DAY 34
San Pedro De Atacama, Chile
Ahh...the best layed plans....
Problems in Santiago. After telling us that Bryce only needed a passport to go on the cruise they turned around last minute and decided they needed notarized letters from Rich and I as well as his birth certificate. Well...his birth certificate was put in the safety deposit box at the bank in Boston and I am in the Northern Desert....there are no notaries here!
Hence, Rich had to miss his flight, we have spent hundreds of dollars trying to finagle legal documents and make phone calls between the US, Santiago, and San Pedro.....I won´t give all the details...but its been a nightmare!
Not to mention...nothing is consolidated here. Yesterday I would have to walk three miles to the internet to print documents, then take them a mile in a different direction to copy them, walk the three miles back to fax them, and finally three miles back the otherway to the international phone booth to make sure they had been received! At least I think I am finally loosing weight!
San Pedro is a typical quite laidback South American town where nothing is worth worrying about and nothing is an emergency. Thats a great feeling when you are simply vacationing.....but when you need to get something done....its torture for your soul.
So...here is where we are at. They have allowed Bryce to leave on the cruise with my parents with the promise we will send the proper documents to the ship. (And I hear he is having a great time! His own nanny on board...he is in heaven) Rich has planted himself in a hotel in Vina del Mar near the cruise docks.....and tomorrow I travel alone to Caldera on an 11 hour bus ride. We are told they have notaries there!
Traveling alone all this time would have been fine if I could have relaxed and had fun......but instead San Pedo is beginning to feel like the jail cell I am stuck in when I should be somewhere else.
Maybe today we can get things done and tonight I can possibly try to enjoy this funky little town. Though I have to be careful with cash....I am down to $4000 pesos ($90) and this town is straight out out of cash! Credit cards??? I don´t think so. :)
I´ll keep you updated.
San Pedro De Atacama, Chile
Ahh...the best layed plans....
Problems in Santiago. After telling us that Bryce only needed a passport to go on the cruise they turned around last minute and decided they needed notarized letters from Rich and I as well as his birth certificate. Well...his birth certificate was put in the safety deposit box at the bank in Boston and I am in the Northern Desert....there are no notaries here!
Hence, Rich had to miss his flight, we have spent hundreds of dollars trying to finagle legal documents and make phone calls between the US, Santiago, and San Pedro.....I won´t give all the details...but its been a nightmare!
Not to mention...nothing is consolidated here. Yesterday I would have to walk three miles to the internet to print documents, then take them a mile in a different direction to copy them, walk the three miles back to fax them, and finally three miles back the otherway to the international phone booth to make sure they had been received! At least I think I am finally loosing weight!
San Pedro is a typical quite laidback South American town where nothing is worth worrying about and nothing is an emergency. Thats a great feeling when you are simply vacationing.....but when you need to get something done....its torture for your soul.
So...here is where we are at. They have allowed Bryce to leave on the cruise with my parents with the promise we will send the proper documents to the ship. (And I hear he is having a great time! His own nanny on board...he is in heaven) Rich has planted himself in a hotel in Vina del Mar near the cruise docks.....and tomorrow I travel alone to Caldera on an 11 hour bus ride. We are told they have notaries there!
Traveling alone all this time would have been fine if I could have relaxed and had fun......but instead San Pedo is beginning to feel like the jail cell I am stuck in when I should be somewhere else.
Maybe today we can get things done and tonight I can possibly try to enjoy this funky little town. Though I have to be careful with cash....I am down to $4000 pesos ($90) and this town is straight out out of cash! Credit cards??? I don´t think so. :)
I´ll keep you updated.
posted by The Herald Family at 5:38 AM
2 Comments:
Hang in there Bet! We'll see you and Rich on Wednesday. We'll be in nice cilvilized Caldera and we'll drink some wine and laugh at the differences between your world now and your world 6 weeks ago.
Fax, phone, and printer all within arms reach of your lazy butt on your office chair?? Heck, why even get up? Just roll that office chair to the copy machine! Come on! Who would want that? I'm sure running from place to place is much more fun. It's like the Amazing Race - except instead of winning a million bucks, you just get to go through with the plans that you already made to drop your kid off with Nana and Papa. :)
You have to remember that life back here isn't a cup of tea all the time either. There are going to be trade-offs. I'm sure that many many of the American people sitting in their office chairs faxing, typing, printing, and working today, would happily trade for a day of running around a small town in Chile. I know it's not as fun with important plans concerning Byrce on the line, but just think of it as a game, and no matter what, you've already won.
Love,
Carrie
It was bound to happen.....at some point the conveniences in the states would be missed...but Carrie does say it best.....the grass, although sometime easier, isn't always greener.
Glad they let Bryce on the ship and sure John and Jule are as well.
Where are they headed to? For how long? He is probably very excited for his new adventure.
I'm going to head back a week or so and catch up....will post at each "stop"
luv you
Post a Comment
<< Home