Friday, February 9th, 2018 survived first half of our holiday.

Still in Santiago de Chile. We get used to the espresso machine in the morning. Weather is supersunny, hot, bluesky.

Since our flights in Bolivia will have limited luggage, we get a box from the hotel receptionist and put all the superwarm stuff and the so far unused stuff inside and aim for sending it home. DHL or UPS charge for approx 10 kgs a fortune, local post (CorreoCentral) is significant cheaper but according to tripadvisor gambling. Internet sources say they need months and are unreliable. Anyway locals (Argentinos and Chilenons) told us, if we want to send something home, from Santiago de Chile it is best. The Argentinians strongly recommended not to send from Argentina (especially not Buenos Aires).

So we check the closest Correo Chileno on Google Maps, take our box (still open) and walk there as early as possible. As we arrive, we are the only customers. Good luck, as we checked central post office 2 days ago, there was a queue of 100+ people sending official documents. So we start.

The girl on the service desk is super friendly and helpful. Unfortunately she doesnot speak a word english as her colleagues. We communicate via translage.google.com (without the offline feature we wouldnot have survived this holiday).

First you have to go there with your box open. They take everything out and ask what it is, how much is it worth … Electronics (like batteries or so), Magnetic stuff (!), Nutrition, Pharmaceuticals, … are not allowed.

Then you start war on forms and paper. Meanwhile the box is covered and made vacuum-proof by Correo Chileno tape by the post girl. She uses more than one roll.

In the end we send 7.735 grams trackable via EMS (8 – 10 days) for 64.110 AR$ approximately 87 eur (the weight is somehow taken with the roll of tape). The procedure needed 1.5 hrs. The post girl was very friendly, a little slow on google translate, but always smiling.

Then we walk to the city center through the business district. We go to starbucks, order an ice coffee with vanillia ice. Sure, they know, “Todo Bien”, I get a Latte with ice cubes. Welcome to starbucks chile.

Then we visit there the precolombian museum (4.500 AR$ per head, one floor, partly closed, mostly pottery and textiles with english explanations).

As we go out the violin players are there again and we stop there to listen, chilenos like public classic music.

Then we go to national museum on Plaza del Armas (free entrance; starts with spanish invasion, shows a limited collection of various items of the different aeras of colonization until begin of the pinochet aera). Absolutely no english explanations, La Torre – the tower with a view over Plaza del Armas only accessable with a tour. No tours offered

Then we go for dinner to the same place as ever.

Good as ever. As we eat a lot (as ever) for a bargain (as ever) we walk home an hour or so.

At home we check breakfast for tomorrow early, a taxi to the Airport, and tell the receiptionist to turn on the steam bath, so i can burn out my running nose. Meanwhile i go to the pool and do the online check-in for our flight to Calama/San Pedro de Attacama.