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Blogs from Chile, South America
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May 23rd 2013
Hasta Luego Latinoamérica We say "Adios" to Latin America as the Six Monthers prepare for the next phase of our travels.... read more
From the starry skies of the Elqui Valley to the desert of San Pedro
Published: May 22nd 2013South America » Chile
May 22nd 2013
We spent a few days in the small town of Pisco Elqui, home of the National drink Pisco Sours (which in my opinion tastes like a prolongued Tequila Slammer) and one of the best places in the world to see the stars. We had an idylic camping spot, surrounded by trees and streams with unbelievably clear water, although we were the only ones there, perhaps the combination of it being low season and Chile not being top of the list for backpackers. We did some walking around the nearby sandy and stony hills, although the surroundings change a lot once you´re in the valley and surrounded by vineyard upon vineyard. We stopped off en route back to La Serena in another small town, Vicuña, and camped in what was basically someones back garden, surrounded by Avocado ... read more
Getting chilly in Chile (hahaha)
Published: May 21st 2013South America » Chile » Valparaíso Region » Viña del Mar
May 21st 2013
It is getting chilly here, folks. As all of you in the U.S. are finally celebrating spring, I’m going through the exact opposite here! I think I have mentioned it before, but I’ll mention it again. In Chile, it is incredibly expensive to have indoor heating like many of us (and definitely myself) are accustomed to in the U.S. So, for what I am used to, it isn’t really cold outside right now. It is about 50 or so during the day and a bit colder at night. But the difference is, my pattern for 20 years in the U.S.: Freezing, freezing, freezing (step inside), WARM. Here in Chile: Cold, cold, cold (step inside)…cold. As a result, I find most of my days are spent with a sweatshirt or light jacket on. And when I am ... read more
May 20th 2013
Our time in Peru had come to an end and it was now time to start making our way to Chile. The bus journey from Lima took us to Peru's border town Tacna. After going so north in Peru we had a long way to get to Valparaiso so after crossing the border from Tacna into Chile we arrived in a place called Arica. Arica was half a beach town and half a city but due to the cooler weather we spent our short time there in the city rather than on the beach. There aren't too many hostels in Arica but the one we stayed in was called Arica Unite which was perfect for our one night stay there. The next day we did another short bus journey to Iquique to break up our long ... read more
San Pedro De Atacama - Sand Boarding
Published: May 19th 2013South America » Chile » Atacama » El Salvador
May 19th 2013
After the Salt Flats, we crossed the Chile border into San Pedro. After 1 month in Bolivia, I was exited as I had heard that Chile was very similar to European countries, and I was definitely ready for some tar roads and supermarkets, and Fridges so the drinks are cold (non-existent in Bolivia!) There was 2 Australian guys on the bus, who had been told the same and was looking forward to it also. When we drove over the boarder, it was a little disappointing as it looked exactly like Bolivia maybe a different sign or two. Those who have been to a theme park, picture the section they often have the log rides in like The Wild West etc, this area is exactly what the town of San Pedro looks like! It is completely a ... read more
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May 19th 2013
Chile has been a highlight so far, it was a shame our time frame only permitted us to spend a small amount of time there! Santiago itself, has a definite Melbourne feel. The food culture and cafés are great! The pubs have cheap meals, that you order for 2 and are full of the most amazing cooked meats and mushrooms etc. Santiago was the first place we have found a large supermarket with food just like home (I think we walked around it for about 1 hour) we found blue brie cheese, amazing red wine, and fresh veggies and with the hostels all having kitchens we could finally cook some cheap healthy meals up! Very exiting after 2 months of no kitchens, no access to fresh foods! The shopping mall in the centre is huge and ... read more
At the start of a South American adventure
Published: May 18th 2013South America » Chile » Valparaíso Region
May 18th 2013
I arrived into Santiago, where a strange bearded boy befriended me at the airport. His name's Stu and he'll probably feature in my blogs from now on. It was exciting to arrive in South America and the laid back attitude of Santiago, lively street-side bars and food stalls were what id expected. We spent a couple of days here, and walked up to the statue of virgin Mary on the hill, which gave a great view of this sprawling and in parts modern looking but smoggy city. But it's not a city that captured me and we were pretty excited to explore other places nearby, so soon headed to Valporaiso. Valpo is a very cool city, where every wall is a canvas and a mosaic of colourful houses decorates the hills that the city is built ... read more
May 15th 2013
Our bus that was to take us to Santiago airport was booked and it was to pick us up from just round the corner of our hostel at 7.45am. What we didn't know when we booked it is that at this exact time back home (were currently 5 hours behind) both our teams of Barnsley & Sheffield Wednesday were kicking off in their last game of the season, and both teams could be relegated in a frantic finale. It was a long ride. After the bus pulled up at the airport we ran down the stairs to collect our bags and legged it in the airport looking for a bar, to either celebrate or commiserate and a Wi Fi connection to find out how we'd both gone on. I don't need to tell you how it ... read more
May 12th 2013
We arrived in Santiago, frankly, expecting to see a very dirty city from what we have heard about the pollution, but we were very pleased and surprised by how clean and modern it was. We got straight off the bus, on to the tube which was clean and efficient, straight into the centre and checked into our hostel in about 20mins. We decided to start our stay with a free walking tour of the city, it was really imformative and took us passed a lot of important builings and sites (Main square, cathedral which has been rebuilt 5 times over the years due to earthquakes, congress which is currently closed due to earthquake damage, judicial court currently being repaired due to earthquake damage, government house which was rebuilt after being completely destroyed by Pinochets bombers, santiago ... read more
May 9th 2013
Now that I have time to write a little more about daily life, I want to use this blog entry to reflect on some things I have learned through my first couple months here. First, one thing that has really surprised me about my time abroad so far is how easy it was to adjust compared to what I thought it would be. I was prepared for a long, arduous process of struggling not only with the language, but with the culture, the big city, and the multitude of other things which I was experiencing for the first time. While there have been and will, I am sure, continue to be some struggles, overall, they have not been nearly as difficult as I was expecting. For that, I am very grateful to friends and family here, ... read more
