Certainly, Chile is Interesting!

Today was such a weird day; we just had to share it with you. Well to tell you the truth, it wasn’t weird- it was so typical for Chile...just weird for Canadians.
Our day started at the hardware store where we had to buy a door handle. We got a quote at one place a few days ago for $11,000 pesos, so decided to go back and buy that one. When we told the clerk that we would take it, the price more than doubled to $28,000 pesos because apparently they had made a mistake with their earlier quote. Then when we got the final quote, the price had gone up again to $56,000 pesos...because they forgot to include the handle on the other side of the door in the original quote.....
Then we had to go the vehicle insurance place. Here in Chile, you get insurance for your vehicle, but every time you do something to your vehicle- like upgrade something or buy something new for it, you have to go to get it appraised again or else you won’t be covered if it is stolen or damaged. Our radio was stolen on our last trip to Dichato, and since we have now replaced it, we need to report this to our insurance company. Our original policy was purchased in Viña del Mar when we first moved here, but they can’t check our vehicle because it is about 14 hours away. So we decided to cancel the policy, and move it to Valdivia. Today we were informed that because they gave us “such a good rate”, they won’t allow us to cancel. Hmmmm, ok???  Most things seem to result in a frustrating dead end just like this.
On our way back to work, this guy launches himself off the sidewalk directly in front of our truck. We slam on the brakes...the guy doesn’t even give us a sideways glance! This happens so often, that we are starting to wonder if this is a strange form of suicide attempt....
Then we get a phone call from our volunteer veterinarian who usually works with us on Friday afternoons. It’s a cry for help. She has no vehicle, and rides her bike everywhere with a horse-riding helmet for protection. Her rooster has been seriously wounded, and she needs us to bring supplies to help out. We load up with a few essentials from the office...and here we go- Veterinarians Without Borders to the rooster rescue. Driving there, we come to an intersection that is always SO chaotic- with traffic squeezing through the tiniest areas and coming from all directions. Through the middle of it all, go 2 policemen on horses, followed closely by a street dog that looks like a shepherd with sawed off legs! This dog is following the horses so closely that he doesn’t realize he is coming to the end of the sidewalk, falls OFF the sidewalk into the street, then follows the 2 horses right through the middle of all the traffic, trotting along proudly as if he is a police dog in disguise. We arrive to help the rooster, but unfortunately the poor guy was dead on arrival....
On the way back to work, we see the same street dog. Now he is following a cop on foot. Definitely must be a police-dog wanna be.
When we arrive in front of the office, the post-lunch rush has ended and the street is jammed with parked cars. Two cars have parked on either side of this one little truck so that all 3 are actually touching. There isn’t a hope that the one in the middle is going anywhere in a hurry. Someone has parked again in front of our neighbour’s gate, and he can’t get in, so he is writing in marker on the violators door to never block his gate again....
So far that’s it for our day.... and it’s only 3pm!