We have now entered Europe…in Chile….Or something like that…
WEIRD! Ok, so first I must tell everyone that we survived our 28 hour bus ride from Arica to Santiago, Chile….28 hours is long, however! I always seem to hit this wall at abou hour 12 or 13 when I don´t want to do anything and I just want to complain to Steve….unfortunately, that does neither of us any good, so I´ve tried to lay off some! It actually worked out really well cause they were showing new movies on the bus, and when they do that, they are usually English movies with Spanish subtitles, because they haven´t had time to dub them yet. So, in light of this, we got to watch that plane movie that came out awhile ago with Rachel McAdams, The Island, Tears of the Sun (for the second time on a bus), Transporter 2, Kingdom of Heaven, and some weird French movie where everyone just shot and beat up everything….weird.
So, yes, we made it here, and are alive and safe. Santiago seems to be just another city, but I kind of like it. It is very European feeling, not at all like Quito or Lime or La Paz. Money influences a lot, apparently. Our cab driver was even a little more pleasant than usual…As I have mentioned before, cab drivers here receive commission from hostels if they bring passengers in, so you will always get drivers trying to talk you out of your hostel by telling you it costs too much, or in the case of our driver in Arequipa, just driving us there anyway and saying “Are you sure you don´t want to stay here?” Well, this guy started telling us about another place, but quickly got quiet when he realized it was more expensive than where we are staying. So then, he decided to try another tactic and started telling us that there are big rats that live there, so big that they want a tip. It made us laugh cause he was so jolly about it, but we still went there (La Casa Roja, if anyone is interested…they have a website) and it is fine. First hot shower I have had in awhile, as a matter of fact!
Steve and I have also decided that there are most distinctly a few classes of travellers that you see, and especially in South America. The most important and broad category, and Steve´s particular favorite, is that of the hippy crowd who came to South America just to “get in touch with nature and see how primitive things really can be.” These always make us laugh because I am sure the locals would love knowing that they are considered primitive….seriously, what an insult.
The second group we have run into quite a lot is the older, single adult, always traveling by themselves, and most often, male. These individuals tend to have travel experience, but because of this, hate to think they might be getting screwed out of money, and are always making sure that they haven´t paid more than the last fellow…unfortunately, if you are at all a gringo down here, it will happen.
The third category that has been the most humorous–to me, anyway–is that of the passport stamp-addict. We have been fortunate to have only run into one of these types, and yes, he was from the States, and yes, it was pretty sad to see. We were sitting on the steps, minding our own business while waiting for the rest of our bus to get their Bolivia entrance stamps, when Steve made the offhand comment to me that he wanted a certain spot filled on his passport. Out of nowhere, some loud and obnoxious voice comes billowing down saying, “Are you kidding me? You have got to be kidding.” Turns out some man, who also fits category number two, I might add, was lonely and probably looking for some people to talk to, so he decided to join our conversation. He then proceeded to show us all the stamps in his passport, at least three times, as well as dominate the conversation by explaing to us how silly it was that the US government didn´t give us enough pages in our passports,unlike other countries, and how he has had to get insterts “so many times.” He then proceeded to tell us that he has always want to go to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, and before letting us participate in the conv. and tell him that we would be there in a few months, he informed us that he was actually going to buy a ticket there from Bolivia, hang out for one day (or maybe half a day, I don´t remember) and then fly home. Cause clearly, seeing a city as GIGANTIC as Rio in half a day is the best way to get that stamp knocked off the list…..it was definitely amusing!
So, this nice little arrival notice has turned into a nice little rant…so on that note, I´m outta here…..take care everyone, and I´m sure I will be in touch soon!
0 评论: