Buying Online and shipping packages

We try to shop as locally as possible and we try to make do with what is available. We try to live like the average Chilean. But what do you do when you really need something that is not available locally? Well, we do have a few options.

1. Buy online here in Chile

This is not always so simple or easy as it is in the US. Many businesses don't have a big online presence. They may have a website but you can't order off of it (?) or they just use Facebook (not!).

So for example, I found out from my friend about a company call Tostaduria Puerto Rico in Santiago. They sell dry bulk items which is great because buying (10) 1-ounce bags of cinnamon is a pain in the neck. So you go to the website which has just lists of their products with no prices or sizes and you email them and tell them what you would like. They send you a price list.Then you find out what the minimum order is and tell them how much you would like of each item. Then they send you a cotizacion or quote of your order with the total amount due. Then you have 2 options - if you have a Chilean bank account (which I don't) you would send them a bank transfer  which takes 5 days to clear or you can go to their bank in the closest city and make a deposit which clears fairly quickly. The next day or so your item will ship from their warehouse by bus to your city of choice. When it arrives the next day you go pay for the package's bus ride and pick up your package. Wow, I feel like it's the 1980's!

Here is what I bought

From top to bottom 

Basmati Rice - 5 kilos for 3,077 pesos per kilo inc. taxes of 19% and shipping

Whole coffee beans from Brazil - 5 kilos for 8,430 per kilo

Polenta or grits if you are from the south - 10 kilos for 903 per kilo

Popcorn - 10 kilos for 1,128 per kilo

These came in 2 boxes and the bus ride was 13,000 pesos but prices above reflect shipping fees.

These prices are good deals as buying an inferior coffee in the grocery store in a 250 g bag runs over 10,000 pesos per kilo.

http://www.tostaduriapuertorico.cl/

Here are a few other options for shopping online in Chile.

Mercado Libre is like the ebay of Chile and purchases are free from the 19% IVA tax.

http://www.mercadolibre.cl/

Busca Libre is a search engine for Amazon and Ebay and other US stores plus it has Spanish and Chilean books. If you shop on Amazon through this website, it gives you the prices in Chilean pesos and the shipping accordingly which seems pretty cheap if it is coming from the US. I tried ordering a book and the shipping was only 1,990 pesos. My gripe is the custom regulations. This is the note you see if you try to order a vitamin or supplement. I am seriously bummed out!!

Warning: Due to customs restrictions, we can not import airbag, perfumes, makeup, skin creams, food, food supplements or remedies. If the product you're quoting is none of the above, proceed with the purchase. If the product is one of the above and continue with the purchase, we will refund your money.

http://www.buscalibre.cl/

Another interesting site for local products sold by locals is the Chilean version of Craig's List called Yapo. Ya is spanish for already but adding po to the end of words is distinctly chilean. Sipo! You can search for an item by region and they sell great things like chickens, rabbits, trucks, tractors, etc.

http://www.yapo.cl/

2. You can order directly from the US. 

Though you do have 2 choices. You can order directly from a company if they ship internationally and you will probably have to pay Chilean taxes on it. We have a friend here who ordered something worth $500 and when it arrived she had to pay another 19% tax on her purchase to the Chilean government. Or you can order it and send it to a friend and have them ship it down. We have a friend who has a shipping box. When we need something we have it sent to her and when the box is full she ships it down to us. Since it is personal, it is usually not subject to the sales tax. We had a 40 lb box one time that cost us almost $200 to mail. yikes! We don't do that much anymore.

This package above had a pressure canner part and cell phone parts for a phone Andrew was fixing so we labeled it replacement parts. It wasn't insured for much and had to have weighed less than a pound but we paid $22 for it and it took about 2 weeks to arrive. It was sent USPS and Correos de Chile (Chile Post Service).

This package only had a replacement part for our Coleman camp stove at 5 oz and $13 for shipping. I have heard Correos de Chile has a problem with items missing after customs inspections. I have never had a problem but my friend has had items stolen from the packages her mom sends.

And when you are worried about getting stuff and whether Chile has as much stuff as the USA remember this quote. A sentiment I am always working towards.

But there are two ways to be rich:
You can earn, inherit, borrow, beg, or steal enough money to meet expensive desires;
or, you can cultivate a simple lifestyle of few desires;
that way you always have more than enough money.
The secret of happiness you see is not found in seeking more
but in developing the capacity to enjoy less”.

Getting a Chilean Driver's License Part 2

He got it!
But it wasn't easy. They call it tramites (trah- me tays) here but I call it traum-ee-tays. These are the procedures usually associated with bureaucracy. The inefficiencies of government and its policies are often tiresome and lengthy but we played the game and followed the rules and were rewarded.

So here is how it went.

Day 1
Jim showed up at 9 AM on Tuesday morning. He waited just a few minutes and then got online for the computerized test in english. You have 45 minutes to complete 35 questions and you can only get 3 wrong. Jim got 4.  Don't ask how it happened. The english test was written by a non-native speaker and was a little awkward in spots, those double negatives were confusing, some questions were just stupid and he overthought them, whatever.... Come back tomorrow at 9 AM.

Day 2
Jim showed up at 9 AM to get behind 20 other people. He waited an hour just to get on the computer. He checked his answers carefully, made a few changes, and he passed with only 2 wrong. OK

Step 2 get in line behind 20 other people to see the eye doctor. Waiting and waiting. Phone goes dead. Waiting and watching mind numbing Chilean TV. Finally gets in - look through here and tell me what you see. BTW, Jim is pretty blind in one eye. Actually it is so bad his eye doctor didn't even give him corrective lenses. But he managed to pass even though a lot of the pictures were very fuzzy.

Step 3 On to the games for reaction times and coordination. The first one is a game where you tap the moving ball with a stick. Jim was a little too violent with this game and the lady told him "tranquilo!" I think he was a bit stressed out by this time. Then on to the coordination test. These tests are hard to describe and we got no pictures since Jim's iphone was dead.
He passed it all about 1 PM and they told him to come back at 3 for the driving test. So we went out for lunch and a few beers while waiting, (just kidding) Though I think he really needed one at that point.

Step 4 We show up at the parking lot for the driving test 30 minutes late because Jim didn't understand the directions. Good grief! Where's that beer? Well, fortunately, the other 20 people were in line in front of us so the instructor didn't notice he was late.  Jim walks over to the instructor between tests. The instructor asks Jim if that is his car? Yes. And you have a license from the US? Yes. I have had one for 30+ years. Ok. No problem. Let me see your RUT card and you can pick up your license tomorrow. Come at 9 AM for the photo. Yes!!

Day 3
Jim showed up at 9 AM for some paperwork and picture and then was back at 3 PM for his new license. It feels good to be legal!

And 30 days before March 8, 2022  Jim has to go in to renew his license with the vision and reaction tests. And you thought the US bureaucracy was inefficient!

Is Chile a Third world country?

Chile - clean and modern

Well, my daughter likes to make fun of me and says I live in a third world country but Chile isn't a third world country. Actually, the terminology does seem a bit dated. It arose after the end of WWII and was used to describe the capitalist countries allied with the United States and they are the first world countries including Western Europe, the UK and their allies. The second world countries are those of the Soviet Union and the communist bloc, China, and Cuba while the third world countries are all the rest, the neutral nonaligned countries. This broad categorization based on social, political, cultural, and economic divisions was a useful tool during its time but today things are different. Most people don't know enough of WWII history to understand this classification and for people today a first world country would be modern and affluent while a third world country would be poor and backwards and second world is somewhere in between.

So where does Chile fall in these categories? For the original meaning, Chile did not participate in WWII. It was a neutral unaligned country meaning a third world country. So says Wikipedia under the heading of "Third World" but under "World War II by Country" it says " initially Chile chose to remain neutral in the war, having close trading links with Germany. Later in the war, however, Chile distanced itself from the Axis powers, and the Chilean government took steps to dismiss pro-German military officers. Relations with Axis countries were broken in 1943, and in 1945, Chile declared war on japan, being the last nation to join the war. As with Argentina, by this time the war was almost over." So it was an ally entering after the attack on Pearl Harbor so that would mean Chile is a first world country according to NATO.

And what about the more modern sense of the word - poor under developed v. rich developed?

Chile is very modern and clean. Most of the poor live in homes with flooring, water and sewer, electricity, cell phones, and direct TV. Education is compulsory and literacy rates are high. The economy is growing and unemployment is low. The government is stable. Health care is modern and affordable. The highway system is modern and well maintained.  What else could you ask for?
Sounds pretty first worldish to me!

First Day of School

                                Andrew's last first day of school in 12th grade or 4th (cuatro) medio and Thomas's first first day of school in 3rd (tercero) basico or 3rd grade

Yes, friends, my homeschooling days are over! Yoo hoo! and that is a big one after 18 years!
 Samuel will be attending the PreUniversity Pedro de Valdivia in Osorno to study for the PSU which is the Chilean equivalent of the SAT.  And then Thomas and Andrew at the Colegio San Vicente. This is just a school not a college that goes from K-4 to 12th. We decided to end our homeschooling days as living in Chile is just not conducive to that lifestyle and we have access to a free catholic school. In South Carolina, we were part of 2 large and active homeschool co-ops. Now I have one little boy all by himself and no support group with all its activities. And Thomas needs to learn Spanish and make friends here so we decided to put him in while Andrew was still attending. Having big brother upstairs will make the transition easier, we hope! BTW, Thomas speaks little to no spanish so it will be interesting to see how he gets on. And with his dyslexia he can't read english so the special ed teacher will have an interesting challenge to teach a little boy who speaks english and can't read it to speak and read spanish. And I will post more about the Chilean school system as far as I know about it, anyway!
Update on March 10- All is well at school. Thomas loves it and I have noticed a new confidence in him. He is not cowering behind my apron strings anymore. Though it has been only a week, he already has picked up a sore throat. Jim and I are loving the new found freedom and our peaceful days as we just enjoy being together without kids.

Getting a Chilean Driver's License

The Municipal Building in Osorno

We received our permanent residency about a year ago and by law we should have gotten our Chilean driver's license but you know how life can be and the time just slipped by. Despite the rumors we had heard of expats being taken to jail and fined for not having a Chilean license and despite the fact that we could study and take the test in english (effective in 2015), we just kept procrastinating. We were banking on the idea that the local carabineros don't know much about foreigners and maybe don't know that we should have our chilean license. So we haven't had any problems yet! If you are just visiting Chile, you need a valid US driver's license and the Embassy recommends an International Driver's license which you can get from AAA but when we were pulled over the officer was not at all interested in that just the South Carolina license.
This week we went by the Municipal Building in Osorno to see what we needed to do.

The line was short- no number needed. I think the line is always short- most Chileans don't own a car. only 230 out of every 1,000 according to Wikipedia for 2013 (the US has 809 per 1,000 for comparison). Cars here are expensive and so is fuel and there is an extensive, reliable, and cheap bus system.

But here is what you must have:
1. Your RUN card aka carnet or cedula.This is your national ID card which you should receive when you are approved for temporary residency.
2. A document proving you have received at least an 8th grade education.

For us this was Jim's Bachelor's degree which had been notarized, legalized by the Attorney General of Florida, stamped by the Chilean Consulate of Miami, stamped by the Foreign Relations office in Santiago, and should have been stamped by the Education Ministry also in Santiago but the director of the office gave us a break since we didn't have this stamp and just had the document notarized again! by the local notary office next door.  It didn't matter that Jim has been driving for 40 years including cars, trucks, tractors, airplanes, and submarines. They wouldn't just issue another license. He has to go through the process which includes a written test, driving test, and vision test.
So Jim signed up to take the test on March 1. He will be taking the test for the Class B license for private car owners. Class A is for public transport drivers and Class C is for motorcycles. We paid 29,221 pesos around $40 USD

Check back next month to see if Jim passes his driver's test!
Here are some links of interest
the New Drivers handbook in English
http://www.conaset.cl/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/new-drivers-handbook-7-04.pdf
 a government services website called Chile Atiende - this link goes to the page on driver's license
https://www.chileatiende.gob.cl/fichas/ver/20592

Crime & Safety in Chile

The Carabinero station in Puerto Octay. You can find these offices in almost any small town always in green and white.We personally know several of the carabineros in our town and find them to be friendly and helpful. We heard that in Ecuador the police don't care about crime against gringos but it's not that way here. Our local guys stopped by our farm to welcome us and help us robber proof our farm. And you never try to bribe a carabinero. They pride themselves on honesty and integrity. It's not uncommon to find checkpoints in front of the carabinero station. They pull over every 3rd car and just check your license and to see if you have paid your local car tax. In the US, I always felt that the police were out to get you good or bad but I don't get that feeling here. Speed traps are uncommon and non-existent off the main highway and the carabineros don't engage in high speed chases to catch the bad guy.

Crime, especially theft, is notoriously bad in South America. In the cities, all the houses are behind bars. Pick pocketing and purse snatching as well as car theft are common.

We personally have not been affected by crime in the 2 1/2 years we have lived here. And honestly, I can only remember one instant in which I felt unsafe here. It was night and we were driving through a not so nice area of Santiago. There were parts of Greenville and Spartanburg, South Carolina we wouldn't dare go through even during the day. Jim had been almost attacked on at least 2 or 3 occasions doing appraisals in dangerous neighborhoods in the US.

Even in public housing here in our little town in the south of Chile, we feel safe. The atmosphere is different. There aren't gangs of kids hanging around with bad attitudes.

I joke that criminals in Chile are the non-confrontational kind. They may want to rob you blind but only behind your back!Violent crime is low and kidnappings and random shootings are almost unheard of.
Here are some statistics for you taken from this government website linked below and wikipedia.

https://www.osac.gov/pages/ContentReportDetails.aspx?cid=17197

For the year 2012
Murder rate is 3.1 per 100,000 and the USA is 3.8 per 100,000
That totals out to be 550 murders in Chile and 12,253 in the USA
This is the lowest homicide rate in South America.
So if safety is a concern, as it is for most of us, Chile is one of the safest places in South America.

Snakes in Chile ?!?!

Snakes in Chile?
Some city slickers believe there are no snakes in Chile!
Well, guess what?
There are.
Go to this link
https://patagonianaturejournal.wordpress.com/

and find out the real truth about snakes in Chile ....

Photo borrowed from Wikipedia

Earthquake Risks

 Chile is one of the most seismically active countries in the world but when you look at the facts and numbers, it isn't as bad as it first sounds.

"Pichilemu post office demolition" by Diego Grez

To offer some statistics for comparison.....
The 2011 earthquake in Japan was a 9.0 and resulted in 15,000 deaths.
The horrific earthquake of 2010 in Haiti was a 7.0 and resulted in 100,000 deaths.
A little closer to your home, in 1994, the Northridge, CA earthquake was a 6.7 and 60 died with over $20 billion in damages.
One of the deadliest earthquakes in history was in China in 1976, a 7.8 quake, with an estimated 800,000 deaths.

But the strongest earthquake in recorded history was the 9.5 quake in Valdivia, Chile (just up the road from our farm) back in 1960.The death toll was 2,000.
The 2015 Chilean 8.4  earthquake - 13 dead
The 2014  8.2 quake in Chile - 7 dead
the 2010  8.8 Chilean quake - 525 dead
So all the earthquakes in Chile in the past 60 years including the Valdivian quake, the largest in recorded history, and the death toll is less than 5,000.

Why is the death rate so low in Chile? I can venture a few ideas. Less densely populated, good building codes, less high rise buildings. And Chile is well prepared in the aftermath of a disaster to aid the victims and rebuild. Chile made a remarkable recovery from the 2010 quake. Read this interesting article on how Chile did this

http://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1020&context=sire

And remember how Haiti responded to its 2010 quake which was 500 times less powerful.They were helpless and paralyzed and counted on lots of foreign aid. Chile did not.

And as far as volcanoes go, there are no death statistics available for any Chilean eruptions so I don't think it's a major threat.
30,000 people die each year in highway fatalities in the USA. I know it's not a totally equal comparison but it's probably more likely to die in an auto accident in the USA than an earthquake or eruption in Chile. So buckle up and stay safe!

Eruption!

On Wednesday, April 22, one of our local volcanoes erupted. Volcan Calbuco sits on the southern edge of Lago Llanquihue. It hasn't erupted in over 40 years but Wednesday afternoon we had a great plume of ash erupt into the sky about 6 PM. See pictures below. Quite exciting and spectacular and unexpected. All that evening we had lightning and rumbles of thunder and earth tremors. The volcano is about 80 miles from our farm so we were in no imminent danger. The ash cloud moved northeast and dumped a lot of ash on the mountains and into Argentina. Later that same night was another eruption with spurting lava which was seen by our boys in the house in Quilanto along with phenomenal lightning. All the schools were closed to house the thousands of refugees from the eastern side of the lake because of the ash cloud.

As of May 1, we had one more minor belch of ash cloud so I guess all is not over yet!

See Volcan Osorno to the left of Calbuco. The snow cap is now covered with ash.

The eruption at sunset was quite spectacular.

Fiestas Patrias

Feliz 18th de Septiembre! or just Feliz Dieciocho! This is the day Chileans celebrate their independence. Back in the day, Chileans fought for emancipation from Spanish colonial rule. The year 1810 was when the war started. A Declaration of Independence was issued in 1818.

I have found Chileans to be proud of their flag, which flies from every house this week, and their country and culture. Chileans celebrate first by taking the whole week off, if they can! There is a lot of eating and partying. Giant tents called fondas are set up in the cities. The fondas are brightly decorated with blue, white, and red. There is traditional foods like empanadas and chicha (a hard cider)and traditional dancing like Cueca ( see our post from last month on this).

At home, the parilla(grill) is fired up for all kinds of meat delicacies like anticucho (shish kebabs), ribs and longaniza which is a sausage.
No fireworks here! That's an American tradition. Though there is a lot of kite flying here in the traditional flag colors ,of course!
And many towns have a rodeo which is the national sport.

The day after Dieciocho is El Día de las Glorias del Ejército or the day of the glories of the military.

The main parade is in Santiago overseen by el presidente, Michelle Bachelet, and other dignitaries.

This picture is of the military parade in the nearby town of Frutillar.

Here is a link to an interesting sight on Dieciocho 

http://www.speakinglatino.com/chilean-independence-day-celebration/

And here is another link to some more info on the military

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_of_Chile

The traditional Chilean dance - Cueca

What a doll! I was ready to take this little man home, he is so cute!
Thomas was eyeing his cool costume complete with spurs!

 I have always enjoyed traditional dances from square dancing to English country dancing and this style was very interesting to me. It was a lot like square dancing but with a spanish flair.
The Cueca is The traditional chilean dance and all students are taught it in school at an early age. It's roots are in Spain. The man wears the chilean cowboy (huaso) costume with the typical Chilean cowboy hat (chupalla)  with a flat wide brim, leather boots with  spurs, and the manta (poncho).

 The ladies wear the colorful dresses with a wide ruffled skirt. They also have white handkerchiefs which they wave around during the dance. The dance is supposed to be an imitation of the rooster courting the hen.

Sunday, Sept. 14, after Mass, in La Picada, they had a Fiesta Patria for the upcoming Chilean Independence day.

Beautiful constumes! The ladies on the right and left in pink and blue are wearing the country girl dresses.
The elegant ladies in the middle in the tan outfits are wearing the more traditional formal attire with heavy spanish influence. I love the hats and the ruffles!

Here is a great link to a sight that talks about huasos(chilean cowboys).

http://www.speakinglatino.com/huaso-chilean-cowboy/

And here is our video from La Picada

Electricity & Power Bills

The water that keeps our lights on!

Up to this point, our power bills were fairly reasonable with an  average around $100 per month. We were running 2 laptops, 2 fridges, a small space heater, and the Chilean washer/dryer which as I have posted before - the dryer especially was very inferior and didn't work well. Then enters our American power hungry appliances which arrived in our shipping container in April. Our first power bill arrived post container. It was a doozy!! Add the hot tub, the super size Maytag washer & dryer, 3 computers, and another space heater and voila! Our power bill was $400. This dismaying turn of events prompted a pulling of the plugs and a little research, I found that most energy produced in Chile is hydro-electric.
"Historically, hydroelectric plants have been the largest power source in Chile. Periodical droughts caused, however, supply shortfalls and blackouts, which led the government to increase diversification in the country's energy mix in the 1990s, mainly through the addition of natural-gas-fired power plants." quote from Wikipedia.  
They have also added some coal fired power plants because of a recent shortage of natural gas. I would think power in the south is mainly hydro since we have so many rivers and so much water here.
I am trying to decipher the power bill to see how much it is per kilowatt hour and I'll let you know.
Well, in South Carolina Duke Power is charging 10.5 cents per kilowatt hour. This is with a price increase in 2014. Our bill here in Chile is 22 cents per kilowatt hour. Ouch! Why so high? I don't know why.
I'd be interested to know what you pay for per kilowatt hour in the US. 
 The power here is fairly dependable. It has only gone out twice in the past year and one time was a planned repair. Not bad for being out in the campo with no street address.
Our ultimate goal though is to go off grid with a combo of solar, wind, and hydro so in the long run it really won't matter how much the powerbill is!

Here is an interesting link to energy in Chile if you want further info.
 http://www.geni.org/globalenergy/library/national_energy_grid/chile/EnergyOverviewofChile.shtml
A big controversial dam project for Patagonia was turned down by the Chilean government
here is an interesting link or 2
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-26655485
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-27788286

Weekly Vegie Shopping Trip

Once a week, we stop by El Mercadito in Puerto Octay and pick up our vegies for the week.  Senor Mercadito buys at the wholesale market in Osorno or from locals. So we get what is grown in Chile in season. No imported foods from half way around the world here! Really local foods would include potatoes, onions, swiss chard, cabbage, cilantro, and berries and apples in season. Most of the rest will come from locations just north of here in central Chile. Here is our purchase from last week.

This includes the gargantua celery, a huge head of cabbage, a very large stem of broccoli, 5 cloves of garlic, 4 bell peppers, 5 kiwi, 8 bananas, 9 onions, and a bag of 7 carrots (the sweetest I've ever eaten!) All this costs 9,000 pesos or about $18.

Here is our favorite fast food treat - pan con chicharrones - yummy goodness for bacon lovers. This is a roll that has chunks of smoked pork baked into it. It costs about $1 per roll. You can find it at most bakeries and every little town has a market with at least a small bakery in it and a few specialty chilean breads like the maraqueta roll. More on that later. And now I will leave you with a few spectacular pictures because Volcan Osorno's presence is always here and the beautiful wide open skies.

Look at that beautiful glowing cap from the last ray of the sun's day

Sunrise

Always some interesting cloud formations over the mountain

Our first experience with chilean healthcare

Well, we knew it would eventually happen. Someone would need to see a doctor. I just didn't think I'd be the first one! I'm pretty stubborn and don't go unless I'm near death. Just ask Andrew who went around for 2 days with a broken bone! Well, part of the problem was that even when we had insurance going to the doctor was scary expensive! But not anymore!
I had a bad cold which developed into a sinus/ear infection and I just couldn't shake it. I was sick in bed for 2 weeks and Jim finally convinced me to go to the hospital in Puerto Octay. It reminds me of a small county health department in the US. We had a friend accompany us who is very familiar with the system. We went up to the receptionist and told her we needed to see a doctor. I flashed my temp. resident ID. No insurance so we are self-paying (or particular is the word here). Ok, I hope you are sitting down for this one.
The fee to see the doctor is 12,000 pesos in US $ that is 24.00 please! Not too bad - so far so good
We went to sit down and wait our turn in the emergency waiting room and I'm thinking of all the illegal immigrants who flock to US emergency rooms for headcolds and don't pay the bill which drives up the cost of healthcare for all in the US but hey, it's different here and I paid my bill! But really, in Chile it is not the norm to go to a GP for all your families minor health problems. Most doctors down here specialize and if you are sick, you either go to the specialist you need or you go to a clinic or hospital. Most employed individuals have FONASA which is the state health insurance program which runs around $40 per month for a family. Co-pays are small and you can get good service at the private hospitals or the public but wait times may be longer. ISAPRE is the private health insurance program but I am not too familiar with it.
Anyway, I was called back after just a few minutes for a vital signs check before seeing the doctor. Then a few more minutes and I was in to see the doctor. He understood my english but spoke only spanish. He was very thorough in his check up listening carefully to my lungs to make sure I didn't have pneumonia and prescribed antibiotics for my sinus infection which could be filled right down the hall.
I was feeling a little nervous again thinking about how expensive meds can be in the US. We went back to the front window to pay for our meds before we picked them up at the pharmacy window. I had a 7 day course of antibiotics and a painkiller for the stabbing pain behind my eyes. It took a few minutes for her to flip through her notebook (we're talking low tech here) and figure out how much we owed. The total for both was 560 pesos - roughly $1.25. Break the bank - sigh of relief
We picked up the meds and were out the door in about an hour.
Socialized medicine? probably- the state heavily funds the healthcare system but they seem to be doing a good job
Healthcare is readily available and affordable - free to elderly and unemployed and disabled and it is high quality especially in the larger cities. On average, healthcare costs here are 1/3 that of the US, so I've heard but it varies depending on the treatment and Santiago prices are higher.
Overall, I was pretty happy with my first experience but it's been a slow recovery. I've finished my meds and I am marginally better. The pain is gone but now I've got a lingering cough, my ears are still blocked, and I can't taste or smell (that has it's benefits when someone forgets to take the trash out!) Jim thinks I should go back but I'm feeling stubborn again!
UPDATE- Well, after 2 rounds of antibiotics we gave up on the cheaper public healthcare and went to the city of Osorno for the private healthcare. We made an appointment at the Clinica Aleman with a GP recommended by a friend. $80 for the visit. It seems most doctors know at least marginal english so it went well.  The hospital was newer, nicer, and cleaner. I don't know if Chile just has healthier people but there was no waiting in lines anywhere. This time I had an xray (they tried to do this at the Puerto Octay Hospital but the machine wouldn't work). $70 for the xray showed I had pneumonia. I got a better medication and after 2 days I am feeling much better. It makes me wonder if the cheaper public hospitals just have a cheaper inferior medications available. You get what you pay for! and I just seemed to have a stubborn bacteria.

4.9 Earth Quake In Chile

You can almost see the Hobbits running around

Last night we had an earth quake that shook the house. It was our first such experience since we have been here in Chile. When we lived in Gaffney South Carolina we had a small earth quake as well but it was so slight that we barely felt the shake.

At 11:30 pm last night the earth quake shook the house where we are living. It was mild and almost amusing. Lori thought that it was Andrew shaking the house with his big self upstairs. For those of you who do not know Andrew is 15 years old and 6 foot 2 inches tall, so he can shake the house.

In either case it was no big deal. The epicenter was about 100 miles north of us in Rio Bueno which like most of the south of Chile is rural. Keep in mind that here in Chile we may have one earth quake every day or once a week. So there are many small earth quakes here and it is just a part of life in rural Chile, which is another reason why one should not live in the city.

Lots of rain means lots of rainbows

Basics of Shopping in Chile

Here are two videos that show a basic overview of shopping in Chile.

The first video is of a trip to Jumbo which is a large Walmart type super store that sells everything. This Jumbo is located in Osorno at the big Mall which is a total of 3 stories, not including the basement parking garages.

The second video is where I visited an egg store called Huevos De Talca, or "Eggs of Talca". This place sells ONLY eggs.

You see here in Chile the super store thingey is a pretty new concept. For most everything you want, you will have to go to individual stores. An egg store does not sell butter. A fabric shop does not sell thread and on and on. There are some stores that are kind of catch all stores, and there are a lot of them, but this is a hit and miss deal since you do not know what they carry. You may go in the door looking for batteries and see vise grips and beside this item is candy bars, hair dryers, liquor, and sun glasses, but it is touted as a battery store. Remember this is not a five and dime type place or a hardware store it is a "Battery Store".

As a result you will need to spend some time walking and talking to people about where is the best place to buy what you need and where it can be had, and had at the cheapest price. Also if you go to a store that advertises for instance they are a Toyota Parts store, and they do not have the very common part that you would likely easily find in any parallel universe, then remember this ASK THEM WHERE YOU CAN FIND IT? Who else sells it? Ask what the name of the other store is and where it is located. Do not think that you can call the other store because they just do not do that here. Service is over the counter only. In the case of auto parts, you will need to have the old part with you or they likely will not be able to find what you need. They do not have a data base like you see in most part shops in the former usa. They simply match the part to the one you bring in the door. Make sure you got the correct part, buyer beware! Remember when you used to have "Buyer Beware" in the former usa, before the nanny state took over. Thank God they made those laws about toilets (that do not flush well) and light bulbs (that do not glow well)?

I would really like to give you all videos that would help you sort these things out better, and I would love to see comments about what you would like to see. 

Do you have a product that you must have? 

Are you interested in a price on a specific item that you buy each and every time you go out? 

Or are you just interested in the process of doing what needs to be done? 

Please make comments on the blog. Please make comments on the YouTube Channel and please do the thumbs up and subscribe thingey as well.

 Thanks for stopping by........

Gone fishing Part 2 or Holes in my Island

A beautiful sunrise over the Andes and through the clouds
The sun doesn't rise until 8 so now we can enjoy it!
I have long given up getting up early!

I am so fascinated by the rock formations at our favorite fishing point. I posted some photos on a geology forum online and got some interesting answers. So here are some photos and explanations of what we are seeing.

These are on the island and are called potholes. They are formed by rocks swirling around in eddies to form these perfectly symmetrical holes. The puzzler was where did this rushing water come from being on the edge of a lake
We think the creek in our ravine used to be a river and the island is at the mouth of the cove where our creek runs out
It appears all the bedrock around here including our island are made of shale which is a very soft sedimentary rock
You can see this more easily on the cliffsides of the ravine especially where there has been a small avalanche

These holes are on the lake side of the island
They are not as symmetrically round but probably formed from the washing of lake waves as this rock is a very soft shale. You can scratch it with a fingernail

These fascinating  rocks on the beach are formed in layers and have been washed away by rain and waves
A lot  of the rocks on this beach look like lava that has been frozen with other rocks embedded in it
This is probably formed from lahar which is a slurry of mud and rocks coming off a volcano

No bites today but we could see some large fish chasing our lure!
The water is very clear

More lahar
You can see all these harder rocks buried in the lahar

Our shale island

We need a side lift Trailer

A Side Lift Truck picture

Well we are really getting close to the line on the container arriving at the port of Coronel about 3 hours north of us. We have run into an issue finding a trucking company that will deliver our container to the house we are staying at. The issue is that trucking companies do not care so much about a one shot deal. The little guy is not on their radar, so they are not so quick to respond and are not so good about giving a good price when they do respond. Also these companies may only have one trailer like the one we need and as a result they will need to transfer the container to their only trailer once the container gets south so that they are not tying up their only side load trailer for 2 days. 

Trailer Picture ... this is what we need

I had a deal with a trucking company last September where they offered to pick up the container at half price since they are typically sending containers to the port with their trucks coming back empty. This would have been about 350,000 CLP or $700 U.S. dollars. Well now they guy has amnesia and does not remember me! I was smart enough to keep his original quote and it has caused a lot of tap dancing on his part, but the refresher of his quote on paper did not jog his memory. So now he wants $1,400 U.S dollars,,,,,,,,,,, jerk! Also he wants me to rent a crane or fork lift instead of using his side life trailer!

As a result I am scrambling to find additional quotes.

Wish me luck.

The first snow of the year

Sunday, April 2, we had gale force winds, cold, and torrential rains. We thought winter had arrived. But Monday morning when the clouds dispersed we had a wonderful surprise.Nice warm weather for us but snow on Osorno!

The snow line was above the treeline but now all the mountains have been dusted with snow

This view has a rainbow!

A bountiful harvest

Fall is a bountiful season here. From the blackberries, to the plums, rosehips,mussels, and now the apples. We have been very busy.

We went down to our cove on a beautiful afternoon last week and noticed in a sandy area around the dock was a large bed of mussels. So Thomas and I picked a bagful and Jim cooked us up a shellfish feast. Though Thomas would not eat any!

Here are the plums I picked at my friend''s house. I made plum jam and canned some for future use in pies and cobblers.

These are rosehips or the seed pod of the rose. Most of the rose varieties in the US are hybrid but these are from the old fashioned rugosa roses and they produce lots of seed pods. A friend showed me how to make mosqueta which is rosehip marmalade. First we take off the ends and stew them until soft.

stewed with some water until soft

pushed through a strainer to remove seeds

Then it is strained a second time through stockings to remove the hairs
then boiled with sugar until thickened

a jar of mosqueta!

This week we picked apples in an old orchard in our neighborhood. Free for the taking, several varieties. We just had to battle the yellow jackets off and dodge the cowpies. We brought a couple sacks over to a restaurant in Puerto Octay that has a cider press. Here is Andrew and friend putting them through a grinder.

Here is the mash going in the press

Pressing down ....

and squeezing tight!

pasteurizing

6 bottles for $6

Bet you wish you had some!