Just like pulling Teeth
Trip Start
Jan 12, 2011
1
13
25
Trip End
Jun 02, 2011
Where I stayed
Santiago Suite Apartments
Santiago, Chile
Thursday, March 17, 2011
We had pre-booked an apartment right in the heart of Santiago. Apartments, when we can get them are our favorite accommodation and can often work out the cheapest option as you don't have to eat out every night.
We managed to check-in early and headed into town to do the touristy bit, round the presidential palace, Art Gallery, Library and suchlike. There are some beautiful buildings, but as the guide book says "This ain't Paris" . Can't be that easy in a country where everything gets destroyed periodically. Took the funicular up Cerro San Cristobal to take a look at the Virgin Mary at the top and take in the views of Santiago and surrounds. Well we would if we could, but Santiago is blighted by smog, so we couldn't really see past the city area.
That evening we went to look at a bar that was heavily recommended by lonely planet. We didn't fancy it but found a cracking little local bar for local people, who's name I can't remember as we got mullered in it. It was great, and I made a new best friend, a guy called Nelson, who helped me understand my lottery ticket that I had bought from a local vendor. He gave us his address and number and offered to let us stay with him. He was even more rat arsed than we were.
If there is ever anything that you need and can't find anywhere, get on a flight to Santiago and get yourself to Franklyn Market. You will find it, guaranteed. There is every thing you can imagine for sale and a lot you can't.
Bought a second-hand book to read and headed back on the Subway. That's were it started, searing pain in my tooth, a pain that when it came, intermittently, makes you sick to the stomach. Wish I'd bought that set of Dental equipment we saw at the market now.
Made it back to our apartment and went to see the Office Manager, Francisco who recommended a clinic. He even took us to down, hailed a taxi and told the taxi driver the destination. It was a very smart (and expensive) looking clinic but didn't do dentistry, so into another taxi to a hospital suggested by the Clinic. Nope, they didn't do it either, so another taxi to another Hospital which did.
It was terrible, like a scene out of ER. Couldn't even work out what to do, so we went back to Francisco and he hit they internet. Poor bloke must have been on it for nearly an hour before he found one which was open on a Saturday night. Another Taxi, and we arrived at the private clinic. I was taken into a room, made to lie down and had my blood pressure taken. Then a surgeon arrived whose father had emigrated from Birmingham. He decided I would need a dentist (No shit, Sherlock), so they called one out. It felt as though I had fallen into a Chilean soap opera.
The dentist was a nice Guy, a Uruguayan, who luckily spoke very good English. The thing is with dentists, is that there is only one way to find out where it hurts and that is to prod around until the patient screams! I did !
He x-rayed the tooth and decided it was fine, but I had an abscess which he drained. Nice. He gave me a list of stuff to take and sent me on my way. He said he was only treating the symptom and that this wasn't a cure so I should expect a re-occurrence at some point.
All in all I don't think we really did the city justice, it was pleasant enough but didn't really set the pulse racing. We decided we needed a beach holiday so headed further north to La Serena.
Comments
Sod the teeth you big girl what happened to the birthday tango?!
Tango!
She can't get out of bed !
Especially if she's been on the slurp!
They didn't even make you take your sandles off!
Eva - get a grip, darling - this is my little brother - he's dying of root-canal septicaemia, and you're talking about DANCING?!
Poppycock my dear fellow. How can a small matter such as death steal Shazza's 50th birthday thunder. A swig of Calpol and he would have been fit to blow out even that number of candles.