The long un-winding road
Trip Start
Feb 14, 2006
1
14
104
Trip End
Ongoing
La Serena,
Chile
Monday, April 24, 2006
However, to get to Chile, we had to go on a ten hour bus to get to the border. So, we got on a night bus in Puno and slept all the way from the lush mountain landscape to the barren desert landscape. Thatīs something that Iīm continually fascinated by, going to sleep in one environment and waking up in a completely different one
Japanese Bridge
. Upon getting to the border town, we sleepily got our bags and were trying to wake up and get our bearings. We were suddenly accosted by this over zealous collectivo driver trying to arrange a car to get us across the border. This driver was, to be honest, an asshole. I know Iīve been a little hard on some of the street hawkers etc.. but this guy was his own breed of prick. Unfortunately, we were still too groggy to put up much of an argument. So he takes us and two Irish girls to the international bus terminal to get our tickets/documents. We arrived at a ticket counter where the sign read 12 soles for a ride across the border. I went to get some money changed and when I came back the sign read 20 soles. The driver then pointed at the sign, to make sure that I knew how much I was expected to spend on our ride. I realized that he had simply flipped the sign over, as there were two different rates written on either side. So I simply returned the favor. I picked up the sign, flipped it over, and started yelling at this clown calling him a "fucking thief". It was really pretty funny. The guys behind the counter started laughing at him, as did a lot of passers by. He turned about eight shades of red and purple. We paid 12 soles for the ride, and after that the guy couldnīt have been more friendly. So happy endings all around. I actually ended up tipping him. At the border crossing, Kelly and I had been expecting to pay $100.00 each as a reciprocity tax. The US charges Chilanīs 100 bucks to visit our country, so they do the same to us. I guess itīs fair, but for budget travelers itīs quite a chunk of dough to cough up. Anyway, we got our passports stamped, our bags scanned and wished a hearty good luck. As it turns out, you only have to pay if you fly into the country. It was a very nice surprise. As it would turn out, we would really need that money
Japanese Garden
. Chile is VERY expensive. Other travelers along the way have been warning us, but I guess I didnīt realize what they were referring to. To put it in perspective, itīs still pretty cheap. I would say the prices are about the same as small town America. Hotels are quite a bit more pricey, food is about as expensive as the states, bus rides are not cheap. Wine, however, is cheaper than milk. No shit. Ounce for ounce, it's cheaper. Being that I'm an aspiring wino, this was pretty good news. Who needs food and lodging anyway?Once across the border, Kelly and I decided to put some serious miles behind us and signed up for a 23 hour bus ride to La Serena. For what itīs worth, the buses are very posh. They serve meals, drinks, tea, coffee, and show movies and TV programs (in Spanish of course). So we started on our way in the afternoon and drove through the Atacama Desert. This is the driest place in the world. Sometimes it doesnīt rain for 50 years. Normally when you go through the desert you can see some sign of life. A scrub brush or a cactus perhaps. Not here.. this was like the surface of Mars. It was actually quite beautiful. Massive white sand dunes and rock formations contrasting against one of the bluest skys Iīve ever seen. Not a bad way to pass a 23 hour trip. Especially when the movie that was playing at the time was one of Steven Segalīs first. They mentioned President Reagan a few times, to put it in perspective
The most romantic picture ever
. Something that I noticed on the bus ride, and Iīve continued to notice as I spend more time here, is that Chilanīs donīt "shush" their kids. There were little kids on a packed bus doing that "fake crying" thing for hours.. and the parents just let them scream without even making an effort to shut them up or console them. Iīm sorry, maybe Iīm not being culturally sensitive here, but that's rude. The least they could do give them a little Nyquil Kool-Aid. I finally took matters into my own hands with the worst of these offending little brats. As he was scanning the bus, looking at all of the innocent people he was making miserable with his consistent screeches of "MOMMY!!!MOMMY!!!MOMMY!!", I looked at him with the most hateful look I could muster and put my finger to my lips. "Shhh..." I whispered softly but with seriousness. I think the kid crapped his pants... but at least he shut up. For a while anyway.... When he started screaming again, my wife, one of the sweetest people in the world, figured out how to say "The Devil is going to eat you", on our language converter.
We got to La Serena a few hours early and were very pleasantly surprised by what we saw. Chile is as modern as the United States. It is clean and efficient. Itīs people are educated, they work hard, and their country reflects it. La Serena is a beach resort in the summer and a quaint colonial town the rest of the year. Unfortunately, we were a bit late for beach season. Itīs fall here.. the leaves are changing and the days remind me of that time of year in late September when I still feel like itīs time to go back to school. Itīs without a doubt my favorite time of the year, so Iīm loving it. In Serena, we found a wonderful hostel run by one of the sweetest women Iīve ever met. Mariaīs Casa was really our first taste of true hostel living. In Peru and Ecuador the hostels are really just cheap hotels. But this place was truly a treat. Maria really made you feel at home. And her home, while modest, was quite nice. She had a very nice garden in the courtyard where you could gather with other travelers to drink wine and swap stories. You could use her kitchen to cook and there were plenty of fish markets and interesting food stores nearby make the cooking that much more interesting. Maria told me that she has had ovarian cancer, and stomach cancer. She then showed me her scars, which was kind of weird... but anyway.. She seems to have had a pretty hard life, but she really had things in perspective. It was nice to meet someone with such an upbeat, positive attitude. I hope we meet many more "Mariaīs" along the way.
I really donīt have too much to say about La Serena. I loved the town, and after about 30 hours on the bus, Kelly and I took a few days to just sort of do nothing. Weīd walk around the town during the day... drink coffee, take naps, read our books, etc. Itīs a pretty rough life sometimes. One sad note, I lost my orange stocking cap in La Serena. I know that Dean Martin left his heart in San Fran.. but Iīm sure it didnīt mean as much to him as my orange stocking cap. If I had a flag, it would be at half mast.
Now we are in Santiago. I need to write about this city but weīve got a bus to catch shortly. This one is only 13 hours, to the lake district. We picked up a tent and some sleeping bags.. so weīll see how this goes. I canīt wait to tell you about Santiago. Itīs a great place. I hope all of you are doing well. Talk to you soon...
