8 & 9 Nov 2011
Having arrived at our hotel in Santiago I decided I should get my toothache sorted out ASAP. The hotel had told us to go to the local hospital where there would be a duty dentist. Sue and I jumped in a taxi and arrived at a modern and friendly hospital and were directed to the dental section.
Not many people in Chile speak English but we were lucky to have a doctor and dentist on duty that spoke and understood English.
After a short inspection and then a trip to another floor for mouth X-rays it was decided the problem was to do with some recent fillings I had done in the UK that were too high and putting pressure on one of my nerves. The dentist dealt with this immediately with files, picks and an electric drill. Once she had finished my mouth felt better without the use of anaesthetic either which was good, so dinner in the evening was still very much on the cards.
After dinner and a very good nights sleep Sue and I went to the dinning room for breakfast. As I took out my glasses, they fell apart due to one of the small screws coming out. I have a spare pair of glasses with me but as I am away for the best part of 3 months it seemed daft to fall back on them on day one. We had to go on another mission this time to find a optician. Will Sue ever get to the shops?
After being sent in many directions and visiting a few places we had no luck so we then decided to go downtown and take a look at the government buildings and Cathedral.
As we turned the corner, there in between two large shops appeared to be a small opticians. The lady behind the counter fixed my glasses in 2 minutes and refused to take any money for getting me out of trouble. I must say the people we have met in Chile so far are all so very friendly and helpful.
Time now to let Sue do some exploring of old buildings. We got to the Cathedral but all the doors were locked. We walked around all 4 sides and suddenly Sue spots a door that was closed earlier but is now open. Like two members of the SAS we are inside in a flash and looking around only to find we have now been locked in. How do we escape I asked myself?
We should have gone to one of the confessional boxes and asked for forgiveness but that may cost too many hail Mary’s. Suddenly a tour group emerges from our right and we hook onto them. We didn’t look too conspicuous being English and they were all Japanese but despite this it worked and we escaped back on the street with only one final hurdle to cross; the dreaded gift shop.
This was all too much for me so I settled in the square with a Mr Whippy ice cream only to receive a call from my daughter in law who had pushed the wrong button on her phone back in England.
This is all great polar training. After days like this I will be ready for anything. I will however tighten my belt tomorrow in case a leg or something more vital falls off.