Sleeping Around by Brian Thacker Read Free Book Online Page B

historical hull of the city proves for the visitor that it is a cultural patrimony of the humanity by UNESCO.’
    Mariano Carlos Cubillos, 24, Valparaíso, Chile
    CouchSurfing.com
    â€˜This is my place,’ Mariano said, pointing across the busy city street to a large grey building. The building was a hardware store. Thoughts crossed my mind of sleeping on a bed of paint tins and eating dinner with a garden trowel before we entered a side doorway and climbed up a flight of steep stairs to a large bohemian pad. I say ‘bohemian pad’ because it was exactly what I imagined a bohemian pad would look like. The large high-ceilinged open lounge area was sparse, with only a scattering of mismatched lounge chairs that looked just made for some serious lounging about. Leaning against the walls were a series of finished and unfinished paintings and a collection of musical instruments, including two acoustic guitars, a mandolin and what I imagine is a mandatory requirement for any bohemian pad: a set of bongos. There was no TV, only an old turntable. The only other piece of furniture was a small coffee table that had a large ashtray on it filled with joint butts. To make the bohemian picture complete, lounging on one of the chairs was a hip-looking dude wearing a cravat and floral pants.
    Even if I really tried I don’t think I could invent a better bunch of bohemians to be sharing a bohemian pad. There was Nicolas, the puppet maker, and his boyfriend Sebastian, the cinema studies student; Marcella, the surrealist painter; Leonardo, the musician; Frida, the Asian/Swedish/Chilean silversmith; and my host Mariano, the journalist.
    Mariano showed me my bed, which was a bright blue single-seat lounge chair that folded down to became a very short mattress. The chair was totally covered in dog’s hair. The hair belonged to Mariano’s dog Remedios who, by the way, didn’t look too happy about me stealing his bed.
    When I arrived in Valparaíso it was Remedios the beagle that I was told to look out for in the crowded bus station. Attached on a leash to that beagle would be my host Mariano. Mind you, if Mariano had told me to look out for an incredibly tall, handsome-looking beatnik with a goatee, I think I would have found him easily enough without Remedios.
    The bus had arrived bang on the scheduled 1.30 arrival time after a 90-minute journey through verdant hills dotted with orange and purple flowers, vineyards, lakes, orchards and pine forests. The most impressive leg of the journey, however, was saved for last as we dropped spectacularly into Valparaíso. Ringing the bay was an immense natural amphitheatre and the chain of surrounding hills was covered with a chaotic tumble of vibrantly coloured houses that were wedged precariously in every fold of the steep hillside. The city itself looked decidedly rundown, but I liked it.
    Mariano’s flat also looked decidedly rundown—although I think any sort of renovation would have spoilt its charm. Remedios wasn’t exactly charmed with me, however. After having his bed stolen, he was now going to be stuck inside while Mariano took me out to the city’s main market, El Mercado Cardonal, for lunch. ‘Remedios was a present from my ex-girlfriend,’ Mariano said as Remedios gave us that pathetic sad dog look as we left. ‘I’d been very sick for a week and I was feeling miserable, so she gave me a cute puppy as a remedy. So that’s what I named him.’
    â€˜There is a bottle shop on every other corner,’ said Mariano as we passed our sixth bottle shop in two blocks. ‘Chile is the fifth biggest drinking country in the world,’ Mariano said proudly. I was quite surprised that Chile is only fifth—after my day with Juan’s family, I would have thought Chileans would at least be on the podium (albeit in danger of losing their balance and toppling off).
    El Mercado Cardonal was on two floors. The bottom floor