Yippie! Since we last.. spoke? I have been both very busy, and very boring. I visited the house of pablo neruda, on isla negra (This person clearly enjoyed it more than i did). Then, today I was off to Santiago! and spent the day looking at....

DOORS and getting robbed? What a strange thing to do.

slept in, watched HBO, played with that crazy ultramatic bed some more.

But wait.. i am in santiago! the ledgendary santiago chile! i need to go out
and EXPEREINCE it.

What better way than to get robbed? Right. Shudder.

Actually this was more like me giving 30$ away, rather than the violent
mugging you are imagining now. Allow me to share..

So first, i need to get the setting right. Really nice padestrean only
streets, cafes abound, sweet smell in the air. Then I see a film crew
preparing to shoot something on some nice 70mm equiptment. All around are
the actors and extras getting ready for the shoot. Most of them are wearing
tuxes or formal dresses. Cute.

JUST UP THE STREET, still within view was roughly this scene.

As i approached, i was star gazing and looking with happy glee at
the "actors". This group was very similar to the actor group, except they
were all women, and the sundresses they wore were more 50s ish than the 90s
ish style of the first group. Still. they were actors, how right i was... so
that when one of them approached me to talk, i was not on my gaurd, and i
was happy to practice my spanish.

THEIR spanish, VERY fast spoken, was a blur to me, but basicly i got the
idea they wanted to read my palm. Ok..... sure... having done that, a full
reading in speedspahish which i laughed throughout and understood none of,
she asked me to put money in my hand. Sure, what have i got to loose? Its
not like she is going to STEAL it.

As i opened my pocket to give her a few thousand pasos to put in my hand (5$
ish) she grabbed all my money (about 18000 pesos, 35ish CDN dollars) and
proceeded to fold it into a small package and wrap it tightly in her hand,
within mine.

Now, I know you are not family ( most of you anyways ) but when i was a boy,
my dad pulled almost this exact trick at the dinner table every friday
night. Tear up one napkin, and from the other hand produce a complete one
passed off as the original.

Her varation basly lead to her poring water on this money, and disolving it
in her hand by rubbing it together with leaves and water.

All the while explaining that i was giving this money to god, and it would
do well for me, and my babies in the future.

By the time i realised that she had no intention of making the money
reappear as my dad had done, there was nothing much i could do. My enemies
were 10 very conservitavely dressed young ladies, who had a serious language
advantage over me. Sigh, mental note. Never give a stranger more money than you are willing to loose. Seems like common sense eh? Oh well.. she was good!

35000 pesos later. I am a wiser person. And slightly more cynical...

Then i spent the rest of the day taking pictures of doors, and blank poster boards. Thinking sharon might use them in some cretive way... i hope she delivers. lol.

Click to see See the rest!

I actually have a lot more, but i dont want you to think i am.. WEIRD! ;)

My flight info for tommmorow:
Air Ticket
From: Santiago - Arturo Merino Benitez
Depart: Mon 16 Feb 2004, 7:45 AM
To: Lima - J Chavez International
Arrive: Mon 16 Feb 2004, 9:35 AM
Class: Economy
Smoking: No
Operator: TACA International Airlines
Equipment: Airbus A320-100/200
Comment:

From: Lima - J Chavez International
Depart: Mon 16 Feb 2004, 10:40 AM
To: Guayaquil
Arrive: Mon 16 Feb 2004, 12:30 PM
Class: Economy
Smoking: No
Operator: TACA International Airlines
Equipment: Airbus A319
Comment:

From: Guayaquil
Depart: Mon 16 Feb 2004, 3:35 PM
To: San Jose - Juan Santamaria International
Arrive: Mon 16 Feb 2004, 4:50 PM
Class: Economy
Smoking: No
Operator: LACSA Costa Rica
Equipment: Airbus A320-100/200
Comment:

Dirty eh?