Travel with baby: Buenos Aires

We are in Buenos Aires for a week while az finishes up the last leg of his work trip. I've just put Maya down for a nap in her tent. I can hear her squeaking away to herself and the ripping of velcro as she wriggles out of both swaddle and tent. In a minute there'll be crying as manages to get her head but not her body out of said tent. She's a semi houdini.

Maya travels pretty well, as far as travelling babies go. Though I wonder at the logic of travelling with babies at all. It's not as though you can do a lot of sightseeing or of anything much really. But it is nice to have a holiday, even if you spend most of it in the hotel room watching cable tv and reading books. And it's great to see az again and to visit new restaurants and drink Argentine wine. (We'll be making a special visit to [the Argentian wine region] Mendoza soon, I'm sure, it's just across the Chilean border). 

Arriving at the airport at 5.30am, we'd already checked in and just needed to drop off our bags. Unfortunately, so had everyone else. In fact, when I went online to do so, there were only about 12 seats left to choose from! So the bag drop line was huge, the check in line wasn't. Hmm. Maya kept everyone entertained, waving her chubby feet and legs out of the pram, eyes round as saucers, sleep completely vanished from her mind.

The one advantage of travelling with a baby is that everyone is nice to you, you skip queues and are first on the plane. Going through immigration however, our notary papers were closely scrutinised and then kept! That paper cost us about $50! Az said afterwards that wasn't supposed to happen. Whoops.

Maya was angelic throughout; I was getting more and more stressed that she was refusing to sleep. I guess though, that if she weren't having fun, or in distress, that she would cry. I should remind myself of this more often. And take a chill pill. She only started to cry on the runway, after we were an hour late leaving, and about 4 hours after she'd woken up. Finally, as the plane lifted off, we both passed out. 

Going through BA airport, again, everything was easy. We were the last off the plane but our bags were waiting for us at the carousel. I'd booked a car through the hotel to save any taxi haggles which I knew I couldn't be bothered with. 

The little I've seen of Buenos Aires (and unfortunately that's been mainly in the tourist part of town) seems bustling and industrious. But not exactly what I'd had in mind for 'the Paris of South America'. Too many smokers! A lot of the famous European architecture is drowned out by cheap modern buildings knocked up next to and over the old stuff. Such is life in a developing metropolis anywhere in the world (Hanoi was particularly inclined this way). But I will write another post on BA soon.

Now back to coaxing my stubborn child to sleep...!

The long way round

Last week, I took Maya for her six month checkup. She has to have her shots but I'm putting that off till next week. Somehow, az has managed to get out of all her immunisation and blood test visits. The stress (on me) is terrible. I dread it for days. Maya cries for a minute and then gets over it. Well, az can take her when she's a squirming toddler and understands what's going on. Mean Daddy!

I'm finding it a hassle to get around with my limited language skills but I managed to order a taxi, even saying my phone number and answering basic questions. Yaaay for me! Az's absence has forced me from my comfort zone.

Chile is a country of hypochondriacs - half the population is ill and the other half is recovering from illness, so says my profesora, somewhat wryly. Pharmacies are everywhere. (Much like Hanoi, except there you just write down your medication of choice on a piece of paper and they hand it to you straight over the counter). In Chile, specialists abound for every brand of illness and there aren't really GPs as such. But we found one in La Dehesa, a wealthy suburb north-east of the city. She makes house calls (most convenient) but I had to take Maya to her office this time to be weighed etc.

Her email said the office was 'on the second floor of the shopping centre'. Unfortunately, there were two shopping centres. And of course, I go to the wrong one! So I'm running around (literally, with Maya in the pram) trying to find this doctor's office and no one speaks English and I don't have any phone credit to call her and I'm getting very stressed.

Finally, I raced through Jumbo and asked the cashier if I could buy phone credit, by which, I said: quiero rechargo telefono, por favor? (and I'm not just putting an 'o' on the end of every word, that is an actual sentence!) And though (from what I understood of our conversation) it's not a conventional method of recharging one's "cel" phone (so American!), she was nice enough to help me out. Probably more because I was holding up the line. 

So, already exhausted from this ordeal, I called the doctor, apologised for my tardiness, got directions, caught another taxi, found the right shopping centre and made my appointment an hour late. Maya was poked, prodded and given a clean bill of health, And next time the doctor will be coming to my house. And then that's one shenanigan I don't need to go through again!

Un paseo

My life is in imminent danger of becoming All About The Baby. I adore Maya but it's not good for either of us to spend all our time together. With az still in Brazil for work, that is what's happening. And it's driving me round the bend. 

Which is why sometimes, I have to get out mot minh (alone). Even if I have nowhere to go and no purpose to take me there. So today, I went out for un paseo (a walk) and morning tea. I'm not a coffee drinker, which is probably lucky as most coffee here is Crap (with a Capital C). Bizarre eh? You would think Latin America would be drowning in perfect Arabica coffee but they export most of it and choose to drink Nescafe instant. Those Nescafe CEOs must be walking on sunshine. A cappucino usually looks like this:

Unless you say sin crema (without cream). This is all according to az who deplores finding a decent coffee in town. 

So I went for a walk. And took some photos along the way...

Another model shoot. What is it with film shoots in this town? This one was a bit more involved with a model and a fancy car, so maybe a commercial?

And observed that pretty much all apartments in this town are old and fugly (which doesn't bode well for our chances of moving)...

I turned my nose up at the yappy poodles and  weird little rat dogs that look like miniature bambi fawns, out for their morning strolls. So it was nice to see a real dog... and a real cat, for that matter...

And this is a common sight - the typical rico Chilean family - mama dolled up to the nines, saying ciao to the kiddies who are left with the nana (housekeeper/nanny). She's on the left in that ugly purple apron-like garment. So many of the nanas of rich Chileans have to wear uniforms to work - wrong on so many levels! And not just in the house but to go to the supermarket, run errands and even walk the dog! But I passed this nana and the kids again later on and she'd ditched the apron to walk around like a normal person, good for her :)

I stopped off for a snack at the local Fres&Co, another chain but they're pretty good. A sandwich, jugo naranje (orange juice - and no added sugar for once!) and a piece of cheesecake (naughty) set me back about 4,000 pesos ($8) which is value in my book. 

On the way home, the jacarandahs were out in bloom, birds tweeted and the sun shone on another perfect spring day. And I felt better. 

Please don't go

Maya is finally sleeping better, back to her usual once a night wake up, feed and then sleeping through till morning. For this, I am extremely grateful. And like her parents, she's also fond of a morning snooze, till about 9am. Heaven. Unfortunately, as one door closes, another opens and so we have a new challenge in the House of Maya - bedtime tantrums. 

The last week, Maya has put her chubby foot down and howled at bedtime. It takes 2-3 hours of crankiness, whinging, dummy throwing, thrashing about and downright hollering before sheer exhaustion knocks her out. This battle of wills is 9 to 1 in her favour; I fidget on the sidelines, trying not to be a 'helicopter parent' but wanting desperately to pick her up and give her a cuddle. Retreating to the living room and trying to ignore the wails, particularly the doleful 'ma ma ma ma' sound she makes when she's really upset (oh, it's soul destroying!), I wait the requisite 10 minutes before going in and trying to soothe. She'll stop crying as soon as I pick her up which doesn't help matters. 

So tonight, I googled the baby forums and found the possible problem - separation anxiety. Apparently around this age, bubs realise they+mummy are not a single entity and get worried their other half may leave when they're not looking and not come back. Which just tugs at my heart strings! (We've already told Maya she need never leave Mummy and Daddy for the rest of her life). Unfortunately, there's no easy solution; they just have to outgrow it. In the meantime, it means extra cuddles before bedtime and the beautiful thought that, right now, I mean the world to my little girl.

One fine day

Maya and I are having a lazy weekend, lots of naps and laying low in the neighbourhood. This morning, after Maya's morning nap - 2 hours! - we walked to the W Hotel for brunch. Good food, a little pricey and lots of rico Chileans swanning about buying overpriced veges. I am learning that the only way to tell Chileans apart from foreigners is from their clothes. The husbands are usually in chinos or belted jeans with a tucked in polo shirt and boat shoes. Their wives wear skinny jeans and stilettos, lots of bling and manicured nails. Oh so cliched!

Such is life when you dine in hotels. Beautiful day for a walk though - blue skies, warm and the big jacarandahs coming into bloom. In Hanoi, this would be perfect weather for wedding photos by the lake...

but in Santiago, it's fashion shoots in the city...

Online ticketing - don't do it!

Last week, I bought tickets at Lan.com to Buenos Aires (a much waited for holiday!) I could have gone through the travel agent but decided to save $100 and do it myself. Oh foolish choice! I navigated the site quite well with the aid of google translate and even signed up to LanPass for frequent flyer miles. Bought the tickets and received an email saying they were being processed and would be emailed to me shortly. 

Needless to say, the e-tickets never arrived. I gave it a few days in case they had a backlog and then another few because I was dreading the inevitable awkward espanol conversation. I needn't have worried. I rang yesterday and option #2 on the Lan automated phone message was English. I got straight through to a nice young man who said that for reasons unknown the reservation had been cancelled, though my credit card was charged (and not refunded). He said he'd sort it out immediately and my ticket would be emailed very soon. Phew. Relief. Problem sorted.

But - you guessed it - no e-tickets. So, I called again this morning. And the automated message has changed! Since yesterday. How strange (or not? This is Chile). So the new message said press #6 for English and then there's two choices - check flight times or LanPass. I rang a few times, trying different options, most of which said "our office hours are..." and then hanging up on me. It's 11.30am on a Friday. What the?

On my sixth call, I pressed #6 again and went straight to hold music (not 80s this time!) for 10 mins before giving up. Same thing happened the next time. I'll wait now for an hour or so and try again. 

I've got another 7 days up my sleeve. I can call in the big guns (people who actually speak Spanish) if need be. If nothing else, living in Vietnam taught me the power of persistence. Watch this space. 

Tis the berry season

Yesterday morning found me back at the incomparable La Vega markets. I went with a friend and he drove, a nice change for me, used to hoofing it or catching smelly taxis. Maya was home with her mejor amiga (best friend), Jenny.

During the week, it seems, is the time to shop at La Vega; there were few people, lots of parking and the Chilean shopkeepers were even more jovial and relaxed than usual. Wandering the stalls, we noticed the changing seasonal produce, particularly the onset of vast quantities of summer fruit - tis the season for berries - cherries, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries (and likely), blackberries. Yum. I bought a kilo of cherries for 1000 pesos ($2) and another 1/2kg of blueberries and raspberries, 500 pesos each. I could never get such bargains at home. 

It's also a great place to get rid of loose change. We are always collecting small denominations - 50, 100 and 500 peso coins - and at La Vega, they go a long way. I'd shoved a handful of coins into my pocket that morning and it bought me the above fruit, plus some bean sprouts (I eat them raw, yummy), organic garlic and a bunch of fresh herbs. 

I noticed more foreigners shopping too, I think I'd feel more comfortable with my rusty Spanish skills with less people around, maybe they do too. Anyway, we met a few interesting characters, including an eccentric Frenchman who modestly imparted that he'd been a famous chef in New York in the 80s, opening the city's first organic French restaurant. Now he lives in Chile, makes 'real bread' and is opening a cafe in town early next year. And the cherry seller was a young Romanian postgrad student from Belgium who was on a scholarship to Chile, studying anthropology in the markets. 

Very interesting. It certainly takes all kinds in Chile, I thought later that day, as I scoffed down an enormous bowl of cherries. 

Lights out

I feel a bit silly. Last night, as I was going to bed, I flicked a switch and pop! out went the lights. All of them. Blown a fuse, the electricity was completely out in the apartment. Including the fridge and freezer with all my carefully expressed breastmilk. What to do, what to do? Az was out of town for work. I went to the fuse box but it had no answers - isn't there supposed to be a switch that says 'flick me to turn everything back on'?

I went to bed and worried. Why does everything always seem worse at night? Should I call az? Should I call downstairs to the concierge? My Spanish isn't up to a conversation about electricity and blown fuses. Should I wait till morning and get Jenny to do it? Finally, I decided on the latter.

There passed a sleepless night - and don't I get enough of those already - wherein I changed my mind several times, called az in Brazil (no answer, he's a solid sleeper) and realised that both the internet and the home phone were down as well and I had no mobile phone credit - doesn't that always happen at the most inconvenient times?

Finally, this morning at 6am, I managed to hijack someone else's unsecured wifi and google translated: no tengo electricidad, usted pueden ayudar? (I have no electricity, can you fix it?). I called down to the concierge, they said: si. dos minutos. Precisely, two minutes later, there was a whirl! and the electricity was back on. Apparently the fuse box is located outside the apartment and has a simple switch labeled 'flick me to turn everything back on'. Well, I could have saved myself much grief there! Oh dear. 

Is there a tooth in there?

Apologies to anyone who isn't interested in teething babies and sleep deprivation for their suffering parents. Feel free to skip this post too. Honestly, who knew babies could be this much work?

At present, said baby is peacefully snoozing, catching up on last night's lost sleep. I should really be doing the same. Unfortunately, I've never been one to fall asleep at the drop of a hat (though az can, damn him) and otherwise, when do I eat, shower, email, play online scrabble and have some semblance of a life?

But I tell myself we must be coming to end soon. The last three nights have reached a crescendo on the waking/crying/no sleep front. Az and I have forsaken our bedroom and moved into the guest room (next to Maya's) so we can take turns to jack-in-the-box out of bed throughout the night, rotating the frozen dummies, bonjela and baby panadol, as well as the usual soothing, changing, rocking etc. At one point, around 3am, I was up sterilising dummies in the coffee plunger as she'd gone through all 14 since 9pm (when she finally fell asleep from sheer exhaustion). Yawn.

I haven't been able to find much useful information on when the teething pain stops. Obviously, when the teeth come through but a full set can take up to three years and I'm counting on some regular sleep before then! Well, I'm taking Maya to the doctor on Wednesday for her six month check-up. Can't believe she is almost six months! So will hopefully get some answers then. It sucks not having a mother's group or early childhood centre to visit like back home.

I'm off to snack on a banana. Looking forward to when I can mash one up for Maya to eat too. Fingers crossed it's soon! 

Another busy day

This morning we had another early date with Alfredo to see an apartment just down the road. It had our desired open plan living/dining area and big kitchen though it was straight out of the 70s - knobbled wooden front door, wooden panelling in the bedrooms (sexy!) and a ceiling about 7 feet high. We may have to expand the search to include houses as there's just not much around that we like. Alfredo promises to be on the case. I hope he's working on commission!

Then we headed over to Alto Las Condes for some shopping. I'm trying to buy a photoprinter - electronics are much cheaper here than home - but without a car (and any idea of where to go), I'm limited to what's available in the big stores - Ripley, Paris, Falabella (Myer equivalents). Unfortunately we didn't find a specific photo printer per se. Will have to order one online from Dell or somewhere. I also wanted to buy a lightweight umbrella stroller for when we travel; our 3 wheeler is a great pram but too big to cart through airports. 

These are about the only two things - so far - that I wish I'd bought in Aust. Before arriving here, I read the online forums all of which said Chile was so expensive and to stock up on things at home, especially for the baby. But from what I've seen, prices are comparable or cheaper than at home. And you can find everything. Maybe coming from the states, with their super low tarrifs, everywhere else seems pricey. 

Maya's patience with her shopaholic parents is worn out after a few hours and we head home for avocado and cheese sandwiches. A blog is pending on the world of Chilean cheese - practically no meal doesn't feature it, including sushi! 

Everyone trots off to their respective rooms for a nice long snooze, then it's more unpacking - the island of boxes in our tiny living room is finally shrinking - skype with the fam and $2 beers (Kwak for az, Hoegaarden for me). Finally, we'll be sitting down to one of Jenny's Peruvian feasts (chicken, potatoes, rice, dahl, eggs and oven baked eggplant with - you guessed it - cheese) and a dvd and calling it a night. Maya is fast asleep - for now - her little feet crossed at the ankles and her wrap thrown over her head. A very productive day for all!

The tooth monster

Maya has been teething for what seems like forever but is probably around 6 weeks. How much longer, I ask? I've read that 6-8 weeks for the first little chompers is standard so fingers crossed it's not much longer. Though I may regret saying that before long due to... ahem... well, if I thought breastfeeding hurt when she was a little 'un... you get the picture.

So until those pearly whites appear on the scene and a new chapter begins - high chairs, solids, grievous bodily harm - the tooth monster reigns supreme. Crying, hot flushes, crankiness, clinginess, waking several times a night, drooling, etc. My sister sent over some emergency bonjela (teething gel) which helps enormously. I've tripled the dummy stock and stuck them all in the freezer; they rotate through the steriliser (aka the coffee plunger), the freezer and her mouth at an alarming rate. I seem to be forever trawling the house collecting them from under beds, in her cot, on the floor and everywhere in between. And their annoying plastic caps which disappear from sight the moment I put them down. 

How quickly they grow up! Not... It seems an age ago she was born but that's only because I wake up so many times a night each day feels a week long. But she does gets cuter and more endearing every day so all is forgiven!

The why's and where's

When we said we were moving to Chile, everyone pretty much had the same response: Wow, you're so lucky, you're going to be paid to live and work in Latin America! And it's true, we are really lucky. But there's always sacrifices. Starting from scratch, building up a whole new life in a new city in a new country (and in this case, a new continent) where you don't know anyone. It's not easy. And I guess we were seeing it with rose tinted glasses too. Cause sometimes it's plain tough.

There's finding somewhere to live, starting a new job, getting ID cars (without which nothing is possible in Chile), getting a drivers license, buying a car, setting up a home, unpacking, opening a bank account, hooking up phone, internet, mobiles. Learning a new language (my repetoire now includes esta bien - it's ok/is it ok?/this is good - a very useful phrase) is a necessity but a hard one. And, of course, meeting people and making friends. Which is probably the most difficult of all because it's the most necessary and rewarding but complicated to actually achieve and you don't want to come across as a desperate, friendless lonelyheart. Even if you should happen to be one.

And with Maya, bless her cute little socks, it can be even harder. Waking up 5-6 times a night to soothe her because she's hungry/too hot/needs burping/had a bad dream/lost her dummy/was attacked by a naughty arm/is teething and it hurts, leaves me tired, dazed and far more inclined to curl up on the couch with Buffy reruns than out exploring. 

So I wonder what possessed me to uproot my life with a newborn baby and move over here... Oh yeah, that's right, the travel, the adventure and the possibilities. So, we'd better get to it. First stop, Argentina. I spent an hour online tonight booking our tickets (and that wasn't because the LAN website doesn't offer an English option). Two weeks from now we will be partaking in some family friendly tourist activities and coaxing Maya to sleep in her tent. Let the good times roll.

The Sausage Man

Move over Tea Lady... It's the Sausage Man!

Every Wednesday at az's office, there's a lightness in the air. A knowing smile. Around mid morning, a cry goes out, the Sausage Man is here! A mad stampede for the kitchen. Jostling round the table. It groans under the weight of fresh cheeses, homemade sausages, crusty bread and gooey pastries.

My eyes lit up when I heard about this gourmet feast. And I pronounced the words I haven't said since Maya was born and I suddenly worried that 9 months worth of collecting every cute baby outfit and paraphernalia I could find was simply not enough. I sent az off on an urgent baby shopping mission with the instructions: Just BUY! Whatever you want! Don't hold back! 

And this is why I realise I'm not likely to lose weight anytime soon. The breath and quantity of the Chilean gastronomical scene is far too overpowering. I'm back to my pre-baby bod but (sigh) I'm not sure I'll shrink any further. [As I write this, I'm popping cheezels into my mouth... yummy]. I'm still fighting the chocolate addiction I developed when I was pregnant. (Though fighting might be too strong a word). But after the first few months of nausea I had no intention of denying myself chocolate, especially when all those delectable soft cheeses, sushi and wine were off limits.

And now, sadly, the dulceria (cake shop) just down the road is off limits too. Az declares that although we can buy the most delectable Chilean sand and banana cakes (for some reason you have to buy both together) for only 6,500 pesos (about $13 dollars), we JUST CAN'T. So I will just have to make do with homemade bratwurst and gruyere on crusty fresh bread. Such is life. Good thing the vino is back on the menu. 

Spring snoozing

The last couple of days have been cold, cold, cold, with rain, howling wind and a thick fog, completely obscuring the mountains. I used to be a sun lizard but I must say I'm enjoying these wintry chills. Curling up in trackies and a blanket with a hot cup of tea. But a decent heating system (or any at all) wouldn't go astray! Tomorrow though, the clouds will roll back revealing mountains covered in fresh snow and spectacular against a blue sky.

That Maya sleeps like a log when it's cold is just an added bonus. This morning I even woke up by myself, to a quiet, peaceful room and not the bone-jarring, heart-stopping shrill screams of a grizzling baby next door. It was just lovely.

As we're approaching the big 6 month mark, I've heard whispered rumours of the strange and unfamiliar concept sleeping through the night. Oh unexpected joy! Maya is certainly fat enough to go without a meal for several days so there's no reason she can't manage a few extra hours.

We're still weaning her off being swaddled and wrapped to sleep. On occasion her naughty arms wave about of their own accord, waking up their owner and scaring her half to death. It's a. slow. process. Once that hurdle is mastered however, she'll fall asleep on her own a lot easier. A particularly useful knack as we're planning to cart her around much of Latin America in the next couple of years. And one day, no doubt, she'll be able to sleep anywhere, anytime, thanks to her unorthodox, nomad upbringing. We hope. 

The house hunt begins

On Saturday morning, bright and early, we were on our way to the leafy suburb of Providencia. I'd been in touch with a real estate agent called Alfredo. We thought it'd be a good idea to see what's about on the apartment scene. 

Most seem to have been built in the 70s/80s era - heavyset buildings with low ceilings and a kind of pokey layout, cupboards in odd places and the kitchen/living areas separated. The really retro ones are tiled on the outside with tinted windows. Most balconies are closed over for extra space but green leafy pot plants spill out from every windowsill. Interestingly, there are often more bathrooms than bedrooms!

In Chile, most rental apartments don't even come with light bulbs and stoves so it's a home decorator's dream... or nightmare depending on your inclina! (I'm sure there's lots of interior designers making a packet in this town). And the tenant has to fork out for all that stuff, then you take it with you when you go. Or there are furnished apartments which have everything, including some pretty ugly furniture courtesy of the landlord.  

So we told Alfredo we were looking for something more open plan with a big kitchen and living space. He was amused that our little trio would want so much space! The Providencia place wasn't for us but we're on the lookout now...

My life in a box

Today our boxes finally arrived after spending a few weeks at the docks in Hai Phong no doubt (great for our wine) and then a few more with Chilean customs (we should check that we still have wine). Somewhere in the box wilderness is our toaster, Maya's teething gel and my stash of $2 pirated dvds - essential items for the stay at home mum. 

But we won't unpack most of it now because we're looking for a new apartment. One that is quieter, more baby friendly and not full of heavy, impractical, blue furniture. (Yes, we have a whole collection of blue furniture). I've accepted that most apartment buildings here are from another era (think tiles on the outside of the building, brown carpets, wood panelling and low ceilings) and can only think wistfully of the sublime dwellings we had in Hanoi (think wooden floorboards, big white walls and lots of light). Ok, I've been spoilt but I'm a cancerian and I like a nice home.

And I'm fairly confident that given a blank canvas and limited ugly furniture, we'll have a home sweet home again in no time at all. It's not for nothing that I bought half of Craftlink and Vietnam Quilts. And transported it across the world. Wish me luck. I'll let you know how the apartment search goes. 

Hot and cold

I wanted to remark on the weird disparity of weather we've been having here of late and yes, I know this is all about climate change. It is still weird, and somewhat annoying.

A week ago it stormed and poured rain. Very, very cold. Then it snowed. Two days later, it was blue skies and baking hot. Maya overheated and for (a very long) 24 hours there was endless crying, vomiting, no sleep, frozen dummies, cool baths, fan-buying missions and overeating (on her part), to regain normalcy.

And today, it is grey, overcast and cool. Threatening to rain but I doubt it will. I hope it stays this way. Maya sleeps SO much better in cold weather. Meaning, I sleep so much better. More than four hours of sleep in a stretch - FANTASTIC.

One advantage of living near the mountains is that cool air rolls down in the evenings and it is crisp and clean and perfectly acceptable to don a cardigan. That's when I take Maya out in the pram with all the other prams and parents - Chile is a very family-friendly place - pick up az en route from work and explore another of the many, many restaurants in the neighbourhood. Maya falls asleep and it's pisco sours for az and Chilean beer for me. As the sun starts to sets around 8pm, we're on our way home, to watch a downloaded episode of something and then off to sleep. For a few hours at least.

Hola Jumbo

Avid shoppers that we are, Sunday's destination was Alto Las Condes shopping mall, home to Jumbo supermarket and more retail outlets. Now, we don't consider ourselves country bumpkins from Canberra; we've been to lots of big cities with big shopping centres (Bangkok, Singapore etc) but jaws did drop a little and eyes open slightly wider than usual, on confronting Jumbo. My hat off to the Chileans - the scale and efficiency of malls in Santiago is really impressive. Jumbo is like the entire Coles Myer empire in one giant hanger. If you were so inclined, you could purchase a slab of fresh salmon, a LED tv and a new garden hose all in one go. In fact, once we are in possession of our much-awaited car (first car in 3 years, how exciting!), I expect az will disappear for a few days and I know he'll be at Jumbo.

After dragging az away from the cheese deli, we proceeded to thoroughly investigate this new find. The navigation was fraught with obstacles as people meandered trolleys haphazardly about and left them skewed across aisles with owners nowhere in sight. Maybe Jumbo affects everyone with the same wide-eyed enthusiasm, abandoning normal supermarket decorum. But all the dodging about rocked Maya into a deep sleep so we were free to browse and buy lots of useless indulgences. And of course observe the odd things you find (and can't find) in foreign supermarkets...

An entire aisle of long life milk (not sure why but fresh milk isn't available in supermarkets here). Shelves upon shelves of Maggi seasonings packets (interesting...) 

Hundreds of bottles of cooking oil. 10 metres of freeze compartments devoted completely to sausages. And a paper mache display of a chicken coop, depicting (I think) the difference between cage and free range chooks. Or 'sleeping' and 'running' chickens, as they would say in Vietnam.

But three things I couldn't track down (here or elsewhere) - #1: cereal sin azucar (without sugar). That is, where each and every flake in a box of Cornflakes isn't double coated in sugar with extra sugar in the box just in case. Imposible! #2: a notebook with horizontally lined paper. Squared paper, like a maths book, yes, but not simply lined. Hmmm. And #3: clothes pegs. It's possible that they were just obscured under millions of other laundry products in Jumbo but I didn't see them.

Outside, there was a punto verde (Green Point) for recycling plastic bags, mobile phones, light bulbs etc. Fantastic! There's so much Australia can learn from Chile... even Vietnam recycles more (but the Vietnamese also eat all their wildlife so their brownie points are cancelled out).  

La Vega - Empress of ferias!

Oh my. Now this is a MARKET. On Saturday, with az on the mend from his man-cold, we finally visited the famous La Vega, the ginormous feria of fruit, veges and everything else in between. This is where all the restaurants and locals get their produce and its quite the family affair on a weekend. 

Someone described La Vega as the size of an airport runway and I'd say that's about right. And so clean. And full of friendly, jovial Chileans. Dong Xuan market [Hanoi], it is not.

The fruit and veg part is at the centre and stuff pretty much gets cheaper the further you wind your way in. We found a whole corner of potatoes and there's every kind of them - potatoes are endemic to Chile - for around 200 CLP/kilo (about 40 cents).

On the outside are dozens and dozens of little stalls selling everything from dog collars to alarm clocks. A couple of electrical adapters on our way in cost us 500 pesos ($1) each. We probably should have bought ten. I pulled one of those wheelie nana shopping bags and az carried Maya. We started off slow but after a granpa potato seller rolled his eyes at us for buying a mere kilo of potatoes, we got into the spirit of things and starting throwing down the pesos like they were, well, pesos.

If you have ever been to the Central Markets in Adelaide, this is about 10 times that size. It just boggles the mind (and the eye)!

 

In front of a butchers, a woman cooks and sells meat kebabs over a makeshift grill on a shopping trolley, very popular with local diners. Another stall consists entirely of baskets and boxes heaped with giant brown onions:

 

There were crates of big, fat fresh eggs (and they tasted really good too) and fresh dipping sauces for empanadas:

 

And a fluffy cat sat on the edge of a box of juicing lemons ($1/kg). 

Fantastic place. After two hours, bags overloaded, hot and tired but thrilled we had made this find, we caught a taxi home. I cooked up another curry with a hunk of fresh beef and we've got veggies to last the week plus the usual kilo of fresh strawberries. This will certainly be a regular outing.