Santiago

OK.  I've been here a week now, over the jet lag, so time to write I think.

First impressions: nice place.  It's really unlike anywhere I've been previously, despite being a modern vibrant city.  It's surrounded by the most beautiful scenery, the Andes, that are more than a match for the Himalayan offshoot that borders Almaty, and certainly knock those around Sofia into the shade.  The view from the roof of my hotel and certain rooms in the bank is beautiful, with the sun glittering on snowy peaks that look that jagged clouds floating in the sky - the summer haze generally makes the mountains below the snowline look indistinct.  I look forward to making a trip there one weekend.

                                                          The Andes, on the edge of town


I'm in an area called Las Condes, which is basically "new" Santiago.  Essentially it's the business district, so full of high-rise office blocks that match anything comparative European cities like Frankfurt, London or Paris can offer, and are much higher than anything seen in Luxembourg, Zurich or Geneva.  Some of them remind me of the architecture in Abu Dhabi, but on a less grandiose scale - there's no oil money to fritter away here.  There are wide boulevards and heavy traffic, and black taxis (though with yellow roofs and mainly Toyota) everywhere, plus double deck tourist buses - so in that sense it's a little like London.

All in all, I'm finding it very difficult to pin down, sorry - but right now I like it.

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There are restaurants everywhere, and like in most cities a mixed bag.

I found Starbucks, maybe 400m away, tucked away behind the office on the next main road across (the city is a bit blocky, American style).  It's like every Starbucks I've visited (there have been a few now), which is comforting I suppose.  You know exactly what you're going to get: decent coffee at reasonable prices, good salads, sandwiches and cakes, comfortable seating to enjoy the fare in and generally crap music playing.  It's a big branch, with outside tables and settees and wooden camp chairs, under a pleasant veranda and with plenty of climbing plants and geraniums everywhere.  I spent a pleasant couple of hours there last weekend, relaxing in the sunshine, drinking my latte, reading my book and getting acclimatized.  I'm sure I'll go there again this weekend.

You Know where....

There is also the inevitable Irish pub close by, perhaps 100m from the hotel in the opposite direction to the coffee house.,  Now one of my Rules of Travel is to look up the local Irish pub as soon as I arrive somewhere new, on the basis that if you find that you are guaranteed decent food and drink for the duration of your stay.  In places like Almaty, where the local food tends to be horse or goat prepared in a variety of interesting ways, that Rule has proved its worth.  (I never actually found one in Limassol, but since all the restuarants there seemed to serve good old English food it didn't really matter.)

But Flannery's (for such it is called) has been a huge disappointment.  I've eaten there twice now, and both times the service has been poor and the food not particularly Irish - you can get a bacon double cheeseburger anywhere, including McDonalds, and without giving it a fancy name like Dundalk Steak.  Last night I had a chicken pie, which was ok - big succulent chunks of chicken, with mushrooms and onions in a creamy white sauce, with a dash of cheese in the pastry - but there were no chips or other vegatables with it and it was undercooked (the pastry was more crispy white than golden brown).  But the place seems popular - on Sunday the outside tables were all full although inside seemed quite empty, and last night it was packed, with many tables reserved already when I got there (probably because the local football club was playing in the semi final of the South American version of the Champions League - they won).  The beer, though, is excellent - the usual local and international lagers like Carlsberg, but also three (I assume) home-brews - a stout, a lager and a bitter, all bearing the Flannery's name.

Opposite Starbucks there's an American diner called Ruby Tuesday's that is better (I wonder if they're paying the Glimmer Twins for that one?).  Again, I've eaten there a couple of times and in this case it hasn't disappointed at all.  The food is typically American - so burgers, chicken, ribs, steak and fish, cooked in a variety of ways - and so far has been really tasty, well cooked and well presented with decent service.  But in this case, the beer is the disappontment: a large one comes out in a long thin and very decorative glass but is less than half a litre I should think....no pint pots here.  I've sat outside both times, much nicer to do when the sun is shining, (it's doing that a lot, as it's summer), which was fine on a quiet Sunday evening but less pleasant tonight, as the place seems to be sited on one of the main roads linking Old and New Santiago and hence subject to the usual evening rush hour traffic.

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The hotel is ok, actually an aparta-hotel, so instead of just having a room I have a little flat, with a well furnished lounge area (three piece suite, decent stereo), separate bedroom (very comfortable double, with tv - and I have no idea why that isn't in the lounge too), plus bathroom and a small kitchen with a proper cooker and fridge-freezer.  It's pretty handy - being only about 150m from the office I've been popping back for a sandwich lunch and look at BBC News, and that's stretching the per diem allowance very well. 

                                                                     The hotel......

                                                           ....and my lounge

According to the website, there is a pool and fitness suite on the 17th floor, so I dutifully packed my swimming trunks and trainers, so I could get some much needed exercise.  I'm piling on the pounds a little, and when I saw the doctor the other week about my hips he told me to exercise more and drop a bit of that excess.  So when I arrived and unpacked I checked out these facilities.

The 17th floor is actually the roof.  In fairness there is a very nice, spacious and well furnished lounge area there, mainly glass walled and offering lovely views across the city to the surrounding mountains.  Outside of this is a pleasant sun-terrace with loungers provided.  There is also a sauna that I haven't tried yet.  But fitness centre...gym?  Not a trace.  And the pool?  Well, it's there but is without a doubt the smallest I have ever seen - the hot tub at my local swimming baths is about the same size.  It's open to the elements, so is always carrying several handfuls of flower petals blown there from the pot plants edging the terrace, and I don't think it has enough space for a single stroke - push off from one end and you'll hit the opposite edge before you have time to do anything.......

                                                             See what I mean?

But it's a pleasant enough place to stay for the month I'll be here.  The staff are friendly, there is a small cafe in the place that does a reasonable breakfast (included in the room rate) and today they put up and decorated the Christmas tree in the entrance hall - a 7 foot artificial one and very nice too.

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So week one is done, just over two more to go.  As from Monday I'm on my own, the rest of the team have buggered off for the Christmas break already so I can't help feeling a little conned.....   But I have enough to keep me going so I don't mind too much.  If I was sitting on my own, farting in my chair (as my Beloved describes being not very busy...) I'd be less than happy.

This weekend I'm off to the Pacific coast, to a small and apparently beautiful fishing resort with national parkland adjoining the beach, called Vina del Mar - some people at the bank thoroughly commend it.  It's about an hour on the bus apparently, so it could be an entertaining day, given my total lack of Spanish!

Watch this space......