I had a couple of days before I flew out of Rio to Buenos Aires so I spent it getting to know the city. First I had to get up high to have a look at the landscape which is quite remarkable. I had to decide whether I was going up Sugar Loaf or the Jesus hill. I was going to do both but turns out I could not be bothered as time was limited. I ended up going up the loaf because the cable cars looked like more fun. The view was pretty spectacular as you will see in the [View Full Entry]

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Okay so my minor disaster getting to Rio deserves its own blog. It all starts when I decide to stay one extra day in Valparaiso in order to hike up a mountain. Seems like a very good idea as my flight out is 2.55pm the following day. I caught the bus back to Santiago and made it to the airport in good time at 12 noon. Things start to look suspiciously wrong when I arrive at the Aerolineus Argentinas (AA) counter and the desk is unattended. So I stand there for about 10 minutes thinking this was quite unprofessional. Eventually I [View Full Entry]

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After a hectic night, the following day was to be spent in Rio while Ana was at work. We were taking the bus to the island that afternoon. Ana, understandably, had not been filled with confidence at my ability to look after myself in the city, so she gave me a detailed map and instructions for navigation. Mircaulously I did not get lost and managed to buy myself a hotdog from a street vendor (guide books can go to hell - I did not get sick at all). Rio is not how I imagined it at all. The city central area [View Full Entry]

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I have not got so much to say about the island except that it was a paradise. The water was clear, the fish were pretty, the sand was white the people were beautiful. Days passed in a blur of boat rides to beuatiful places and nights sampling the local food and the nightlife. The pictures speak for themselves (although they don´t really show it exactly...the photographer is quite blind). I will say one thing about he island though...it is not the island of love. well unless you BYO lover. Couples abound on this honeymoon island as do 16 year olds (some [View Full Entry]

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Hola As promised some time ago here is my next installment. After Santiago I traveled to Vina del Mar and Valparaiso with Paula and her family. Vina is a seaside resort. Essentially a beach with high rises behind it and the fairly chilly Chilean sea in front of it. It is quite pretty none the less and at this time of year it is fairly densely populated by Chilean holiday makers. Paula her family and I then made our way to Valparaiso which is just around the cove. It has a very distinct and different vibe to it though. It is [View Full Entry]

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Well I managed to drag myself away from the hostel pool on a number of occasions. I went to Mont Cristobal with Paula and travelled up it on the Funicular, cable car thingo. We checked out the Virgin statue at the top and took numerous photos of the rather healthy looking stray dogs that seem to be the only local wildlife. We wondered past the idyllic looking swimming pool and took some creepy aerial shots of the bathers. We then took the aerial car thingo further down the mountain and wondered through the botanical gardens that feature areas for each of [View Full Entry]

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Well I have been here for three days now and can no longer avoid writing a daft blog. What I have seen of the city is intriguing. I have been on a few trips around the area near my hostel which is in the the sort of alternative area Barrio Brasil. The buildings have a very olde worlde feel and there are little shops everywhere that have a distinctly 80s feel to them. I am loving the political graffiti around the place. Last night I went out in Bella Vista which is another funky little area. I went with Paula who [View Full Entry]

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