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So, the next day, Jamue and I caught the bus to Valparaiso, a beach town about a couple of hours away. On arrival in the town, it immediately had a different feel to it than Santiago. It´s much more laid-back but the working-class culture is always close. For the most part, the people are nice, but the younger generation seems to have a ´bee in it´s bonnet´about something. They´re rebellious and fights in the clubs are common. I saw a couple in one club called ´El Huevo´, or The Egg in English. A French guy in our dorm was beaten up on the street, I think because he gave some jip back to some guys when he was walking home. Sometimes, a little common sense goes a long way.
It´s been good travelling with Jaume for a few days, he´s very accommodating about my level of Spanish and is always patient with my attempts to string some sentences together. This morning, we said our goodbye´s, as he´s going to Mendoza, and I´ll be going north, to La Serena. I´d contemplated changing my original route as he´s planning on catching a footie game there, not sure if it´s national teams, or the Copa Del Liberatadores but I´m sure it will be a good experience all the same.
Yesterday, we went to the nearby beach town of Viña Del Mar, with Sabin, a Swiss girl, and Francisco, another Spanish guy, from Madrid. The beaches in Valparaiso are non-existent so it was good to sit on the sand for a while and take in some sun.
I was thinking about going there again today with an Aussie guy called Rohan I met in the dorm. He´s a good guy, and is really good on the guitar. He´s more of a blues man than rock or indie, but is good to chat to. Down to earth and funny. He´s off to Mendoza tomorrow as well, so it´ll just be me heading to La Serena. I´m taking the night bus, so can hopefully catch some sleep, and am scheduled to arrive about 6:30 am.
Oh yeah, not sure exactly which hostels to go to, as my Lonely Planet guide was taken in the hostel in Santiago. If you haven´t got one, they´re like gold dust. I think it was when I was checking in, and when I picked up my bags, left it on the reception desk. It wasn´t handed in, and couldn´t identify it when sneaking a peak at other people´s in the hostel. A Swiss guy called Finn, who I might be seeing again en route, was kind enough to give me an old spare copy he had. It´s got basic maps and some info in there, so that should suffice.
I´ve heard La Serena is a nice place to visit so will chill there for a couple of days before heading onto Calama and San Pedro De Atacama, the meeting point for trips to the salt lakes of Bolivia. I´ve heard getting to Uyuni to see the salt lakes can be quite arduous, where (and I quote the Lonely Planet), "the success of the journey depends upon the quality of driver". Make of that what you will.
I´ve got some spare time before my coach ride at 10:30 tonight, so am going for a walk around town and chill back at the hostel.
Until next time...
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