1137 At terminal. Bus due 1140 but another by same company marked 1105 only left five mins ago. I and some English backpacking woman who asked me the time are both on the 1140 to Valparaiso and we both determined that was not the right bus. I guess I shouldn't worry but would be good if the thing would turn up.
Got up super late, staying in bed a bit too long, at about 1035. Thought bus was 1130 but actually 1140. Cleaned teeth but didn't shower and still wearing same T-shirt as yday and day before, but WTF. Will shower when get to hostel tonight and put my one clean shirt on then, then take laundry tomorrow morning.
Managed to get taxi at stand near hostel, even tipped only 200 on top of the 2500 fare. Bough big bottle of water, 580ml diet coke at kiosk in terminal. Seeing myself standing next to a sort of cafe I went in. They do a 'ham only' sandwich so I asked if it really was 'ham only', ie no mayo. They didn't have that but they did have ham & cheese, so I had that. Bit pricey at 1200 (plus sign said 900-ish) but still.
Ah think bus is here.
No, it says 11:00 Salamanca.
Backpacker woman also stood around down concourse. Don't want to intrude on her but also good to keep an eye out as she acts as reassurance I'm not missing my bus.
Anyway, last night. With that pitcher I introduced myself at a nearby table, intending to give it away. I ended up getting invited to sit down (I did knock over my own glass as I stood up, but that was more of a hitting the table than a real drunk thing) and chatting with them. (Understood maybe 50% but all very amicable.) Probably drank most of it myself but they did drink a bit.
Ended up going for a drive with the three of them. This arguably wasn't super-smart but fuck it, I did feel OK with them (and they weren't really drunk, but yes, drink driving issues). Place they intended to go was shut but we ended up in some small obscure cafe cum bar with them (I just had a few chips) sharing chicken and chips and having a beer. They weren't really on the scrounge; I gave them 1k (all I conveniently had) when we got to that place and that was it.
They drove me back into town after, in fact they called me back after I walked off (not sure why, think they thought I was going in wrong direction). Quite nice chaps, one 38, one 34, one 22ish. We spoke a little about the education protests, as I understand it it's a bit like the UK situation, costs to students going up compared to what it used to be like.
I don't think I was a drunk twat and if I was, fuck it, it was still cool.
1148 Still here, but so is backpacker woman so it must be cool. Those last two buses suggest 40-odd mins delay not unusual, and it also happened to me here a couple of weeks ago. I guess La Serena is in the middle of longer distance routes so tends to suffer from delays incurred en route. Maybe not though as at least northbound you might expect it to be first stop after Santiago and hence pretty reliable, so it's probably just poor scheduling.
1159 On bus. Final destination Valparaiso, must stop somewhere else first as luggage guy wanted Valparaiso bags first (presumably so they're at the back of the luggage compartment). Not moved yet. No one sat next to me yet but think someone will.
Got something like 3 or 4 mostly half full bottles of water in daypack. Thing weights a ton. Just looked, 3 big bottles, one I just bought full, one nearly empty and one half full. Need to either drink up or transfer contents and throw one away. This is dull but I'm a little bored and can't relax properly until we get moving and whoever is sat next to me has got on. (I got an aisle seat, as usual.)
This is the last long-distance bus of the trip. Valparaiso-Santiago is something like 1.5h and if I recall guide book correctly, there's a bus every few minutes during the day.
1206 OK, we're off and at least for now have double seat to myself. Which is nice.
Fleece pockets somewhat bulging, apropos of nothing. In part this is mainly my cap in one pocket and the mobile charger (complete with UK-Chile adapter) in the other but I should probably try to de-bulk them. (For the record, mainly because writing it might make me remember, the plugs here have two narrow cylindrical pins, not to US-style (?) blades. I think I said it before, but I have only one correct adapter with me and two of the US-style ones because I got confused.)
1213 Musing over whether to top up credit or not. Apparently I have £2.46 anyway. Am sure it was zero other day. Have noticed it fluctuating bizarrely before though. Will try to send yday's blog entry then.
1223 Coquimbo.
1230 Still got my double seat. Come on, shut the doors you bastards! :-)
I still have those biscuits I bought in Iquique. Suspect they're all crumbled by now but still. Not actually hungry but they crossed my mind. What I would like is another diet coke; I have lashings of water, some of it even cold, but a drink with some flavour would be nice. Oh well, can't have everything.
Occurs to me should I pass this way on a future trip Coquimbo might be a good alternative stopover to La Serena. It's virtually next door and I suspect has more-or-less the same buses, but I never really made it here so it would be a bit of a change.
1233 Off, and still with double seat. Yay!
1242 It's odd but I find myself looking back almost wistfully at the far distant past, viz yesterday, sat on the terrace at El Santo drinking overpriced beer. But you can't go back. :-)
Yes, I am slightly bored, hence frequent blog entries about nothing.
1348 Just been given a snack. Cheese and nothing else sandwich. Woohoo! Oh, and the usual tiny poke-hole-with-straw carton of 'Nectar Sprim Damasco', which is a welcome bit of flavour. I have no idea what damasco is, and I just looked it up in my dictionary and it says 'damask', which I have some hazy idea is a kind of rose. The picture on the carton looks a little bit like a peach; well, it has a big stone in the middle anyway. Tastes OK anyway.
Frankly bored out of my skull. Oh well.
1421 Wrote an e-mail to Zuhamy about last night. The more I think about it, the more the drink-driving aspect of it scares me. I mean, the guy was not off his face or anything, but I'm pretty sure he'd had a few. Oh well, I did survive and it's over now. Maybe I'll be more aware of that sort of thing next time. Thinking back I have never been in that situation before; if I have gone anywhere with anyone it's always been by taxi.
Battery at 59% but guess I have been using phone a lot. Do have Yes Man but would rather not read it, and should be able to charge phone while having shower at hostel prior to going out. If I do go out; I probably will but in a way it would be good to have a quiet night. On the other hand, I am on holiday and I don't want to waste time. We'll see, I guess.
Just totted up and I reckon I drank about 15-6 litres of beer over the last seven days. Not good really but I guess it could be worse. Week before was about 12, which is not good either but better. I am on holiday I guess, and I will have a good week and a half off completely over Christmas. I am not drinking massively most days (last night was quite unusual), it's just that I am drinking every day.
1749 Think we are at Villa Alemana terminal. Last little bit seems to be taking forever. Oddly apprehensive about getting taxi to hostel. Still, should be daylight.
Torn over whether to go out tonight or not. Will take a view on it later I guess.
1815 Probably at Vina del Mar terminal.
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