Gypsies

Gypsies

Saturday, Jan. 28, Ovalle to La Serena, Chile

I keep forgetting to mention it, but there are women gypsies begging everywhere here in Chile. I have not been anywhere that a group hasn´t approached. They tend to be in groups of 3-5, and often one carries a baby. They look and dress like gypsies whether they are or not. Typically, they ask for money. Then if you don´t give to them they walk along touching you once and jabbering with the last word being muerto. My guess is that it is a form of putting a curse on someone who doesn´t pay with the curse being the threat of death. Today when one approached me, I just moved it along faster. After saying no, I raised my arm so that her had touched it, and I said, "Jabber, jabber, jabber, muerto." I looked up at her, and she smiled and walked on.

I got up almost too early this morning. I arrived at the market in Ovalle at 8:55. Apparently it doesn´t open until 9:00, because the first stalls were just being opened. That allowed me to wander around as the stalls continued to open--before there were any people in the way. I got some good photos. It is a HUGE market. How all those fruits and vegetables ever get sold and used is amazing. The people were very nice about my taking photos. One thing I can do with my digital camera that helps is that I can show them the photo after I have taken it. All are pleased to see them.

I arrived at the bus station about 1 hr. 15 min. early, and there was a bus standing there to my destination. I went to the ticket window and quickly changed my ticket to that bus. That got me to La Serena around noon. As I noted yesterday, I was worried about finding a place to stay. I just started stopping at places with signs indicating they were some form of lodging. The first place had only double rooms which I could have if I paid for two persons. The next place had a single room, and I took it. I´m sorry I did. It is a VERY small room with a shared bath. I can tell now that there is so much housing in this town that I probably could have found something better. The good thing is that the room is cheaper than anywhere I´ve been in Chile--just $10 U.S. for the night. It´s also close to the bus station so that I can leave easily for Vicuna tomorrow.

I returned to the bus station to get a ticket for tomorrow, and the lady said there is a bus every 30 minutes. I should just show up and take the next bus. They don´t do advanced reservations. Therefore, I headed into town to explore.

La Serena is a surprise to me. It´s a beautiful and clean city that is both colonial and modern in a way that works well. The downtown is full of very elaborately designed building with Spanish architectural features. Even the more modern buildings that have been built there are done in a way that they feature heavy lamps on chains and things like that to make them seem massive and secure buildings like the old ones. The streets have been paved in paving stones with no curbs so that they can be blocked off as pedestrian malls or a lane of traffic can be allowed between the line of metal bumps separating the official wide sidewalks from the one lane of traffic. All buildings have been restored so that they appear to be in perfect condition. On the outskirts, everything is modern--nicely designed modern rather than some of the weird attempts at modern that are often found in South America. Clustered together near where I am staying is a new shopping mall, the new bus terminal and the new courthouse. All could be placed in the U.S., and everyone would comment about how nice each is. My general impression is that La Serena could be placed in New Mexico or Arizona and everyone would think it was a great up-market place to visit. Probably, the number of observatories just outside of town on tops of the mountains has fueled a boom that has allowed everything to be reconditioned and built to this standard within the past few years. This is the only city near any of them, so all the construction people and all the scientists have to come through here.

I found a place filled with local people for lunch. It was actually my second choice, since the first place had no vacant tables. I had the luncheon special at this one. I started with humitas, a sweet corn mixture wrapped in a corn husk. Ummm. Then I had slices of baked chicken with a sauce somewhat like Alfredo. It was a little grainy, so I wonder if some of the local goat cheese was used in making it. That was served with rice. For desert, I had a dish of chocolate ice cream. A very elegant older couple who had been sitting behind me approached my table as they left. The woman asked me what happened with my hand. I explained, and she smiled, patted me on the head, and wished me well. (At least that was my interpretation of it, since she was speaking Spanish.)

Mostly, I´ve just wandered the streets exploring. There are pleasant surprises everywhere here. But I also went to the archeological museum where I saw more of the pottery like I saw yesterday and where I saw an original Easter Island statue. (Easter Island is due west of La Serena.)

It´s now about 6 p.m. I plan to head back out toward my room. I´ll walk over to see the shopping mall inside. At some point I will get a snack there. There is a cinema next door, so if anything is good, I might go to the movies tonight. Probably, I will just go back to my room, read, and go to bed early.