44. San Antonio, Chile

San Antonio, Chile          66F (19C)

You'd Think the Ship Would Tip Over With All Those Containers

This port is a change of passengers port. About 380 people left the ship and new people arrived. It’s not a pretty port. This spot is very commercial but clean, yet the feeling is like being in a factory instead of in a luxury store. Crates, containers, rail tracks, trucks, cranes, all swish around us. It's a working place. It sure was not meant to be a place where people would be enticed with shiny store fronts and slick glass plated buildings. The internet in the terminal was good, but the whole of it, the set-up, was old, used and not appropriate for a cruise passenger terminal.

Looking For Internet In the Terminal

Yet here we are.

Carol and I walked around a bit, there were hardly any taxis for hire and even if we found one, where would we go? 

Not a Very Appetizing Area

Strange Graffiti

We were supposed to dock in Valparaiso, but the new Captain used this port because it was a cheaper docking fee. While the former Captain spoke via the intercom to the passengers each day, and announced some events or sights along the way, the new Captain is the quiet type. You would not even know there is a captain on the ship. The old one was seen daily on his rounds, mixing with the passengers, joking around with his ‘Bye-Bye’ greetings, the new Captain has a different mentality. He is a company man I suppose, not a public relations man.

Strange Combination of Faces

On our walk around the port area, Carol and I found a grocery store and bought 2 bottles of red Chilean Wine. Someone in the store pointed out what was good, what was just so-so. We listened to him; he seemed to know his wines. I had no clue what was a good name, what was not and it turned out we bought good stuff.

While walking we saw some graffiti with intriguing ideas behind them. Colorful messages to society, painted by hidden artists.

Junk Food and Cigarettes (Marijuana)

Oh, we could have taken an excursion bus, Valparaiso was 45 minutes away and Santiago, the capital of Chile was 2 hours away, but why? What would we have seen that made the expense worthwhile? 

We left the ship at 8 AM for our walk and we were back on board by 1 PM. I took a nap this afternoon, something I normally do not do.  

 

All aboard call was at 4 PM.

There was a 5.15 PM Emergency drill; everybody had to go to their muster station. All elevators were suspended; we had to use the stairs.

Around 6 PM the exercise was finished and now everybody rushed to get to dinner. The formal dining rooms were closed, only the buffet was open. 

All the people at once, tried to use the elevators which started up again.

But once we arrived at the entrances to the buffet dining hall, only one side was open, the other side still closed. Due to the sanitary policy of the ship, everybody had to wash their hands before entering the food courts. With only one side open, now there are only 3 faucets open for all the people piling in to wash their hands.

Well, Carol and I were smart, we went to the closed side, washed our hands there and then walked over to the open side.

Only… the ‘guard’ who watches the hand washing routine told me he had to smell my fingers to see if I washed them. Seriously, he did!

I lost it.

We were nose to nose.  Everybody around was shocked at my behavior but I could not care less. 

Well, my behavior was a bit much for Carol, who left the place embarrassed .

I guess I could have nonchalantly disregarded this ‘watcher’ but… well, I did not.

Was I sorry?  NO!   Did I care what others thought?  NO!

Carol felt otherwise.

More Graffiti