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jamieborley - Jamie Borley

I am now living in Santiago, Chile with my girlfriend, Jessica. It's big, loud, smoggy, crazy, edgy, offbeat and ludicrous.
Santiago, that is, not Jessica.

# The way this travel diary works is that every time I update it - you should get an email telling you so. You can unsubscribe from this at any time if you don't want to recieve the emails.

About me:

Hobbies: Playing guitar, football, cricket, education, languages (Spanish and Welsh), reading and buying books, shaking my head in disbelief, searching for the truth and (obviously) travelling.

Music: The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Oasis, Jimi Hendrix, Paco de Lucia, Estrella Morente, The White Stripes, simple acoustic Blues, solo piano, Jose Gonzalez and lots of other artists who are credible and not in it just for the money.

Films: The Shining, The Wizard Of Oz, The Goonies and general Cine Arte/Independent.

Books: The autobiography of Malcolm X, The autobiography of Martin Luther King Junior, 'No logo' by Naomi Klein, '1984' by George Orwell, and 'The Road to McCarthy' by Pete McCarthy.

Favourite Quote: ''A nation should be judged on the treatment of its minorities'' Ghandi.

Dislikes: Reality TV, George Bush & Tony Blair, Racism, Britain, Large corporations, The BNP, and boybands (all of which are connected in some filthy way).

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Joined on: May 20th 2005
Last Login: August 28th 2009

Blog Entries: 28
Photos: 244

TB Code: [blogger=3659]
Status: BLOGGER

Blogs & Travel Journals

by jamieborley, order by Date newest first.

By jamieborley
September 30th 2008

A different place... South America » Chile » Santiago Region » Santiago

Madrid Airport
This is me after a 14 hour flight and no sleep.

Hello everyone, I've suspended writing blogs on here for a while because I'm not travelling too much at the moment - just idling in Santiago, breathing fumes, counting thieves, plugging my ears and teaching English. I am, however, continuing my blogs at this site: http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/blogs.html Saludos desde Chile... Jamie P.S. The photos are from a trip back to Wales in may 2008. [View Full Entry]

By jamieborley
February 10th 2008

Nobody loves you when you're an English teacher. South America » Chile » Santiago Region » Santiago

Saltos de Petrohue
A lovely place , it is.

Hello, again. It’s been a long time since I’ve even thought about this site, let alone written anything - until I was reminded of it recently by a man called Mike from Swansea who’s bored with his job and prefers to read my stories. So, I suppose you may or may not want to know what’s been happening down here in Santiago, Chile for the last four months. In October we went down south to visit Puerto Varas, Puerto Montt, Isla de Chiloé and the a few other places and it was lovely all the two weeks long. Jessica had a [View Full Entry]

By jamieborley
October 9th 2007

'Jamie British Citizen, please!' South America » Chile » Santiago Region » Santiago

La Cueca
Traditional Chilean dance from the south.

One month into my Chilean move, things have been interesting. After a hard fifteen hours of flight from London to Santiago - via an early morning Sao Paolo - I arrived in Chile to be greeted by Jessica and her family wielding a huge Welsh flag, cameras, mobile phones and camcorders. Flash! Pop! Click! Flash! went the bulbs and buttons as someone hung the flag over my shoulders like a long distance runner who’s just crossed the finish line. I was truly happy and comforted to see Jessica and the familiar faces of her family - all of whom I was [View Full Entry]

By jamieborley
September 1st 2007

Stop me if you've heard this one before. Europe » United Kingdom » Wales » Swansea

It's a London t'ing!
The West End. Busy, it was.

Well, it's been some time since I last put finger to keyboard in anger and now it's time for that to change. For one reason or another, I haven't seen some of you in a long, long while. Maybe it's because we live on different continents or we've inexplicably lost touch in this modern communication age. Maybe it's because we've changed addresses, lifestyles, phones and friends. Maybe we've just changed? Anyway, here's an almost chronological update of what's gone on in the previous sixteen months since I returned from my Latin American adventure... I arrived back at Heathro [View Full Entry]

The Extortionate Cafe, Blackpill, Swansea foreshore...

By jamieborley
April 27th 2006

Travelling Blues: Homeward Jack. Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Christchurch

The Wellington cable car.
And its view.

I have spent four weeks in New Zealand and yes, it was OK. It was beautiful and breathtaking, safe and clean and the people were very nice and polite. I cannot lavish much more praise upon it, so I won't. You know, sometimes you just don't click in the places you'd expect to and maybe you normally would if you hadn't been to somewhere you consider more inspiring beforehand. Maybe the truth is that ten months of Latin America moulded me and acustomed me to something that was full of life, zest, soul and warmth; but also it took the wind [View Full Entry]

By jamieborley
April 3rd 2006

The work? It can wait... Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Auckland

The guitar
Maaannnnn.

For those of you who know me best, you will know that I change my mind often. And after the last blog where I was almost defeatist and slightly down-beat about coming into New Zealand and simply finding a job after the memorable adventures of South America had passed... Things have changed. I have now bought a little mock camper-van, fitted out with a bed, gas stoves, cutlery, plates, cups, cupboard and curtains. I am going to get out there on the open road of New Zealand for the next few weeks and see what it's all about. The mountains, the [View Full Entry]

By jamieborley
March 25th 2006

Leaving Latin America... South America » Chile » Santiago Region » Santiago

Quisco, Chile.
´´What did you just say about The Beatles?!´´

The time has come now to move on and leave Latin America, leave behind the sweet language, the warm people, the rolling landscapes, the culture, the music, the many friends, the life... But not forever. Of this I am sure. Ten months of lucid memories I shall never forget. Ten months of noise and confusion. Ten months of ups, downs and travelling Euro-clowns. Ten months of vitality and jadedness. Ten months of breathtaking scenery and sprawling smog-laden cities. Ten months of plazas, the streets and latin beats. Ten months of drink, smoke, release and occasional detachment. Ten [View Full Entry]

By jamieborley
February 9th 2006

Cymru am byth... Wales beyond Wales. South America » Argentina » Chubut

The dragon, Gaiman
Trevelin

It's a strange little fact that not that many people know about, not even most Welsh people, but deeply tucked away in south America there are small Welsh colonies in the Patagonia region of Argentina, nestled away off the usual beaten gringo-trail. Being from Wales and travelling south America anyway I decided to pay them a visit for a few days. And here´s the brief story... The first band of Welshmen and women arrived in Puerto Madryn in the year of our lord 1865, on a ship called Mimosa that set sail from Liverpool docks a few months earlier with [View Full Entry]

By jamieborley
January 28th 2006

Listen señora, I am not really the Prince Of Wales. South America » Chile » Los Lagos » Chiloé Island

Salvador Allende Statue
Santiago

The thin strip of south american land that faces the thundering Pacific ocean is Chile. That's where I am. What's it best known for? Stealing part of Bolivia's border and its access to the sea, Augusto Pinochet and his deadly rein of power, Salvador Allende and his sad demise, the atacama desert of the north, the once world-renowned seaport of Valparaiso and the stunning landscapes of the south... From Mendoza, I arrived in the Capital Santiago after a few uncomfortable hours on another bus. I say without shame that long-distance buses are now starting to really get up my nos [View Full Entry]

By jamieborley
January 15th 2006

Transvestite cibercafes? Would you believe it? South America » Argentina » Mendoza » Mendoza

Brazil geezer, BsAs
This guy highjacked our walking tour of Buenos Aires and gave us a performance of a crazy Brazilian dance.

So what have I done? Another year over and a new one just begun. I spent my christmas and new year's eve in that small dusty beach town called La Paloma in Uruguay. It was so low-key and relaxing. It was perfect. A sweet antidote to the usual drunken, debauched, foul-mouthed, thumping-music and untenable hungover times of years gone by. And so here we are... 2006. Buenos Aires: I travelled here, by super-fast ferry, from Colonia in Uruguay with Patrick the old Irish-American guy from La Paloma. I cannot say for a second that I particularly liked Buenos Aires; staying in [View Full Entry]

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