Chile

So Chile is behind us now. We certainly didn´t waste any time getting out and about, pounding the streets, the plazas, taking in the architectue, finding a gallery or two and opening all senses to new and different experiences.

Just a few of these things...
Our new luggage lost a screw! Now have you ever gone looking for a screw in a country where you don´t speak the language. Well of course you would go to the markets yes? While there have a coffee yes? There is always someone who strikes up a conversation and likes to ´´practice´their english. Finish coffee and next we are being escorted to the nearest ´hardware´store. Hand shakes and adios and there we are. Screws of all sizes, point and pick. Everyone happy.

Next Paul was taken by the hat store. All shapes and sizes from highly decorated sombreo to panama. He was like a kid in a candy store.

One thing we had forgotten was that the main meal is at lunch time. Well we went into a restaurant for a light snack. There were loads of locals (we found out later it is the top meat restaurant in Santiago) and asked for a menu. Nothing was in English and the waiter had no pity for us so we pointed to two things. What we eneded up with was a plate of potatoes and another of beans - both lovely and fresh :). We thought, OK, lets see if we could order a snag to go with it. The best way to do this was to take the waiter to a table that was eating sausages and point. Minutes later we had two snags. Well with a couple of beers we got the bill. $30 for that memorable experience.

We took a tour to Valaparise, a major coastal city about one and half hours from Santiago. Its built on the edge of the Pacific where there are no sharks ´cause its too cold. The city is unique in that it was ´never discovered it was just born´ whatever that means. It´s scattered with colourful houses around many hills with many funiculars which are used to access the houses of every colour, shape and size which hang rather vicariously. For us it was noteable because of the amazing grafitti art work (see picture) that brought symbolism and lie to the steep and narrow streets and walkways. It´s also the home of Pablo Neruda, the famous Nobel prize winner for literature (OK so who new that?).

Now in Bolivia. One might think flying is just a means of getting around but i can assure you that the flight from Santiago is somthing else. We were ascending just as dawn was breaking. My first private thoughts were Í hope we fly higher than the range of Andes that stretch to the right of the plane´. Well we didn´t, instead, we flew just to the west of them - they were on our right and we seemed to be lower. The range changed in mysterious ways as the sun rose behind the snow peaked tops. Just like you see in postcards.

Now in La Paz. Really feel we are in a very different country now. The altitude is getting to us. However, we immersed ourselves in the city of streetside stalls, markets and lots of women in their Bolivian costume. It is buzzing here and we intend to see much more of the country side of deserts, salt lakes, mountains and lakes.