Repercussions of the Falklands/Malvinas war, even in 2017.

After the mine visit, Carlos and I travel on to our hospedaje in Gobenador Gregores, Argentina, which according to Carlos, who lives in Lima and is no stranger to suffering on mine sites, is rated two stars, so you can factor the stars accordingly. The accommodation is five rooms with en suite bathrooms sharing a common front door, entryway, and kitchen. It's late and one of the guests near to my room has the TV on disturbingly loud. I have one ear pressed into the pillow and my arm over the other ear and manage to get to sleep. But at 2 AM I'm woken by the TV, now blaring, and playing what seems like far more brass band music than you would ordinarily expect at 2 AM. Later I remember it's the 35 year anniversary of the Falklands War and there's lots of celebrations, including a blue cake in the mess at lunch. Still, not cool at 2 AM. I can't get back to sleep with the volume and the sudden blast of trumpets at each scene change.

I get up and knock on the door, nothing. I knock louder but my knuckles are no match for a brass band and the person inside is dead to the world. I go back to my room to sulk and consider options. I wonder where the breaker panel is. I go back out and fortunately a design feature of the hospedaje is to place the breaker box right in the middle of the kitchen wall and it's the first thing I see when I open my door.

None of the switch numbering makes sense but since his room is 25, I pull the one labeled 25 even though it controls two switches. Boom, all the lights go out and the place plunges into silence. Yay. It was a little more comprehensive a solution than I was planning on, but it did the trick. I go back to bed and start wondering what other things might require power, like the hot water for example. I figure it's probably gas powered and even if it's not, heat loss rate x water tank volume = zzzzzzz. When my alarm goes off in the morning I go back out and throw the switch again and I have to say I'm looking forward a little to the TV volume coming back on, but it isn't that dramatic. Hot water was just fine too.