Not much to report from the weekend in terms of dashing derring-do (or the like). It was relatively quiet for the most part, just a bit of cooking (egg and potato curry), cleaning the kitchen (the parts of the walls, cupboards etc. and the tops of things that Gloria, my cleaner, can't see or reach), watching the Socceroo's get flogged by those crazy Germans and having a little siesta in the middle of Sunday (my first over here!).
Happenings that were slightly (but only very slightly) more interesting were;
- Going for a drive along the Copiapo Valley to the south of town, for about 60 kilometres, to the village/hamlet (not sure what they are called in Spanish) of Los Loros. The valley is the one that you see on the internet when you search for Copiapo and find the grey coloured hills with no vegetation, and the vivid ribbon of green snaking along the floor of the valley. I was hoping to find the location that it was taken from and take advantage of the afternoon light and see what I could see, however the photographer must have just climbed a random hill, as I couldn't find anywhere remotely likely to get a similar shot from near the road. I didn't have enough time for too much mucking about either, as it was late in the day. It'll be a good excuse to go back and have another look later in the year.
- Los Loros itself won't feature highly on any scenic wonders shown on the internet. The main industry in the tiny town would appear to be servicing the local agricultural industry. It appears to be a very poor community and somewhat dirtier than any others that I've seen so far (which, to be fair, is precious little). I decided not to take any photographs, largely due to not wanting to raise the ire of the various locals milling about in the street, but also out of a feeling of not really wanting to record the relative poverty of the inhabitants (the dead, bloated dog in the gutter, passers-by unconcerned by its presence, hasn't left a pleasant memory). It just didn't feel right for pictures of that sort of thing to "thrill" over at a later point.
- Losing my bloody Blackberry. I was very torn about getting one before I came here, having seen them develop into an addiction for many who have them (hi Mike!). In the end, I weakened, concluding that it might be a good idea, however the problems I have had with getting the damn thing connected to the outside world are many and varied. Ultimately, then thing has disappeared from a pocket on my backpack at some point on Saturday morning. Whether I've been careless and let it slip out at some point (perhaps secretly desiring it to be gone from my life), or someone "light-fingered" has managed to lift it without me noticing is uncertain. It did give the opportunity for an inside look at the police station across the road from the office, so there was a "bonus" experience in the whole exercise! The poor young lad who had to fill out the report was the slowest to move, and perhaps the most junior, officer in the whole place. They say "it" flows downhill, don't they? He was not terribly excited at filling out the report...
- Having my shoes polished by the shoe cleaner man in the centre of town. It feels very decandent and paternalistic, but he provided a good service and had a constant stream of customers, so perhaps I shouldn't feel too bad about it. I was just pleased he didn't go to the extent of "spit and polish"...
- I managed to explore the town a bit more widely on Saturday, and found an interesting building (another church). Interestingly, almost all of the old churches are made from wood, rather than the abundant rock which litters the hillsides. Perhaps wood hurts less when it falls down during an earthquake?
And speaking of earthquakes, I still get a little adrenaline rush when I think about the earthquake over the weekend... Actually, I should correct that. I've been assured that this was only a "tremor" - earthquakes are the big things that are over a certain magnitude, but I can't recall the size.
Must go, dinner is awaiting. Not sure what I'm having, but I'll find something.
Chao.
A
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