Our stars are dropping like flies

If you had been very, very quiet, you might have been able to hear the sound of our stars falling down like meteors brushing past the earth. We have regressed from 5-Stars in Santiago, to 2-Stars in Valdivia and are now well in the negative realm in our “cabanas” in Valdivia. Since the AARP-in-training amongst us is now not officially at work this weekend, we are saving some Chilean dollars and are paying the consequences otherwise. For one, we are right beside the only bus station in Valdivia –one that operates 24 HOURS a day, and then there were the new guests arriving in at around 3AM just as if they were strolling in the middle of the afternoon with all their uproar and loud chatting. Also, without A/C we are forced to sleep with the windows open so there is nothing shielding us from the noises and city lights. But who’s complaining? We are in Valdivia.

After a 12-hour bus ride south of Santiago we arrived in Valdivia, a small city built around several large rivers and just a few miles from the Pacific Ocean. There is a beautiful riverfront walkway, several bridges that connect the different parts of the city, and then there is the waterfront market. This market is around 100 yards long and about 15 yards wide. On the section away from the water, you can find fresh fruits, vegetables and cheeses produced nearby, and on the waterfront side you can find all the fresh fish and shellfish you could dream about, and just beyond the metal fence that borders the river at the marketplace, you get what seems to be the local aquarium or zoo. There resides a family of Sea Lions and hundreds of seabirds looking for free handouts and droppings from the fish market. The sea lions hang out on some floating platforms provided by the city and they offer a lively entertainment on their own: the dominant bull taking care of his harem and chasing away all possible competitors. They are definitely livelier than the manatees in Florida, but still there is a lot of sleeping and eating going on.

With all the seafood available, Valdivia is a seafood eater’s paradise and we have sampled our share of fish and seafood to last us a year. I even went to the extreme of buying a piece of freshly smoked salmon to chew on while watching the fishermen prepare the catch of the day for display and sale --a little disturbing if you think about it-. During the middle part of the day, it is so hot (~90F today), that most everyone finds the shade of a lush tree near the river and just drop away until the end of the day. Sun sets around 10PM so there is plenty of time during the day to feel lethargic and spend most of its hours either sleeping or eating. I think the sea lions have it just right.

Day, evening or night, we continue to walk around the rivers and sitting in the plazas but there is one beast that could make the whole experience miserable. However we have yet to feel the annoying buzz of our familiar mosquitoes from back home. So their absence is making our experience with the negative-star hotels at least bearable. That, and the thought that soon we’ll be bicycling to the post office in the middle of a North Carolina winter once again.