Back on the travels!

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Hello again to all who are still reading this. Its been over 2 months now since my last entry, and my return from Brasil. But back on the travels now, and so far it has been great re-introduction to the big wide world.

Flew into Sao Paulo on the 22nd May, and stayed back at the lovely oca hostel i once visited. The usual goings on happened, but i did managed to spend a lovely saturday afternoon in this massive great big park, chiling out with some americans and a dutch guy, trying to get to grips with throwing an american football about.

Anyway, onto Santiago on the monday... which was going to be a bus journey but ended up getting the plane across. Arrival and time spent in Santiago was good, howver after a morning trolling around the city, in terms of out-right sight seeing you realise there isn´t much to see in this place. Once the historical sights of Plaza das Armas and the hill with the castle have been ventured out, you struggle to see where next to go, although there are a few museums etc... to browse around if you can work up the enthusiasm to learn about rock formations and copper mining in Spanish. Anyway, nice evening on the baya vista, where there are a few bars.

Following day was spent in usual fashion, milling around talking to other travellers then wathing the Champ league final with chillean style bbq, and lots (way too much) vino to accompany it!

Anyway, the next day the fun started happening, with hangover in toe, i embarked on 24 hr bus journey north to San Pedro de Atecama. This place was amazing. Maybe because i had no time to get bored there, having only a few days before the bus trip back down to Santiago, but the place, though teeming with tourists and backpackers alike, is set in the middle of the atecama desert, a dusty old town, where i can actually get away with wearing my neckerchief and idiana jones hat, without turning heads in disgust!

With the Andes mountain range in full view everytime i walked up into the centre of town, and the knowledge of places like ´Death Valley´ and Valley de Luna ´ moon valley´ just outside of town, i was excited. Needless to say i had a great time, floating around in the dead sea style pools in the middle of the salt flats, getting up at 4 to go and see the volcanic geizers in the middle of the desert, and sandboarding down death valley sand dunes. The people were lovely, and i met a great bunch of backpackers; Doodie the Israeli from the bus journey and my roomate there, Richard from NZ, some German people, and others besides.

The best part must have been however, waking up on Sunday morning after too much Pisco the night before with a bad hangover, walking into town, vowing never to drink again, turning around towards the sun in fragile state, and seeing the Snow peaked Andes in the distance, the clearest day yet in alll their glory, with the barren moon-like desert all around. I dont know whether it was my fragile state or the fact of realising all of a sudden the beauty of the place but i enjoyed the wake up call emensely!

Anyway, back in Santiago now, gona get the bus to the airport then off to Sydney, for i dont know how long! Apprehension is setting in, because im gona have to find a job and an apartment of some sort pretty soon to keep going, but at the moment im just glad to have had a fun time in Chile! Oh, and i am a little peeved that the rest of the crew in San Pedro went off to Bolivia on desert 4x4 expedition, just while i was really getting into South america and im moving on! Anyway, good luck to them and good luck to me.... another continent in 24 hrs, although im gona miss wednesday 4th june, because of the time difference!!!


ciao
joel xx

p.s. if anyone is still reading this, be sure to send some messages, nice to know what you are all doing, and i do recieve them... nice to hear from home once in a while!

bye bye xx

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