When we walked outside the hotel I saw the Chilean Police, and have been told to call them Paco´s (pig´s) haha. It looked like there was about to be a riot because this huge SWAT looking van was there! I was told that is what the always use to transport the police.... wow. Took loads of photo´s for Jamaal and Antoine! Definitely would not want to get on the wrong side of these police!
There were so many around, turn´s out the President of Chile was in the Building across the road, which is a historical library :) How exciting!
We had to get a bus from Santiago to Chillan, which took 5 hours! It was not boring though, i had a hilarious tour guide lol. The produce here is huge, there was always a farm to look at from the window, apples, peaches, watermelons and especially corn! Sooo much growing here. The animals here are nice and healthy, bit of a difference to the cow´s sheep etc in Australia at the moment.
We stop to pick people up from difference stops, and every time we do, people get on the bus selling things, mainly food... sweet empanadas, nuts, etc etc. Its really cool how everyone here works together to help each other out, the bus drivers let them get on and sell their produce, be it whatever, and drop them off at the next bus stop when they are finished selling.
Did i mention the mountains??? THERE ARE THOUSANDS! Obviously, as the mountains separate Chile from the surrounding countries, like Argentina and Peru. But the Andes are the most impressive, even though it isn´t winter, there is still so much snow on top of them, the view of them leaving Santiago is beautiful.
Oh! And people still use horse and carts here!!!!!!!!!!!!! so very strange!
There are houses in the countryside that we see on the bus ride that are so different to anything Ive seen before, they are mostly made from mud and brick and are very short with long roof´s (hard to explain, i´ll put in some pictures) Julian say´s that the classes are a huge part of Chilean life, whereas in America most sayings are measurements of time and money, here, they are not, its all about your standing in society, very different to anything Ive ever experienced.
We stop halfway through the ride for lunch and continue to Chillan, still about 2 hours away. Thank god for Air-conditioning, its boiling outside!
OUT <3
