So, Italo's sister scored 4 free tickets to La Cumbre del Rock Chileno today and invited her friend, Italo and me to go. I was pretty excited because Italo and his sister went last year with tickets from the same person and got to sit in the VIP section. I was hoping for shade, seats, and easy access to refreshments--not quite.
We got there at around 2pm armed with some sandwiches we snuck in and realized we were going to be with everyone else roasting under the sun in the big field(full of litter, mind you). We were going to buy water and any other food once we were inside. Once we got in, we realized there was a ridiculous, yet all too Chilean system for buying food and drinks. You have to wait in a huge line to buy a ticket for your food and then go wait in an aggressive crowd and push your way to the front to actually get your food or drinks. Now, I'm not knocking the ticket thing entirely because I've seen it done well at other concert venues, but it clearly didn't work there today. There were way too many concert goers and too few people working.
By the time the four of us got our water (30-40 minutes from the time we first got in line), the heat had ruined me. I drank my cup way too fast and was left worried about when the next time I'd drink water would be. The lines had gotten even huger and no one was very interested in paying 1.000 pesos for a cup of water and then actually getting it an hour later. I am a very hydrated person so thirst is my nightmare and thirst plus heat minus shade makes for a miserable me.
We sat down for a while and ate and played the cards I'd brought as I baked in the sun. Now, I am a baby when it comes to heat so I admit I can't handle situations like that very well, but everything was made worse by the thought of 8 more hours outside with no water, food or shade. I didn't say anything, but Italo knows when I'm uncomfortable and he very sweetly said, "let's go", but I insisted I was fine, in fact thrilled to go home by myself so he could stay and enjoy the day with his sister and friend. He was impossible to convince so we both ended up leaving early (exactly 2 and half hours after we got there). I was a little embarrassed because I hate being finicky around Italo's family. I think they think gringas are more high maintenance in general and I know I've done some things that are totally normal in the U.S. that they view as complaining or being particular (like asking to be switched from smoking to non-smoking because I made a non-smoking dinner reservation or insisting on renting an apartment with heat and having a fan in the summer). I don't like to perpetuate the stereotype nor do I want them to get sick of my gringa ways, but I think it was all worth it for the sheer bliss I felt chugging my first and second bottle of water just as we exited the the concert gates. Then, the cool breeze walking to the bus and the yummy ice cream we bought on the way back made me almost forget we had even been to La Cumbre...almost.
Maybe next year I'll try it again with a big umbrella and buckets of water, but this year it just wasn't for me.
3 comments:
Ugh. I went to the Cumbre in 2007 and pretty much the same thing happened to me. Luckily I was with a group of gringos so no one judged the fact that a few of us ended up leaving early because it was too hot. I don't understand how Chileans don't worry about hydration. It's so silly they don't let you bring water to that kind of event.
You want fans and water in 100 degree heat? Oh, the NERVE.
Haha, I agree that Gringas are pretty high maintenance compared to Chilenas on some things, but Chilenas have us beat on other stuff, like waxing, for example.le
I don't know why some things work in some places and not in others. I have also been victim of the wait in line to buy a ticket then had to wait in an equally long line to get the drink, all the while people were asking us to buy them things.
Hey, now that I think about it, that's probably why it takes so long.
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