Unfortunately I had two more days in Santiago. This was because I had skipped Temuco so had a day in hand, and I was conservative with Santiago, leaving some safety margin before flying back to Buenos Aires. In retrospect I should have taken a day trip out of Santiago or something; I should have improvised. Also I was getting homesick. But that was partly in the mind. As the return date approached, I began to live in the future, a bad habit.
I took a metro to Escuela Militar station and walked back along Apoquindo and Providencia. These avenues are lined by shopping centres. I found a Feria Disco shop for CDs. I also bought a copy of Patagonia Express (1995) in the original Spanish, by Luis Sepúlveda, a Chilean writer who had lived through the Pinochet years, partly in exile. The original title is a reshuffling of lines from Antonio Machado: Al andar se hace el camino se hace el camino al andar (By walking we make the road, the road is made by walking). I had read this in translation before the trip and enjoyed the account of his perambulations in the south of the continent during those years. That evening though, G looked at my copy and said: es una copia. Book piracy was rife in South America then and still is in many countries.
I found a late lunch (to pre-adapt to jet lag) of cazuela. I bought chocolates for my visit. I also tried some mani confitado (caramelised peanuts). They were exactly as the name denoted, no surprises.
That evening I caught a taxi to G's place, but the driver wasn't knowledgeable enough to locate the correct block of apartments. I rang G and got walking directions from where the driver left me. G worked as a research sociologist for UNESCO promoting adult education. She also taught short courses, but mostly did research. Her apartment was tastefully decorated. She was a great conversationalist. The topics ranged through travel, films, books, and society. She liked hot Indian curries and sometimes cooked with a wok. At one point when she served the light supper of bread and canapes, she said: It looks like there is more equality in your country. She explained: You volunteered to carry the tray. A Chilean man would have let me do all the work, i.e. Chilean society was more machismo and conservative. There was no divorce, for example. She thought Argentina was more open.
She visited L and his wife in Buenos Aires periodically. I resolved to get her a present and leave it with L for her next visit.
I found a late lunch (to pre-adapt to jet lag) of cazuela. I bought chocolates for my visit. I also tried some mani confitado (caramelised peanuts). They were exactly as the name denoted, no surprises.
That evening I caught a taxi to G's place, but the driver wasn't knowledgeable enough to locate the correct block of apartments. I rang G and got walking directions from where the driver left me. G worked as a research sociologist for UNESCO promoting adult education. She also taught short courses, but mostly did research. Her apartment was tastefully decorated. She was a great conversationalist. The topics ranged through travel, films, books, and society. She liked hot Indian curries and sometimes cooked with a wok. At one point when she served the light supper of bread and canapes, she said: It looks like there is more equality in your country. She explained: You volunteered to carry the tray. A Chilean man would have let me do all the work, i.e. Chilean society was more machismo and conservative. There was no divorce, for example. She thought Argentina was more open.
She visited L and his wife in Buenos Aires periodically. I resolved to get her a present and leave it with L for her next visit.
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