Interacting with the locals

Our B&B in Valpariso is a relatively old house from the 1940s, built for a Latvian family, The Kreyenbergs. Currently run by a lovely unmarried couple, Lucia and Juan Pablo. Check out http://www.casakreyenberg.cl/english/home.html. Breakfast on day one was a mix of hot bread, fruit and juice. It was civilised to not have to rush down for breakfast as it was served until 11am. Mandy & I took full advantage of the opportunity to lay in even though I had a bit of a soft bed. It was cloudy and a bit misty outdoors, but the view over the port was clear, so we got ourselves together and decided to head up the coast to the main beach resort of Vina Del Mar. Now I am not really a lounge on the beach person, but having been working my socks off for the last few months I felt I could do with an afternoon of relaxation. So off we went, jumping on another rickety old orange & cream bus. Now I am not exaggerating when I say that the bus driver was obviously on some sort of mission as he drove down the hill, tackling the sharp bends at a pace that was pretty manic. I knew this wasn't normal, as even the locals were hanging on for grim life. You could see looks of relief as the people got off the bus.

It was a good 45 min drive up to Vina, which is approx 10km north. The journey on the No. 607 takes you through Valparaiso city centre, passing the bustling market, which overflows out of the main building onto the street. We then hit the coast road passing the naval college and Val's one and only beach, which isn't much bigger than a postage stamp. Vina, is a much smarter place than Val, stylish shops, clean boulevards, even horse drawn carriages, which are definitely aimed at tourists. Have to say that I didn't see any manure on the roads. We stayed on the bus and carried on up the coast a little to at least give ourselves the opportunity of doing a bit of walking. We eventually jumped off the bus at Ranaca, and walked down to the small beach. There weren't many people there, which was great, but then again it wasn't a particularly nice beach. The waves are pretty aggressive and there is a strong ripcurl so no swimming allowed. Instead we just walked along the beach. I ended up chatting to a local about a little creature that was upturned with its legs going like mad. Mandy was stood there taking photos, and saw what was about to happen but didn't warn me or the other guy that a large wave was heading our way. The photo says it all.

We then headed down the coast and popped into a classy looking spa to check out massage options. We were going to treat ourselves and were just about to book an appointment when we found that they didn't take credit cards. This is a problem we were to encounter quite a bit over the next few days. So we headed off disappointed and planted ourselves onto a beach next to the spa. It was a small beach that had no more than 20 people on it so was nice and peaceful. Went for a paddle, but decided against a swim as the water was pretty cold. After about an hour of being there a couple of people came along and set up a marquee advertising 2 massages for the price of one. It would have been rude not to accept. So an hour later, even more relaxed and my wallet the extortionate sum of £9 lighter, we left the beach and walked back into Vina. Spent some time trying to get cash out of a few ATMs, but neither of our cards would work, which was worrying! A more pleasant bus ride back and then a quick unpack before nipping out to get some shots of the colourful buildings before dinner as well as whilst the sun was still out.

We wondered down the main streets of the local area which had quite a few people walking around admiring the views. I popped down into a side street to listen to some locals playing some music. As we walked back, I held back a little to get a shot I was after whilst Mandy walked around the corner. I heard a shout, two guys came up behind me and within seconds I was lighter of camera bag. Gave chase to the one with the digital camera, but didn't know where I was and whether he was carrying a weapon or not, so thought better of it. Suffice to say, the rest of the evening was taken up with getting to the police station and registering the event for insurance purposes. I suppose the good thing was that I had emptied my bag of everything bar the digital camera (not my best one) an old film camera and a spare lens. Just that I was now without a camera. Was very grateful to Lucia at the B&B for coming down to the police stn with me and helping to translate etc. Got back to the B&B, had a quick wash then out to dinner. No point in worrying about it.