20-Jan-2004 - I got up, and I had good news and bad news. The good news was that I turned on the TV and learned that surprisingly, John Kerry won the Iowa caucuses.

The bad news was that my friend Pinkeye was still there. This was my fourth day with this irritating condition, and things were not changing, so I decided to seek medical attention. It's not that I am worried about it getting worse or going blind or anything, it's just that it is making me miserable, especially in sunny and smoggy Santiago.

I went over to the clinic at the Universidad Católica and managed to speak with an English speaking doctor. After discussing things with him, he referred me to the Ophthalmology department at a different campus of the University. I hopped on the metro and made it down there. After checking in at the desk, and waiting briefly, I was called in and a doctor and his two residences attended to me, and fortunately, all spoke English. After asking me about my trip and putting me through an examination, he placed a Q-Tip in my eye and when he pulled it out, there was a small grain of sand on it and he said "You brought this from Tierra del Fuego."

As it turned out, there was no infection and this small piece of sand was lodged in my cornea, and it did damage my cornea slightly. He did say that there was some risk of infection, so they put antibiotics on my eye and patched it over. The doctor also said that he would want to see me the following day and two days after that, which would be the day that I leave. All and all, that would prove to be inconvenient but not fatally so, as I could go to the doctor's the next morning and go from there to Valparaíso, and I could go to the doctor's after coming back from Valparaíso and before my trip home.

All and all. it was nice to get a resolution and I decided that it was about time to start enjoying Santiago. Because my eye was bandaged over, the sun was not a problem. I went and got Chinese food for lunch and set out. I then spent the afternoon wandering downtown Santiago, absorbing the sites. This included spending a bit of time in the ubiquitous Plaza de Armas and Cathedral, that seem to exist in all Latin American cities. I also picked up my laundry, and (I believe) successfully explained why I had this big nasty bandage over my right eye, yet again using gestured and the occasional word in Spanish.

Upon coming across la Palacio de la Moneda, the Chilean equivalent of the White House, I was somewhat unsure how to enter. After presenting the (somewhat accurate) appearance of a bewildered tourist, one of the palace guards approached me and in English, offered to help me. After explaining how things work and verifying that my water bottle did in fact, contain water (and not a combustible), he asked me where I was from. When I said that I was from Boston, he mentioned how he was in Boston many years ago guarding a former Chilean president visiting the USA. He also mentioned how he was there in the winter, and how he was sitting next to the Charles river, and how a cute animal with a bushy tail that he has never seen before (a squirrel) came by and he was intrigue. I expressed some surprise that there were no squirrels in Chile, and then also added that I did not really like them.

I spent the last bit of the afternoon walking around the Cerro Santa Lucia, a large hill peppered with trails, platforms and the like. In the process, I got some nice views of Santiago with the Andes in the background (obstructed somewhat by the smog.) After that, I got dinner at "Gatopardo", and had a tasty and spicy ravioli and red pepper dish. I also got a drink at the Bar Berri, chatted with an off duty bartender. At one point he asked about why I had a bandage over my eye and I gave the whole story. He said that I was in good hands at the Universidad Católica. After that I went back to the hotel. Once there, I watched Bush's (most likely) last State Of The Union address and got some sleep.

Santiago

21-Jan-2004 - Got up, got a cup of coffee, checked out of the hotel, and took the metro down to the Universidad Católica Ophthalmology department for my 9 AM appointment.

My appointment went well; first they guided me through the payment and insurance red tape that they chose to skip the previous day. Interestingly, I learned that the entire treatment was only 19,500 pesos, or just under $40; quite a bargain. After these formalities, the doctor examined my eye and he said that it was healing. Because there was still a risk of infection while it was healing, he also gave me some eyedrops and advised me to keep a patch over my eye for the next two days. I also scheduled an appointment for Friday afternoon before I would leave.

All and all, it was nice to see this all taken care of. It was also funny how one tiny grain of sand could cause more physical and monetary damage than three incompetent Ecuadorian muggers could do a year ago. I was also pleased with the high quality of care I received. Everybody that I dealt with was quite professional and just enough of the right people spoke English; a necessity given my lack of ability to speak Spanish.

It was then time to head out for Valparaíso. After buying a liter and a half of water, I went to the bus station by the Metro. I bought a round trip ticket to Valparaíso, hopped on the bus, and ten minutes later, the bus was off.

Almost two hours later, the bus arrived in Valparaiso. I went and checked email, and then checked around for a hotel. My first choice was booked for the second night, and my second choice seemed to be closed. Eventually, I made it to the Hotel Puerto Valparaiso, a charming hotel at which I would be spending my last two nights in Chile. I checked in and settled in, and then started to explore Valparaiso.

Since it was mid afternoon, and I havn't yet ate, I was quite hungry. I went to a nearby place, the Vertiente Münich and got a chorrilla. At the timr I had no idea what it was, just that it sounded cool. As it turns out, I was right; it was a large greasy stack of meat, fries, minced onion and chunks of egg. It was quite good. I also ordered a Red Devil , an energy drink that I saw advertised nearby. It was quite good as well. At that point, I walked the length of Valparaiso's center. I have to say that it is probably one of the most distinctive cities that I have ever visited. The seaside area is in many ways similar to any other city. But all of a sudden, the hillsides spring out and the neighborhoods therein cling precariously to their sides. In a way, it reminded me of La Paz, just more modern and even more irregular.

The evening approached, but since I had a late (and large) lunch, I was not interested in a full dinner. I ended up hopping between bars along the waterfront and then later the Plazuela Ecuador. My first stop was a sleazy portside bar curiously named €urob€€r (at which I actually had Chilean beer), and then Gatto's (where I chowed down on a few empanadas), and two other places whose names I do not recall. There was a big soccer game between Chile and Paraguay that night which was on in every establishment. I talked with a few English-speaking locals at a couple of places, and answered the typical questions; like where I was from and what I did and so on. Interestingly, many people first asked if I came from a ship in port; kinda makes sense given how large a port this city is. After it was all over, I got a taxi back to the hotel.

Valparaiso

22-Jan-2004 - Got up and got moving slowly. Watched a bit of Howard The Duck subtitled in Spanish, got breakfast and headed out. I spent the day exploring the hillsides of Valparaiso, riding the quaint ascensores (hillside elevators), and catching good views of Valparaiso, its harbor and the ships in the bay.

I actually spent a bit of time in the afternoon sipping beer and pisco with a fellow named David and his father and brother. Weak all ended up getting Chorrilla as a late lunch. Because I have been travelling alone for well over a week, it was nice to have some company (though for the same reason, it can get anerving hanging out with complete strangers.)

I took the rest of the day easy. I got a pizza dinner at an Italian restaurant. The pizza was quite good, and to my surprise, they had tabasco sauce available. In the evening, the local bars were dead; without a soccer game I guess weeknights are dead. Before checking in for the night, I went to a call center and called home.

More Valparaiso

23-Jan-2004 - Got up and did the usual; except this is the last morning on the trip. My flight was set to depart around 11 PM (though I would want to arrive early in hope of getting exit row seats), and I also had a doctor's appointment at 3 PM. I figured that I could get a bus to Santiago around 1 PM, and that would leave me time to get lunch in Valparaiso, dinner in Santiago, and have plenty of slack time.

I went to an Internet place to check my email, and got a chorrilla cholestorol express for lunch. I then went to a bus station and fifteen minutes later, I was on a bus to Santiago. I arrived at Santiago around 2:45 PM, and arrived at the Ophthamology department for my appointment at 3 PM. It turned out that the doctor was busy doing a surgury, so I had to wait a bit, specifically till 5 PM. I had a different doctor this time, this one didn't speak English. But everything was fine; my eye was healing very well and I understood enough from the doctor to gather as much. At this point, the doctor said that I no longer needed a patch. For the first time in almost a week, I was able to see without pain or a bandage.

Once the appointment was done, I had about five hours to kill before my flight home. I wanted to make the most of everything, so I went to a fancy Italian restaurant, "Los Duo Torrres", and had more than my share of pasta and wine. I racked up a 25,000 peso or $50 bill, a price worthy of the USA, but hey - this was my last meal in Chile.

After the meal, I hiked toward the center of town and got a taxi to the airport. Once at the airport, I engaged in the endless miscellany of trivial affairs needed to depart on an international flight, such as checking in, duty free shopping, and boozing up in hope of actually getting some sleep. None of these affairs really warrant discussion. Also the airport being a bilingual zone, there is no more of me trying to fumble through awkward discussions in Spanish. For these reasons. I can only conclude that my adventure is over. Even with its myriad complications, I came out on top. So here is to Uruguay. Argentina and Chile, over and out.