Back in the Game

Greetings!! Sorry for not updating in yonks; I've been sans-ordinateur for a ridiculous amount of time- but my good old Tosh is up and running once more thanks the gormless charms of Miguel at PC Factory. There is so much to share, some of it may have already escaped my memory, but I'll do my utmost to fill you in.

Uni life is more or less uneventful; I mostly toddle through the days and try to absorb as much as possible. The highlight of my week is, without question, Spanish classes with Señor Bobbert, a German pedant with a taste for novels by Philip Roth and an immense capacity for remembering names. Thanks to those 3 hours a week, I am a subjunctive machine! I have resorted to irritatingly pointing out to friends (both foreign and Chilean) where the use of subjunctive would be optimal, and where it is absolutely obligatory, just in everyday conversation. They love it, I can assure you...

Last weekend, we took advantage of the two Bank Holidays for Independence Day and took a girly road trip up north to La Serena, on the coast. Anna, Cris, Laure, Mirva and I squished into a tiny white chav car and whizzed up the highway (when I say whizzed, we stayed within the speed limit for the whole 6-hour journey, of course!) to the beach, where we had assumed it would be boiling hot. You may be able to tell from my tone: it was not hot. It was bloomin' freezing. After such a long journey with only one CD, of only 10 tracks (Passenger, if you were wondering. Quite apt now I think of it), we were going slightly doolally. Not as doolally, however, as the people of Punta de Choros appeared to be. Two hours up a dirt and gravel track, we arrived at Punta de Choros, population 50, which is famous for being a secret wildlife hotspot. We had our 6th empanada of the weekend and got in the queue to take a boat out and see the dolphins and penguins, but (as much as I hate to generalise), the people running the attraction seemed to have an IQ of about 83- perhaps due to the village's tiny population and remoteness. Due to lack of organisation on their part, we had to wait over two hours whilst half of Chile overtook us in the queue, before we finally saw the magic- and gosh was it magic! Tiny waddling penguins, scores of dolphins, giant lazy sea lions and a mischevious little otter entertained us as we huddled on our little motorboat and wished for a bit of sunshine. Absolutely incredible!

Unfortunately, on the way back we got a bit lost. On a dirt road in the middle of the desert, being lost is not the best feeling, but my Finnish friend Mirva entertained us with a game of 'Who Am I', using loo roll taped to our foreheads. Our journey back to Santiago was even more fun thanks to the imaginative boys in the car next to us, with whom we exchanged written messages pressed against the window for a good couple of hours! What I would say is, the road up the coast of Chile must be one of the most beautiful in the world, right up there with the Amalfi Coast in Italy.

Next weekend will bring a trip to Mendoza, Argentina, so I'll be sure to keep note of any anecdotes to post! Hasta pronto :)

La Entusiasta
xxx