Timeline issues (2)

Protests in São Paulo, Brasília, and Rio de Janeiro. (From Wikipedia)

Once again, with the protests that happened last Sunday, people on social media are up in arms about it and as divided as ever. I thought after the election things would go back to “normal,” but little did I know that there isn’t going to be a “normal” any more. Things just escalate. I think the solution is unfollowing, rather than unfriending.

The example in point: a person on my timeline posted the following picture (actually others have posted it as well):

Roughly translating, it reads: “Salvador, the “blackest” capital city in Brazil. Find the black person…”

The following exchange ensues in the comment section. There are 32 entries and I roughly translated them. I have added some punctuation and capital letters just to be more presentable, and tried to adapt to English the senseless ways sentences are structured in Portuguese. The participants are: (Owner: who posted the picture; A: person that lives in Rio Grande do Sul; B: person that lives in São Paulo; [  ]: my comments)

A: The picture was taken in Bauru, SP. [not Salvador]

B: Good one! LOL

Owner: [posts a link to a blog showing the international media categorizing the protest as “hate festival”]

Owner: It wasn’t different in the rest of Brazil… Don’t feel annoyed about it…

A: I don’t feel annoyed, I just think that before posting a picture you should know if it’s true.

Owner: [posts the following link showing pictures around the country]

Owner: Regardless of the place, you don’t see native Brazilians, black people (rare exceptions), mixed races. Simple…

A: Dude, I don’t know, but as far as I know, even though I am white, my grandparents were mixed-race. So it’s not an “identification’ that will tell me what I look like. This picture is in Rio, Copacabana, I think we can see some people that you mentioned… I don’t see Native Brazilians and I think it’s difficult because most of them don’t vote!

A: I’m in favour of protesting against corruption, regardless of the government. If it’s wrong, they should find the guilty ones and dismiss them, consequently putting them in jail and even demanding the money back. [he posts the following picture]

A: The same international media that informs as a “hate” festival, what can I say about this British guy? Different opinions. [He posts a link to an article about John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight. And if I may leave a personal comment here, “this British guy” is nowadays neck and neck with Jon Stewart in terms of fake-but-actually-true news. A little more respect here!!]

B: (Owner) did you go to any protest? I went to Paulista Ave. and saw many, many black people, mixed-race, old people, children, people with disabilities, LGBT, everything. And did you go and see what?

Owner: Look, it’s different points of view, it would be beating around the bush. (B): everybody has the right to protest, it’s a fact and I respect it. In the past, people who protested got arrested or was tortured, men and women. (A): Nobody wants corruption. I defend the fight against corruption, especially now that finally the Federal Police are investigating and arresting. As I said, it’s different points of view. (B): finally, I didn’t go to a protest, neither in 2013. But you can be sure that I have protested a lot for a more just Brazil and Rio Grande do Sul [our state] and without any influence of internet and media.

B: So let’s isolate the subject…. you post this instigating that the protest was only by white people… but you didn’t even go to see… so…

B: another “friend” posted that the protesters had hateful words about Dilma… and she asked ‘why so much hate for Dilma?’. I just replied ‘why so much love for Dilma?’… Do you know what happened? The post ended… She didn’t reply…

Owner: Jeez, ok (B), it’s not instigation, it’s fact. I was clear previously, “rare exceptions”

B: No, you are wrong again…it wasn’t rare exceptions, at least on Paulista Ave where I was. By the way, I have many black friends who were there as well…

Owner: Look, you are changing my words. About the hate, it’s not only hate for Dilma, the hate is for losing the election, so the hate is towards who voted for Dilma (I’m not partisan).

Owner: Yes, rare exceptions.

B: Nobody on Paulista Ave was complaining about the elections… nobody… I think you should get yourself better informed.

Owner: You know the other day a man told me that “who voted for” Dilma should be electrocuted, all together.

B: There you have it, rare exceptions. By the way, I have many friends that voted for Dilma and they are still my friends. The person who is changing the subject now is you.

Owner: So why are they now imploring for “impeachment?” Have you protested on other occasions?

B: Impeachment wasn’t the main chant, but accountability for the present situation in the country… once again you’re not well-informed.

B: even though there were posters asking for impeachment, it wasn’t the main chant.

B: by the way, a military coup wasn’t the main chant either. At this time there was a resounding “boooo”

Owner: OK (B). I changed it indeed. But just mind what you say or what I wrote because nobody here said or instigated that only white people participated. As I said in the beginning, rare exceptions.

Owner: [posts a link to article about the profile of the protesters.]

B: Ok, I have to go now… have a good afternoon… By the way, I’m referring only to Paulista Ave, where I was and saw it… Not only articles from the internet.

Owner: (B) I’m sorry, but I defend and raise the flag for the ones who really need and depend on social programmes, people in need and who are also “paying expensive bills and taxes” just like you.

Owner: feel free to talk about football and [company name] in other posts! Hug [a normal way to say good-bye in Brazil]

A: Here in Jaguarão [city in the countryside of Rio Grande do Sul] I saw the protest and didn’t see anybody calling people names for voting for Dilma. I think it’s wrong to say “out with Dilma,” I think it would be correct to demand resignation or dismissing the ones found guilty of corruption! But Dilma is the person in charge of our country and I hope she does something about it, because if she doesn’t, in my point of view, it means she has something to do with all the corruption.

A: Demanding “impeachment” is bullshit. It means the person doesn’t know about our history and our laws.

Well, it took me some time to write the dialogue here, but doing this is like expressing my frustration when I (now avoid) read(ing) these posts, it’s the “get it out of my system” way to deal with it. The fascinating thing is the resemblance with the partisan discourse with American politics and the total polarization; it’s the “you are either with me or against me” discourse. There isn’t a centre any more and most importantly nobody gives in, it’s a tug of war that must be won by one side while the other hits the ground and is mercilessly defeated.

During the government response/comments after the protests on Sunday, the minister of the Secretariat-General of the Presidency of the Republic, Miguel Rossetto, stated that people who were protesting did not vote for Dilma Rousseff. First of all, there’s no way to prove that; second, they should be governing to all Brazilians. It’s very troubling when a minister gives such a statement, an example of the partisan discourse that should be avoided especially by the government, any government.

Another thing, this time about the comments of the post, is that there isn’t a focus of debate; whenever each side feels “cornered” they throw the same talking points to dodge a harder argument. One example is to say that “in the past, people who protested got arrested or was tortured, men and women.” I’m glad that those days are gone and truly hope they never come back. But making it the main response to legitimate complaints and concerns and even anger generated by years and years of lack of governance is just laughable. We no longer sacrifice people to appease the gods, but I don’t bring it up in a political reform discussion.

I also think that “[defending and raising] the flag for the ones who really need and depend on social programmes” is important. Millions of people in Brazil have been lifted from poverty and given the opportunity to function in society, acquire goods, live a somewhat better life. However, not addressing the problem of violence — because a dead person can’t enjoy all the benefits — and the dismal health care and education the population is offered is downright absurd. But it seems that they are mutually exclusive: “hey, we’ve given you benefits if you enrolled your children in school, but nobody said it would be well-equipped and that your kids would have well-qualified and well-paid teachers… DUH!”

I again say that unless the discussion is meaningful, constructive and bi-partisan, I will continue to unfollow some folks. The whole exchange should have been:

Owner: [posts picture]

A: The picture was taken in Bauru, SP.

Owner: Sorry, pal. Should have checked the source.

(P.S.: Apparently the owner has deleted the post…)

The truth is: Birdman sucks!

This post comes almost a month too late, but my friend from San Francisco just told me he managed to resell for 12 dollars the Birdman DVD he had bought for all of us to watch before the Oscars… And I was so happy he got some money out of it because, honestly, Birdman sucks!

Sorry, but it shouldn’t have won Best Picture awards…

Forgive me if I think this whole troubled Hollywood/Broadway people stories are not as interesting as the truly mind-blowing Whiplash. I was on the edge of my seat for the entirety of the film because of that motherfucking asshole of a music instructor. You want troubled? That guy is messed up! And he doesn’t give a shit who he takes down with him…

It’s not about a band, it’s not a musical, it’s just so fucked up it’s excellent!

Even Foxcatcher was better, and that movie is batshit crazy! Steve Carell playing the du Pont guy is unbelievable: “and most of my good friends call me Eagle. Or Golden Eagle. Or Coach. Or John.” My friend and I just couldn’t look away from the screen. But we agreed that the winner should have been The Imitation Game.

This film should have won the Oscars…

It’s the true story of the man that helped save millions of lives during WW2 and because of bigotry and prejudice had to face a horrible fate. Social issues have advanced since then, IN PART, and even though something like he went through doesn’t happen in most civilised societies, other types of prejudice are alive and kicking, and it’s impossible not to think of it after seeing the film.

So, the industry went for the “cool” “hip” shit when it should have just acknowledged an important and incredible but sad and true story. Disappointing.

What kind of country is this?

So yesterday was supposed to be a historic day in Brazil as the population took to the streets to protest against corruption and demanded the Dilma Roussef’s resignation or impeachment process. Assuming either happens, then what?

Look, I’m the last person in this country that is okay with the situation we are going through. In fact, every time I return from a trip abroad it’s hard to deal with the fact that in a few hours I will be in a place that makes me feel frustrated, sad, fearful for my life and hopeless. It wasn’t different a little over a week ago, when after a 20-hour journey back home I had to face the same problems.

But my point is that corruption is so ingrained in people’s lives that no matter who is in power, nothing meaningful will be done to change the situation (as we say in Brazil: it is “changing six for half a dozen.”)

Politicians in Brazil are practically untouchable, they seem immune to any attempt to hold them accountable and they pass laws that continue to give them and their families more benefits, power and immunity. Whenever there is a salary raise for congressmen, senators and justices (and they happen religiously every year) there is always some outrage from the population, but the main explanation is: “it’s constitutional.” And there is an automatic ripple effect to the states and towns nationwide. For example, the equivalent of a state senator can earn up to 75% of a congressman, city representatives earn up 75% of the state senator, and boy oh boy do they follow the “up to” rule… I imagine this is the only rule they ever follow.

Apart from salary, they receive endless benefits such as health, housing, credit card, paid-for travel expenses, up to 25 staff (again, the “up to” usually means the full number), plus a few months’ recess, in July and two months in the summer.

Now my question is: who in this world would set up an electoral campaign and run on a political reform platform that would slash part of most of these costs? Even if there is a solitary soul in Brazil willing to embrace the fight, the settled, corrupt majority that manages to get elected every single time would just crush the poor bastard. The politicians always run on a “social justice” platform but no one addresses the abusive power that they themselves have built up during the last 30 years. Being elected means striking gold, winning the lottery, and nobody that manages to get it will give it up without a fight.

In the meantime, the population pays the price. Pays for everything. We pay for all politicians’ expenses (almost a billion reais a year just with the house of representatives); we pay more then four months’s worth of salary in taxes; we pay to live in fortified houses; we pay for health insurance, for education, electricity, water, transportation, and none of these, NONE, reaches the minimum of “satisfactory” level we certainly deserve.

The frustration made people take to the streets, and what they said in sound bites on TV was: “We can’t take it anymore, enough!” “Enough with all the corruption!” “Enough robbing us blind!” and I couldn’t agree more. ENOUGH! And the response of the government was basically that demonstrations are part of democracy and they will work on discussing political reform… Do you know how long they will talk the talk and NOT walk the walk? For ever!!

A famous late singer from the 80s and 90s sang “What kind of country is this?” (Que país é esse?) and more than 20 years have past and no progress has been made. Will I ever see some in my lifetime?

Portland Feb 2015 (1)

My friends and I spent five days in Portland, OR during my month-long trip to San Francisco. It was about 1h20min flight and the day couldn’t be more beautiful in SF.

At SFO, waiting for flight.

The bay.

Beautiful snowy mountains on our way to Portland.

About to land. I believe this is Mt Hood.

There is a MAX line (Red) from the airport to the city centre and back then my friend and I were not sure how to get to the hotel, which was located on Montgomery St between 4th and 5th Ave, and the hotel could’ve provided better directions because we ended up taking the streetcar to the hotel, but we could’ve taken the MAX (Green) and avoided doing some walking with all the luggage. By the fourth day we were mastering the public transportation in the city!

Inside MAX Red line from the airport.

Figuring out how to get to the hotel. We could’ve changed at the Convention Center stop, hopping off the Red line and onto the Green line without doing any walking with luggage…

The hotel location was excellent. We were there to have a taste of some of the city’s famous breweries, which are mostly located in the east part of town. Still, we were happy to stay in the SW part because it was really close to downtown and transportation. As of February 2015, the single ticket was $ 2.50 and the daily pass cost $ 5.00 and you can use it as many times as necessary. However, the weekly pass was $ 25 dollars and we were just dumbasses for not buying this one, as we spent five days there. The city is divided by the Willamette River in east and west and Burnside Street divides the city into north and south.

From portlandoregon.gov

We arrived at around noon and two people would join us later in the evening, and Daniel would come on Thursday. So Ro and I had the whole afternoon to get around town and see what was near the hotel.

On 4th Ave, towards downtown.

We were pretty hungry, so ended up going to a sportsbar to get some cheap food and beer. Next to us (which you can’t see here…) was US soccer coach Bob Bradley and what we believe was some of the technical team just watching a match (Man City X Barcelona?)

Just a few blocks from the hotel.

I had some trouble framing, I’m afraid.

We started with the craft beer later in the afternoon, when we went to Bailey’s Taproom (213 SW Broadway). People really take happy hour seriously and basically all places are packed. I wish we had the same eagerness in Porto Alegre, where there aren’t many happy hour places and people have to go out at around 8pm or 9pm because they work until bloody 7.30pm!

Bailey’s Taproom.

Ro went for the sour, I stuck to lager…

Afterwards we travelled to the other side of the river after a suggestion from a former student of mine and went to the Hair of the Dog (61 SE Yamhill St). We missed the stop and had to walk a great deal to get there. It’s in the industrial part of town and there’s basically nothing but warehouses around, so people go there just to go there! It’s an AMAZING place! Unfortunately I haven’t got one decent picture in it, the beer there was so strong (mine was around 11%) that I think it showed in my ability to take pictures…

Crappy picture of the Hair of the Dog…

As a couple of people would join us later, Ro’s friend and his nephew, we decided to go back to the hotel to meet them and do something together. We had been walking the whole day and I was pretty tired already, dying to just sit down at a bar or brewery and just drink some beer. Oh boy, little did we know that Ro’s friend is all about the meals… We HAD to have breakfast, we HAD to have lunch, we HAD to have dinner… So we found ourselves at almost 10pm walking around downtown trying to find a suitable place (for the guy) to eat. At this point, I had been looking forward to go to this bar on 10th Ave that would serve the happy hour menu again at 10pm, and I was about to strangle a person if I didn’t have a pint. We ended up at Rock Bottom, which was decent, but rather far from the hotel considering the situation (late at night, tired, and soon to need a bathroom after beers…) But hey, we didn’t want any conflict and went along with it… But conflict was just a matter of time…

Please don’t go…

So, it turns out I’m in San Francisco for the month! A lot has happened, probably to be reported here later on, but nothing, NOTHING, has overwhelmed me so much as the news I saw last night….

JON STEWART IS LEAVING THE DAILY SHOW (Looking at the TV in horror…)

From salon.com

It all started with Ronaldo, Daniel, Lindsay and I doing the bar crawl last night. It was fun, we had good and bad beers, and at the end we all collected a really cool print from San Franpsycho. We ended the run at my favourite place, which does feel like “the local” we had in London: Gambrinus. They serve a long list of Polish beer and the atmosphere is great, so we decided to have something to eat there before going home.

We were going to have a piece of Ro’s birthday cake for dessert, but we were all so tired and full that we just called it a night. Ronaldo slept over at Daniel’s and I just crashed in bed, watching the 11-o’clock news to see what had happened during the day. Eyes closed, listening to the anchor talk about the local news, when suddenly they report on Brian Williams being suspended for 6 months without pay after the whole helicopter incident in Iraq. After that, they show a picture of Jon Stewart with the caption “Stewart stepping down.” I couldn’t believe my eyes. No longer tired. No longer being able to sleep. Just two months ago Colbert ended his hilarious tenure at Comedy Central, now the guy that started it all is leaving as well?

It’s just hard to process everything… He said he’ll leave later this year, “it could be September, it could be July…” As soon as JULY?? Maybe Comedy Central would have the summer to prep the new anchor, but then again, are they keeping The Daily Show as it is? Stewart started in 1999 replacing Craig Kilborn and transformed the show in what it is today. The Daily Show is Jon Stewart and Jon Stewart is The Daily Show, it’s not like a news show that every so often has a new anchor. There can’t be a Colbert Report without Stephen Colbert, can there be a Daily Show without Jon Stewart? (Well. there is the podcast…)

I feel really, really sad. I have to say that it’s spoiled my trip a little bit and I will definitely be bummed out for a couple days… I was so excited about the premiere of Better Call Saul and looking forward to upcoming episodes, but now all I can think about is already not watching Stewart do his thing, even though there will be at least some five months to go.

Here’s a link to his first show, which will sadly be paired with the last one soon.

Timeline issues…

It’s January and I don’t teach as many classes as I normally would during the year thanks to living in the southern hemisphere where summer months are December to February. So I have more time to be online, research material for classes, read articles and, inevitably, check Facebook. I think this site, along with Twitter, are great news aggregators and makes it much easier to read articles since you don’t have to access each one of the news websites you normally read. In my list of “likes,” for instance, I have The Guardian, NYT, The New Yorker, TED, Global Post, to name a few. These sites always post interesting articles, such as this one about mondegreens (I had no idea what that was), or this about the decline in the use of definite article “the” — as an EFL teacher, it’s impossible not to be interested in this kind of stuff.

I also like to see the funny things from South Park and American Dad! in my timeline, as well as selected clips from The Daily Show. I also tend to “like” Facebook friends’ businesses, but only if they have something to do with what I’m genuinely interested in.

Then there’s the “funny” (emphasising the air quotes) stuff. Those people that just share every single stupid video of a guy falling, or a cat jumping, or a dog barking, or whatever else they find funny or cute. There are the people with the memes, just sharing one after another. Some are okay, very few are laugh-worthy, most are just dumb.

I start to get annoyed with the religious posts from people that want to convert you no matter what. Hey, I’m not against anybody’s choice of religion, people are free to follow and believe in whatever they want, but the sharing of prayers, saints, blessings from whatever religion is something that I just wish I could say once and for all: No, thank you!

But nothing gets more in my nerves than political vitriol. This normally would translate into a Fox News reference, since oftentimes in the past I posted about the channel and its unbelievable partisan discourse. I’ve been Fox News-free for almost two years now — after the only cable company that carried the channel inexplicably decided to drop it in 2013 — but I assumed I was immunised against the vitriol or at least that I knew how to handle the batshit crazy talking points. I guess I took everything for granted and I’ve realised now that I don’t have antibodies against the discourse in my timeline.

The last general election in Brazil was my first experiencing the full Facebook treatment. Every single minute one person, left or right, would post something usually demonising the other side. I hated to read about both sides because it wasn’t anything constructive, and I started to deeply dislike those who took a few minutes (adding up to hours) of their time to write such mean things. I wish I had read about their platforms and what they were REALISTICALLY planning to do about the several problems we have in the country and the state, but no, no, no… Why would they do such a thing? It easier to get people to make a passionate decision than an informed one.

The dislike escalated so much that I had no choice but to unfriend a couple of people, and I’m not a person that just keeps friending everybody and from time to time does a little spring cleaning, I only allow people that I really know or have met in person more than once or for professional reasons. What makes me sad is that I used to hang out with these people some 10 years ago, we were good friends, but I guess I was having so much fun drinking and dancing that I didn’t realise it!

The content is basically Fox News-like — attacks on the opposition and outrage when criticised — and what surprises me is that in Brazil it’s a leftwing practice. The right also gives its contribution, but they tend to be more moderate, more center-right. There are of course the few nuts that stand out, but I would say the tone isn’t as toxic. It’s a reversal of the American political system; bizarro politics, perhaps.

Being disappointed with all things politics in Brazil, since no matter who is in office will do everything to screw with people’s lives, I think I need to develop those antibodies fast or I’ll be suffering double the amount!

Chile (4)

It was cloudy in Santiago during the whole week, but it rarely rains there, it’s just a combination of clouds and pollution. It was actually good because walking around under a hot noon sun would be very unpleasant.

But the last day reserved a surprise: clear blue skies since dawn and we still needed to go to the Cerros (hills) Santa Lucía and San Cristóbal. We took the subway in a long-weekend Santiago – apparently October 31 is a holiday in the country, and people started to crowd the subways and taking the highways out of the city the day before. The city was definitely emptier and better to walk around, although many places were closed, except for the outdoor activities, and we started in Cerro Santa Lucía.

One of the many beautiful views in Cerro Santa Lucía.

This one is usually done on foot and the way up is pretty mild, until you get to the top… The place is very peaceful, a drop of greenery in a highway-filled city. The steps to the top were very treacherous and slippery, people must be careful when visiting the place. As you make your way to the very top, the steps are just built around the volcanic rocks and are protected have very thin and rusty banisters around them. I wanted to get to the top but I just couldn’t, every step I took just made me freeze a little bit more and at the end I gave up. But that’s okay, I made it to the top of Cerro San Cristóbal…

View from Cerro Santa Lucía. The weather definitely contributed to the amazing views…

Midway to the top, with places to sit down, drink some water, enjoy the views and rest and build up courage to the top.

This is where stairs start to become treacherous. It’s the gateway to “climb up at your own risk.”

Statue of a native man. I tried to get some information online about it but couldn’t find it… Open for suggestions!

One of the many steps to the top. This one I dared climb up. I don’t know what happened with the camera, I remember taking MANY more pictures but they weren’t there…

Pathway to the top, surrounded by volcanic rocks

This part is called Neptune Terrace. There is a beautiful fountain where you can throw a coin and make a wish.

Another shot of the fountain.

“Magic Fountain”

My wish…

Crossing the avenue there is an artisanal market and I bought a set of shot glasses to drink my two bottles of pisco sour with my post-grad classmates. There was a parade (which looked like a protest at first) praising Jesus Christ! “Jesus has arrived! Get ready!” they would chant.

Parade for Jesus. Hey, whatever makes you happy…

People walking for Jesus apparently…

Afterwards we walked around barrio Lastarria, which is right next to Cerro Santa Lucía and close to Universidad Catolica subway station and a walking distance from barrio Bella Vista and Salvador station, but on our 5th day and this one being under the sun, it was really tiresome. There was a little restaurant square and we ended up having lunch at Nolita. Great place, great food, but pricier than the rest of the city.

Beers at Nolita. Pricey but good. This is Cerveza Austral, produced in the south of Chile and excellent! I drank the blue label one (Calafate Ale.)

Walking through Parque Forestal, we headed towards barrio Bella Vista to Cerro San Cristóbal to try to go up the hill via Funicular (my friend had told me it hadn’t been working a while ago, so if it weren’t we would just go back to the hotel). It turned out it WAS working and it was crowded!

Line to board the Funicular, which is the little tram that takes you to the top of the hill. It was around 3 p.m. and probably around 32ºC.

After waiting some 20 minutes, we finally boarded the funicular and up we went. The views were amazing, the breeze was cool and we got to sit down and contemplate the whole city in the shade. I wanted to make my way to very top, which holds a statue of the Virgin Mary. Many steps ahead and my mother decided not to go. I gave my bag with the shot glasses for her to hold and started my way up.

Funicular, waiting to go up.

It’s possible to see very little ice on the top of the mountains. Was there supposed to be more? Climate change? Either way, I wish I had a better camera or were a better photographer.

Statue of Virgin Mary on the top of the hill.

Amphitheatre on Cerro San Cristóbal. Look at the view…

More mountains and great views…

Jesus Christ head in the middle of foliage.

View from the bottom of the amphitheatre. The place is breathtaking!

Way to the top of Cerro San Cristóbal.

Funicular, on my way down.

I was already very tired and didn’t stay at the top for a long time, I just climbed down to meet my mother and buy some water before leaving the Cerro. As we were drinking water, I saw people entering the funicular and presenting the return ticket to the attendant. I wanted to fetch mine and asked my mother ‘Where’s my plastic bag?’ It turns out she left it where she was sitting waiting for me and forgot it, just like she had forgotten her coat at Tea Connection, but there the waitress saw it and gave it to her. I went up those stairs as fast as I could, but all I saw was the empty plastic bag tossed near the spot where she had been sitting. I just lost it…

You know when you just want to get out of the place right away? Having to wait for the flight would be torture. I just wanted to get it over with the trip, go back home and watch Jon Stewart and have a beer. A beer… That’s what had been missing in my life in the last few days… Austral was a great one, but I needed some ten more bottles to cope with the pressure…

But I’ve learned my lesson, never travel with somebody that can’t help out, that doesn’t read maps, makes suggestions, ask questions and is unaware of their surroundings. I’m done with that. If going on holiday means doing extra work, I rather go alone…

But my impressions of Santiago: wonderful city. Big, cosmopolitan, clean. People are friendly and polite. Many, many bars and restaurants to enjoy local and international cuisine. Countless parks, squares and outdoor activities to do. Great local art, and lots of museums and historical buildings to visit. One regret is not spending more time in Valparaíso and Viña de Mal, these are fantastic places to visit and I would recommend spending some three or four days for the both cities. October proved to be a good time of the year to go, as it wasn’t so hot nor so cold, but because of the low humidity the temperature can vary some 20°C during the day. I can’t wait to go back!

Chile (3)

On the fourth day things had become more familiar. It was nice because I saw one of my classmates from Famecos who now lives in Santiago, and I hadn’t seen her since those days, which may be some 15 years now. We talked about the differences between the countries and she painted me distinct picture from what we had been hearing from the tour guides. Those guides almost brainwashed us into thinking that Chile is the greatest place in Latin America. What they said is that people have to pay for everything, there isn’t one thing provided by the government: education, health, retirement. There aren’t government “handouts” (it reminded me of Fox News…) My friend, on the other hand, said that some people literally work until they die.

I have a problem with extremes. I believe the government should provide free education and health care to the population, but I see their point in always bringing WORK into the equation. Brazil may have become, say, too generous… One point that I found really interesting and perhaps should be implemented in Brazil is that inmates have to work to keep the prison functioning: water, electricity, food, clothes, everything. If they don’t work to pay the bills, they don’t have anything. Also, there isn’t reduction of sentence, they have to do their time, not like in Brazil that prisoners may only serve a third of their sentence for “good behaviour”… Yeah, behaving well so they can be freed and resume their criminal activities… But this a matter for another post.

The afternoon was to explore Providencia area, Concepcion, Pedro de Valdivia. Really nice places, and of course, EXPENSIVE. The idea that R$ 1 is worth 200 pesos chilenos is deceitful. Everything is priced up. In cafes and restaurants, you can’t spend 30 minutes without coughing up some 5,000 pesos, which is about R$ 25 (10 dollars). Now that the Dollar is worth more in relation to Real, that may not sound so much, but 25 reais is A LOT for me! As of November 2014 and buying in restaurants/cafes, a bottle of water is around 2,500 pesos, or R$ 10 (in Brazil, around R$ 4,50.) An iced tea in this really nice place (Tea Connection) costs 3,300 pesos, or around R$ 15 reais (we don’t have this store in Porto Alegre, but in São Paulo these are the prices I found in Itaim Bibi store, and the equivalent iced tea – águas de frutas – costs R$ 8). I would NEVER pay R$ 15 for iced tea in Brazil, no matter how delicious. But during trips money doesn’t seem to be a problem and we actually expect to spend more for things we don’t even buy in our hometowns, even though afterwards, when calculating the damage, we think “How there hell could I have spent so much money?? On what??” Now I know: water and iced tea.

The way back to the hotel was through Parque de las Esculturas (Sculptures Park), and the name is pretty much self-explanatory. The amazing thing about it is that among many of the sculptures that were there, some of them having been awarded national prizes, only ONE was spray-painted. If the same was in Brazil, there would only be the wholes on the ground marking where the sculptures used to be. Also, it’s a park for couples. I felt pretty bad walking along the pathways and seeing all those couples in love enjoying a nice day out… Ugh.

Parque de las Esculturas, Santiago

Parque de las Esculturas, Santiago

Parque de las Esculturas, Santiago

Parque de las Esculturas, Santiago

Parque de las Esculturas, Santiago

Finally, we went to the supermarket to buy some things to make the good old ham and cheese sandwich, since things had become pretty pricey, as you could see by the water and tea prices… I also kept my promise to my post-grad classmates to bring a bottle of pisco for us, and bought not only one, but two pisco sour bottles. Lime-y!!!

And below are some pictures from the third day. What I did was to write about my impressions at the end of the day, but on Wednesday we went for beers and I got to the hotel not feeling like writing anything down.

During the city tour in Santiago. Nice obelisk!

City tour in Santiago. Can’t recall what this building is…

This is Palácio La Moneda, the government building. The Changing of the Guards happens every other day at 10a.m.

More guards. The band played pretty nice tunes!

There was a protest going on when we were there…

People hanging out in front of La Moneda. Some protesting, some touristing, some walking to work, it was nice!

More historical buildings.

Old congress building.

View from Cerro San Cristóbal (more of these in the last post about Chile.)

Hot guy on the subway, Line 1. Btw, he was NOT with that woman, but sitting right next to a person in an empty carriage seems odd to me…

At the end of that street there is a market called Los Dominicos (at subway Los Dominicos, west end of Line 1) for traditional local art.

Entrance of Los Dominicos.

On the way back from Los Dominicos. Later the carriage got a bit crowded and there were two guys standing in front of us. When we stood up to get off at our station, they didn’t sit down, they let two women take the seats. We saw that happening a few times in Santiago, waaaaay different from Porto Alegre…

I should’ve stayed at home today

So, I went to my dentist appointment this morning already feeling that I should have rescheduled the thing for yesterday… On Monday my students told me that they wouldn’t be at the company on Tuesday because they’d be attending the unveiling of a new factory in Sao Paulo, so I was able to postpone our class to Thursday. I thought about calling my dentist to see if she could see me on Tuesday, but decided not to, I ended up doing some other things.

So, on Wednesday I woke up to a rainy day, something that I despise, and had to muster my courage to go and have part of the dental treatment done. I suffered for 1 hour and 30 minutes on that chair. On my way back, with half of my face paralysed because of the anesthetic, I stopped at the supermarket near the bus stop to buy some soup because I couldn’t even have lunch. The supermarket isn’t the one I usually go; I actually don’t like to shop there, but it was raining and it was relatively closer to my house. I left the place and started to walk back home. I see from a distance this part of the pavement that is made of tiles, like kitchen tiles, not regular concrete or cement. I think “Is it slippery?” “Am I going to fall?” But then the owner of the house where the pavement is in front of, an elderly woman, is opening up the gate to enter. I proceeded to take a step with my right foot only to immediately fall flat on the ground, with umbrella, groceries and my half-paralysed face.

You see, in my city the owners of the houses, flats or stores on the street are supposed to maintain and fix the pavement in front of their buildings, but apparently there is no regulation as to what kind of material should be used — if there is, people aren’t respecting and City Hall isn’t checking. — There is this simplified manual about it —  It is very dangerous when people decide to have tiles for cement on the street because when it rains, for sure somebody will fall. This time it was me and I wasn’t the only one! The doorman in the next-door building saw the incident and said that another woman had fallen in the morning, and she was actually in worse shape than me. The old woman owner of the house tried to give me the “I’m just an old woman” treatment, every time I said something like “You have to change these tiles,” “Somebody will sue you for this,” she was all “oh, okay, oh my God…” The problem is that I couldn’t even SPEAK properly because I couldn’t move half of my face!

Feeling disgruntled, I took the 15-minute walk home, even though I would kill for a taxi (but I’m not sure the driver would let me in with my pants soaked in water), carrying the groceries, the umbrella, with a now messy hair and still no movement on the left side of my face.

But I am not leaving it at that… I will get the number of her house and call City Hall about it. I can’t believe a person is allowed to use that sort of flooring outdoors, subject to the elements, rain, leaves, hail, etc. What makes me feel really frustrated is that I’m not sure it will have any effect; I’m not sure that I can even sue. And even if I can, the woman might die before I see any compensation. Thanks, Brazilian (in)justice system!

The first phrase of the last paragraph reads: “Pavements should have an anti-slippery surface…” (roughly translated)

Chile (2)

On the second day we visited Valparaíso and Viña del Mar, and I have to say I wasn’t happy about the experience as a whole. I agreed to go with a group tour because a) I don’t drive (and later learned that drivers need to pay tolls all over the country and cities, adding to the price of rented car and petrol) and b) My mother asked for it, in order to be more “organised.” We got to Valparaíso and stopped at the city’s port, not passing even close to Pablo Neruda’s house and the trademark colourful houses on the hills.

The closest we got from the hillside houses of Valparaíso.

Houses in the background, I wish we had gone there…

This is a church that suffered damage during the 2010 8.8-magnitude earthquake. (The top is cracked and lost some parts of the structure)

Valparaíso, Chile

Monument of heroes at Plaza Sotomayor, Valparaíso.

Valparaíso, Chile.

Monument of heroes of Iquique, Valparaíso, Chile.

Main square in front of seaport. Starting to look pretty pissed off upon realising the we were NOT going to go to Pablo Neruda’s house…

Porto of Valparaíso, Chile.

Port of Valparaíso, Chile.

Some of the city’s architecture, which I hope to experience with more time in the future.

And the tour guide scared us into not being late to meet at the bus, but two Brazilian couples — it had to be Brazilians… — were late after taking photos by Viña del Mar’s flower clock and the guide just took off. He did, however, come back for them, driving very slowly around the block, but it was definitely a way to say, “I will leave you here next time.”

Viña del Mar Flower clock at the city entrance.

Viña del mar, Chile.

Viña del Mar, Chile.

So, I had great expectations for Valparaíso, and they were highly unfulfilled. I will have to go back some day.

Then, Viña del Mar. It kind of reminded me of Sausalito, across the bridge from San Francisco. It looked really nice and clean, safe. All buildings and houses without any iron bars around them. The ocean-front buildings are all constructed in weird angles and different positions (not side by side or one behind the other) because, by law, a building cannot obstruct the ocean view of another building, so you see different shapes, sizes and heights. Also, the most expensive apartments there cost around US$ 160,000, about the same price we paid for MY flat in Porto Alegre, but the difference is that I don’t have an ocean view, a safe street and tonnes of space as they do.

Viña del Mar, Chile.

Viña del Mar, Chile. Beautiful day out.

Viña del Mar, Chile. More of the beautiful seaside.

Viña del Mar, Chile.

Viña del Mar, Chile. More and more in love with the nature.

Those are the buildings that, according to the guide, are worth less than US$ 200,000. Not too shabby… Although, it strikes me as odd that flats are more reasonably priced than water and tea – read post Chile (3).

Viña del Mar, Chile. Wouldn’t you like to live in one of those?

After lunch we went to a place that, according to the tour guide, groups rarely go. Unfortunately, I don’t recall the place’s name, but it almost made up for the whole Valparaíso fiasco. It’s a very steep cliff, with very shoddy protection bars throughout. The views were gorgeous and the waves breaking on the shore made everything feel so peaceful. There was a couple sitting on a rock that stood in the middle of nowhere, without any visible pathway to it. How they got there was unclear to me.

Viña del Mar, Chile. They say it doesn’t rain much in the region.

A little reminder that we are in the Ring of Fire zone. The guide said “if you hear a loud siren, just run! Run towards the highest place you can find.”

View from the unknown cliff, Viña del Mar

View from the unknown cliff, Viña del Mar

Unknown cliff. One of my favourite spots. The rock formation is just incredible…

Unknown cliff, Viña del Mar, Chile.

This is the view from the cliff…

… and this is what’s behind it, weird sand dunes.

Me and the dunes…

This is such an incredible place… I could have stayed here for hours…

A couple sitting in the middle of the rocks. It’s not possible to see it in this picture, but the rock they’re sitting on is in the middle of a whole. I’m sure the pathway they used is on the other side, but I still wonder how they got there.

Common buildings on the beach in Viña del Mar.

All in all it was an okay experience. This was the first and probably the last (not counting the one we did the day after, in Santiago) group tour I take. Usually organising the logistics yourself is hard, painstaking and time-consuming, but it’s worth it in a sense that you can change plans, spend more time in one place and ditch another. Or at least they should fully disclose what the sightseeing route will be so I can decide if it’s worth it or not.