So it's now one year since I left Australia and once again my travel plans have been delayed due to bad weather. Just as my flight was delayed 12 months ago from LA to Costa Rica, I'm now confined to Santiago, Chile, as the road to Argentina through the Andes mountains is closed.
I've been in Chile for the last two weeks and have been pleasantly surprised. It's my first time here and I actually just came here to pass from Perú to Argentina but I've enjoyed many of the sights along the way. I went swimming in the sea in Iquique; went to an observatory in Vacuña (outside of La Serena) and saw the stars and moon which was very impressive. No one asked me my name whilst I was there. It would have been interesting to see the reaction; I stumbled upon a student protest in Valparaiso complete with riot police and an armoured police truck firing at the students with a water canon. I was somewhat a bit concerned to begin with when I noticed everyone was running past me in the opposite direction, but I had no problem. I'd never seen anything like it before. Not even the six months I lived in Belfast; I stayed with a heavy-metal bass player in Santiago that I met through couchsurfing; I saw people go crazy in the streets after Chile won in the football against Venezuela; went karaoke singing and did Wonderwall justice but crashed and burned with Calafornia Dreaming.
I rode the metro here in Santiago during peak hour which is an adventure. The carriages were crammed and at each station more people try to get on the train. Finally at my stop, I attempted to get off but a stampede of people, also getting off, pushed me in the opposite direction and further back into the carriage. With that finished, I then expected I'd be able to get off but I was immediately met by a stampede of people trying to get on, and once again, I was pushed back inside the train. The bell for the doors closing sounded but I wasn't giving up. I squeezed my way through and managed to get outside of the train but the squeezing wasn't over. The people waiting for the train on the platform were six or seven deep. And then finally I was spat out the other side and went upstairs for another go at it. Thankfully the other train was on a less busier line and less crowded. It was never that bad in London.
So, anyway, now I'm just hanging out waiting for the weather to clear which is believed to be in two days time and then I can cross the border in to Argentina and on to Buenos Aires. There's a lot of rain here which doesn't look like letting up, but fingers crossed.
18.06.2012
Well, I arrived in Buenos AIres today and plan to stay here for the next few months and immerse myself in the BA way of life. After two days stuck in Santiago, the road opened to Argentina and it was a beuatuful ride through the snow covered Andes to Mendoza. Mendoza is also bueatiful with tree-lined streets and laid back vibe.
So, here we go. Buenos Aires ... let's roll!
