Ce week-end est un long week-end férié, de samedi à mardi à cause du carnaval. Mais apparemment le carnaval était une grande fête auparavant mais a pratiquement disparu maintenant. Il a été remplacé par une fête du soleil qui a eu lieu la semaine dernière. Autrefois le week-end du carnaval était férié. Puis il a été supprimé mais cette année, de nouveau il est rétabli. Les mauvaises langues disent qu’il y aurait, peut-être, une relation avec le fait que 2011 est une année électorale.
IL y a plus de monde à l’hôtel, des familles avec des enfants. Le reste du temps, les hôtes sont surtout des hommes seuls qui travaillent. La plupart, je crois, travaillent dans des mines d'or ou de cuivre. Ce sont des ingénieurs, certains argentins, d’autres étrangers.
Cet hôtel, Parque Apart Hôtel est spécial. Il n’a que 30 appartements mais est situé sur un très grand terrain. Le jardin est une grande pelouse entourée d’un mur et les plantes sont le long du mur.
La propriétaire m’a raconté que son mari avait conçu l’hôtel en collaboration avec un architecte. Son mari était, comment on dit, un homme qui travaille le fer. Et ça se voit! Le parking, par exemple, est couvert d’un grand toit suspendu à une armature métallique. Des oiseaux ont fait leur nid sur cette charpente. Comme le nid ressemble à un four (horno) ces oiseaux s’appellent horneros. Les escaliers extérieurs sont métalliques aussi.
Les bâtiments sont des bocs carrés d’un étage, la réception aussi. L’hôtel a 10 ans. Pour ici c’est un hôtel cher mais comparé aux prix européens c’est à peine plus cher qu’une auberge de jeunesse.
Journée tranquille. Nous sommes allés, en fin d’après-midi, à pied, à un grand centre commerciale qui s’appelle Libertad. Je n’aime pas qu’un centre commerciale utilise ce nom. Mais c’est parce qu’il est situé sur le Paseo de la Libertad. Mais quand même … Immense, le même genre que partout avec tout ce qu’il faut pour attirer le monde: Jeux pour les enfants, bowling, cinéma, plusieurs fast-food. Un immense parking pour les voitures et un immense parking pour les motos. Il y a ici énormément de motos, hommes et femmes conduisent des motos.
J’ai envoyé un mail à Sébastien, mon neveu, qui est à La Serena. C’est une ville balnéaire chilienne très fréquentée par les San Juaninos. Nous pensons aller le voir. La distance est de plus de 400 km et les gens ici disent qu’il faut compter 8 h. Il faut passer les Andes et une partie de la route n’est pas très bonne.
This weekend is a long weekend, from Saturday to Tuesday because of the Carnival. But apparently the Carnival was a big fiesta before but has now virtually disappeared. It has been replaced by a Festival of the Sun which took place last week. Once the weekend was a long week-end. Then it was deleted but this year it is again restored. The gossips say that there would be, perhaps, a relation with the fact that 2011 is an election year.
There are more people at the hotel, families with children. The rest of the time, guests are mostly single men who work. Most, I believe, are working in mines, gold or copper. They are engineers, some Argentines, other foreigners.
Hotel Parque Apart Hotel is special. It has only 30 apartments, but is located on a large lot. The garden is a large lawn surrounded by a wall and plants along the wall.
The owner told me that her husband had designed the hotel in collaboration with an architect. Her husband was a man who worked with iron. And it shows! The parking, for example, is covered with a large roof suspended from a metal frame. Birds have nested on this structure. As the nests look like an oven (horno) these birds are called horneros. The exterior stairs are metal too.
The buildings are one storey square blocs, the reception too. The hotel is 10 years old. For here it is an expensive hotel but compared to European prices it is only slightly more expensive than a youth hostel.
Quiet day. We went in late afternoon, on foot, to a large shopping center called Libertad. I do not like a shopping center using this name. But it is called like that because it is located on Paseo de la Libertad. But still ... Immense, the same kind that everywhere with everything needed to attract people: children's games, bowling, cinema, several fast-food restaurants. A huge car park and a huge parking area for motorcycles. There are a lot of them here, men and women drive motorcycles.
There are more people at the hotel, families with children. The rest of the time, guests are mostly single men who work. Most, I believe, are working in mines, gold or copper. They are engineers, some Argentines, other foreigners.
Hotel Parque Apart Hotel is special. It has only 30 apartments, but is located on a large lot. The garden is a large lawn surrounded by a wall and plants along the wall.
The owner told me that her husband had designed the hotel in collaboration with an architect. Her husband was a man who worked with iron. And it shows! The parking, for example, is covered with a large roof suspended from a metal frame. Birds have nested on this structure. As the nests look like an oven (horno) these birds are called horneros. The exterior stairs are metal too.
The buildings are one storey square blocs, the reception too. The hotel is 10 years old. For here it is an expensive hotel but compared to European prices it is only slightly more expensive than a youth hostel.
Quiet day. We went in late afternoon, on foot, to a large shopping center called Libertad. I do not like a shopping center using this name. But it is called like that because it is located on Paseo de la Libertad. But still ... Immense, the same kind that everywhere with everything needed to attract people: children's games, bowling, cinema, several fast-food restaurants. A huge car park and a huge parking area for motorcycles. There are a lot of them here, men and women drive motorcycles.
I sent a mail to Sébastien, my nephew who lives in La Serena. It is a beach ressort in Chile which is very popular with the San Juaninos. We are thinking of visiting him. The distance is about 400 km but it takes 8 hours. The road passes the Andes and a part of it is not in very good conditions.
Parking de l'hôtel
La reception
Un bloc et l'escalier métallique
A bloc with the iron stairs
Le jardin
The garden
Un nid
A nest
Corbeille du dimanche
Sunday basket
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