Panquegues for Shrove Tuesday

SANTIAGO, CHILE.

Breakfast for us is at 9am. A warm bread bun, scrambled egg, ham and cheese with coffee. No water on offer. Learning from last night, we leave most of our valuables in the safe in the room. RJ had collected a key from Reception earlier. And, then we distributed a little money in each of our pockets. A brilliant idea as we shall see later. Today's plan is to visit the mountain above to see the views using the Funicular and the Teleferico.

We walked through the local park and past two metro stops when we realised that we were going in the wrong direction. At the third one, we join the metro and learn that we were only one stop away when we left the hotel. Still, the timing was perfect! As we disembark, a woman asks us a question which I think is where is the Funicular? I try to tell here that we are looking for it also. It transpires that she is meeting a friend here and is offering to escort us. An offer we gladly accept.

The walk takes about 20 minutes but is along a straight road. We thank her and part because locals and tourists use different entrances. As senior citizens, we get discounted tickets. Two round trip tickets to use both the railway and the cable car cost £8.50. The Funicular takes us to the top near to a huge staue of the Virgin Mary. We stop for a photo shoot then take the cable car down to Bella vista, the more upmarket side of the city. The views are fabulous. We want to go straight around but there are long queues to travel up so we have to get off and join at the back.

Back at the top, RJ visited the church whilst PG climbed the steps to the statue. Built between 1904 and 1908, it is breathtaking!.

The Funicular takes us back down and we return to the metro. It's only one stop but we decide not to walk. And that's where it got interesting! RJ had no obvious signs of money or phone so that left PG. A man came alongside him with his jacket over the arm nearest to him. He felt flesh and brushed it away. All he could see was the jacket. So he brushed that away and again felt flesh. We got off the train behind this guy and another. They walked off together along the platform. Both were well dressed. As we were trying to find the way out, a third man stopped and asked us if we knew what had just happened. PG described what had happened. The man explained that he saw what had happened and got off the train just to tell us to be careful. They work in pairs, the one with the jacket tries to rob you and, if there is a problem, the other would create a diversion. Fortunately for us, and unfortunately for the pickpocket, he chose the only empty pocket, the money had been used for the tickets and some drinks.

What a strange place! Compare the kindness and thoughtfulness of the woman willing to escort us to the Funicular and the genuine concern of the man who interrupted his journey to protect us with behaviour of the two trying to take advantage of two trusting and ignorant senior citizens. PG spent the rest of the day mistrustful of anyone and everyone that came near him.

We walk back to Plaza de Armas for dinner. We both struggle to decide what cuisine excites us. Then we discover Emporio La Rosa. Panquegues, or pancakes to you and I, are on the menu. It's Shrove Tuesday so what else could we order? They are savoury, one filled with chicken and sweetcorn and the other with spinach and sweetcorn. The date can't explain though why we chose a large glass of Copa Merengue; ice cream, meringue, white chocolate and caramel sauce.