to get off if wanted; I didn't), then passport inspection, then checked and hand baggage screening. Does Argentina have the lurgy or is this insane? Meh. Good job (honestly) I am not up against a tight deadline in Santiago to check in. Yeah, we're pulling out now. Wonder how much of this delay is expected - maybe all of it for all I know. See when we get in I guess...

Mobile phone is now working at least, since Three's Go Roam works in Chile. Only tried mobile data but that's the main thing and it does work.

2027 At flat. Think the bus got in about 1815 but that's v approx; GPS track prob has true answer, not that it matters. Got cash - Redbanc wanted to charge me 6k on a 200k withdrawal but I said yes anyway, only to find they bounced me out because I'd failed to select "foreign client" earlier on. There was a queue behind me so went to adjacent Banco Estado machine which actually charged a slightly less extortionate 4.9k on a 210k withdrawal (I realised if I withdrew 200k I might get nothing but 20k notes, I would probably have been right). Mild wrong turn getting to U de Santiago metro nearby but no real problem, bought a bip card (handed over 10k and asked for change as credit, think got about 8.5k credit) and after having to ask where to go for the Los Dominicos train I got the metro over to Santa Lucia no problem, and checked in fine.

Of course I immediately hit the supermarket opposite - living it large or what? Got some hot dogs and stuff to cook tuna and rice with tomorrow. Bit of mix up with not weighing some stuff myself pre-checkout meant I lost some items, and as I thought all I'd lost was bananas but had also lost my individual hot dog buns I had to back and buy some more (this time I got a simple pre-packaged one to avoid enormous queue at weigh station). Sadly Chilean mustard is all that vinegary shit so going very lightly on it.

Don't have mains adapter that works here. Some web site said it was same as Europe but my Euro adapter seems to have slightly too fat pins. Luckily I remembered reading you can sometimes charge off USB port on TV and (very slowly) you can, so that will get me out of a jam for a day or two and I will have to shop for either a Chile-to-US adapter (and stack it with my already unreliable US adapter) or see if I can find a Chile-to-UK adapter (unlikely?) or buy a local USB charger (but then I wouldn't be able to charge my camera battery). Not ideal but not terrible and not urgent.

Plan is to maybe eat a bit more, shower/shit/shave and head over to Pio Nono for a hopefully restrained-ish night maybe 2130/2200. Not putting any pressure on, just have a few beers and if I come home at 2am or whenever not having spoken to anyone that's cool.

2220 At J Restobar??? (no 252) on Pio Nono. Got litre of Cristal at 3000, not too bad. Think Crazy Bar might have shut. Done a mostly complete circuit of street and not super impressed, far too much dancey/RnB-ish music. One place - in fact this place - advertises 1 ltr Beckeer for 1500 but only inside; I want to sit outside because it seems nicer and feels a bit safer and I'm easing myself in. Gut feeling is will maybe have couple of litres - not rushing - and go home unless I feel a lot differently then, no point burning alcohol allowance on a bad night.

Night is warm but borderline nice; it isn't too sticky and there's an occasional breeze.

Found an Argentinian plug adapter in bathroom in flat; left power bank charging on that via my wobbly US/AUS/Arg adapter in flat so that's better than TV, though still a temporary solution.

Let's just read on phone a bit. Waiter didn't understand me all that well but we got there in the end.

2252 Feeling a bit drunk. Perhaps been necking this a little bit out of thirst, as it's not like I haven't eaten etc. Probably well over half way through in about half an hour. Try to force myself to pace, even though I really am enjoying a cold drink.

Google Maps says Crazy Bar permanently closed, address 227 Pio Nono so maybe at some point, not nec tonight, go see what is now there.

2332 Nearly finished this litre, don't feel so pissed now. This place is fine but prices seem pretty standard and I'm not loving it or anything, so I think I'll get bill (prob should just say "pay", doubt anything so formal as a bill) and go somewhere else. Not sure anywhere else hugely appeals or will have tables free, but must be somewhere and I should move around a bit

2351 Paid, staff seemed a bit lax but WTF, made it 3500. Circulated. Ex-Crazy Bar address seems to be (one of; there's another opp side of road) Loft Sushi/Resto Bar locations. Really nothing working for me, nothing v rock/pop on music and most people do seem to be outside which makes me reluctant to go in and one or two OK places had no free tables. At Drink at 281 Pio Nono just cos it seems unpretentious but no idea if will have OK beer or if staff will ever come over.

0001 Chap just came over, they have a range of beers by the litre but ordered a Becker cos a) not tried it (recently) b) having no idea of prices, I get the impression it's cheap.

But I have an actual glass glass here instead of small plastic one at last place, so who knows? I can afford one overpriced beer I guess.

I haven't been down any of the side streets yet, and there's also a clump of bars up at the (more convenient for me) end nearest Baquedano - can't remember name of clump but saw it earlier - which may be worth considering but reluctant to go in at this stage, eg after a couple of litres. Another night. Maybe come out mid-week after a few days of relative abstinence.

0020 V quick Google suggest a few language exchange things in Santiago, worth following up on tomorrow. One looks to be Tuesday at 8pm which seems OK. Not gonna look further now.

0054 Nearly finished this litre. Will prob get another - and hope it's not too pricey. Not super smart but I'm not really pissed and while I'm probably not meeting anyone tonight, it's the first night of the trip I've had a chance to cut mildly loose (for all that I've been drinking responsibly per day but *probably* too much - for weight even ignoring medical semi-wank) so prob will do it. Batt 37% but be OK.

0059 Yeah, ordered a second litre. Barring highly unlikely socialising this will be the last drink of the night. Gut feeling is not setting an alarm tomorrow, want to avoid dragging myself out of bed earlier than I want in general and while I want to quietly "do stuff" in Santiago I also want to just chill a bit.

Anyway, these aren't litres of Becker. Can't see abv % anywhere - it's usually in microscopic print on the bottles over here - but can see its 970cc. Makes all the difference. :-)

Naively wish I was socialising but let's be honest, not to neglect the stuff in BA like the eclipse with airbnb host, I ain't been putting myself out there yet.

0114 Did notice in supermarket earlier they had "Southwestern hot mustard" or something like that - the same vinegar-heavy shit but with chilli peppers. Proper fucking mustard - and I am aware I am being a bit parochial, but still - English mustard as I believe we call it, *is actually fucking hot already*. Had vaguely hoped in Chile there would be some chance of buying English mustard but at least not in that supermarket opposite flat.

0122 Perhaps not the most acceptable sentiment, but truth, though it kill me - for all that I love Santiago, both BA and Mendoza had far more women (not all of them really young) walking round in tiny shorts with really nice legs than here. Not saying there aren't any here, but it does seem noticeably fewer. OTOH perhaps I like Santiago/Chile because it feels a bit more "like me" . Meh. Just a random drunk observation.

0128 I have to say that I suddenly realise the temperature is pleasant. Warm but not oppressive, just the tiniest hint of a coolish breeze.

After we left the border place the bus seemed to get warmer. Maybe they were trying to soften us up for arrival, but it seemed weird given in theory the aircon should have been just as good.

0137 Of course having made that comment about legs I suddenly start to notice them here. But I stand by my observation. And not that anyone has been remotely abusive or even mentioned it, but when you have football stadiums named "Malvinas Argentinas" and so forth it's hard to forget, it also feels a bit nicer to be in Chile where no one has AFAIK a natural go-to objection to an Englishman. I'm not sure how factual it is but I like to imagine a certain connection with England here. Their immigration shit certainly seems bureaucratic and slow enough to be English. ;-)

0144 Not that I regret tonight as such, but I should really have come out way later. As a minimum, since I switched bars at 2351, I could easily have come out at that time and then if I *had* socialised, I'd be that much more sober (and hopefully phone battery that much more charged). But it feels good to have a few beers without worrying, as eg I did yesterday when tempted to have a few but had early bus next morning. I think tonight is as much a cutting loose thing as a trying to socialise thing, if not more.

0151 Not for first time by a long chalk, a smell of marijuana drifts in the air. No idea where it comes from. Maybe people are just smoking at their table but not that clear.

Apropos of nothing, there was a bar (320?) walked past yday in Mendoza open 24h. Didn't go in, either at midday or on way home. I have a vague recollection legal closing time here is 3am. I don't think it's as late a culture as Argentina but still refreshingly late compared to UK. (The night tube ads portraying London as city that doesn't sleep are frankly ridiculous. What a patronising, we-know-best, don't-stay-out-late city London is. The closest it ever got was the narrow window between the introduction of "24h" drinking and the smoking ban, and even then 1am was about your limit.)

0216 On walk over earlier as approached Plaza Italia I said to myself "I think there's a Telepizza round this corner". There wasn't. But there was one nearby. So I give myself half a point for knowing the area.

 

Battery 16% but it will last, only have about half a pint-ish of this beer - which have maybe necked a bit.

0220 Jeez, just nearly handed over a 20k thinking it was a 2k. Waiter honest but thinks I'm pissed, I suspect. (Not sober, but not really pissed.) Fuck it. Bill is 5.5k which is hardly chap I think but not terrible (3k for litre Cristal earlier, tho had I been willing to go inside could have paid 1.5k for litre Becker, so 3k for two litres would be cheap and could have had two litres Cristal for 6k at other place). Think I handed over a 10k and asked for changed, fairish with tip would be 6 and a bit k, will make it 7k for guy being honest with me over that 20k.

OK, just tipped 2k which is prob overdoing it but fuck it, if the guy hadn't been square could have trousered 18k so fair play. He prob thinks I'm drunk to tip that much but fuck it. Will have piss here before I go, he'd better let me in.

0229 Just been for piss, risking remains of drink on table. No one inside. Didn't realise there were tables down side of bar off Pio Nono, worth noting. Not an amazing place but OK. Feel a bit lonely and a bit pissed but not a terrible situation. Not necking the remains but will drink them and go when finished. Englishy language prob American group nearby but not remotely interested in trying to scrap acquaintance; I feel a bit pissed and also not that desperate. Batt 13% which sucks but will do.

0234 Leaving shortly, dregs of beer left. Not actually a bad night. Lessons: a) come out fucking later, easier to socialise if more sober b) careful with 20k notes :-) b) prob influenced by lack of recent experience with current aka  being fresh off the boat, but still.

0240 OK, let's go. Necked last bit a bit but tis OK. Predict will be back at flat a hair over 30 mins from now. Have paid bill, so free to leave.

0309 Not a bad prediction. Felt pretty safe and also irrationally cool walking home. Prob deluding myself but Santiago is different from BA and I liked the way it felt on way back. Anyway, here I am. Maybe a hot dog then bed. It *is* warm in here but not terrible.

Just opened balcony door in living room. I actually don't like being on 2nd (UK 1st) floor, it seems to lack privacy. But tis OK, it's a nice flat and swings and roundabouts. (Flat overlooks pool. I may have right to use it, but since can't swim not big issue. Earlier v family noisy. Now a few ppl on fringe. Not *bothered* but compared to the privacy of a flat on 12th floor is different.)

0336 This is a nice flat but though a bit cleaner and more elegant not that much nicer than my place in London, yet I feel slightly lucky to be here. Not a bad thought/feeling I guess. Don't intend to force myself to get up tomorrow, if I lose the whole day cos I really want to sleep that's cool (tho will feel annoyed).