Today I got up early and discovered the Schizo German has been ejected as he was going cold turkey from his heroin and is now back on the streets. Everyone in my dorm is pretty relieved about that. Me and James walked around downtown Santiago and chilled in Barrio Brasil near the Universidad de Republica. I start my Spanish lessons today with Jesus (my Peruvian Spanish teacher) it's 4 hours a day, intensive but hey it's worth it in the long run as I'll be a...

Hola todos! I have arrived in Santiago after an exhausting 12 hour flight. I had to wait a long time to get through Customs and Immigration. I walked into the arrival hall and was pounced upon by taxi drivers. I asked one guy how much to La Casa Roja in Barrio Brasil (where I'm staying for a week) he said: "40 pesos". That is dirt cheap like 40p so if I hadn't been so tired I would have smelled a rat but anyway got in taxi. Half-way there he says: "Esta 40,000 pe...

I got up today and felt so refreshed as I was so tired last night. I went to the R.S.A last night which is like the British Legion. It was really nice and the food was terrific and great value. Jack and Margaret took me out as it was my last night in New Zealand; very nice of them. I've yet to feel any side-effects from my yellow fever jag, the doctor said I may suffer from flu-like symptoms for about a week due to it being a live vaccine. I had some s...

Jack picked me up at the airport and navigated the busy rush-hour traffic. We got back to Albany and had breakfast. Margaret assisted me with my yellow fever jag which is costing $109; bloody hell! I had a hot shower which was great after spending the night on an Airport Terminal floor, believe me. I think I might buy some hiking boots for my trek as there is a sale in an adventure sports outlet near Jack and Margaret's house. I updated the journal and sort...

I got up early and said farewell to Benny boy as I'm taking the car back to Christchurch while Ben is heading up to Nelson and then the North Island. I drove the car to Kumara and filled Shakira up with petrol. I then drove along the beautiful but very windy Arthur's Pass which cuts through a mountain range. I reached Christchurch around 1pm and got a little stressed driving in the city centre as I couldn't find the car rental company and the one way system is qu...