Santiago and San Pedro

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I arrived in Santiago da Chile on the Sunday pretty shattered due to the girls in London giving me a boozy send off just before i boarded my plane.... Walked around to get a flavour of the place and there was loads of Jesus Hullaluh preaching on the streets however the churches where empty. I headed back to the hostel and what was meant to be a wee nap turned into comatosed sleep . Next day I walked up that hill where u can see the andies (if you’re lucky though the smog), the train only starts at 1 and i didn’t feel like waiting, however i think the locals thought i was crazy when i said I would walk... After I found a wicked veggie restaurant and had a weird but tasty local stew thing God only knows what was in it. Santiago seems pretty cool with loads of really nice graffiti around the place... That night i hung out with the lads in my room and they were all going to party the next night and invited me to go with... I decided to give the spanish course & night out in Santiago a skip because my feet where pretty itchy and i wanted to get into my adventure sooner, so next morning I said goodbye & hopped on a bus straight to San Pedro (24 hours).

Wow San Pedro blew my mind, the aticama & surrounding area is totally beautiful. I booked into this cute little hostel and meet my first friend and travelling buddy Corina a girl from Berlin. We hit it off immediately. It was such a bonus for me because she has fluent Spanish and knows a lot about the Inca’s and history and traditions and was always teaching me things. We went cycling and to the geezers and I went on my last night Star gazing. San Pedro is a funny little town, electricity only works for a few hours each day and it reminds me of the town in the dice man because it is this haphazard mud housed, dusty streets & just full of travellers. I would have liked to stay in San Pedro longer but I recon I might come back this way into Salta towards the end of my travels on the way down south. I decided to join Corina on the 4x4 adventure into Bolivia.

Again WOW WOW WOW, this was also just totally beautiful, kept thinking how the folkaronnies and the Kings would be in their element in a place like this. The lads in the 4x4 with us where really sound, there was the cutest little irish couple, I wanted to bottle and keep in my pocket. The first night was pretty cold and everyone slept pretty restlessly. The new aged hippy of the group (not me!!!), said it was because the new moon brings out our inner eye but I think it was due to the fact it was -14 and 4000m above sea level... I loved everything about the trek and again would have done it for longer! We formed a wee travelling posy in Ununi and after a boozey night and showers we all headed up to Potosi together.

The bus ride was gas, the first real authentic South American journey, the bus was late, then our rucksacks where fu(ked on the roof of the bus, it’s a miracle we got them back- the bus was filled to capacity, the police kicked them all off but as soon as the bus turned the corner they all came running up and the driver slowed down while they all jumped back in. I had a little traditional lady wrapped in all her layers and bowler hat sitting with her bundles in the corridor next to me. The only stop/pausa on the very bumpy 7 hours journey was in this little village and the toilets there where nonexistent. I didn’t venture too far because of the strange animal noises but found a nice bush to keep my modesty intact, one old lady in traditional garb just squatted right by the bus. The whole bus stank of boiling chicken bones and all we could think was welcome to Bolivia, defo arrived now!!

Potosi is a surprisingly cute little town, very bustling and viby with beautiful churches everywhere. Yesterday we went down the mines which where a real eye opener. It was pretty exciting climbing, crawling, dodging miners and dynamite explosions; we chilled out chewing coco leaves with the miners and gave them presents of coco leaves, cigarettes, juice, in exchange for stories and photos. Last night we went clubbing with the locals, brilliant crack! The locals loved us and although I didn’t understand a word of what they were saying we were never short of invitations to go dancing. I think we caused a stir but it’s hard not to being the only gringos in the place with Anna, a tall super model look alike with a taste for tequila and Corina, who knows how to dance like nobody’s business! We totally rocked the place. What alot of fun.

Today I said goodbye to my amegos, sniff sniff as they all headed off on their own adventures. Really going to miss Corina my little personal travel guide.... I decided to stay on an extra night to organise my life, wash clothes, email, etc. So plan from here is to head to Sucre and start an intensive Spanish class on Monday!

The internet is painful so photos to follow....

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