Fotografo de Bodas, Santiago

February 3, 2011

This post is alternatively titled Kyle and Seba Do In 8 Days What Normal Tourists Do In 2. Inefficient traveling is our specialty.

You didn’t hear anything about our trip because it was for a wedding that booked really last minute. But for a few people who asked me in the survey how we decide where to go, and how we plan our trips — this should give you a pretty good idea. We go where the weddings take us and we plan nothing. And seeing as how I had food poisoning for the two days before we left, we planned even less than our normal nothing.

When we arrived in Coyhaique on Wed. we headed to our hostel. A lady who looked to be approximately 100 years old answered the door. We told her our names and that we had reservations. She couldn’t hear us. We shouted our names to her again. She went back inside to check something. When she came out we had the following exchange (except imagine that this goes on for 10 minutes):

“You called yesterday to cancel your reservation.”

“But. We didn’t.”

“Yes you did!”

So we headed to another hostel. A friend of the bride went in and asked for prices. The lady of this place told him $40 a night. Ok. Doable.

I walked in.

The lady saw me and said, “ Oh wait. Did I say $40 a night? I meant $40 a person.”

She didn’t even try to hide the fact that she was going to charge more because I’m gringa. Totally shameless. Not to mention that at $40 a night, the place already would’ve been a rip off – it was old and shabby and the hot water didn’t work. Then change that price to $80 a night for both of us? I would’ve been seeing red if we even had to pay that for one day.

Needless to say, we left. The next bed and breakfast over, Seba went in by himself, checked out the rooms, worked out the price and then loaded in the suitcases all before the owners ever saw me. I hid outside and didn’t show up until he had paid for the first night. Though this owner didn’t seem like the kind of lady who would try to take advantage of anyone, plus her prices were hanging up on the wall, so that’s fair enough.

By place #2 I had been near tears (remember, at this point, I was still sick. Cut me some slack on the crying) thinking we were never going to find anywhere good to stay. Accomodation in Coyhaique is EXPENSIVE and charging me double because I’m gringa was really pissing me off. Plus, everything we saw looked really crappy. Later on, when we were talking to people from Coyhaique about the prices of things, they said that people here don’t really get the way tourism works – that if you charge people unfair prices, they won’t come back. One guy said that the general mentality if that is your neighbor has a bed and breakfast and puts down plastic tableclothes and charges $50 a night, then if you can put down cloth tableclothes at your own bed and breakfast you can charge double that.

So the bed and breakfast that we ended up staying in, Hostal Gladys Bed and Breakfast, was a sweet surprise. It’s brand spanking new, and not only that, but the owner was definitely thinking long term about her business – not a mentality you always see. You can tell that Señora Gladys was willing to make the initial investment because she knows that it will eventually be good for business. Our room had 6 windows and a skylight. It’s probably the most well lit hotel room I’ve ever been in, and it’s not even a hotel! The hallways are all really wide, Seba tells me because she actually followed the building code for a hostal (most places don’t). The rooms have those special windows that keep heat in. I’m sure that was all expensive to build. But it looks great, and honestly, I can’t wait to go on Trip Advisor and put up a review so other travelers can discover this little gem in Coyhaique. What Gladys is offering blows the other lodging options out of the water. If you are looking for a hotel, hostal or bed and breakfast in Coyhaique, I highly recommend it. PS. On the website, she has really old pictures up. The part we stayed in was just built so it’s not on there. Do not be deceived.

PS. Being sick/traveling threw my proposed blogging schedule out the window. On Monday I’ll be putting up photos from the amazing wedding we went down to shoot. After that, travel pics! Don’t dismay, they’re coming!

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13 Comments

That’s the same hostel I stayed at though it looks like they have done it up a lot since I last went. Lovely people there.
I hate it when Chileans “correct themselves” and charge more when they see you are a foreigner. That’s usually when I blurt out ¿Creí que soy weón?
Seba’s got a good taste in shirts… All Blacks if I’m not mistaken.

Comment by Rob W. — February 3, 2011 @ 8:48 pm

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you’re right….. All Blacks.

Comment by Seba — February 3, 2011 @ 10:26 pm

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If Seba’s an All Black’s fan, does that mean that when he’s about the take the most important photo of the day he panics and presses the wrong button?

Erm, you need to be a rugby fan to understand that. Sorry

Comment by Matt — February 4, 2011 @ 4:16 am

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Matt: So Funny!
Fingers crossed that it doesn’t happen again this year.

Comment by Rob W. — February 4, 2011 @ 4:39 am

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Matt! LOL! (I’m a Bok fan, we’re the opposite, crap until the big moment)

Comment by Marguerite — February 4, 2011 @ 6:01 am

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I felt the same way in Ethiopia. We were traveling on a pretty cheap budget because VSOs make a local salary, not a fancy Western salary. Places had posted signs of one price for faranji (foreigners) and another for nationals. Nationals were given a “discount” actually. Even restaurants had separate menus. It was the hard part of the trip for me.

It was a beautiful country and I expected to be an outsider. I just didn’t expect to feel like I was constantly being taken advantage of. I guess the shoe was on the other foot this time.

Comment by Jenn — February 4, 2011 @ 8:11 am

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Yes, Seba is an All Blacks fan. And I really hope he doesn’t panic and press the wrong button. I have no idea what that means though.

Jenn, for me the hard thing is that living in Chile, I feel like I am a part of their society, so I don’t like to feel that the society wants to treat me as an outsider.

Comment by Kyle — February 4, 2011 @ 8:15 am

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When I was traveling in NYC last year with my fiancé, we stopped at a bar near Time Square that had some appetizing looking Happy Hour specials. After a couple of minutes, he wanted to leave and not pay our bill because he thought he had been scammed. They used the cheap alcohol to make his drink even though he had requested another. The bartenders were rather large men with an amibiguous accent and I decided not to argue at the time because I reread the menu and saw that it was written in such a way that really did allow them to “substitute”. Instead, I sort of used it as a teaching moment like, “Welcome to what happens to me on average of once a day in Chile.” I think a lot of times he thinks I’m mentally fabricating some gringo treatment like that unless he’s there to witness it. On the bright side, the place you ended up at sounds nice and now you can bring her more business through your blog.

Comment by Sara — February 4, 2011 @ 8:49 am

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As an Englishman, I’m hoping the All Blacks do their usual choking. Otherwise, and as at pretty much every WC, they’re overwhelming favourites. Maybe the home turf will be easier to swallow!

Comment by Matt — February 4, 2011 @ 4:05 pm

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All Blacks – very cool. I’ll say nothing about my country losing the first game in the Six Nations today.

Sorry to hear you’re not feeling well, Kyle. I hope you’re feeling better now. Feeling crappy when working and travelling is never good.

Comment by Ceri — February 4, 2011 @ 6:54 pm

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Wow – I can’t believe this stuff really happens. In Australia most times they just don’t understand me…true story. but I generally don’t feel like they are trying to rip me off!

The place sounds pretty nice that you ended up at.

And I hope you’re feeling better now!

Comment by Deidre — February 5, 2011 @ 8:40 pm

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LOL, Deidre, I can’t understand them either so I guess we’re even there

Comment by kyle — February 6, 2011 @ 2:39 pm

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What a frustrating experience, but it looks like a cute place Glad it eventually worked out for you!

Comment by Laura — February 7, 2011 @ 11:20 am

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