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Published: January 8th 2009
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Back on the road. After 18 months of work and around 23 hours of bumping around on airplanes and airports, I have finally arrived.
I was on time in Zurich. Enough time to browse for a book (yep, forgot one at home), but unpleasantly surprised. Very bad collection of english book in the international terminal. But anyway, i didn't need a book on a Swiss flight. It was a nice flight, and I thought I was going to Brasil, as majority of passangers were speaking brasilian portuguese, which is so pleasant to the ear. And above all, flying over Andes and looking over snow covered Aconcagua was a real treat (hint: when flying over Andes towards Santiago, sit on the right side of plane, i was just plain lucky).
First contact with Santiago was... similar to one cities in South America... relatively hot, and very persistant taxi drivers outside. I have ordered myself a transfer to the hostel, but... somebody forgot to look where to find this transfer, and even worse, somebody forgot to look where to find the hostel... i had a street name, but there was no map with this street on... After a few negotiations with
taxi drivers (they were really persistant, and their starting price was always around 20.000 chillean pesos, which later they halved, but i wanted to do it my way. So, I took a local bus and a metro. And then I suddenly started wondering whether i did land on right continent... this looked like Spain, was developed like Spain... well... it looked like Europe...
I didn't have problems finding my hostel (Chili / Aji Hostel), as i got lucky and got out of metro quite close, and found a lady, who knew almost exactly where the street was... yep, somethimes you can go really lucky... And even my spanish was working, and didn't have problems communicating at least the basic things. Ok, chilean spanish is, a bit weird for me (extremly fast, and it seems like they eat half of words), but still...
I decided to skip Santiago this time, and have more time here on a way back. So, i bought myself "cama para Calama", a bus ticket to Calama, in northern part of Chile... Everything is so straightforward, and easy to do in Chile.... and it really doesn't seem like the rest of South America... or I
have been too long away. And the scenery surrounding Santiago is spectacular, with all those mountains... I just have wished to be here in spring or winter, when those mountains still have snow on...
Besides European-like city, i was really surprised by the fact, that this really seems like a young city. I know its an university city, but still... feeling is, that there is loads of young people. On streets, shoppings, metro... everywhere... and it really shows, that i have landed in spring/summer, as love is in the air... again, everywhere... 😊)))
There are loads of greens and parks in Santiago... And they are full of people. I also didn't get the paraniod feeling of Brasil or Peru, that a crime is here a consistant danger. Again, i had a feeling of safeness, and a feeling of not being in south america at all... Actually, i didn't do much... just walk around. To get a feel of the city. And drink some fresh juices...
But, i'm missing something... i still haven't clicked in a "travel mode"... i still think about my job... but it will soon pass... 😊)) at least until Bolivia it will 😊))
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