The Happy Wanderer

I arrived in Santiago, Chile yesterday afternoon. Crossing the International Date Line was, and still is weird. I left Auckland at 17.15 on Tuesday and arrived here at midday…Tuesday. It made me realise how arbitrary our concept of time is.. I always remember the Diomede islands from a Michael Palin Travel show. These two islands straddle the international date line so they are minutes apart physically yet a day apart temporally.

After cheating time so cunningly I felt I could crash out and sleep for a while, otherwise I would have gone nuts and wandered round aimlessly, as I did a few hours later. When I left Hastings in New Zealand two of my Chilean friends (never keen on missing a joke) kept saying ‘Terso Mundo’ at increasing volume and with an increasing tone of doom. Their long running joke was that Chile was the third World and I would get diseases and have no running water. Their nickname for me was el ‘Chileno’ as some people in my hostel had confused me for a Chilean. I was tanned from working in orchards and had quite long straggly hair. If that’s what Chileans look like then I guess I was a Chilean. There were some shanty type dwellings nearer to the airport, but generally this place is really clean and well organised. The people go about their business without much disturbance; the atmosphere is something like a large Mediterranean city with a few skyscrapers and a North American style street plan. The Centro has some old parts and colonial buildings but there are not many big photogenic scenes as I expect there to be in other Latin American cities.

My nickname seemed appropriate as there has often been confusion of me looking a bit latin, especially with my South American Mullet. I noticed that most people left the plane with a ‘enjoy your stay’ etc but I was greeted with a ‘Hasta Luego senor.’ I wish my Spanish was better than I could blend in a bit more, however I have similar experience in Italy, if I don’t say I’m English or I don’t speak Spanish they just think I’m a simple slightly dull-witted Chilean. My method for dealing with things in general is just to copy what other people do and say. It strikes me that it’s the longest time I’ve been without feeling like a tourist. There is noticeably less tourism in Santiago than other places I have stayed. Even in Australia and New Zealand, as soon as I opened my mouth people knew I was a Pom, and therefore foreign. It can be a real advantage being able to blend in as I am less likely to be targeted for crime and scams. I actively try to look a bit poorer to ward off crime. My real advantage has been a small Barcelona kit bag. Using this instead of a regular backpack means I could be going to work or visiting a friend, instead of going to visit tourist sites.

Another great treat here, compared to the English-speaking places so far, is the linguistic difference. Every street is a lesson and I can work out from context most of the signs and words. I read most of a newspaper article without trouble but I am impatient when it comes to speaking. Hopefully I am going to meet a couple of people I stayed with in New Zealand and they will help me speak a bit more Spanish. I speak what I class as ‘second-hand’ Spanish. After learning French at school and being able to speak Italian is a huge advantage. If you consider these languages different dialects of Latin then it’s a good starting point.

                            I am staying around here for a couple of days then maybe going to Valparaiso, as seen on Motorcycle Diaries. On Friday I aim to go over the Andes into Mendoza and Argentina. This seems like the best plan as Argentina is cheaper than here. After Mendoza I hope to go as far south as possible as quickly as possible. This internet is also free….Viva Sud America!!!!

                       ………………………………………….Later from Miguel

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