oooooh, we're half way there...(6 months down)

[Okay, I know I'm over half way through my trip but let me have this one. Cheers. Plus I like Bon Jovi. Don't judge. Okay, you can judge a bit].

Time really flies when you having fun right?! Well yes, but also definitely no. The last 6 months have felt like my whole life (in a good way of course, don't get me wrong). Climbing Macchu Pichu and hiking down canyons with Steph feels like it was a hundred years ago, and just trying to remember all the things I've done between then and now is nearly impossible - thank God I've got this blog and facebook to remind myself! Wow, 6 months. I've finished my volunteering in Lima after 5 life-changing months (ergh, I know I said that, cheesy right, I'm sorry, but they have been pretty life-changing, it's true). I've met some pretty amazing people, both volunteers and students, who have all been so full of life and beautiful. It was very sad to say bye to all of my students, who I've really got to known over the past few months. I was presented with a lovely rosary from one of the ladies that I taught, who also begged me to come back soon. Happily, I will return at the end of my trip, when I have to get my flight back home (which I still have to book, oh crap yep just reminded myself of that. Thank you blog, you're good for one thing). I've had some really fun and hilarious times living with the volunteers, like running through fountains, celebrating my birthday in the sand dunes in Huacachina, trying cerviche, pisco, cuy and alpaca and dancing my little legs off dressed as an elf in the Andes. And also showing my beautiful family round Lima. Its been a pretty good 5 months. I'm definitely going to miss it, although I'm very very excited for the next half of my adventure. Also, I made a cheesy photo montage thing of my time volunteering to put on facebook, but I guess you lot can be lucky enough to see it too. 

                                      

                                         Part 2 - Arica 

ANNOUNCEMENT - First facebook message in weeks from my brother - 

Paddy - You're going to need a jumper

Me - What? 

Paddy - Because it's going to get a bit Chile...

(My emotions - a mixture of disbelief for the communication, and then a saddening fit of laughter because I found the pun funny)

sunset from El Morro

But anyway, talking of the next part of my adventure, it really has already started. I actually finished my volunteering about a week ago, and have been chilling in Chile (see what I did there...) for about a week with the beautiful Suiza Yael! (I volunteered with her). I arrived last Sunday after a surprising tiring 22 hour bus journey, and since then it's been all uphill. I'm in the north of Chile, in Arica. Some fun facts about Arica (I put fun facts in bold because it'll draw you in like 'oooh, this is going to be interesting', when really it's not that interesting, it's just my observations about the city. Got ya!) - 1) It's a crossover city, linking Peru and Chile border crossing. Also Peru and Chile don't really like each other - they have a long history of wars and land-stealing (there's recently been huge debates and anger about how Chile want more of the Pacific ocean but Peru won't give it to them. I don't know). 2) It's the driest city in the world (according to some newspaper cutting in the hostel kitchen). It gets close to no rainfall per yer, and is in the Atacama desert. But it is next to the ocean. Water water everywhere, but not a drop to drink (from some poem I studied in school by a guy I can't remember). 3) The beaches are beautiful, it's very very hot, and the sky is pretty at night. Also there's a huge famous rock called El Morro where you can watch the sunset over the ocean (they're just some general observations). 

me by the lake, and look there's a huge mountain! 

Arica has been amazing, Yael has just left to go back to Lima (I'm alone!) and I have two days left until I venture back up north to Arequipa! We visited the Lauca National Park yesterday, which is home to the highest lake in South America, or the world, or something (you can see how much attention I pay to things - it's a pretty high lake though, believe me). The lake is at 4500m, the highest I've ever been, but this time my heart was okay, I just got a piercing headache. It was worth it though, it was beautiful! I saw vicunas (animals like llamas) and flamingos, and we also visited a lovely little town for lunch. We have also laid on the beach for a fair part of the week, but can you blame us? Also I'm as pale as a ghost so I think I needed some sun on my skin. Oh, and we

legs on the beach -
 guess who has the ghost legs!

've eaten our weight in guacamole and wine (again, we're 21 year old girls, AND we're in a country renowned for its amazing wine, can you blame us?!). So Arica has been pretty perfect!! I'll be sad to leave the beautiful weather. However I am very excited to get to Arequipa again, a city that I'm in love with. I'm hoping to do an intensive Spanish course when I'm there, and then after 3 weeks, I'm off on my travels again with Yael to the salt flats of Bolivia. It's a hard life...!! (really though, I should probably start getting down to this dissertation thing soon...)

So, that's all for now I guess...I'll add some pictures so you can all see what's been going down over here, and I'll go and drink some more wine and read my book in the sun (erm, I mean...drink water only and study..haha who am I kidding?!) 

Love you all, hasta luego! 

S x

arica from the Morro

miss red-face by a mountain again