So I didn't end up leaving Chile on Monday. Forgetting the the world shuts down on Sunday, I was not able to go and buy an airline ticket. Given my short amount of time in South America, I decided to forego the 40+ hour bus ride to Bolivia and splash out on a flight. Anyhow, normally I would book online but my supposed cash passport that can work as a debit card doesn't work for online payments and I really just didn't have it in me to call Travelex to sort it out. So therefore I need go go to an actual ticket office and pay in cash. Retro!

On Sunday night a group of bus pooled our food and money to have a group dinner. There was mountains of food. Freshly baked Venezuelan bread, cheese, ham, pollo asado, salad and lots of fruit. It was amazing. Pretty sure I have gained weight on this trip. So much for my plan to return gaunt! But I had no idea how good and cheap the food would be.

So on Monday I get up early (for travelling) to go to the airline ticket office. Three trips there and back to the hostel, and I have organised an airline ticket. During two out of three exchanges, the customer service representative doesn't speak English and I manage to fumble my way through the transactions with minimal problems. Not too shabby! It also helps that they speak slowly (Chileans speak so fast and really do not articulate) and use simple language.

Anyhow I couldn't get a flight until Tuesday morning so thought I would take a day trip to Valparaíso. Unfortunately by the time I visit the ticket office three times it's 1pm and Valparaíso is no longer an option. So I wander down one of the main roads in Chile until I hit a market. I wander round this market but honestly a lot of it is just plastic s*** and beachy, summery clothes. Given I'd already made my Chilean purchase and I'm moving to cooler climates, nothing catches my eye. By this time I'm getting pretty hungry but the only food available is overpriced fast food in the patio de comidas. So I decide to forego this and walk back to the area near my hostel ad scope out the food situation there. At Mercado Central the food is overpriced and having eaten at smaller market over the road yesterday, I'm not prepared to pay what they are asking. The smaller market is only a 10ish minute walk so I continue on and by this time (about 3pm) I am sooooo hungry. I have a local Chilean dish called pancho de chocolo, which is similar to a shepherds pie. It's filled with meat (in my case chicken), onions and egg toped with a corn ad cornmeal crust. It was really, really good.

Given early flight the next morning the rest of my day was spent packing. Booooring. I did however manage to fix my backpack, which totally skewif and was totally getting me off balance. As if I need anything else hindering my already clumsy self!

Waking up before 5am today was NOT the highlight of my trip. But you do what you gotta do. Thankfully I also have a really lovely taxi driver who speaks Spanish to me and by some miracle I understand most of the questions. As per the custom of Chilean taxi drivers he raised the price of my taxi by about $5 for being a gringo, but he is nice and it's little money so I didn't really mind. My flight path here was interesting. A 2 hour flight to Iquiue, 40 minute flight to Arica and then a 35 minute flight to La Paz. Thank god for the coffee I was able to get at Santiago airport, cause it was the only thing keeping me going. Customs in Bolivia was the chilliest thing ever. I gave my customs declaration having ticked that I had something to declare (packaged food and malaria medication, all fine but better to be safe than sorry) and the guy didn't even look at it. I walk though a sensor gate which goes red. Customs ask if I have any fresh food, I say no and I am waived through. Compared to Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and Chile it was a total breeze.

The drive from the airport was very picturesque. You come from the airport at high altitude and can see the city in the dip below. It's really quite gorgeous. Another lovely taxi driver and totally cheap fare, which was split three ways because I met some fellow Aussies staying at the same hostel in the airport. I have met so many Australians here. South America is apparently the place to be.

I'm enjoying the balmy weather in La Paz. It's currently a delightful and comfortable temperature of 7 degrees. Hello thermals! So glad that I had the last minute brain wave to pack a beanie and mittens, which I have now dug out from the bottom of my pack. I'm pretty a walking advertisement for Kathmandu, decked almost head to toe in it. It's at this point that I regret bringing only one pair of pants, aside from thermals. Said pants have had to take a trip to the laundry after multiple wears, not being washed and an accident involving avocado. So now I am forced to walk around in my thermal pants, which is basically leggings as pants. I know it's about being practical not fashionable, but this is not okay.

One of my favourite activities, people watching, is really interesting here. I'm fascinated by the traditional Bolivian women with their tiered skirts, shawls, little hat and scarves slung around their backs carrying the most amazing amount of stuff up and down the steep streets. Aside from people watching I did manage to see a few sights. A few plazas, just for something new. Them Spanish did love their plazas. I tried to head into the main church a few times, but each time it was closed. Bloody siesta time! I visited the Coca Museum, which was really interesting to find out more about the beginnings of cocaine and coca cola. Lastly, and most excitingly to me, I headed over to San Pedro Prison. The amount of space that it takes up is nothing and I can't believe all that I read about fits into that quite small block. I worked up the nerve to ask the police about going in, but couldn't understand their response. I think it had something to do with knowing a prisoner to name, and as Thomas McFadden is no longer an inmate, I had nothing.

The numbers so far...
Countries visited - 3
Hostel stays - 6
Museums visited - 3
Hair washes - 1
Hook ups - 2
Hangovers - 1
Days away - 21
Days left - 78