11-27-2002
John and I are in the old section of Santiago where there are windy (both kinds) cobblestone streets. We aare in the Hotel Londres (London). It is a charming building with marble stairs at the entrance, old class doors. When I press the bell, the buzzer sounds and the door is unlocked. We climb circular marble steps to the first living room, where the clerk hands us a key. The room costs 15,000 pesos - $21. We continue up past several other ornately decorated dusty living rooms looking out on a courtyard below. Finally narrow wooden steps circle up to the top where there is a door. Turn the key and enter the bathroom. Walk through to the simple room with high ceilings with large lace covered wooden windows. We have the windows wide open because it is about 85 degrees. Across the street are shouted slogans of a political demonstration. As John and I walked back from our late afternoon dinner, we noticed a group of men congregated outside the old building across from the hotel. They began to pound on the entrance which had locked wrought iron bars. Soon one set of bars had broken out and the men poured inside shouting for others to join them. John almost joined them, however, we stood across the street trying to discern what the issue was. We asked ¨Que esta la problema¨of some passersby, but when they explained we couldn´t catch it. They unfurled banners and the Chilean flag from the balcony. The banner read ¨miedo y lugar´´ and ¨correo¨ (mail). We believe it is people protesting layoffs at the post office and the building is somehow related to the post office. The police have arrived at the demonstration and are talking with the demonstrators. We came back from a late lunch at the Mercado Central where I ate a fish called rainetta.

In the night we heard the iron bars broken by the protesters being repaired and in the morning all the banners were gone, leaving no sign of the injustice that was being so forcefully brought to the attention of the public and authorities. Since we are on a back street, it seems very few people saw or heard it.

After 2 days here, we are leaving tonight on a 12 hour bus trip and will arrive tomorrow in Villarica - which I read is on a lake with a large volcano - Volcan Villarica nearby.

Yesterday John and I took the excellent Metro to the University of Snatiago since the bus station to busses heading sourth was across the street. Purchasing a bus ticket is challenging since people do not speak English and our Spanish is rudimentary. The University buildings seem to be in a state of disrepair - public funding for them has been reduced.

We visited the Museum of Precolumbian Art which had well-dislayed works of cultural art with their context explained in English and Spanish. Later we visited an upscale neighborhood that had the feeling of downtown Bellevue. We went into a mall with 2 spiral walkways about 5 floors high lined with small shops selling women´s clothing. Each shop seemed about the same - selling tight pants and halter tops for young women with little high heel sandals or bikinis - no ¨practical clothers for comfort or business, or clothes for men.