Oops...

I've been in Santiago for almost 2 weeks now, so I can now offer a more informed opinion on the place. The first week that I was down here on holidays, it was overcast and grey, I justed assumed it was a rainy week and thought nothing more of it. Well now that I have been here for a little longer, it's still grey. Turns out it wasn't really overcast, it was the smog. I can't tell the difference, I am living a world that is permantly gray, I don't recall the last time I saw the sun... I am staying in a hostel for the first month which is ok if you don't mind sharing a room with 5 other guys. Though to be fair there are only 3 of us there at the moment, and I haven't seen the other two in days. It is in a pretty cool area full of cafes and cool bars, only problem is I am on a tight budget until I get paid at the end of the month. So all the cool bars and cafes are wasted on me.

I have also become a convert to the way of the hotdog, or completos as they call them here - happy Orb? I know I said I wasn't going to try one, but I caved. I am still holding out on going to McDonalds, but only just. They are also mad about ice cream here, it's the middle of winter and everywhere I look there are people eating ice cream. There are almost more ice cream shops than hotdog joints, almost.

The other thing you will notice if you ever come down to Santiago is that people here love to get in on in public places. I can't step out side with out seeing at least one couple making out, and if you go down the plaza on the weekend, it's everywhere. They are mad for it.

Oh yeah, and somehow in a city of almost 6 million people I have managed to run into the one person who knows me as Doodle twice in two days. It's just not fair.

Later
Zac

The devil and road safety.

I've made it back to Santiago. And on the way back I saw the coolest cross walk sign. The little red man telling me to wait had a tail and horns. No way I was crossing til that went green. Then the little green man, well he was either a 3 legged man or really well hung... Either way it had me laughing for days.

So back in Santiago, I've been hanging out with some friends from Aus. Finally check out one of the coffee shops I have been eyeing off in the center of town. They are not so much coffee shops as gentleman's clubs. There are no seats, you pay for your coffee and then take your ticket over to the bar, where there are girls in tight mini skirts. Conviently they have this raised platform so you can check out the girls legs better. It was defiantly a men's club, ashing on the floor was allowed and there was not a single woman in there who wasn't working there. Also I think we might have been the youngest people there. It seems more a hang out for old dudes in suits. But hell, I'll be going back.

Onto Friday night. Firstly though I need to explain one little thing. At my hostel I have given up trying to get them to pronouce my name correctly, so they think my name is Jack. Even though it is spelt Zachary on the book. I figured I wasn't going to be there long so close enough was good enough. Looks like I might be there for a month now, so I am going to have to live with that... Anyway, Friday night I went out with Alex. We were enjoying a quite drink when we started talking to a couple of locals. Alex then introduced himself as Jack, I figured he would then tell them I was Alex, no problem I can play along with this... Didn't quite work that way, after telling them his name was Jack, he told these poor guys my name was Doodle. I then had to spend the rest of the night not only responding to Doodle, but also correcting pronucination on it. I even had to write it out for one of them. I will get you for that Alex. Somehow, someday, I will.

Later
Doodle.

(sorry about the speeling, but the spell checker here doesn't wok).

46 hours, 3 buses, 1 taxi, 14.5 movies...

I just made the run from Santiago to Cusco in one go, crazy, my arse is so sore. And to top it all off I am about to do it all again... Why? Well I have decided to move to Santiago. Why? Cause I can. I am back in Cusco for a day and a half just to grab my back and it's back onto the bus tonight and back to Santiago. I have a new job lined up and start as soon as I get there. Figured I could do with a change, so beening slighly mad as I am I decided to move. Will keep you all up dated on how it goes, but for I have to go finish packing.

Later
Zac

Santiago report

Moon
Originally uploaded by Jungle Zac.

What to say about Santiago... Well if you like Hotdogs, this is the place for you! People here seem to live on a diet of Hotdogs and steak sandwiches. Except the steak sandwhiches aren't that good, it's like steak that went through the deli slicer. How can you call that steak, ok so they pile it on and load the thing with avacado, but really... They also load the hotdogs with avacado and tamato and mayonase, so much that you can't see the dog. I haven't had one yet, and I don't think I will. You can also buy beer in a food court at a shopping center, from KFC! I like that, not just a beer, but picters (jugs for those of you normal folk from Australia). I am struggling to find a normal kind of meal, it seems to be all fast food junk everywhere I go. Other than that Santiago is very nice, beutifull. This photo was taken about half an hour ago, the moon looked bigger in real life. Also it is very cold, you can see the mountians covered in snow from pretty much anywhere. I am told the skiing is good, but I am not much of a skier so I will save the money and go to the beach. Hopefuly it will be a little warmer down there.

Later
Zac

The tour continues...

Update. I am now in La Serena on my way to Santiago tomorrow. Spent a day in San Pedro de Atacama, which was nice. Little oassis up in the Atacama desert, very touristy. Interesting but also a little unimpressive after spending 5 days driving around the dessert without any other tourists in sight. On the way there we stopped in a minning town called Calama, it was 5am and very COLD. So we found somewhere open and went in out of the cold. Now what would be open at 5am on a Monday morning? Well it was a bar, so we bought some beers as you can't go into a bar and not buy anything. I figured it was close to closing time and we would get the boot shortly, but the place livened up around 6am and really started to get going, which was a bit strange. It did close eventualy at 7am and we were back out on the street, it was daylight by this time and slightly warmer. I found out later that Calama has a reputation as a fairly rough town, know for prostitues, drugs and alcholics. Probably not the best place to be wandering into bars at 5am on a Monday morning...

Anyway I am going to spend the day wandering around La Serena, it looks pretty from what I have seen, and I've also spied a shopping mall. I think there might be a cinema there, will go check that out as I haven't seen a movie in ages...

Later
Zac