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.
Sunday 17 June 2007
Friday 15 June 2007
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.
Wednesday 13 June 2007
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.
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.
Monday 11 June 2007
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.
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.
Thursday 7 June 2007
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.
Sunday 3 June 2007
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....
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....
Friday 1 June 2007
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.
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