Super Man, Super Empanadas, Super Markets

Breakfast at our hostel, as is the case in many hostels, is unvarying. Small rolls, jams, and a pot of Danone yoghurt. The various luridly coloured flavours are distributed randomly between the table settings. It is the prerogative of the first to the table to rearrange and select their favourite flavour. Yoghurt pots always seem to be aimed at children, sporting Hello Kitty, Batman, or some other comic figure. Super Man looks out from my pot this morning, telling me that it is "sabor damasco" - apricot flavour.

Caracoles street

We did little today but still managed to countenance a 'super empanada' and an ice cream, which we enjoyed on the sunny square. The empanadas were indeed 'super', being twice the size of any we had eaten previously.

Not actual size

After some Spanish study - book learning mostly, as it is surprisingly difficult to talk to a genuine Chileno in cosmopolitan San Pedro - we cooked dinner. Like student life, pasta is the staple of all hostel meals everywhere. The reason for this is that it's cheap, quick and tasty. We normally try to steer clear of pasta and sauce, in favour of something more involved and creative. However, after receiving a parting gift of a packet of pasta from a couple of guests, we made dinner of aubergine and soy mince 'bolognese' with spaghetti. As we cooked, two more arrivals checked in and asked after the nearest supermarket. In San Pedro there is no 'super' anything - with the exception of the empanadas - as all the shops are diminutive. "What do you want to buy?" asked K. Pasta and tomato sauce, came the reply. Of course.