forever. over.

G O I N G H O M E

After 6 months away, today i start my journey back home.


6 months with no mummy
6 months with no doggles
6 months with no tv
6 months with no english
6 months with no vintage shops
6 months with no cheddar cheese or baked beans
6 months with no wardrobe, plentifully stocked
6 months on the other side of the world

It's time i was back.

Home is where the heart is, and that's where i'll be.  

Cont.

Peru
Tour of the sacred valley.
Train from Ollanta to Aguas Calientes.
Machu Picchu.
Train from Aguas Calientes to Ollanta.
Hour minibus back to Cusco.
Cusco, Festival of the Sun.
12 hour bus from Cusco to Arequipa.
2 day tour of the Colca Canyon.
2 days in Arequipa.

Tonight
6 hour overnight bus from Arequipa to Tacna.


Chile
26th
1 hour taxi from Peruvian border to Chilean border.
9 hour bus from Arica to Calama.

27th
10am flight from Calama to Santiago

28th
3pm flight from Santiago to Paris to London.

29th
i. m.  h. o. m. e.

The Travels thus far

Chile
Flight from Santiago to Calama
Bus from Calama to San Pedro
Jeep from San Pedro to Bolvian border


Bolivia
Jeep tour over the Andes for 3 days to Uyuni
12 hour night bus from Uyuni to La Paz
4 hour bus and boat from La Paz to Copacabana
Copacabana to Bolivian border
Bolivian border to Peruvian border


Peru
10 mins bus ride up the road.
Driver decided it was too dangerous due to the indiginous strikes against the silver mines and turned back.
Peruvian border to Bolivian border.


Bolivia
Bolivian border to Copacabana
Copcabana to Bolivian Border
Boilivian border to Peruvian border


Peru
6 hour bus ride over dirt roads to avoid rock throwing from locals to Puno.
3 hours later, 14 hour night bus from Puno to Cusco.


In one day we went through Bolivia and Peru twice, recieved 6 immigration stamps and were told to never return to Bolivia. 

ALL WE WERE EVER TRYING TO DO WAS TO LEAVE!

p e n i s l a n d

Rachel and i are going to a MALE strip club tonight.
A perfect ending to my wonderful time in living in a catholic country.


PHOTOS. TO. COME.

SACA UNA FOTO

Daisy Walker- Jan to June- bedroom wall in santiago

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA.

Today is my lovely mama's birthday.

To the best mama in the world, I'm sorry i couldn't be there to partaay witcha but i'll be back home soon!

Love you lots xx

800.

800.

That is the number of views that my blog received this month, as of yesterday.

THATS A RECORD.

frickin loco.

S'all goin down.

I only have 4 more days left living in Santiago.
Shit is gwan dooon.


The past few days have just been a blur of illness.
I've had a cough which has now turned into a chest infection as of last Monday, so suddenly it's Tuesday 31st May and i only have 4 more days to get on top of this Kings work, possibly die of coughing and run around Santiago ticking off things on my very very numerous lists of things to buy before i leave on Saturday morning with Rachy poo at my side to join the others in the Atacama desert. 


It's crazy.


Since when did this all become so soon?


What's even weirder is that in a matter of weeks i've gone from totally not wanting to leave to suddenly SOOO READYY.
I seriously do not want to be here anymore. I can NOT wait to leave.
It's not like anything bad has happened but i think my body clock has finally started ticking and realized how long i've been away for and how much i actually miss home. I suddenly can't wait to be in my own home, to see my little brother (who i havn't seen in, what will be, 6 months!), to be back in London and back with my old friends.


It feels so strange to think that what i called my home for 5 months, without parents, without my old friends being able to visit, will soon just be some city on the other side of the world and i'll be back living in London and back to a life i just put to one side for a year. 


Isn't it just so bazaar how you can just pack up your things and just LIVE somewhere else for a while and then pack them back up and go back home, to a home you havn't called home in so long?


w h a c k o  j a c k o

On 2 U

Lo Barnes thinks she can get drunk and text me and get away with it.
She cant.
I always know.
MUMA ALWAYS KNOWS.

dog.wearing.glasses

What i want.

It's been 5 months.
5 months wearing the same 2 suitcase-sized wardrobe.
Anyone who knows me well, knows the entirety of my wardrobe could never fit in 2 suitcases. 


I miss my dresses,
I miss my hats,
I miss my socks,
I miss my heels,
I miss my underwear,
I miss my furs,
i miss my bags,
I miss MY CLOTHES!!


So, here are a few things that if i could.....i would.

      

ITS SOMEONE'S BURFFDAY

Today it is a very special someone's birthday!
Philly is now officially the big TWO ONE.

So,

H.A.P.P.Y. B.I.R.T.H.D.A.Y. D.A.W.G

I love you.

Last night was Philly's surprise birthday partay and surprise, surprise, it was actually a surprise. 

Surprise?

It was hat themed.

MINE WAS LIKE BOW PEEP!!

A team effort brought the whole sha-bang together and the lil tyke never even suspected a thing.

GO. TEAM.

I hope you had a wonderful day, pup!

Down south

a bus then a bus then a bus...

Alas yesterday we were sin internet as well as sin phone signal so today is a two day travel update.


Monday.
We woke up in Frutillar bright and early to get our sight seeing in before we had to scoot off.......that was not necessary. 
FRUTILLAR HAS NO PEOPLE.
Literally.
We actually came up wth the game of firstly, 'Spot the person',which a little later became 'spot the person under 50'.
After wandering around for about an hour with only dogs for company, we finally found an open cafè and chowed down on tea and kuchen.


That was when i discovered that kuchen is shit.


What was supposed to originally be long morning in Frutillar, leaving by bus at around 2pm turned into a WE MUST LEAVE NOW at 12pm.


Bus from Frutillar to Puerto Montt.
Bus from Puerto Montt to Ancud, Chiloe.


On the ferry on the way to the island of Chiloe, we made friends with a Chilean, Felipe, and an Australian, Simon, both from la Universidad de Chile in Santiago.
One thing lead to another....and we all ended up in the same hostel and somehow left our travels in Felipe's trusty hands which gave us a welcome break from attempting to figure out how on earth we would get to Chepu to see the sunken forest when there was NO transport links there..?


Tuesday.
Tuesday morning was an early start to get to the bus station to get on a bus to Castro. We hopped off early at the 25km point and waited for a random man in a random jeep in the middle of nowhere to pick us up- creepy?


Nonetheless the creepy jeep that turned out to be not so creepy did arrive and all 5 of us, plus backpacks somehow fit in. A 20 minute drive on a dirt track past little wooden houses in fields surrounded by forests and bushes and random, seemingly wild, cows lead us to our hostel.
There awaiting us with open arms was the land lady and her hub. We straight away shoved our bags down in our rooms and then headed off in the jeep again to a house on the same road, next to the river.
We got in a little speed boat and set off across this wide river, leading to the ocean. 

-The sunken forest-

It was beautiful and definately worth the jouney. The water was entirely calm and the deep, deep green of the foliage on the hills on either side was just amazing.


Finally we arrived on the other side at the National Park. 


We were not prepared for the INTENSE MUD and AGRESSIVE FOLIAGE as the Lonely Planet had described.
At first i did not understand the meaning of 'agressive foliage'......i now do.


The walk was 5 hours in total, and all done following a hand drawn map by the boat man. 
Potentially dodge, though in the end, successful.


I have never seen such a variety of landscapes in one place before. We walked through intense muddy fields, a beach, sand dunes, a deep forest, moors, along cliffs and through rivers in one walk on one day. It was amazing and exhausting. And all with  our new friends, Felipe and Simon....and a few crazy wild beach cows.


We arrived back at around 6pm and straight away were fighting for a hot shower...which we did not get. 
THERE WAS NO HOT WATER. 
However, dinner was de-lish and soooo yummyyy and GLUTEN FREE. I have NO idea how everyone ate the same as me plus shit loads of bread, plus cake as well.


Around 9pm, the girls headed up to bed, exhausted, in our satin sheets, falling asleep to an intense rain and wind storm outside...




Lulo will update you on today's activities through her blog.

The travels have begun...

For Day 1 and 2 go to Lulo's blog...

SACA UNA FOTO

Douglas Walsh- Morocco- 2011

back and forth

So, today was my last day at La Segunda.
I can not believe it has gone by so quickly.


Tonight Lulo and Philly will finally be home from Buenos Aires and....

i.cant.wait.

a)Because i havnt seen Philly for a week, which feels more like a month to me. I am definitely not used to him not being 5 minutes away anymore. I have no idea how i coped in Paris.

b)Because Lulo coming back means that tomorrow she and i will be leaving for the south to go traveling around for a week.

So once again......                 i.cant.wait

dog.wearing.glasses

La Segunda Said.

GOT THE ALL CLEAR!!


After missing out on BA, and not really having a chance to get to know Chile over these past 5 months because of work i finally plucked up the courage to ask to leave work 2 weeks early to travel and was greeted with your typical Chillean response;

"of course my little one!"


A.W.E.S.O.M.E.


As of Friday i will no longer be a La Segunda-gal, and as of Saturday i will be in the South with Lulo in Puerto Mont to begin our week of Chilena travels!!

XOXO TRAVEL GURLL.

i.miss.her

She's great, aint she!?

Z Weekend.

So, after receiving the rather heart-wrenching news that i would not be able to go to Buenos Aires after all, i had resigned myself to a weekend of boredom and depression.

H o w e v e r,
Zara had other plans.


On Friday, D-day itself, Zara, Amanda and i went to Bar Rene to meet the boys.
Not quite done after a few drinks, Zara and i somehow managed to stay out til 7am, dancing the whole night on far more piscolas than i thought which resulted in a naughty gluten binge on the way home.
BAD DAISY.


Saturday morning was somewhat painful, but nothing rollercoasters couldnt fix!
That's right, the girls bustled on down to Fantasilandia for hamburgers, haunted houses and MONGA!!
I literally have never felt SO SICK and for SO LONG in my life. Definately a bad hangover cure as it cured nothing, only made it worse. I very nearly threw up all over Zara at one point.
Sorry about that.


Saturday night was Salsa dancing and drinks which i was SOO not up for, so instead i wined and dined myself with a hot bath and a movie which i did NOT finish and fell asleep at 11.30. 


Sunday i woke up with a cold, great.
But of course market shopping and home made potato dauphinoise made by Zara was just what i needed. 


So all in all....Chile may be shit at Visa explination, and my very bestest friends may be spending a week with my boyfriend in Buenos Aires...but, i still had an awesome weekend.


Thank you girlies!!


But no thanks to the guy who poo'd on the street on Sunday.
That was TOTES. NOT. COOL..

The secret BA

V.ery I.rrated S.o A.ngry

YES IT DOES.

Why is Chile so shit and doesnt explain anything!?

 Lulo, Philly and Shnuggles are all going to Buenos Aires this weekend....i was supposed to be joining them.

not now im not.

I was not informed that upon my arrival in Chile i had 30 days to 'register' my visa and therefore i have been living here illegally.

That's all fine- except the system to register visas is BROKEN today and will not be fixed until tomorrow when we were supposed to be leaving for Buenos Aires.

Guess i'll stay home then!

I could not be more pissed.

Filo, ciao Chile.

DUNZO

IT'S DONE.
IT'S SUBMITTED.
ESSAY'S DONE.
MISSION "MAKE LIFE BORING AND STAY INDOORS AT ALL TIMES" IS OFFICIALLY OVER.

LET.LIFE.BEGIN.

Today has been probably one of the most horrible days working at La Segunda so far.
I've sort of grown accustomed to the death counts, the overly detailed facts and the, at times, heart breaking interviews i have to conduct...but today i found myself really really feeling sick to my stomach.


As im sure you all know Osama Bin laden was killed last night.


I'm not necesarily pleased or angry about it; merely shocked, mainly at the way people have reacted to it.


My job today has been scouring through the editorial and opinion pages in the French, Spanish, English and American online newspapers to translate and write up as an addition to the piece we are writing.


The american ones are the worst:

"Tonight, i am proud. We got the son of a bitch" 

The Washington Post

"This is revenge, but it's also deterrence and also means that bin Laden won't kill any more Americans" 

The New York Times

You're proud!?
Proud that you killed someone!?
Osama bin laden did terrible things, he killed thousands, but in no way do i think anyone should ever rejoice over someone's death.  Most likely they rejoiced after 9/11, are we going to mimic them and do the same?


And what on earth do you mean, "won't kill anymore Americans"?
THE WORLD was affected. There were more than just Americans in those towers, in the buses and tube stations in London and the bomb attacks in Madrid.


I have honestly never felt so sick reading the news as i have today.


Pages upon pages of photos of people rejoicing in the streets with paint on their faces, of articles dedicated to expressing people's pride in being American because of THIS.
There are even botched photos of bin Laden's corpse all over the internet.


This has made me so sure i never want to work in this line of journalism.
Who on earth can be so sick and stupid to hear someone is dead and  be happy about it.
This isn't the end of terrorism, if anything this is the begining.




Im sorry to rant and i dont mean to push my opinions on anyone, but i am so angry and sad about this.
Life is life, no matter whose it is and we should never be joyful when it is taken away.

w a n n a b e t h i s g i r l

or maybe the dog?
dunno.
don't really care.....
cos BOTH are cool.

Bogey in my hair.