Embalse al Yeso

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Originally uploaded by chrislemess

Trip to Embalse al Yeso. Gorgeous weather, still a bit of snow around. Nothing more to say as my keyboard is falling apart.

Waves

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Originally uploaded by chrislemess

I slip in and out of crises associated with a general loss of direction. The relative bipolarity of my happiness seems to be dependant on a few big things, but can be so easily swayed by simple pleasures that define exact moments of content.

I seem to remember this being one of them. A beach in Nicaragua. Friends, fires, a frisbee and (need more f words.. appropriate ones) a faultless sunset.

I bought a coffee/doughnut special the other day whilst prepping one of my classes. I received a receipt for the purchase. Which brought me to wonder in what situation I would require said receipt for my 990 peso (2 buck) purchase. I charged my Bip! card (read transportation swipe card) with a meagre 1000 pesos to get me home, and hey presto, another printed receipt. There's never even a question of not handing it over, or asking if I want even it.

Anyways, I found another reference to the plethora of paperwork and interminable beauracracy that reminds me oh so much of my time in Hungary (yes I am in the process of applying for a visa... what fun!) in this blog: http://lucasenchile.blogspot.com/2008/03/chile-quirks.html ) He quotes Mitch Hedberg who even refers specifically to the doughnut situation.

In other news, Teddy Kennedy died today. In other other news, I have been away from home (Perth... I think?) for one year on the punto. Sorry, there's just some Spanglish I can't avoid. So when I have something more to write about this momentous (?) occasion, I will write. Maybe. Nos vemos...

Boarding

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Originally uploaded by chrislemess

I desperately want to hit the slopes here! The mountains are just incredible, and it's all a short drive from the city.

I wish I had more to say, I was really just testing this "blog from Flickr" function...

Chillin' in Chile

Another attempt at this blogging thing. And excuse me for the tremendously obvious title for this post. It's actually making me sick. Actually speaking of being sick, I am. For the second time in a year or so of being away, which isn't too bad!

So I posted some mutterings on Facepoo and I thought I'd reproduced them, slightly tinkered with here:

Two months in Chile, and this is what I have learnt:

1. MILO exists here! But it's finer and not quite as chocolaty as its Aussie counterpart. No they don't have Chilean vegemite.

2. Piscola is a bad drink to *start* a night on. Especially when you pour them like I do. Muy fuerte. The wine is awesome.

3. Everybody here drinks and drives everywhere, especially the medical students. They also all smoke. Go figure.

4. I can't ever find bacon. Edit: I have now located bacon.

5. The shower curtains have an inside bit that goes inside the bath, and an outside bit, that serves only decorative purposes I think... but I'll investigate this more and report back. Edit: it appears this is done in the US as well.

6. Fuck reggaeton. Ok, aside from the ONE beat sample that it contains, I also have a problem with the disturbingly sexist and materialistic imagery these "artists" idolise - see commercial hip-hop the world over. BUT, at least the reggaeton isn't from Chile!

7. Having BBQs in winter is a great idea! And shit, I've had a lot!

8. I love the casual dress, and the fact that dreads are normal and having long hair isn't wierd. Even in the suburbs...

9. There's late and then there's Chilean time. Enough said.

10. Swine flu has yet to get me. Although I now know plenty of people with it. One gave me a lift to a party the other day. Great.

11. They don't speak Spanish, they speak Chilean. But the slang is pretty epic.

12. It's a ridiculously conservative country (apparently) with traditions upheld by religion and thus interesting perspectives on morality... but in reality the average upper-middle class piscola-swilling, pot-smoking kid doesn't really give a rats and is part of a generation that I think is going to change the country significantly in the next 20 years. I can't say I care much for the significant class system, or the interference by the church in politics (the biggest pharmaceutical chain refuses to sell the morning-after pill, and ipso facto abortion is illegal), but all in all the people are amazing, ridiculously friendly and hospitable. I'm very much looking forward to seeing more of the country!

Edit: no one likes talking about politics. Reminder: don't ask someone you've just met what they think of Pinochet. Apparently being the aforementioned dreadlocked, pot-smoking student doesn't necessarily drive you toward political comment, even despite the fact that you didn't really live during Pinochet's rule. This is most likely because your parents made a lot of money as a result, and you still live at their house in a nice suburb. So that makes sense. Don't bite the hand that feeds you and all that I guess...

The sad thing is that the current President, agostic and divorced mother Michelle Bachelet finishes her term in December this year, and most people I talk to don't want either of the twats that are running for the spot. One's a relatively useless has-been, and the other a billionaire Bush-esque conservative. Difficult.

I was then instructed to add some more positive things about Chile, by my "polola" (girlfriend).

- The mountains around the city are epic (when you can see them through the pollution)... shit was I just cynical again?

- The baggers at the supermarket conveniently place almost every item in a seperate plastic bag, because they know you're holding a "Derelicte" fashion show in your living room, and need more materials.

- It's cold enough outside at the moment to hang all my clothes after a night out and by morning they don't smell of smoke any more! (That was positive!)

- There are a million buses per minute (yes, I counted), so you never need to wait more than 5 minutes. Which is good cause I'm impatient as all hell.

- Update on the pisco situation: I gave it shit before 'cause it gets you wasted. Why would I give it shit for that? It does its job splendidly for about five bucks a bottle.

- Oooh, final one. You can find beautiful girls here. I did. But she's mine. So find your own. Mine also keeps pointing out that there are many attractive men here too (awesome). So if you're female, or gay, come and visit. We'll take you hunting.

And thus ends a self-plagiarised blog update. More soon. Maybe in months. I feel kinda dirty for doing this.

Attempt number two at blogging...

I don't appear to be able to get into this whole blogging thing. I feel overly self-interested as soon as I start to assume that people care about the ridiculous things I do with my life. I even feel stupid writing a diary as though some day it'll be dug up, read and ultimately make people sick from all the gratuitous references to the wonderful people and places I've been and seen and done. Admittedly, I'm far more interesting than a whole bunch of people, but I'm sure they know that, so why force the point?

I was meant to start this six months ago. Where did six months go? Six and a half months ago I took a one way flight from Perth to Singapore to Bangkok to Doha to Tripoli to Casablanca and eventually ended up in Budapest. And now after six hard months of partying I've decided to chase a girl to Chile and do it all over again there. Different place, ultimately the same reasons. I can't go back home now, I'll still be looking for something. At least this way I'm distracted until I work out what that is. And what to do with it.

So for now I might put some thoughts up here in an attempt to be more connected with everyone I love or at least mildly respect around the world, and additionally to soothe my fears that I now longer know how to string a sentence together, having been out of formal education spheres for a few years now... So good luck to me!