Adios Argentina, Hola Chile!

Chilean people are very affectionate. And by affectionate I mean gross public displays of affection EVERYWHERE! Seriously you can't walk through a park or a bus station or ... Just trust me on this. It's just a bit much ok?!"

I was walking back to my hostel the other night in Santiago & I'm sure people were having sex in the park. 

The most excitement I got that night was when I was electrocuted at the hostel. True story. 

But wait ... There's much more to fill you in on. 

So I finished my 3 weeks in Argentina. After I left Salta I spent 2 amazing days in Cordoba. 

Cordoba is the second largest city in Argentina but it doesn't feel like it. It's cultural & the people are lovely & the architecture is amazing. 

I finally went tango-ing. Well I went to a lesson & I hated it. It was all in Spanish & then we had to pair up & of course I get stuck dancing with a girl & I'm being "the boy". After a bit I just lost enthusiasm. Partner dancing does not come easy to me. Anything where I have to touch someone's hands is pretty much going to make me uncomfortable. 

I learned the hard way that nachos in Argentina is not the same as Canada. Nachos in Argentina is a plate of corn chips with a small bowl of nasty melted cheese on the side. Such a disappointment. 

My final Argentinian destination was Mendoza. I was looking forward to drinking some wine & chilling out. 

After almost 3 weeks traveling through the country it wasn't until I was in Mendoza that I finally felt clean! I suspect this feeling won't last long. 

I met an amazing girl in my room in Mendoza. I was sitting on the floor combing my hair & we were sharing stories & it was right then that I realized I was meant to be in Mendoza if even just to meet her. 

I went on a wine bike tour. Yes. Sounds dangerous. But I have to say I was a little disappointed with the wines. I think being Australian I'm spoilt. 

And then I left Argentina. I left the women wearing platform shoes & the cheap food & the crazy traffic & the broken sidewalks & I crossed the border. 

Santiago is gorgeous. It's a big cosmopolitan city. And it's not cheap either. After Argentina it was a bit of a shock. I had to lessen the amount of icecreams & milkshakes I'd eaten as they weren't as cheap.

I spent some time learning of the dictatorship of Chile & the people who were killed. I feel like I'll have lots of reading up to do when I get back home. 

I took myself off to Valparaiso for the day. A town on the coast where all the houses are layered up the hills & are all different colours. 

I had a mini travelers breakdown that day. I wept & wept behind my sunglasses & then I pulled it together & bought myself a present. 

I met some Australian girls at my hostel, 2 of them from Perth & one of them born in the same hospital as me. We went out for Chilean food, I ate razor clams with cheese, I probably wouldn't eat them again ;)

And then I got on a bus for 24 hours. I knew it was going to be bad & it was. 

I think there's something wrong with my bottom. It hurts to sit for long periods. And I mean HURTS. So 24 hours is really a bit much for this girl. But I won't have any more 24 hour bus trips for the rest of my travels. 

I arrived in San Pedro de Attacama this morning. It's the desert. It's remote & it's beautiful & odd all at the same time. In a couple of days I cross the Bolivian border & travel through the desert for 3 days. Apparently I will see amazing sights. But I feel like I've seen a lifetime of amazing-ness already that I just don't know how it can get better.