La vida cotidiana en Chile

Isolated observations:

A standard feature on menus around here is to go all out and order your main course "a lo pobre". This means that your chunk of meat or fish will come garnished with a couple of fried eggs, some onions, and a heap of french fries. Though it can be suprisingly tasty, it doesn't seem like the healthiest of options. Overall, food here is inexpensive and pretty good, though unadventurous (which I personally am in favor of). Vegetables and salads don't feature prominently, though the situation is nowhere near as extreme as it was in Argentina last year.

The infirmity formerly known as swine 'flu has obviously done a number on travel to Chile (and from what I can gather, to Argentina as well). Enrolment at school is at an all-time low, and most restaurants do not seem to be thriving either. Though, presumably one has to make allowance for the fact that it is the dead of winter. (Note to self: why this habit of visiting the southern hemisphere right in the middle of winter - it would be entirely possible to avoid the oppressive summer heat by e.g. travelling in the spring or fall).

I had begun to give up on newspapers here altogether (the local dailies are pretty uninteresting, for the most part, being a little too local for my taste), when after a week I had still been unable to track down a copy of "El Pais" (which was ubiquitous and cheaply available both in Buenos Aires and in Mexico). Finally, this morning, I snagged a copy at a downtown kiosk while showing Brad around. But - que horror - I had to pay about $4 for a copy of yesterday's paper. And a pretty watered-down copy at that. Oh well, things will improve on this front once I get to Buenos Aires.

Brad arrived last night in the middle of the night, after an exhausting flight. We both agree that it's taken longer to get here than anywhere else either of us has ever been. But, to end with a resounding cliche, no pain, no gain.