Took photo of railway station and ramshackle goods yard of the railway. Both my guide books say there is one passenger train to Bolivia a week taking about 18h and with temperatures going below freezing. One guide book says it leaves Wednesdays, so I just missed it. Bugger. :-)
CLP1700 for a schopp here. ('Mil siete', clearly meaning 1700 not 1007 - I counted change to find out)
General rock vibe here. Rick's American Bar this is not. :-)
Nearly went in some other bar which sounded a bit busy but windows were blacked out. May just be against the sun but at least one guide books says there are what I shall refer to as titty bars here (this is a big mining town, apparently) and I don't want to get embroiled in anything which might turn out to be expensive.
Place seems fairly OK if nothing that unusual. Only one hour by bus to San Pedro so that might help. Need to decide what I'm doing there and try to sort out a hostel. Feeling a bit jittery about the sandboarding but not necessarily backing out.
I reckon the schopp here could be half a litre (as opposed to, for example, 350ml at the place opposite the bus station yesterday).
1654 Musing over this beer (and I will have one more then go for food), perhaps I'm silly to feel extra vulnerable here, eg not liking to sit with my phone out. My guide book(s) imply this is a moderately expensive town because everything's hiked due to the mining. So while that may or may not result in some places being a bit rough, surely no one is going to be bothered with petty theft? It's pretty fucking obvious I'm a tourist without having my phone out so maybe I shouldn't worry about it.
Place is pretty empty which maybe makes me feel a bit more selfconscious. I ordered this beer at the bar cos I wasn't sure somewhere down at heel would have table service, but I suspect they probably do; I mean, even the tatty bars on Pio Nono do. I shall go to the bar for the next one anyway unless accosted by a waiter first.
1733 Might be the beer but I am warming to this bar. Nonetheless, I think I will leave after this one for food. Vague plan is to go back to the hotel, dick around there for a couple of hours and maybe to upload some photos. I think I'll go for a bit more of a wander about 8 and see if I can find some other interesting bar(s), then maybe will come back here lateish on Friday. Guess I can/should also look into booking something in San Pedro while back at the hotel, then I can buy a ticket tomorrow and have things sorted.
I do feel there's not much to see here; vague recollections of the guidebook suggest there are one or two museums which will easily fit in tomorrow during the day even if I get up lateish. The experience of this place is likely to be more about being here than anything explicit. Which is good in a way, it's kind of relaxing not to feel there's lots I should be doing. Perhaps technically a waste of time on so short a trip but it's all good. In some sense it might have been better to have spent an extra day in La Serena but I also like the slight randomness of being here.
There are buses to Salta in Argentina from here but not many and not every day. I would have to think about timing but maybe after San Pedro I will cross to Argentina (from there or here) and make my way down to Santiago along the Argentinian side of the border.
1826 Wandered. A few (closed ATM) bar/pub/disco places in the small main square which may be worth a look later. Some bloke outside a restaurant tried to get me in but I asked and he said about CLP7,000 so walked on. Round the corner at Schoppdog (which I believe is a chain; I think I saw one in Santiago earlier, and ate at one in Arica in 2010). Order and pay at the desk before eating. CLP3200 ish for churrasco a lo pobre and a diet coke. Didn't understand what the woman at the desk said after I paid, something about 'en blanco'. I sat myself at a vacant table and live in hope.
Odd residual 'buzz' from drinks earlier. Guess I haven't been drinking hugely lately.
Waiter chap just took a yellow ticket I got at cash desk off me. Didn't understand what he said but proferred that and the receipt. Do wonder if the situation here is more about familiarity with their procedures than language. Probably a bit of language at least.
Poster for a Charlie Chaplin film and a photo of the Beatles among the decor. Exotic England. ;-)
2026 Churrasco a lo pobre filling but not enormous. Been back at the hotel for maybe an hour. Had to sign up for a new flickr account as unable to get into my old one without details stuck back in my flat. Annoying as I might have paid for a pro account with unlimited uploads but if I'm doing that I want it on my old account. Oh well.
Not booked any hostels yet, may have a quick look now. Guide book says this is 2700m above sea level, which just might but probably doesn't explain the slightly pronounced effect of those two beers earlier. Going to send this before I go out just in case. Guide books totally unhelpful on where to get a drink, except one says there are some clubs SE of the train station which I am not going near. Will wander a bit and see, and maybe those places on plaza will be OK. Probably end up back at American Bar in the end if not.
Been charging phone on netbook as only have one plug adapter and boy is it slow. Should be fine for tonight and will give the thing a proper mains charge overnight.
Guidebook (Bradt; Rough Guide to South America skimps heavily, though excusably as it covers the entire continent) says museums are 2km out of town centre. Possibly an interesting place but time will tell if I make it out there.
Sod the hostels for now, bit nervous about going out rightly or wrongly so going ASAP before it gets later and I talk myself out of it. Just finish this photo upload and that's it.
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