Santiago

Day 210 – Santiago, Chile

It’s hot out there. I arrived last night without any major fuss. I’m two hours behind Easter Island, so I only have a four-hour difference with France now.

Signs at the airport advise to buy transportation before leaving the building to avoid any scam… if it’s officially signalled, I guess it is rampant. Welcome!

So I obediently bought a bus ticket at the appropriate kiosk. Then I saw the line outside the bus station, and decided to go for diner before going downtown. It’s more easy to be patient on a full stomach.

I treated myself to a boeuf en croûte in a French restaurant. Yummy.

I boarded the bus, went down to the last station, which was still short of my destination. After running a bit around and checking on things on my phone (thank God for mobile data), I took the subway to the Plaza de Armas (pictured above), which my hostel overlooks.

The lack of a full second strap on my backpack was cruelly felt at this point. My backpack is snug and secure, but it is not a model made for walking. The padding is limited, there are few outside pockets, and so on. I can lock my computer in it, and be reasonably sure that only thoroughly destroying it will give access to the insides, but at full load, it is cumbersome. With a shoulder strap lacking, it is a nuisance.

So today, I looked up outdoor shops in the search for a new bag.

The closest shop sells mainly telescopes, and their only model -huge, with padding so thick you want to sleep on it- was a dream. The price, alas, wasn’t, so I regretfully declined -and was given another address by the salesman, with more choices.

Santiago – The tallest building in South America

Of course, that shop wasn’t in the neighbourhood, so I had the enjoyment of discovering a bit more of the subway system.

That’s not helped by the fact that I still don’t speak Spanish, though as long as I use Google translate, a few English and Spanish words, I get along. It helps to look up beforehand how things work, such as the subway card that you charge: no ticket here. Reminds me of Sydney, now that I think about it.

I found the shop, and the clerk was very helpful. He called other employees to take a selection of bags out of storage -the shop floor is very small-, one of the other one spoke a good English, and he helped me set the straps at the correct size for a good fit while trying the bags.

I settled for a medium bag -slightly larger than what I have, which is straining at what I try to stuff in it-, but with room to grow, eschewing the bigger one -with, again, dream padding on the straps-, made with recycled materials. I must say that between the colour -don’t ask me why, but my bags are blue during this trip- and the sustainable argument, I was hooked. And it’s better for me not to take a too-big bag, I will only fill it.

Santiago – Look, a bench.

Now, I have to decide what to do with my old backpack!