Chile Update

I haven´t been to inspired to write lately. Not that I haven´t been having a good time or that nothing has happened. On the contrary, plenty has happened, but they have all been just the little things. The kind of little things that fade in and out of memory and probably will fade away in the end. That´s fine with me though. Trying to capture every little thing that happens is not the best use of your time travelling. Besides, they can randomly be sparked later by something and provide a pleasant little reminder. Or, they may be forgotten forever. Then, the next time you visit one of these places it will be an uninfluenced brand new experience all over again; no expectations...

Valparaiso is a cool port town. The main part of the city is flat and bustling, but the neighborhoods that make the city cool are set into the hills. There aren´t really beaches, just industry and military, although if you grab a bus you can find one within 15 min. Although I have only been to San Fran when I was very young, and the only thing I can remember is the bridge and the view of Alcatraz, I imagine that this city is very similar, it´s own version of cable cars to the neighborhoods, great restraunants that are a bit above my budget, and a very strong architecture and arts scene of all varieties. The neighborhoods are covered in murals. I finally think I understand what bohemian is. The only thing is, it isn´t exactly the safest place around. Most of it is fine, but there are some pockets of the market area and some neighborhoods where crime is a problem. One of the girls here had her purse snatched during the first day I was here and I was warned to be alert and what neighborhoods a gringo doesn´t belong. That just means bring your A-game of common sense. It may not be the biggest city but it is stout.
It is a bit of a contrast to Iquique, which coincidentally reminded me of San Diego. Iquique was more laid back, the arts scene was less pronounced, more beach lifestyle oriented, and technically safer. It was also difficult to leave, like San Diego. But maybe it´s just the people you meet. I think that´s what made places like Mendoza hard to leave. I met some people that I really got along well with (by that I mean people that I would have travelled with a bit had they been going the same way). Well, that and the sun. I´m not usually a "lie around in the sun on the beach all day" kinda guy, but damnit, after a month in the Andes cold and quite a bit of rain, that is exactly what I did. That´s all I wanted to do. I did surf a little and ran over a teenager with my board. Let me say this, the water is a free for all and the Chileans don´t seem to quite grasp that swimmers and surfers should be seperate. So, what do they do? If you are surfing an area, it must be good for swimming too - no I don´t understand the logic either. That is why this guy got a fin. Anyway, like I said, for the most part I just laid around and ate ceviche. Fuck it´s good. Best part is that it´s Paleo! I don´t understand why it´s not bigger up North. Esp. in Seattle where we have sooo much good seafood.

Man, it is weird to be leaving. I´m ready at the same time I´m not at all ready. A couple weeks ago, my tollerance towards not being better with the language finally wore off. If I hadn´t prebooked my ticket I would probably have left then. Not being great with the local language and struggling with it really drains you. Had I had a better grasp on the language or a travelling companion to cary some of the burden, my patience would have lasted longer. I´m glad that I got to continue and see Chile, but I am very ready to head to a English speaking country. Next time I come to SA, I plan on really bumping up my Spanish.

As for the next couple days, I don´t plan on doing much. I mean, hardly anything. I am going to Santiago tomorrow. I am going to stay with a couple friends I met in Cusco. Eat. Drink cheap awesome Chilean wine. Write if I feel so inclined. Read. Then jump my flight to New Zealand on Tuesday.