It is 10.03 pm and we are sat in the garden of our hotel drinking a very fine bottle of Carmenere by our garden room and the pool.
In all our journey to Chile was uneventful. A bit of Hurry Up and Wait but in all mainly unproblematic. We arrived in good time at Heathrow and ate dinner at one of the concessions: Mushroom and leek pie with chips, peas and gravy (but we didn't find any leek but lots of asparagus...not a bad thing!)
Can we have our normal moan about airline food? We had both ordered lacto-veg but got different dinners.. but both had several versions of salad, even for breakfast!
At Santiago there was some misunderstanding about our pick-up time and there was no one to met us. Several taxistas tried to solicit our trade but we have been ripped off before. We called the hotel and Victor came out quickly, greeting us like long lost friends with kisses and bear hugs.
The hotel is in the outskirts of Santiago. The local streets were lined with stalls selling mangoes, avocados and other exotic fruit.
Our hotel was in a residential district. The houses are hidden behind adobe walls and imposing gatways, hiding lush watered gardens.
The initial bedroom had no exterior windows (not uncommon in Chile). Other bedrooms were decorated in the fabric heavy Chilean style, but had no en-suite. We were told the best rooms with patio, Jacuzzi and king size bed could be made available soon. But we chose instead a garden room with modest décor at some distance from the main house, decorated in the style of Pinochet (that's the interior decorator not the General!!).
Victor offered us beer and Pisco Sours by the pool before an afternoon nap. His wife brought us a lunch of cheese, avocado, tomato and lettuce sandwiches in heavy Chilean bread. The veg was fresh and obviously local.
It was explained that today was election day and most places were shut.
We had a walk along the main road but it had few shops, unless you need a vetinarian or wanted to buy a BBQ. Dogs seemed to be everywhere, wandering on to the highway and generally causing chaos.
Back at the hotel, it seemed all restaurants were closed so the landlady made us a dinner of quiche and salad, washed down with afore mentioned Maipo valley Carmenere. The three hotel dogs were suddenly our NBFs!!
Well, it seems Socialist Michelle Bachelet has won against another woman, Evelyn Mathei, as candidate for President. How long before we see two British women competing for the top job? Though both come from the traditional political elite in Chile..............