Chilean Observations

Purchasing any item in a Chilean shop requires fisherman like patience. On one occasion I had to buy a travel adapter, easy enough you say. Enter shop, ask for item, pay for item, leave...
Not in Chile. Ask for item remains the same (once you've worked out what it is in Spanish), the shop assistant will then give you a docket for the item. One then proceeds to the pay station (normally a fair distance away) and pays for the item. The pay station issues a receipt with which one ambles towards the "handing out" station. There you finally receive your object of desire and a receipt which you bring to the adjacent station where the receipt is stamped by another person to show that the deal has been successfully closed. 2 hours later you may return with squinting eyes to the bright streets with your newly gained possession.

Their obsession with receipts became patently obvious to me whilst going to the toilet at a motorway service station. I resent having to pay to pee, but with the going rate of 5 cents I decided to throw caution to the wind and pay for the pleasure after a particularly poignant pee. I threw my 50 pesos into the cleaning ladies dish and was walking away nonchalantly when suddenly she screams at me from behind. I freeze. Thoughts rush through my mind - Did I flush? Did I wash my hands? Had I left a hair in the bowl? I turned around fearing the worst. She glared at me, dutted and proceeded to issue me a hand written receipt. I now treasure this document like my passport.

Chile - a trade unionists delight.