a blog about a football shirt 4.4.06

We are in the wine region of Chile.

I decided today, as Les and Margaret are in the garage, to go find a football shirt for DAN (number 2 son-in-law), 'simple' you may think.

OJ and I parked up in a supermarket carpark for the day, there was a taxi rank in this carpark. So I got out the dictionary and wrote out, in spanish, 'Football shirt shop'. I could not find sports shop. Showed this to the taxi driver, after lots of speaking, laughing and hand gestures and the asking of every other person within range 'where to buy a football shirt' we set off with another customer(poor lad) in the front of the taxi. He was going to uni! We stopped at a fuel station, not for fuel, just to ask more questions . When we arrived in the shopping center we assumed, after all the asking, that we were at the correct place. driver got out, we stayed put; he came back with 2 policemen!! who had no english, there followed many questions and much looking at my piece of cardboard, then the driver left us his fare was 1 pound . The 2 police persons (one was a young lady) both got on their radio, still more questions and reading of my card, out came Olwyn and my phrase books, the young lady got on her cell phone. the guy used his. then he suddenly said very excited si! si! he knew what we were looking for at lastD. we needed to walk 10 blocks, we think they were going to come with us, but Olwyn cannot walk 10 blocks so the young lady used her cell phone to ring another taxi this took quite a while to come. it is so suprising how much you can talk with very little language on each side. Then along comes another policeman (he was a higher rank because the other 2 saluted) but at least he had some english

everything was explained. we were waiting for a taxi that would take us to the shop and a mall. at last the taxi arrived along with a policeman on a motorbike . By this time Olwyn and I are in fits of laughing, all this for a football shirt!!!! anyway the taxi dropped us right outside a sports shop with a mall across the road. we went straight into the shop, asked for what I wanted - but they only had childrens !!!! however, the guy tried to direct us to another shop, but outside, waiting, was the english speaking cop!!! we told him they had none; he said "follow me". we did, around the corner there was a large department store and on the first floor I could see the elusive shirt!! But they did only have one!!!! I bought it. paying for it on my card I was asked if I wanted to pay in quarters.......................that is another story!!