Chile

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Ah, I´m gonna miss another place and more great friends made along the way!!

I have just returned from Valparaiso to the student house in Santiago where I´m staying with Georgina, Claudio´s sister. It has been another fabulous week.

I arrived last Friday from Rio, after sleeping the whole flight, and thank goodness Georgina was hungover from the night before and didn´t want to go out!!

Saturday we headed straight for the mountains, about an hour east of Santiago, to a place called Cajon del Maipo (I was just over the other side of the Andes in Mendoza last month!!). Armed with a tent borrowed from a housemate, and our packs, we stayed in a campsite recommended by the people beside us on the bus (we saw they had a tent, and as it was getting dark and we had no idea where to camp, we asked them for advice!!). A gorgeous spot, right beside the river, and in a little town (San Jose del Maipo) which even had a wedding going on in the main square with men on horseback in traditional costume and the traditional cueca dance!! What a way to start my stay in Chile!

The next morning we were woken by the gorgeous tunes of a chilean flute in the campsite! How nice to be in the mountains again! We followed the guidebook´s suggestion and hiked 3hrs up to Laguna El Morado where I had a nice COLD dip in the lake and then headed down to the Banos Morales thermal baths... which were FREEZING (20deg with a biting cold wind)... Some American´s we met along the way gave us a lift back to Santiago!

Monday I headed off on my own after Georgina went to work to Valparaiso, about an hour west of Santiago on the coast. There, I found a hostel which was a godsend! The owners (Ricardo) were lovely, the guests were great, and I really didn´t want to go!

I was deceived Monday night by the lack of people and life at the hostel (what, noone was going out?!). More and more people arrived each day, and Tuesday we all went out (Argentinians, English, and Americans) to a bar where a brilliant guitarist was playing - I´ve never seen fingers move so fast! Then we stopped by another place for a bit of salsa! The hostel also had a bar, and the last night, Thurday, I stayed on for a BBQ, followed by whiskies on the house for the men who ended up chanting Argentinian and Danish footy songs at the top of their voices! The night ended when one Argentinian fell into a window and cut his arm badly enough for 2 stitches at the hospital!! A crazy night!!

Tuesday I went with an Argentinian to visit the famous Chilean poet, Neruda´s houses in Valparaiso and Isla Grande (about an hr´s bus ride south). Both houses were gorgeous, with spectacular views over the sea, and filled with his odd collections from all over the world. I adored his poetry which was posted around the houses and bought some little books to read on my voyage I saw the desks (one washed in from the ocean!!) where the humble nobel peace prize winner (I especially loved his autobiography) wrote most of his poetry overlooking the Pacific..

The next day four of us caught a bus about an hour north to a deserted beach at Horcones (?), where we had a chilly dip in the windswept Pacific, and then returned via the luxurious town of Vina del Mar -casinos, restaurants, and a gorgeous beach where we watched the sunset.

Thursday and Friday I spent exploring Valparaiso´s beaches and ascensores (marvellous hillside elevators) with English (often mistaken for Swedish) Graham. We walked for miles!, rockhopped, got told by a policeman that we were walking in dangerous territory (halfway up the hill, lost amongst the coloured houses overlooking the spectacular bay), and met a group of school kids playing football on the beach who let us join in (I haven´t had so much fun in years... wave hopping, mud fights, sea lice digging...).

Tomorrow I think I´ll see a bit more of Santiago before heading to La Paz, Bolivia on my 7am flight!!

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