Valparaiso-Santiago

0217 Hacked off to the max. Do not understand why I was such a sap. Still, I guess experience is cheap at any price and I had never been in that exact situation before. Not much of an excuse because it was blantantly stupid, but maybe sometimes you don't realise at the time. My much vaunted intellect let me down but it won't happen again the same way.

Anyway, to bed. Oh, and have to say this FUCK, FUCK, FUCK:

Certainly paints drunk chap this afternoon in a different light. And me. I am obviously a fool. At least I am less of a fool now, I hope, than I was.

0229 In bed. Feel like a total twat but it's OK. A cheapish lesson (albeit one I could hardly have believed I needed) at CLP9k. May have been inadvertently patronising to guy here at hostel but guess the key thing is he's 1k up and I'm out of here tomorrow. To quote something I don't remember, life teaches us its small lessons and we move on.

But fuck, I am annoyed with myself..

0234 Indeed. You've been a fucking idiot, Steve. But what's done is done and it's not happening again. Move on and try not to beat myself up. Still can't believe it but I could go on like that forever.

Anyway, bit pissed and whatever patronised guy said, best if I check out by 11. Want to waffle more but would just repeat myself so not gonna. To sleep, perchance not to dream.

1150 Didn't want to get up but did. Stood outside hostel now. Sneaked out like a thief at, err, midday - didn't see anyone. But I paid on arrival and had no key so all's good. Gotta walk over to laundrette to pick up clothes then get bus. Will waffle further about last night later no doubt but those two fuckers told me I needed to go to the Pullman Bus terminal to get to Santiago, not the main terminal. I haven't looked at guide book and probably won't now. My inclination is to put myself in the hands of a taxi driver once I get the laundry.

Oh yeah, and like I was going to check out by 11. ;-)

1231 Picked up laundry. Was in fact being folded when I arrived, by sheer coincidence. Good job I didn't turn up earlier.

At cheap restaurant practically next door. No menu as such except on board outside by ordered chicken and rice, to be slightly healthy. Apparently also comes with a soup of some kind. Perhaps a bit early to be eating but sod it.

Dredged guide book out, bus terminal is apparently eight blocks or so east of here on same road (Pedro Montt) so though bag is a touch heavy will probably walk it.

Restaurant guy asked where I was from but didn't guess I was English.

Faffed a bit with wearing bag as backpack on leaving hostel but I felt a bit of an idiot and more importantly couldn't get the hip belt remotely tight, so didn't bother. Need to play with it, maybe when back in UK.

1311 Place might be called Donde Luchiano. Absolutely stuffed. Shall get bill and strike out for bus terminal.

1322 Finally got bill. CLP2900 plus tip, which last night notwithstanding shall me around 10%.

1353 Sat on 1400 bus. Basic, no toilet but it's like an hour and a half. Got to terminal at 1340ish, because they nearly sold me a ticket for 1340 bus and I wasn't sure if I'd make it. I think this bus was cheaper; maybe the 1340 was semi-cama, I don't know. (This is 'clasico'.)

Loads of companies with service to Santiago but prices or frequencies not shown and I wasn't going to faff asking everyone, so just went with Tur-Bus.

Ticket was CLP2,500.

Bought 1.5 litre bottle of diet coke at terminal. Have half a bottle of water already and felt like a coke. The thing is, I nearly always have it with food and you get a tiny bottle (350ml max) and I always find myself wanting more but unwilling to pay restaurant prices for a second tiny bottle.

Didn't have the wit to choose a seat with the other one of the double free to give me a chance of a double to myself. As yet no one sat next to me - oh no, as I wrote that a pregnant woman with a fucking kid came and sat next to me. Cheapskate not springing for a separate seat for the sprog. I think there's a double free behind me but I don't reallly like to move. I'm feeling a little cramped.

One of those little lessons - at least try to pick a seat in a currently free double given the chance.

Oh, she - like loads of people here, it seems - favours pieces of pop music as ringtones at maximum volume.

Dunno why but suddenly thinking of the bus from Cuernavaca to Mexico City when I flew back to the UK for a week between Cuernavaca and Guadalajara. That was first time I'd taken a bus outside UK, I think. For some reason that must be in my mind; somehow the TV in the room (!) this morning (never turned it on of course, but surprisingly 'luxurious' for a hostel) reminded me of watching Beavis and Butthead with Spanish subtitles on the TV in my room in Cuernavaca while waiting for taxi to bus terminal.

Yer a fool, Steve. Why didn't I have my wits about me when choosing seat? Is a woman sat behind me anyway now. For all I know might be a double free right at back but not getting up to look.

Woman actually seems to be bitching slightly to the kid in Spanish about it not being a good seat. Well tough. Should have paid for an extra seat, shouldn't you? She might have the balls (metaphorically speaking) being a local and privileged by possession of a sprog to go for a wander. I half wonder if I should or could move next to someone else, on pretext of giving her space (but really at least as much for my own comfort) but I don't like to; hardly seems fair to whoever I move next to. Plus to be honest she can suffer, I have taken an irrational dislike to her.

Her fucking arm is resting on top of my left elbow.

1419 Ticket just checked and she didn't ask conductor if any other seats free, so I guess she's not moving. (I have the aisle, to be fair.)

I do feel a bit of a git but it's assigned seating and it's not like she's standing up because of me. And if the bus was full there'd be no alternative. Call me a misanthropic bastard if you like.

Maybe it would even look rude if I moved away, like I'm shunning her. Fuck it. Not moving unless she asks me to. I'm not doing anything wrong. Presumably she was prepared to sit with sprog on her lap when she bought the ticket, and she's got more than half the space.

To be scrupulously fair, she's probably OK. She asked me to reach down for her bag so she could get her ticket out perfectly pleasantly. I just hate the situation. Waffling too much but it helps to pass the time.

1500 Oh, drunk bloke yesterday afternoon also tried to make me a present of a quarter-full bottle of Chilean wine he had in his bag.

And the couple I met last night in the bar said it was rude to give a 10% tip on a small amount like 1k, and I should tip 500. I don't fucking know.

Battery at 34% but it's OK, should last me until checked in at apartment in Santiago.

1532 Lots of people including woman next to me just got off. I think, based on question guy asked me when I put my bag in the hold, this is some outlying terminal (it may actually be Pajaritos, though not sure - yes, it is, we just passed metro station) and we continue to a more central one. I hope it's somewhere like Estacion Central but as long as there's a metro will be OK.

1630 At apartment. Very nice; balcony (only eigth floor but still cool), actually have a second bedroom with bunk beds and a second bathroom. Bit of confusion at reception (it's an apartment building) but guy phoned up ("I have a foreign gentlemen here" he explained) and was met in apartment by woman from Elegebe. I had to pay cash, which was a surprise, but I had 80k on me and am going to pay remaining 9.6k when she picks key up on Saturday at 9am. I am a little worried about that as if she's late I am a bit screwed, but I guess if push comes to shove I can probably persuade the concierge to hold onto 10k and the key.

Oh, it is right outside Puente Cal y Canto metro. Like Metro Central Heights and the tube, perhaps better.

Bus got into terminal adjacent to Universidad de Santiago metro at 1540. Massive queue to buy ticket but got one, changed at Los Heroes and here. Hot as hell but didn't help having long sleeved shirt and fleece and with daypack slung over shoulder and carrying bag. Cooling down now and will have 3Ss in a bit.

Wow, the wifi even works and is a proper password rather than one of those 'open network and a web proxy asks for a password' setup. Will send this now and can start a separate entry for later.