My Time in Chile pt. 1

I'm sure that you've all been very bummed out by the lack of recent posts, but I think you will forgive me when you understand that I have been traveling and taking lots of pictures for your viewing pleasure.
I am currently in Vina Del Mar with my Aunt Elba, and it was quite a trip to come down. I first went to Ilo, where it was HOT and I saw some people that I knew when I was a missionary there. That was good times. The most interesting part of that journey was the discovery of the new road to Ilo from Arequipa. Before, one had to go due South from Arequipa to Moquegua, and then to the coast, which took about 5 hours. Now, there is a road which goes strait to the coast (East) from Arequipa, hitting the ocean a little bit south of Mollendo at a place called Coca Chacra, and then it goes South hugging the coast. This trip takes only 3 and 1/2 hours, and instead of in a large bus, it is in a 10 passenger van. If you ever have to make this trip, buy the seat RIGHT BEHIND THE DRIVER. The ones in the middle are hard and uncomfortable, and there are leg room issues in other areas. The cost for this is 30 Soles and it's an interesting little trip.

Ilo was good times, I saw some of the Church members that I hadn't seen in a while, like these people:
The Sarmiento Family
And Hilda, Sheyley, and Bianca


I always enjoy seeing them, I get warm fuzzies.
After Ilo, I went down to Tacna. I forget what I have written about Tacna, but it now was a movie theatre, woot woot! The only thing to do in Tacna is buy stuff. There are clothes, electronics, and other such things. I then crossed over to Arica. This is not a very pleasurable experience, not because it's difficult, but because it becomes tedious with repetition. You have to get out of the car to leave Peru, get in, drive a few hundred yards, get out again, get in again. Basically just a hassle. But clearing that, I was able to recover the ticket that my aunt had bought on TUR Bus. It costs about 80 bucks to get from Arica to Santiago on the 1st floor, which is like first class. I recommend this because it is a 30 hour bus ride. There isn't much to comment about this particular ride, lots of desert, lots of time sitting. The one super plus to this trip is that there was a functioning electrical outlet by my seat and I had the foresight to purchase the necessary adapters and whatnot to enable me to use my laptop most of the trip.

Journal Post: The long trip.

Buses are not usually a very comfortable way to travel, but here in Peru, there is a wide gap between the "good" ones and the "bad" ones. Some bus companies are just plain scary. The problem with buses is that the services that have the most available departure hours are generally the ones that will make you question your decision to go on bus. Some companies that just really stink: Power, Sagatarrio, Yulsa, Del Carpio, Santa Ursula. Some companies that are ok: Flores, Cromotex, Cruz del Sur, San Martin. There are lots more, but I'm going to say right now that I usually roll on Flores. The cost for a pretty decent Bus Cama (bus Bed) is 60 soles from Arequipa to Cuzco, ($20). Not too bad. If you try to save money on bus tickets, you are asking for some scandal. On Yulsa, I have been in a wreck that was kind of scary and delayed my four hours. On Power, we had a tire blow out (because they were REALLY bald) and that set us back an hour. Also on Power, we almost hit a cow and by dodging the cow, almost hit an oncoming car. To be fair, things are so crazy on the road, that there is really no "safe" travel, but for comfort, there are better and worse.
That being said, I almost froze to death on my way to Puno. (Too bad I traveled in shorts). I had to put my backpack between me and the window to block the wind. And when you go from sea level to 13,000 feet, things get cold. I survived and am better for the experience. My parents and brother Jonathan, (who we call Cheek), now know and love cool areas in Southern Peru as I do. This audio slide show show demonstrates that a bit.

Journal Post

What happened to me this weekend while you were all starving for a new post, you ask? A seven hour bus ride through a barren desert thats what happened. I am currently in Tacna, one of my favorite places. It is a mere half an hour from the border with Chile and although I have never crossed into Chile that way, it´s comforting to know it´s over there. (My mother is Chilean). Anywho, satuday I was frantically assembling a audio slide show for our reception on Friday (For my Wife´s Peruvian family) and also designing some thank you cards. I am in Tacna because this is how I am going to travel to Puno and Cuzco with my Parents and Brother (sans Malu), who were in Chile and came up for the wedding.
Quick note about why this all happended so haphazardly- My eldest Brother and Buddy Passes. My father and one of my brothers flew to Chile on a buddy pass. This is a pass that you can buy if you know someone in the business and the pass it along. They are way cheap, but this time a year it is a BAD IDEA. First of all, it´s the holiday season so everyone is flying (buddy passes are basically the extra seats on flights, so if the flight is full... well, you get the idea). And also, coming back from Chile or Peru is bad because the planes are carrying Asparagus from Peru andm Grapes from Chile. They have to go by wieght and they make more money witgh the product than with passengers.
That being said, my brother had to go back to the States and it was an ordeal. My parents were supposed to arrive here on the 8th, but that was fouled up. So now, I find myself in Tacna. More to come after the long journey.