OT as hell: house-hunting in Chile

This has been amusing. Trundling round the country with a friend. Talk
about taking the piss - some of the prices for land quoted by people who
are evidently thinking: "Gringo! I will be rich." are hysterical.

Nevertheless, possibilities are opening up. Our friend thoughtfully
asked people in restaurants where we were eating and wine cellars we
were visiting if anybody happened to know of land being sold in the
vicinity, and so we've been knocking on people's doors and calling up
complete strangers on hastily scribbled mobile numbers.

And the opportunity of buying 1.3 hectarces of land sandwiched between
two of the finest vineyards in the Colchagua Valley has presented
itself. Around £36k to you, my son.

Another week to go.....

 

Not sure why you'd want 1.3ha of land without a house on it (unless
there's access to a road, you know you can get services in and planning
isn't a problem). Plus if the vineyards are that good, why isn't one of
them expanding and why hasn't someone already planted vines there?

Of course I can see that being closer to the source would hasten your
descent into DT mornings and a Jeffrey Bernard existance.

 

That's peanuts. Bloody hell.

Y'know for us, there may always be an upside. He may be too pissed to
ever post again.

 

Yes. Dirt rod admittedly, but there are already houses there. The land
is being sold by one of the house owners.

The vineyard concerned is interested, apparently. It's more surrounded
by one vineyard that enclosed by two, IYSWIM. If they out bid us, so be
it. If we bid at all, mind. Plenty more to see. But it would sell more
as residential land.

A worrying risk.

 

I can't quite see TOG in 'too pickled to post' state. They might run out
of wine in Chile before that happens.

 

Remind us, how keen is your guardian on this move and, specifically,
this particular plot of land?

 

I don't know much about Chile - but is it actually 'safe' for a 'gringo'
to live out in the sticks of Chile? - or will UKRM be getting a ransom
demand from some South American drug baron in a few months time?

 

She's up for it. She's already imagining what it'll look like with ther
vegetable patch and horse. She was drooling at the view over the
vineyards to the hills.

Heading down south to Pucon today and will look around there. Way south
of Santiago but as long as there's decent connectivity, I can work.

 

Like you'd pay. Actually: "Here's another five grand if you keep him."

 

Is it? All relative, innit. I paid 75000 euros for this place. I've since
learned that if I'd bought it a couple of years earlier, I'd have got it
for about 8000. Before the rich foreigners arrived.

That land for 36000 - a local would probably pay a lot less.

 

Ha ha. They said that in Almería.

 

And Marbella

--


Nige,

BMW K1200S
Honda Transalp XL600V
Yamaha R1
Range Rover Vogue

 

According to Patricio, who's been accompanying us, not much, no. But
we're expecting to pay over the odds, sure.

One clown was pricing half a hectare at £30k.

 

I know, I know.

 

Oh, yeah I'm sure she's drooling at the view of the vineyard and the
prospect of you drinking it...

Has she upped the life insurance recently? Taken up canooing?

Is your intention to try to work for the same crew in a similar role?

 

There's a major difference: Jeffrey could write a decent article.

I still kick myself almost monthly that I missed seeing O'Toole doing
"Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell" by a rash mistake of just going to the pub
instead. Fitting, I suppose.

 

Blimey. Brave man, I wouldn't want to live in the shadow of this:

http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/1148159.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villarrica_(volcano)

 

Why is it that everyone seems to think "other" places in the world are not
safe ?

Anyway, a Gringo is a Yank.
"No Soy Gringo" is all you need to know.

 

Only if they take away your internet access

 

As long as there is room for a tent .....