Last minute everything

OK, to gloss over this a bit, my grandmother died last Tuesday. My parents were moderately adamant (am sure that's poor English but WTF, I need to practice being less pedantic) that I not cancel the trip, though in the end the point was moot as (probably largely for my benefit) they managed to arrange the funeral for this coming Thursday. So I am still going. I did, as it happens, take out the Trailfinders policy on Monday so would be covered for cancellation had it been necessary.

Anyway, on a practical note that meant I just spent the weekend in Skegness and am writing this on the Peterborough-London train on Sunday evening. I am getting the train to Peterborough on Wednesday night after work and my Dad will pick me up from there (as he usually does these days). I am not sure if he will take me to Peterborough on Thursday after the funeral or if I will get the train from Skegness. I need to look into that.

What with work being a bit mad (political deadlines and my trip meaning I'm out for three weeks) I expect this week to be pretty stressful even in purely practical terms. I need to get my last bits of shopping done at lunch Monday or Tuesday and aim to be basically packed and ready to go by the time I go to bed Tuesday; there is Thursday night but I don't want to rely on that.

I also got an e-mail from Inmoba Apartments yesterday saying they have an electrical fault in their properties and asking me to cancel. I managed to book somewhere else (another serviced apartment; I do plan to use hostels in general but I do rather like serviced apartments in big cities as I can pretend I live there ;-) which sounds half decent and fairly central (a few Metro stops away) for less money. This is a slight shame as it may interfere with my pseudo-default plan to walk over to Pio Nono on Saturday night. However, I vaguely know the area the new apartment is in (El Candil and that late bar nearby where I got too drunk my first night in Santiago are not far) and that area is also apparently quite lively anyway. (The Phone Box Pub, a 'British-style bar', is also nearby and I think must be tried, if maybe not on Saturday night.) In a way it's maybe a good thing I'm forced to do things a little differently and I can perhaps stay at the Inmoba apartments when I'm back
in
Santiago before my flight home.

I have a persistent chesty cough and blocked nose which my parents kept saying I should see a doctor about but I think it is slowly improving and will be OK.

Anyway, with the stressful week I expect to have, I am kind of just setting my sights firstly on being air-side at Heathrow in plenty of time, secondly on getting checked in to the apartment in Santiago and thirdly on having a relaxed if probably somewhat boozy night there on Saturday. (Maybe two-and-a-halfly, lomo a lo pobre in some cheap restaurant in Santiago Saturday early afternoon. :-) ) If things go well and I feel like staying out all night, fine, if I end up reliving my first night sat outside El Candil and go home at 11 that's cool too. Play it by ear and try not to set up too many expectations.

I am unlikely to find time to sketch out any itineraries other than the one I blogged some time ago before I go, but given I've done the main sightseeing stuff in Santiago already and will be there before I fly back, Sunday is basically set aside for getting up late-but-hopefully-not-ridiculously-so after Saturday night, planning the itinerary, booking the first hostel (over the net) and buying the bus ticket (probably in person). I am in the apartment Sunday night then hopefully a late-ish checkout, semi-leisurely milling around and an overnight bus on Monday.

Anyway, my fingers are starting to annoy me (I need to cut my nails, at least this has reminded me) and I think I've said my piece for now so I'll send this before I manage to lose it...