On Thursday, Sergio the taxi driver picked us up at 8:20 am and dropped us off at the bus stop. Shortly there arrived the bus to Valparaiso. The bus ride took about 1 1/2 hours and we got a tour of some of the inland wine country near Casablanca before turning back to the ocean and descending into Valparaiso. Most travel between major cities in Chile is by bus or by air. At one time there was a railroad system but now it is mainly for goods and not passengers. Maintaining tracks in an area with so many earthquakes is expensive.
At the bus terminal we took a taxi to Mall Marina Arauca to meet Don and Rita of SV Limbo. We stopped at a Starbucks to catch up on our respective activities. Rita and I went shopping while Don and Rita scouted out auto parts stores nearby. The mall is very similar to Bellevue Square, very upscale. The shops included a Columbia sportswear store, Calvin Klein, and Lacoste. Rita and I enjoyed a little retail therapy.
In the afternoon, Rich and I caught a bus that we thought would take us back to the bus station. The bus went along the waterfront, passed the Edificio de Armada de Chile and continued on passed the container shipping area and then up one of the many hills of Valparaiso. We were now in unfamiliar territory and going farther and father away. A woman in front of us on the bus, asked where we were going, and then told us to stay on the bus and that it returned to the waterfront. She said something to the bus driver before getting off the bus and probably said, "You have two gringos on board, let them ride back to downtown". Finally the bus turned around and went back the way we came. At the Armada, we got off and asked one of the sailors in front how to get to the bus station for a bus to Algarrobo. Their response was to take any bus going northbound and it would stop there. Well, not quite but Rich saw the bus station as we passed it and we hopped off. We only had to wait a few minutes before the bus left for Algarrobo. On our arrival we found Sergio at the taxi stop and he brought us back to the marina.
Friday we picked up our laundry from the lavandaria next door to the Lider Express grocery store. The equivalent of 3 loads of laundry, cost $16,000 pesos or $30 US dollars. Definitely not as cheap as Mexico.
Today we walked around the point to a laguna that has a popular beach. It was chock-a-block full of umbrellas, towels and tourists. As the water is only 13 deg C or 55 deg F, there were few in the water, and those that braved it were standing with their arms close to their sides, only about waist deep. Brrr, too cold for me.
The large rock that forms some of the breakwater for the marina is a bird sanctuary. Nesting birds include seagulls, terns, large pelicans and Humboldt penguins. We have not seen any penguins yet but I have been on the lookout.
We are watching the gribs and the forecasts. There may be a weather window starting on Thursday for a passage to Valdavia. a distance of 420 nautical miles. The marina has a fuel dock so Monday we will top off the tanks and the jerry jugs in preparation. The first place we can duck into is 250 nm away.
Until then we will do a few boat chores (it never ends) and explore the area).
Cheers.
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