HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: Having a GREAT night’s sleep
BUMMER OF THE DAY: Not getting that damn Paraguay visa
WORD OF THE DAY: Chillax
DISTANCE TRAVELLED: Nada – time off the truck.
Good morning Santiago!!! Didn’t quite get a sleep in, as we had to meet in the reception at 9am this morning, but hell I feel like a new woman waking up out of a bed this morning. Even after waking up several times with traffic noise, sirens and pedestrian traffic passing all night I am happy to report it was a good sleep. Breakfast is also included and it was one of the best hotel breakfasts we have had and will also be one of the last as we are camping for 32 days of the 42 we are on the road for this section.
So at 9am with passports, copies of passports, passport photos and copies of our credit cards (a prerequisite for access to funds) we set off on the Metro to take us to the Paraguay Consulate. The metro was amazing. It was clean, efficient and to take us 6 stops return cost us a total of 2.32AUD for a return ticket. Metro de Santiago is South America's most extensive metro system with 5 lines, 108 stations and 103 kilometers of track making it the second longest in Latin America after that of Mexico City. The metro system serves the city of Santiago, Chile. Three of the lines are rubber-tyred metro. 4-Line and 4A-Line are traditional steel wheels. The system services around 2,300,000 passengers per day. The system is administered by the state-owned Metro S.A.. Along with Metro Valparaíso in the city of Valparaíso and the Biotren in Concepción, it is one of the three metropolitan railway systems in Chile.
We only had to walk 10 minutes to get to the Consulate gates and we were buzzed in when we asked about Visa’s. This was a good sign. So we found ourselves in the consulate office 20 minutes after they opened, with 6 hopeful faces as Marky Mark explained our predicament. Now my Spanish isn’t that crash hot, but I heard Monday (today was Friday and we leave Sunday) and a few head shakes and a door closing didn’t seem to be good news to me. Pretty much they need 1 business day to complete the visa and we could come back Monday. Mark explained this was not possible and she closed the door to go and check with someone. Well this happened two more time, to which came the same reply. A big fat no. Crap. So we left the consulate 20 minutes later with downcast faces and still no Paraguay visa. Buenos Airies is our last resort. I am thankful I am getting there earlier now, so I will get my Brazil visa first and then I will be able to get an additional day’s start on the Paraguay visa before the group arrives. I am telling you Visas are a pain.
At least we got to see another part of the city, which wasn’t as busy and more the financial and business district end with shops. I am still trying to find replacement batteries for the ones I lost in Potosi for my camera. So every time I walk past a phone or electronic shop I stop in and show them my battery to which it is always a no, they don’t have them. I think I may just have to make do for the next 3 months till I get to the USA and then get some backups then. I will just need to be more organized and now that we are camping for most of this section just charge it during the day on the truck. It has just been a long time, over my whole camera history that I haven’t had at least one backup battery, ever.
Besides a few museums (not my forte) and just walking around and soaking up the city, there isn’t a lot to do in Santiago City itself. We have decided to do a winery tour tomorrow, so today was used for supermarket shopping and chillaxing in the lounge back at the hotel. I even managed to get in a 3 hour afternoon sleep, which I haven’t done all trip and it felt amazing. Liz, Paul, Kate and Omar went to the movies and saw a ‘bad 3D flick’ called In the Hour of Darkness or something just as badly titled and apparently the movie wasn’t any better. Today we also met 3 of the ‘newbies. I’d like to introduce Helen from the UK, Kirralee from Oz and Mike from the UK. Welcome to our Tucan Family guys………
Omar was catching a taxi with Malar at 7.30pm to the airport, so we decided to have a quick dinner back at the Italian restaurant with Omar before he had to get back. Yes I know, boring going back to the same place, but it is good food for a good price and they managed to get our food to us in record time so Omar and Kate could get back in time to say goodbye. Helen and I hadn’t quite finished dinner, so with my goodbye to Omar done at the restaurant it just makes you realize just how quick time flies. To think I have been in South America for 2 months and on tour for the last 5 weeks it is scary. It probably doesn’t help that I am counting down every single day till I see Zeme and Kate and I are also keeping count of how many days left of the whole trip. This was a joke that started out on day one of us meeting and has just continued, it’s not like things are bad and we want it all to finish, we are just keeping track of what number we are at each day. To say 154 days 5 weeks ago to 119 days today, the days are just sliding by……. I am lucky I have a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow; a light at the end of the tunnel, something to look forward to in my future with Zeme in August, but not sure how good it is to count away your life.
So a low key day all round. After dinner I finished loading the last of my photos, doing some banking, a few emails to send out and it was also great to have live chat with some people on Facebook. It was cool to have 3 conversations going at the same time. I have been a little remiss on keeping in touch, but this is more from access rather than care factor. So I am wishing Dave all the best for his BIG move to Oz and I am so so so sad I will not be there to greet you and to Sean who moves to Melbourne in 2 week’s time and a shout out to my great mate, Tentie, Morphie Lisa on the waiting of some news next week that I know will be good and I have all my fingers and toes crossed for you buddy.
I finished off my day with a call to Zeme and it was amazing to hear his voice. It has been the clearest line I have had so far and it was like he was in the next room. 40 days and counting xx
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