To me La Paz felt very safe as long as you are careful crossing traffic and can manage steep hills. I think that it’s safe because it seems that everybody is so busy working selling their local produce and concerned about making money as that is mainly what La Paz is for, that they don’t have time to commit crime. I also don't think distraction techniques using mustard and ketchup have arrived here yet, it is not developed enough, and frankly the chaos in the streets is such that nobody has a free second to rob anybody. I find the costumes worn by the indigenous women are colourful and make for an expressive, fascinating city. In fact, everything in the street is colourful, from costumes to fruit and vegetables. There is plenty of opportunity to eat ... read more

Today I took my flight from Santiago to La Paz. I’d left my packing to the last minute which made the morning more stressful than it needed to be, but I’d packed my food for the airport the night before, got the metro at rush hour with all my backpacks, got a bus from the centre to the airport, checked my luggage in and got through security with plenty of breaks for coffee and plenty of time to relax. Security was relaxed. The only items that were prohibited on the plane were explosives, sharp objects and fizzy drinks. I suppose the liquid laws haven’t reached Chile yet, and perhaps terrorism from Islamic groups is non-existent here. The first flight which took about 2 hours dropped us off in the middle of the desert in Iquique, still ... read more

I studied about Chile’s independence process, inspired by the French Revolution and the American war of Independence which both gave Chileans ideas about becoming independent from Spain. It began with Napoleon’s invasion of Spain in 1808 to the Battle of Maipu, then in1811 with the National Congress and ended in 1818 when the War of Independence ended and the empire collapsed. The King abdicated and Chile had its first autonomous government. I learned a bit more about how Argentina, Chile and Peru got their independence, helped by the same man in each country – the Argentinian Militar Jose de San Martin. I’ve seen statues of him everyhere in Argentina. According to Argentinians he is the one famous person who is popular amongst everybody, a completely non-controversial figure unlike all the others. I also learned about the ... read more

In the second room of the museum I re-learned about Christopher Columbus’ discovery of America in 1492 which was a period of history I’d studied at university in a Spanish and Portuguese history module. I also learned about the roles of Felipe II King of Spain and Pedro Valdivia, a leader of the Spanish Region who founded Santiago in 1541, by the river Mapocho. I then went on to study more about the Colonial Period and the order imposed by imperial Spain in colonial America, mainly in terms of the Church having complete influence over daily life. I found this part very interesting as I learned that this was the period when Baroque art developed and I had already seen plenty of examples of it in the form of churches and Jesuit Estancias back in Cordoba ... read more

Not long after tuning into Patrick Swayze, I found myself back in safe Santiago, and then at the very impressive appartment I’d rented out after the unpleasant few days and nights I’d spent in Valparaiso. It was in the same neighbourhood as I had stayed in before, in Providencia, one of the wealthiest and safest areas. The self-catering appartment had been cheap, on special offer for the weekend as most people go on holiday at the weekend. As it is the hottest time of the year people head out of the city to do either outdoor activities or go to the coast. The apartment has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen with all the mod-cons,a sofa and a terrace. I had only paid for the price of one room with a bathroom but I got the ... read more