Sucre

Im loving Bolivia for its cheapness. Last night I had a steak sandwich and fries and about 8 cocktails and it came to less than 15 euros. Im hating Bolivia for the fact that it takes about an hour for the food to be served and the drinks come about 25 mins after they have been ordered. Weve even seen some places send the children out to the shop after we have ordered to buy the necessary ingredients. Oh, and even though it is getting warmer as I go north, Im still wearing jumpers every day. Ive only worn my flipflops in the shower.

We nearly got kicked out of our hostel this morning for making so much noise coming in last night. Personally not guilty. They were the ones making all the noise. I was only the referee for the wrestling.

Today we went to see some real dinosaur footprints. Im a little cynical. Looked to me like they were conveniently discovered a few years ago to help tourism in the area, but apparantly they are really 65 million years old. Our tour bus consisted of us and about 40 geriatrics. We stopped at the nursing home on the way to pick them up. It took about 30mins to get them all settled on the bus. We actually thought we were on Bolivian Candid Camera or something. Thank god they didn´t speak English. The jokes were coming hard and fast from the boys.

Potosoi

Im still with the Irish lads and having a laugh a minute. They think my accent is hilarious not to mention my poor Irish geography.

In Potosoi we went on a tour of the mine (mainly silver, zinc and lead) where 20000 Bolivians work daily, mostly over 10 hour shifts. We were expecting the conditions to be pretty bad but they were appauling. It wasn´t your typical tourist venture. We crawled on our hands and knees in cramped tunnels for long stretches. None of us could barely breath with all the dust, especially me with my asthma. We met miners as young as 13 working there. Truly shocking. An unforgettable experience.

We watched Bolivia play Venezuala in the Copa America. The lads were none to impressed with my constant chatter.

I decided to get my hair done again. Red stripes had turned orange. Found a reputable looking hairdressing school. Colour, which is the hard part turned out great but the cut was a disaster. I got completely butchered. I asked the head stylist (students watching) to take a bit of the weight out of my hair. Instead he took to my hair with the thinning scissors like a man possessed. I didn´t relaise how bad things were until I looked down and nearly ALL my hair was on the floor. My once fat ponytail has been reduced to a thin rats tail. Its going to take about 4 years to get it back to its original state. I was, am still, absolutely gutted. I had a nightmare last night that I woke, looked down at the pillow and all my hair was there on the pillow. Its times like this I need a girl to travel with so she could sympathise. I left the salon with ìt presumably looking its best. I haven´t washed it yet. Im afraid to see the result.

Salar de Uyuni

No, Im not dead. I have been travelling from Chile to Bolivia in a 4*4 jeep for the last few days. Incredible experience. Youve never seen anything like the scenery. Completely Dali-esque. We saw a red lake, green lake, volcanos, geysers and of course the salt flats which are bigger then Switzerland. A salt lake as far as the eye could see in every direction. Im travelling with a wicked group of Irish lads from Cork & Limerick. The only problem is Im starting to use phrases like ´Lets balm out´ (relax) and ´lets ball out´ (lets get going). The first night we stayed in a shack and despite my sleeping bag and numerous blankets, I nearly died from the cold. We all had early stages of hypothermia not to mention not being able to breath because of the altitude sickness. The next night was much better although still -15. We stayed in a building made of salt. Very cool. The lads taught me how to play the card game 45 and 110, which passed away the night.

Im in Bolivia now. Despite not eating chicken, eggs, salad or the water Ive still managed to be the only one in our group to get diahorea after just one day. Thank god I brought some medication from home. The toilets here are horrendous. Bolivia is completely different to anywhere Ive been so far. For the first time I realy like Im in a developing country.

San Pedro de Atacama

Im in the Chilean desert. Thank god. Im sick of being cold. I actually got to wear shorts and suncream today for the first time and I couldn´t be happier.

Yesterday I went sandboarding. Yes, that is an actual sport. Really enjoyable except that they dont have a chairlift back up-you have to walk. No steps either. Its very tiring walking uphill in the sand so I wont be going again, but it was really fun.

Then went on a tour to the Lunar valley to watch the sunset. The sunset itself wasn´t as impressive as I thought it would be. Myself and Niamh saw way better from our balcony in Tenerife. However, the landscape was incredible and something I´ll never forget. Sort of a cross between the moon and the grand canyon (not that Ive actually been to either of these places).

The Germans found me. This town is so small and in the end I was happy enough to have them around, so we could go for a few drinks. I got a few unexpected prezzies. A Brazilian girl gave me a traditional stone statue that will keep me safe. An Argentinian guy gave me a black Virgin statue also to keep me safe. I must be giving off wreckless vibes. The Canadian German couple Ive been travelling with for a few days gave me a big bottle of vodka. Ah, how well they know me in such a short space of time. Got drunk but had a fairly tame night. There is no nightclub here and was in bed by 1am. I had a good 27th bday. Thanks to everyone who sent tex and emails. It made being here instead of Dublin a lot easier.

Chuqui Coppermine

On Sunday night there was a circus in town. It didn´t start till 10pm. A little strange I thought for a school night. Although this is South America where it is not unreasonable to eat dinner at 11pm. My first clue that there was somethng not quite right was the fact that there were no children at the circus. My second was that, there wasn´t actually a ring, just a stage. There didn´t appear to be any animals either. Turns out it was a gay and transvestite Chilean Circus. They use the term circus loosely here. There were clowns but apart from that it was like watching a bad variety show. I saw gay tango, crude gay clowns, and many performances from women with hairy legs. It was an experience. My only mistake was not buying the DVD so that you all could appreciate it too.

I wanted to get my hair done in preparation for the bday. While there were hair dressers in Calama none unfortunately were displaying Loreal signs. When I realised that the salon shampoo they were using resembled something idustrial youd see in the pound shop, I thought better of letting them do my colour. Just a wash and blowdry then. It wasn´t really the salon experience Im used to. I think I was actually in this womans living room. However, we got there in the end, although they haven´t discovered GHD yet.

Went to the biggest open-pit Copper mine in the world which was incredible. Youve never seen anything like the size of it, the size of everything for that matter. The trucks and excavating equipment completely dwarfed me. The mine makes ten thousand Us dollars a minute and it operates 24hrs a day. Luckily for the Chilean government, Pinochet kicked out the American companies in the 70s so they actually get to keep the money from this incredible resource, unlike neighbouring country Bolivia which is being completely exploited. The town nearby had to be completely excavated because of the harmful dust. The government just built the residents a new town a couple of kilometres away and told them they had to move. There are 2 shops open still in the old town for the miners, but apart from that, it is ghost town. So cool to walk around.

Im in San Pedro now which is more on the backpackers route. I was hoping to get a good crew together so that I can party tonight however things are just not going to plan. Bizzarely, hoards of Germans keep befriending me. My gang now consists of 7 Germans, about 2 of whom I actually like and thankfully a Brazilian and a Canadian. They have all invited themselves out with me tonight which isn´t what I want at all. This morning I moved hostel in an attempt to get away from them. I now have half a day to make some new cooler more suitable best friends before tonight.

Cerro Mistral Observatory

Well I can concur that the Elqui Valley probably does have the best star gazing in the world. I saw Saturn, Neptune, Jupiter, the Milky Way, other galaxies, numerous constellations and much more. I only looked a little stupid when I asked where the Big Dipper and the North Star were. Apparantly we dont all look at the same sky. Thats only in the Northern hemisphere. I did get to see the Southern Cross though. The whole thing would have been better had I not been to a good observatory in Zurich with my Mum last year and seen Saturn already. Im not sure it was worth waiting 3 days for but however itll still be a good memory only slightly tainted by the inane yack coming from the American. Thankfully, we have parted ways now. My patience was wearing thin.

Im in Calama, northern Chile now. I came to see the nearby coppermine only to find out it is closed on Sundays. I have long since given up knowing what day of the week it is. Im going to wait till tomorrow to visit it. Its lucky Im not on a tight schedule.

Vicuna

Ive been here for two days waiting for the clouds to clear. There is nothing to do here except go to the Gabriella Mistral museum (Noble Prize for Literature) so Ive been bored out of my mind. Thankfully I still have the American girl to talk to because there are no other backpackers in this wee town. I was going to leave today but luckily the sky is blue so Im booked to go to the observatory tonight.

La Serena & Pisco Elqui

Sorry about big throat rant. I must have been feeling really sorry for myself. Thanks bros for the funny comments and Caroline for her more appropriate concerned comment. I spent two days in La Serena watching tv and only venturing out for a menu del dia and feel much better now.

I left my expensive winter coat (prezzie from Ogmore et al) in Papudo which is a little annoying but it was time for a colour change anyway. With my red hair, red coat and red scarf, I looked a little ridiculous anyway. Im feeling grey/blue now so Ive bought a new coat, hat, scarf and gloves to keep me warm, all from the same pallete. Maybe it was the shopping fix that made me feel better.

Im now in a wicked town in the Elqui Valley called Pisco Elqui. Its pretty deserted cause its the off season but I love it. Not like anywhere Ive ever been. Im staying in an amazing colonial mansion hostel with an American girl I met. (No, I dont just talk to boys!). We went to a pisco distillery today for a very interesting tour. Admittedly, the product was far superior to that which I got drunk on, my first night in Santiago, however, it was still disgusting, but the tour was very informative. I did it in Spanish and understood nearly everything. Gold star for me. This is supposed to be the best place in the world for star gazing. Unfortunately for me, there is a lot of cloud cover at the moment so I can see nada. Hopefully it will rain, so I can see something.

Problems in Papudo

As Johners cousin Ellie wasn´t picking me up till that evening, I got up really early to go sightseeing in nearby Vina del Mar. I went to two castles, the natural history museum, Easter Island museum, a photograhy exhibition and an art exhibition, and I even fitted in a visit to the casino which was full of people on the slots at lunchtime, and the closest Ive come to Vegas. After that I started to feel unwell. Maybe Id overdone it.

My throat went from being moderatly sore to pure agony every time I swallowed in the space of half an hour. I met Ellie and her Chilean husband Cali, and not wanting to start moaning straight away I suffered in silence, trying to make polite coversation until we reached their town Papudo about an hour away. We stopped at the local pharmacy and I bought spray, Ibruprofen, and some other tablets to reduce the ache in my muscles. I was praying I wasn´t getting the flu.

Back at theirs I was feeling like crap. Ellie cooked a gorgeous traditional pumpkin stew. I couldn´t hardly eat. I did my best not wanting to be rude and then excused myself to go to bed as I now had a fever. She kindly gave me honey and lemon but it was excruciating to drink, even though I knew it would help. I knew Id made a terrible first impression. I was embarrased for myself and also for Johnner, but hoped to rectify it the next day. Feeling worse still, like none of the drugs Id bought were working, I started taking the antibiotic augmentin that Id brought with me. That was surely going to knock this thing on the head, I thought...until I woke up at 2am. I had a fever, my forehead was roasting but my body was freezing. Every muscle in my body ached. The worst bit by far was the fact that every time I swallowed I was in excruciating pain. I knew there was something seriously wrong but I didn´t know what the best course of action was.I decided Id take another round of all the drugs and wait till morning and then get Ellie or Cali to bring me to the doctor. The next 5 hours were the worst Ive ever experienced. Swallowing was so painful, I developed a way of retaining the salivia in my mouth, so I only had to swallow about half as much as normal . I started having nightmares with my eyes open. At 7am, I couldn´t take it any more. Exhausted from no sleep and slightly delirious I went into their room. I burst into tears because the pain was so bad. Ellie tucked me back up in bed to sleep with another honey and lemon as it was too early for the medic. She assured me the drugs would work if I gave them time. I knew what she was saying made sense-after all it was only a sore throat. Her comforting calmed me down but I just wanted Niamh or the girls to be there as they normally would, when I am sick.

I popped some more pills and finally dozed off for a few hours. When I woke in the morning, I was covered in sweat, but the pain in my throat had subsided slightly. It was gorgeous day and Ellie suggested I walk with her along the beach to get the papers. Papudo is by far the nicest place Ive been (much better than even Valpariso). Its a gorgeous beach town that is like paradise but I just couldn´t enjoy it. While walking I realised how tired I was, as I could barely climb the steps off the beach.

That afternoon we went to a gorgeous fish restaurant for lunch. I tried the best fish soup Ive ever had (even better than in Tererife) but couldn´t even finish half of it because my throat was still i bits. Even making conversation was proving impossible as I kept having to stop and wince with the pain. On the way home, I started crying again cause of the pain so we went to the nearest clinic/hospital. I couldn´t face another night like the previous and I started crying again when the doctor examined me. Thankfully Ellie was able to translate all the tricky words. Turns out I had a massive ball of puss (delightful I know) in my mouth and it was blocking my air passage. The reason the augmentin wasn´t working was because it was too mild for my advanced infection. I got a jab in the ass and was hooked up to a drip. God knows what they gave me but I didn´t care. I was allowed to go home late that night to sleep on the condition that I returned the next morning. If things hadn´t improved then, I was to be hospitalised. First another trip to the 24hr, thank god, pharmacy to buy more prescribed drugs including a decent painkiller. I slept terribly but because the pain of swallowing had been reduced somewhat, sleeping was at least possible for periods.

I felt so much better when I woke. The doctor said my condition had improved, thankfully, and after a day of relaxing, I was finally able to make some conversation to my hosts. They are such interesting people, snowbaord instuctors for 4 months of the year, and artists for the rest, and thats not even the half of it. God only knows what they made of me. I wanted so much for them to like me but I didn´t have the energy. Still, we had a nice evening together.

On one hand it was terrible that I had been sick the whole time I stayed with them, on the other, the timing was a total blessing. I dont know what I would have done if I had been by myself in a hostel. I´ll have to show them a good time when they are in Ireland next.

Im in La Serena now, still too tired to do anything but I have a private room with cable tv in it that has loads of American movies and sitcoms, so Im a happy chappy.

Valpariso-best place so far

I finally left the madness that was BA. It was a 22hr bus journey to Chile but the view as we passed through the Andes was spectacular. Decided to stay in a family run hostel so that I could take it easy for a bit, but met some cool English guys and we ended up going on the piss last night. I conquered my fear of karoke. There was noone else in the whole place apart from us which is the only reason I got up. I even managed to do a second song. It was really liberating. I dont think Ive any other fears now. Afterwards we went to an amazing jazz club. Talk about two ends of the spectrum. The scout leader in me came out today. I read the guide book, planned the day and got the boys out of bed rather reluctantly for a day of sightseeing. We went to Pablo Neruda´s house- famous Chilian poet, and Casa de Lukas, a famous charicaturist and then we walked for hours around the hills of the town looking at artists wall murals. I love the architcture and colours. I think this is the nicest town Ive ever been to. I could easily see myself living here. I want to stay longer but Johnners cousin is picking me up tomorrow.

The Black Hole of BA

Im still in BA. This place is like a black hole. It sucks you in and makes it impossible to leave. Im going to the travel agent tomorrow to book something or I'll end up staying for another 2 weeks.

I was gutted I didn't get on tv for the match. I even had a message for Belvo on my flag but the cameras were only facing one side.

I have gotten sick *headcold* for the first time since coming away. Too much partying and not enough vegtables I suppose, so I stayed in last night for the first night in ages. There is a party in the hostel tonight so as yet Im undecided about what to do later....

All the cool clubs

We went out to the opening of a new club called Western last night. We were on the list as my friend Linda knows some cool people. Thats me dancing without being drunk cause none of the girls I was with had more than 3 drinks. Lets call it cultural differences. That and the price of it.

Were off out to another club tonight called Bahrain. I got my hair done the other day and my hairdresser, who wasn´t gay, is putting us on the list for tonight. It appears only the gringos pay entry fees. I´ll be on the vodka before we go out.

I got a ticket to the rugby tomorrow. Yeah, there´s loads of tickets left at ticketmaster. How different to at home! Im in the north stand. I´ll have a tri-colour with me so look out for me on the tv.