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Chile-d out.


Our blessed last three weeks were spent in the beautiful country of Chile. Where they speak Spanish so bloody fast and with so much slang that we could barely understand anyone.



The Valle de la Lunar, San Pedro de Atacama desert.
Riding back to San Pedro de Atacama, towards our most recently conquered volcano, Licancabur 5930m
Beautiful Pisco Elqui




We made our way from the hot Atacama desert in the North, down to the beautiful Pisco Valley, to the coast of abundant seafood and pirates near Coquimbo, to the cultural hub of Valparaiso, down to the adventure capital of Pucon with it's snow capped active volcano and back up to the wine region of Santa Cruz.

A visit to a pisco distillery, Vacuna




Chilean Cowboys out for Navy Day, May 21st. Coquimbo

Pirate ship tours in Coquimbo
Sea Lions laze on rocks near Coquimbo
Taken by pirates!

It was an emotional three weeks and actually very relaxing; getting us used to Aussie prices again and allowing us to unwind and prepare for our return to home...


Valparaiso, Chile

Street art, Valparaiso
Sea Lions hanging out on the waterfront, Valparaiso

Sunrise over Valparaiso
Volcano Villaricca, Pucon
Two of the many stray dogs who adopted us in Chile

And all too quickly, we found ourselves at our final destination, Santiago. No more overnight buses, no more withdrawing foreign money from atms, no more lugging our bags around, no more booking accommodation at our next destination, no more worrying about losing the camera. All we had was a one way ticket back to Australia.

Murals in Santiago, Chile
A stray dog listens in to the tour
Brad leads an impromptu tour through Santiago for some new comers. The Presidential Palace, Santiago
Concha y Toro Vineyard, outside Santiago
View from our apartment in Santiago, snow capped Andes in the distance

Our flight took us South along the West coast of Chile, down close to Antarctica and then up in between Australia and New Zealand to Sydney. We were spoiled with beautiful views of the fjordes in Chile and snow capped mountains on our way out - the sun set TWICE in our 14 hour journey! What a bittersweet end to our AMAZING journey. I must admit, it was really nice to hear an Aussie accent on our Qantas flight home and experience some of that Aussie kindness that we didn't even realise we'd
missed.

We're still automatically replying to people in Portunol and gazing in wonder at a toilet that will actually flush toilet paper. We've had our most craved items of food; dim sims, good coffee, vegemite, poached eggs, sushi and a good sunday roast.

A couple of thank-you's are required:
First, a REALLY BIG heart felt thanks to everyone who has followed our blog! Special mention to Brad's grandparents, both sets of parents and Inge who were our biggest fans... We started it mostly for our own record and have really been touched with the amount of feedback and views that we've had. Honestly, it has been an absolute blast to write and I am going to miss it!


And, of course, to good ol' B-rad. Thanks for putting up with me for 12 WHOLE months, it is no small achievement. Aside from a few separate tours here and there, we were in each other's company for that ENTIRE time and I am very happy to report that we are still talking to each other. I can tell you now that a relationship is never the same after a food poisoning experience in a room with an ensuite that has no walls. Thanks especially to Brad for his support and editing work involved in writing this blog. He could always be counted on to sit next to me at an internet cafe and update his AFL supercoach team for hours on end while I struggled away.


 I can reveal to you now that Brad WILL be posting one last (and long awaited I am sure) blog, with all of your frequently asked questions and a map of our trail through South America.


Wish us luck on our biggest adventure yet; finding a job and settling back into reality.... (Not before we visit you all and recap our stories once more of course!!)


Over and out, Kath
xx

....................................


WAAAAAIIIIIT! You didn't REALLY think I was going to leave you this way, did you? Here is a special something we have been working on over the past few weeks. Brad needed an outlet to showcase his creativity and here it is people! His performance is simply breathtaking. For those of you who don't understand the reference (all you overseas peeps), check out the youtube link below to a Qantas ad that was released back in the 90s. Enjoy!

Qantas Ad 1999: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbGuqmaDgLA

I still call Australia home (our video): 


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Comments

  1. Unknown9 June 2014 at 03:08

    Hehe love it.. And I'm gonna miss your posts... I too have a shit load of questions for you but they can wait... Enjoy your time with family and friends and getting back into life.. Xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous9 June 2014 at 03:49

      Thanks Gwennie. We really appreciate you reading along and hope you're going well x

      Delete

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