In the meantime, we have been really well looked after by Javier's parents. We've been camping outside their house most nights after onces, the light meal Chileans eat in the evening (lunch being the main meal of the day). We've been managing to converse exclusively in Spanish, which is helping our vocabulary loads!
On Monday, Javier's dad, Carlos, took us to get the van's MOT or Revision Técnica. The place we went to was like a conveyor belt of cars being tested.
When it was our turn, the dudes checked the van's paperwork, then took the keys and sent us to the cashier to pay the huge £3 fee. The waiting room looked out on to the testing area so you could see what was going on. They also had screens where you could see the results of each test.
It was a bit nerve-wracking waiting for the results! It felt like how I imagine it feels to be a parent waiting to get your child's first school report or similar.
We actually got our results on paper before they flashed up on the screen. The bad news is the van failed. The good news is it was only on the windscreen (although this does not help stress levels!)
We discussed crossing back to Tacna in Peru where it's supposedly easier to get a new windscreen, but this was the same day that a court in The Hague was ruling on the maritime border between Chile and Peru, and Carlos was worried that there might be some violence if either side felt aggrieved. So, the saga continues....
