Billie Besos

Hello and welcome to my next cheesy post. I thought I would mainly focus this one on making decisions, seeing as it’s something I’m not great at and something that’s pretty important when you’re travelling. If you can’t make up your mind on where you want to go next, or how long you want to spend in a place, then travelling can be a little stressful.

So… I am currently writing this in a park in Mendoza, Argentina (yup I didn’t plan on coming here) but the best decisions are those you didn’t expect to make (or however the saying goes). I was well into my time ‘solo’ travelling when I had a bit of a decision-making crisis. As the predicted end-date of my trip was nearing, I was struggling to prioritise what I wanted to do in the short time I had left. On the one hand, I could try and fit in all of the places I wanted to see in Argentina (A LOT) in a short space of time, or I could save this for another time and not rush it all, and actually do what I really felt like doing for the last month or so of my trip. Besides, with the money I have remaining I just don’t think I could go to all of these places and really experience them to their full potential.

Ever since leaving Costa Rica back in February, I’ve been itching to get back to surfing out of fear that I’ve lost all of my ability. I’ve loved every minute of exploring the countries I’ve explored, and have found out so much about the varying cultures of South America, but travelling can be extremely tiring and I’m not sure how many more long bus journeys and bad nights’ sleep I can take. Yes, these things have been part of the experience and I wouldn’t have done it any other way (ok, maybe a few flights in exchange for buses wouldn’t have been the worst thing) but I also just feel like I’m ready to chill in one place for a few weeks and reflect on everything I’ve experienced (told you it was gonna be cheesy). But no really, I think I just want to relax, get back into being healthy, surfing and doing yoga (like how I started my trip). This is also partly because I think I’ve seen so many cool places in the past few months, that I don’t want to stop appreciating each new place I visit. I’ve started to notice that when I arrive in a new place, I think it’s cool, but I’m not always balled over with amazement, which I think I was when I first started travelling. I found that I didn’t fully appreciate the desert in the North of Chile, because I had just been to the desert in Bolivia (although they are technically the same desert). So I want to take a step back from it all just so I don’t take anything for granted (cheese).

The desert in a Bolivian context (left) and in a Chilean context (right). Note: they are technically the same desert

In my last post I was talking about staying in Valparaíso, Chile for a few weeks, then I was thinking about maybe heading back to Costa Rica, but I then realised that for the same price as flying up to Costa Rica, I can go back to Peru (where there is also great surf) AND go back via Florida to see my beautiful family that live there on the way home. I think it’s a no-brainer. I’ve found a really cool ‘workaway’ project on the coast in northern Peru where I’ll work in a hostel for a few weeks, helping with check-ins, in the restaurant and kitchen etc. It’s right on the beach so hopefully will be a great way to surf, do yoga, practise Spanish and eat some delicious Peruvian cuisine (definitely one of the better cuisines in South America).

Ok, so let’s dial it back a bit… I have spent almost 3 weeks now travelling solo and I’m really getting into the swing of it. It’s actually crazy how many people you meet when you’re alone. I would say that there are probably more people travelling solo than in groups so everyone knows how you feel which is really nice. But I’m definitely still learning and I think it’s good that I’ve had to do this by myself. It’s true that you learn a lot about yourself from travelling alone (not always good things…). For starters, I can be extremely stupid and get annoyed at myself sometimes for my lack of organisation or for just making simple mistakes (for example taking my dirty clothes to the launderette THE DAY BEFORE my bus and not thinking that maybeeeee they might not be clean in time; I resolved this by changing my bus and then losing money, v. stupid) but I need to not be so hard on myself for it, I’m only human. Also, I am getting over one of my main travel anxieties, the one thing that I’ve had a weird complex about for a while and it’s not even that big of a deal: the moment you arrive in a place at night and have to get to your final destination. Are taxis dodgy here? Does my hostel even have 24-hour check-ins? Will there be scary people hanging out outside the bus station ready to mug me? are all thoughts that have previously run through my mind. This gave me actual anxiety for a while but now I realise I may have been being slightlyyyy dramatic, and I just need to accept that it’s a part of travelling and as long as I’m sensible about it, everything is normally OK. I’ve also noticed that I’ve been getting extremely annoyed recently when I speak to a local in perfectly ok Spanish, and they insist on replying to me in (often broken) English. I get really frustrated because I’ve put in the effort to know their language yet they don’t let me use my ability. But then I’ve also started to tell myself that maybe these people don’t get much of a chance to use their English – who knows, they may never get to venture to an English-speaking country in their lifetime. So then I try and give them the benefit of the doubt. For example, I am editing this post in a Starbucks in Santiago (I know, not the most authentic Chilean experience but hey) and a lovely man has started to speak to me, asking where I’m from etc. I started off in Spanish but then I realised that it’s probably not that often that he gets to use his English, so I continued the conversation with him in English because it’s not going to cause any harm. Sorry for rambling on.

Since my last post, I have mainly been in Chile. I guess it’s a slightly more developed country than the northern countries in South America, so it has felt pretty safe, and slightly more European in parts. I started in San Pedro de Atacama in the North as I said in my last post. The astronomical tour I mentioned in my last post was very cool but it turns out it was ONLY ME on the tour I picked (I was slighly skeptical and feared for my life when in the middle of a field with a random man). But all was OK (me being dramatic again). The desert and other sites I saw around San Pedro were beautiful and I met some amazing people here.

Pictured: a mountain in the Andes peeping into vision (left), the beautiful church in San Pedro de Atacama (top middle), me in front of the Valle de la Luna (bottom middle), the stunning Valle de la Luna (top right) and sunset over the valley (bottom right)

I then did as planned; I went down to Santiago where I had a great time, met up with some lovely guys from the city, one of whom I had met in the north, and ended up staying an extra night in Santiago on their sofa because they were so welcoming and nice.

My first few days in Santiago before I headed to Valparaíso

I then popped across to Valparaiso which was extremely quirky and unlike anywhere I’ve been before. This was a wine-filled weekend to say the least, and the place where I tried my first melon con vino (melon with wine, basically). This is apparently a traditional Chilean drink and I actually loved it. You scooped out the melon as it soaked up the wine, but as a result your melon was able to hold more and more wine as you ate it (recipe for disaster). Besides the alcohol, I also found out about the history, culture and art of Valpo (as the Chileans refer to it). As much as I liked the city though, I couldn’t see myself staying there to work long term; it was more of a cool place to visit and party (and it was way too cold lol).

Pictured: a cute lil cat posing and some cool street art (left) and some cool colourful steps (right)

The prettiest doorway you ever did see

Just a pooch minding his own business

Pretty mosaic

Germany? Brighton? A British seaside town? You decide

MELON CON VINO

Valpo‘s port

Such cool scenes (this blue house had the best little café in it)

I rest my case… the view from the little blue house

Just another cool building

The only thing without nice hubcaps is the actual van

A famous poet named Pablo Neruda used to live here and it’s now a museum

I then went back to Santiago; I really like this city even though a lot of people can’t see past the smog (quite literally). I met more cool people and spent a few days visiting museums and more viewpoints and got the chance to go to my first football match in South America!

Some pretty architecture and views…

Pictured below: the Palestino vs River Plate match I went to

I then made my rogue decision of crossing the border to Argentina for the weekend (with a little encouragement). It really wasn’t far to travel to get to Mendoza, a region known for its wine production. With this knowledge about the wine culture, it was a given that I would pay this city a visit. I’m so glad that I did, because it’s been such a cool weekend; I’ve explored the vineyards by bike, tasted far too many wines, and had the chance to discover the city and its lovely park. Even though I won’t be able to visit more of Argentina on this trip, I think this was a pretty good compromise.

One of the main squares in Mendoza

Pictured: tasting three different types of red wine (I’m now a new-found Malbec fan) (left), the big lake in Mendoza’s Parque San Martin (top right), inside a wine museum (bottom right)

Spot the grapes

The home of the founder of one of the wineries I visited

Me

Wine taught me how to ride my bike with no handlebars (cue the Flobots circa 2007)

Pretty views from my hostel in Mendoza

Another statue of San Martin

Views from a viewpoint in the park

I now have an overnight bus back to Santiago, where I have a flight tomorrow afternoon to take me back up to Lima. Can’t wait for more ceviche (for anyone that doesn’t know it, google it). Ciao.