‘Tis the season to be tanning…
It’s averaging 30C in Santiago at the moment, prompting the annual mass exodus to the Coast, just over an hour away, by car.
Every beach from which you can swim (apta para banar) and even those where you can’t (no apta para banar), becomes crammed with umbrellas and people, working on their tans. Perhaps its a status-thing, we don’t really know. They’re already tanned in our eyes!
In the narrow, choked, noisy streets of Valparaiso or Vina del Mar, the on-shore breezes cool shoppers by day and clubbers by night. Outside of the big towns, sleepy coastal towns also host a wide variety of attractions; small shops, amusement arcades, off-licences, bars, cottages for rent, exclusive condominiums, randomly placed night-clubs and Picadas (cheap and cheerful but very tasty meat restaurants).
All enjoy cooler temperatures and constant breezes. Sometimes, there is even cloud. In fact, often, the sun doesn’t come out until 2pm.
We’ve enjoyed two weekends by the sea since returning to Chile earlier this month. One with a more conventional “western” timetable, the other, utilising “Chilean hours”. The former, saw us enjoying a siesta on the beach or in the shade of the house in the afternoon, and rolling into bed at 1am, after a big meal, at around 9pm. The latter, saw us leaving to go to a BBQ at 10.45pm and returning to bed at 2.30am, and we were the first to leave! Indeed, many stayed on and watched a tennis match shown at 5.30am, before going to bed!
The combination of high temperatures during the day, late sleeping and late eating means the majority of Chileans become nocturnal… not something we are accustomed to.
But it has its advantages: if you’re on western hours, then you have the pool, the beach, the sun-loungers (yes, germans would thrive here) and the cafes to yourself until burning midday sun! Then you are replaced by those tan-seekers, who have braved the cold to move from bed to beach!
January 31st, 2007 at 7:51 pm
THANKS babelicious for changing my art degree show link to my myspace. Really appreciated. Also glad you’re back in the radar in terms of writing your blog. Love you lots, coldie. keep up the good work with CRE online. The staff in Ris are very appreciative of your skills.
When I say coldie, it’s because u don’t give me love, you focussed monotone worker. Where are the phone hugs? Will I get a Val card. I used to send u 1, cos I’m sweet but u now have a wife so no need to remind u ur loved really. Nevertheless,
love u!
Sister,
Joyful
x x x
February 4th, 2007 at 5:01 pm
Thanks Joy, such cool kisses from the heart of cheer almost rival those of Dave Gordge, the other DG!
As for the valentines cards, i’ll say it again… No! But if you send Rachel a fluffy teddy holding a red love heart, i’d laugh a lot! She hates anything to do with Valentines Day…. for good reason!
Me.
No, I mean she thinks that it is a wonderful invention to counter falling post-January-sales revenues. I’m inclined to agree.
So i won’t bother the UK or chilean postal systems with such trivialities by sending you a card.