So, where was I?
Oh yes, Sucre, Potosi, Uyuni… twas my birthday. On a bus. Having gained a bitch of a hangover for an old bird, due to losing spectacularly at cards – some game called Chancho, Vas! – the previous night to Tom and a bunch of Argentinians. And Camilo, the Colombian.
Next day, having arrived to the border on a bus that housed the most ANNOYING Austrian girl (sorry Thomas!) who I was about to spend the next 8 hours with, I thought it might have been the journey from hell. It was saved by Janelle, Chris and Chris – hereafter known as The Australians – who I thought instantly would be pretty sound people. And I was right, hence my continuing my journey (and thanked them for rescuing my birthday), with them to San Pedro de Atacama (sandboarding rocks!), Salta (only there a day, but looked pretty nice for a first stop), then down to Mendoza.
Argentina provided a trip around the three wineries – Vistalta, Achaval Ferrer and Septima (esteemed, boutique, huge production), an insight into the semi-ritualistic mate-drinking with the Argentinians, a very odd experience at a nightclub that seemingly looked like it used to be an amusement park (Paul, reminded me a bit of the zoo in Ibiza we went to!), an asado – or BBQ – that provided the best meat I’ve ever tasted (so far!) and some new friends. Oh, and a serious ice cream addiction!! Some Argentine girls on the bus warned me I was about to get very fat, being in Argentina, and I can see why!
So, Santiago. What can I say? Beautiful city. Some gorgeous artsy areas, and very keen to educate myself in the ways of Chilean literature having been to Pablo Neruda’s house – La Chascona, which apparently means ‘crazy hair’ and my latest friends have decided that is my new name (the cheek! ;o) ) – who looks like he was a bit of a nutjob, but a genius one at that. May head over to Valpo or Vina del Mar/Isla Negra at some point before Wed when I head off again.
Met some very cool people at my hostel. A couple of guys, independently of each other, were part way through riding around the world on motorbikes – one from Colorado, one from Widnes, another from Oxford – and had a very cool attitude to things, and rid me of my guilt about following my FOMO and heading to Rio next week, in spite of it being so the opposite of the logical way around!
Have decided just to extend my trip. As people keep reminding me, there are two things that are important when travelling. Time, and money. And having seen how some people are managing their budgets over here, I really could stretch mine a lot further if I wanted/needed to. As Fletch-of-the-cool-tattoos said, ‘It’s only money. You can always find more.’ So I’ll be back later than March 1st. Been here two months and only just scratching the surface really! But now need to start factoring weather into things as well, as summer will be moving out by the end of Feb most likely, especially in the south.
And still not managed my vineyard/horseback adventure, so if I can’t find one this weekend then I’ll need to scratch that from my (rather fluid) To Do list.
That’s pretty much brought things up to date, ‘stuff’-wise. Mind is still open, heart still pure, body still in one piece and all that!
Oh, and Finally getting a tan, but sadly it’s limited to my arms, chest and upper back! Need some beach action!
Big love xx
ToBeShaw 
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