YES.

Hail Mary

Im slowly making my way through the list.
Last night i managed to tick one more thing off.


After finishing work at 12.30pm (which apparently happens every friday!!) i got the metro back with Diego and Loreto, came home to chill with Ines and book our tickets for a day at the beach in Viña tomorrow. 


and yes.
this means i shall be seeng Lulo tomorrow :)


At 8pm the three ladies adorned our very 
attractive work out gear and took to the 
slopes. 
No snow, but plenty of heat.

An hour later we were at the top of Cerro San Cristobal sitting right beneath the Mary just as the sun set.


After an hour's climb we agreed we were tired enough, and sweaty enough to have earned a lil cheeky something.


One Banana and half a raspberry fro- yo later we headed back home for ...


True Blood. In bed. Then sleep.

The second is First.

WEEK ONE: OVER


My first week of 8 to 6 at the sunny place known to all Chilleans as La Segunda is over.....or will be as of 6pm this evening.


And by sunny, i do mean sunny.
Unlike most work places i have frequented here the air is not stuffy, the coffee machine not broken and the lunch hour is not codeword for 'You better not leave your desk'. 


Oh, no!
At La Segunda, people smile. 
They ask how you are and send you home if you look tired. 
They take a tea break half an hour before the end of the day just to 'unwind'.


Indeed the wreched Marie Claire Paris has a good deeal to learn from us Segundians. 
A great deal indeed. 

mi santa mi santa

A week of walking past it everyday made me determined to check it out, so after a quick session of True Blood over a berry juice and some grated carrot i headed out, camera at the ready, to climb Cerra Santa Lucia.

After reading my Wuthering Heights half way down in the shade, i returned home to check out the television series being shot in my landlord's apartment upstairs and to psyche myself out for my first day of work tomorrow. 


wooo can't wait!

viva el reciclage

Never fear.
Vintage is here.

After ambling about in the sun all day i was MOST delighted to stumble accross this wee lil fella.
Most who know me will understand my excitement at the discovery of a vintage shop, a GOOD one no less!

Just hanging out on the other side of the road from an ice cream shop was 'Reciclage i ♥'. And yes reciclage, i do. Poor ol icecreamy had to wait, I GOTS TO GET ME SOME VINTAGE.

12.000 pesos (around £15) each.

DONE.
AND.
DONE.

Chat me up or down

One thing i have found the chilleans have mastered above all things is.....The chat up.

Whereas ye builders of ol blighty are still leaning towards the universally known, "alright sexy" or "oi you, you're a bit of alright" the chilleans have flattery down to a fine art.

Despite often being somewhat disheveled and sweaty (it is 33 degrees most days) i am often met with, admittedly, a rather creepy and equally sweaty smile though what follows is somewhat different. "Preciosa", "linda linda" "ay que hermosa".

No, funnily enough i do NOT mind if you call me precious and beautiful, yet lovely. Nor do i mind the occasional "wow, you're so pretty!"
Seriously, feel free.
GO AHEAD.

Note to all English builders-

go to chile to learn how it's done.

LOCKER IN CHILE

After being abruptly awoken at 9.30am by Nelson to go to the gimnasio, i found myself somehow in ma wee lil trainers and nike sports bra ;)

An hour in the gym in 31 degree heat left me looking like this....

So i hopped in the shower and whacked on some sunnies to meet Philly at his hostel in Bellavista!

One grilled salmon, a mixed salad and some Pisco Sours with my housemates later, we were feeling a lil sleepy so we mosied on back to the hostel for a movie before Philly's big day at work tomorrow.

Walking home alone after was not so fun however....
tall,
blonde,
and paler than a white wall.
None of these exactly spell out "hey im a local".

Note to travellers- if you are any of the above, or an amalgamation of all three....you have been warned.
YOU IZ GUNNA STICK OUT LIKE A SORE FUMB INNIT.

Vale vale vale

Estoy aquí y boracho.
That's right folks. Im here, im not queer, and im drunk!

Just come back from my 'welcome to Chile' dinner with my new housemates and ive had a pisco sour and LOTS OF RED WINE!! yum yum yum

Im also going to a rodeo with one of them tomorrow and hiking next week.......woowooo!!!!

ME ENCANTA CHILE!!!

Might join a gimnasio tomorrow. Nelson wants me to do Spinning classes with him....NOT HAPPENING!

over and out.

Run up to the GO-GO.

Being back at home was the most amazing feeling after having been away for 5 months.
Sometimes you just need mama's cookin', papa's jokes and your old wardrobe full of your old clothes again.

Gettin' back to these cheeky chappies sure did put a smile on my face i can tell you!

However, 2 weeks isn't all too long and before i knew it i was a whole turkey fatter, alot of money lighter and packing 2 meagre suitcases for the next 6 months of my life.....in Chile.

A wonderful leaving din dins send off catered by MYSELF was the perfect way to say goodbye AND GOOD RIDDANCE to all the people i would be missing.
Cooking ALL that day and the day before also kept my mind off it all a bit. After all, Paris was a doddle, this would be too.

So, the next day i headed to Heathrow with Mac and my mum in the car.
After a teary farewell, i got on my first flight- to Paris, and then caught a connection to Santiago.

16 hours later.....

I had arrived.
9.45 am and already 26 degrees outside and sun, sun, sun.

It's weird going from one place to the next like i have recently.
London, Edinburgh, Paris, home, Santiago.
I had completely forgotten how lonely i felt in my first week in Paris, with no one there i knew and living all alone in my apartment before Annie arrived.
Suddenly im back in the same situation, but on the other side of he world, with no one i know and no idea where anything is, only this time........ i can also barely speak the language!

BUT i can't wait to discover a whole new city again and wander around and find random shops and cafés that can become my favourites and travel on weekends and make cool new friends cos im cool like that.

AND i cant WAIT to NOT be jetlagged/ sleep deprived/ coldified.

Paris was amazing.
The GO-GO will be too.

Language course on Monday,
Work starts on 17th.