Inspire me.

Friday, October 18, 2013

6:00 PM

Well fuck.

I knew this would happen. Too much backlogged and I can't remember what I'm up to sharing!! I'm currently on the plane from Santiago, Chile to Panama and then swapping flights and heading to CUBA. This is my first international trip solo without someone waiting for me on the other end D= I'm excited though, and I did my bajillions of copies and things and itineraries and safety precautions. I feel pretty set, worst case scenario I should still always be okay.

Argh but soooooo much has happened and I've seen and experienced so many things and it's turning into what I always hoped it would be and lol it might be stupid but I'm hella proud of myself for having organised myself (internet and smart phones yo! Lifesavers [part of me occasionally feels guilty for not doing it rough and properly backpacking...but ehhh I saved money all year and it keeps me safe lol]) and most of all, proud of myself for not getting fucking socially awkward and retard like I get sometimes. I've met so many people and talked to them, like, properly and even managed to connect and make friends. ACTUAL FWENDS <3 about="" actual="" actually="" and="" around.="" being="" but="" changed="" daughter="" dragged="" even="" everything="" experience="" finally="" from="" having="" hometown.="" it="" just="" like="" listen="" me="" mum="" my="" not="" other="" people="" s="" span="" speak="" style="mso-spacerun: yes;" this="" to="" tourists="" want="" who=""> me and know me independently of her. Connecting with family members that had no reason to take me in and being able to hold my own in conversations and be seen as an adult. Like yesterday, I took out my grand-uncle, his wife and my grand-aunty out for lunch and they all assumed that my trip was payed by my dad (loaded snob) with that stupid attitude, of yeah, you're just spending daddys money but I corrected them and told them that I had worked all year for this and I was here by my own merit SO FUCK OFF.

So I'm going to land in Cuba around 10pm Friday night...hmm sleep or find something to do....=P I get here the day b4 the tour group meets up so at least I have one night on my own <3 a="" account="" american="" and="" are="" at="" be="" boooo.="" bunking="" can="" canadian="" chat="" checking="" chick="" contiki="" contikiers="" costa="" cough="" cuba="" dawned="" dicks="" double="" ended="" entire="" everything="" experience="" far="" going="" group="" hope="" i="" if="" in="" into="" is="" it="" kinda="" leader="" least="" lol.="" lol="" m="" me="" morning="" mostly="" my="" not="" obnoxious="" of="" on="" part="" re="" rica="" s="" see="" sigh="" signed="" signing="" so="" some="" span="" spanish="" speak="" that="" the="" there="" they="" thing="" this="" time="" to="" too.="" tour="" toursits...coz="" up.="" up="" ve="" was="" where="" which="" while="" who="" will="" with="" yay="" you="" your="">

My Cuba tour lasts 8 days and is with a company called GAdventure which is similar to contiki but it includes less scheduled activitites and offeres them as optional so you can just chill or do your own thing if you want to. I want to try and do as much as I can even though Im scared of doing certain things, anyone who knows me knows that I'm retardedly unco lol. Suprisingly I've done well so far on the hikes and things I've been to but it's all been pretty straight forward except for a mini caving experience. There's much more active things on offer now, like canyoning down a waterfall thingo D= SOUNDS AMAZING ....and too hard. lol. White water rafting...how scary D= and scuba diving and surfing. I'm just not botherign surfing, lol straight up haha. Beach body issuesssssss. GAH but I'm keeping mikel's words close to my heart, "who gives a fuck, you're never going to see these people again". So day one of our tour group is Saturday and there's no activities, it's just for people to arrive and there's a dinner and info session at night. PLEASE DON'T BE DICKS PLEASEEEEE. Then at the end, I have 2 days free with no accomodation either lol I was going to organise it from Aus but then decided to wing it and see which part of Havana I liked the best and to decide wether I want to do another homestay or stay solo in a Hotel. We'll see. Then I'm off to Costa rica! Where I also have 2 days free at the begining but I have that all booked.

The last thing left to "worry" about is that I have no moneyyyy to spend. According to the internet, visa cards don't work in Cuba D= So I took out the money I needed in Chile and bought Euro's because they don't accept a whole lot of currencies there. So I need to hope that the airport transfer actually shows up so I don't have to pay anything the first night and hope that the airport money excange place is open when I land so it's less hassel later on.

I'm prepared yo! lol

Hmm so I guess I've technically been on my own since Friday, so a week. That's when my mum left with my gran back to Aus. I had already had the previous weekend as practise and man, that was highly successful and I felt elated to have been able to figure out public transport and go to a house party and mix well and hung out all weekend with people and had a good time. I've been lucky to find people who have really taken me in and looked after me. Shown me around and shared everything they had with me <3 ...i="" 2am="" 5th="" 6="" a="" again="" all="" already="" amazing.="" and="" arguing="" at="" back="" beautiful="" because="" bus="" camping="" can="" coach="" collectivo="" cost="" door="" down="" dropping="" easiest="" explain="" festival="" finding="" for="" friday="" from="" front="" getting="" go="" going="" got="" guess="" had="" having="" him="" home="" hour="" i="" is="" it.="" it="" la="" lakitas.="" lakitas="" left="" made="" me="" meet="" mum="" my="" myself="" national="" night="" of="" off="" on="" onto="" passing="" people.="" proud="" ride="" same="" santiago="" sat="" saturday="" serena.="" so="" span="" style="mso-spacerun: yes;" sunday="" supermarket="" take="" terminal="" that="" the="" them="" then="" to="" travel="" up="" usic="" via="" was.="" was="" way="" we="" were="" where="" with="" xd=""> So out of my world but I had the greatest time, totes the highlight of this trip so far.

For some reason, I guess I never got nervous =S I know someone will always have room in their tent lol (from my scout days haha, I never once brought a tent with me). Plus like the week before I had made fweeeends with Diego, he's a fucking sweetheart and so funny. Everyone calls him Oso Gominola, which is the spanish name for the singing mobile phone app that's like a green gummibear. He's a little bit largeeeee lol so instead I call him osito. Which is a way of saying bear. We connected really fast and I knew he would look out for me and his 19 year old sister was also coming so we were meant to stick together and protect each other =.= That's another story but first the trip lol. Those coach buses are fucking comfy as shit! Got nothing on planes, we didn't even buy the expensive ones lol and I stretched out, fell asleep instantly, woke up and was in Santiago xD Same thing happened on the way back. So now I feel better about doing the south of Chile by bus with Matty lol we're going to try and take them overnight as much as possible so we don't need to pay for accom all the time.

We got to Santiago around 8 in the morning and then walked maybe 10mins and got to central station and got the metro XD I was so excited haha. I wanted to take the metro the first time I was in Santiago with mum so I could figure out how to work it before having to take it with Matty in December. It's heaps easy, similar to aus but there's never fucking timetablessss, for anything =.= Chilean time =.= No one is ever specific with the time they're going to arrive because I guess it's impossible to know. There's only 3 train lines i think, and the maps easy enough to read. It was fun getting the metro with the Lakitas, they're not used to trains because they're more provincial hehe and they were all complaining about how everyones always in a rush in Santiago and how cramped everything is. I felt right at home =P Seriously, the amount of times I've gotten stuck behind people walking at a snails pace in La Serena. It's infuriating. By 9ish we were there! At a park/reserve called Cerro Blanco which translates to White Mountain. It was so trippy. When we got there we stayed at the bottom of the hill/reserve area waiting for the bottlo to open lol It's illgal to sell before 11am =.= The place just looked like a normal park but then when the guys were ready we started the procession up the track to the reserve area where they would be performing and where we could camp. It's tradition that each band has to enter the reserve playing, I guess they're almost like Marching bands but mainly comprised of panpipes, one bombo which is like a really deep sounding drum, one caja which is like a snare drum attached at the waist and someone playing cymbals. Their role traditionally has been to play for indigenous ceremonies in remote communities in the north who have very odd mixes of catholocism and their own original beliefs, so they usually play walking around the towns and up hills to offer up their music as a gift to the Pachamama which is basically like mother nature and to Mother Mary.

So the boys played on the way up the hill to the reserve and because we were the first to arrive they had to do a procession around the entire reserve as like a welcoming/blessing thing for good luck while this Mapuche lady blew incess smoke on all of us to purify us =S The grounds where beautiful, it was such an odd juxtaposition, having this massive concrete jungle next to this really rustic and authentic Mapuche reserve. THERE WAS A FUCKING TEEPEE. Then we set up our tents and they would play here and there and slowly more bands trickled in so our guys would welcome them in too so they pretty much played all day. The people from the reserve who organised the festival made everyoneeeee lunch, there was a total of 17 bands from across Chile, each comprising of about 13 members plus their family and friends. They would serve one group at a time and they gave us rice with this spicy orange curry thing =S It was tasty and super filling! Plus they gave us soft drink, bread and a small salad with celeryyy. TASTY. Then because our guys agreed before coming to Santiago, we went to play for a neighbourhood block party about 30mins away from the reserve. They picked us up in a school bus and we all piled in, still drinking and made it to these apartment blocks and the guys performed and they gave us all free beer and snacks xD Then on our way back we asked the driver if he would stop at a bottlo hehe Then back to the grounds and I guess just more playing and drinking until the set performances started at 8:30pm. Our group was the first again which was great because it meant they could just drink and dance in peace after that. IT WAS SO MUCH FUCKING FUN. The music was awesome and the bands usually stand in two rows facing each other as they play so people would dance in a circle around them but the dances have very specific steps. It was hard to pick up some of them hehe but I did a little bit of peruvian saya a couple of years ago so that helped but ehhh who gives a fuck as long as Im moving to the beat hehe. There was another super fun one where you would dance around the band in a circle with a partner but it's really fast and the chick has to do double the step the dudes doing coz it's one step forward and one step back because the girl danced on the outer edge of the circle. There was a bar there too where you could get rum and coke or beer orrrrrr EARTHQUAKES. lol I think I'm going to have to bring back a bottle of the wine they use so I can make it back home hehe it's tasty as fuck. The performances didn't end until 5am so that's when I went to bed =P Last from our group to drop haha xD and we got up again at 9am on sunday and they made us breakfast but it was greatttt, coz we rallied all the boys together and they're half asleep and they did the first morning procession into eating area and woke everyone up hehe Those bands are fucking loud btw. They gave us bread with mayo and ham and some tea and then when all the bands were done it was time for the main event! I had been told that they had to climb the mountain...it never occured to me what that really entailed. Lol I was in my own world at that point, kinda groggy, swapped into my ballet flat crocs *shudders* and was semi off with the fairies when I realised they were starting to climb up and caught up and before I knew it I was climbing a fucking narrow ass mountain path in crocs, out of it, while the rocks are tumbling down from under my feet and falling off the side of the mountain o.o The grip on the crocs wasn't too bad! I don't know how the fuck the guys climbed it and played their instruments at the same time, the sun was shinning down with full force and everyone was sweating their ass off haha lucky for meeeee, Australia has me prepared for that shit and I didn't break a sweat. It really wasn't hot, lol I was wearing long sleeved tshirt and black pants the entire time while they're all pouring haha. It was awesome though, because the path was so narrow only one person could pass at a time. When we finally got to the top the view was phenominal and the mountain top has this Mapuche ceremonial area so each band crammed into the space and once everyone had reached the top they started doing the offerings. We did this odd like...praying almost, to all 4 cardinal points where we had to put both hands up to the sky while the leaders spoke. So that whole ceremony was for the Pachamama to provide a good harvest and good weather free of any natural disaters. Then they offered up rose petals, alcohol and more incense. THEN jamfesttt, all the bands had to play at the same time, crazyyyy clash of sounds and each group sort of competes for who can play the loudest. It was so mad. Then we climbed back down with them still playing, thankgawdddd coz it slowed the decent down a lot lol. As soon as I got back down I rushed off to the bar and bought them all beer hehe, they were dripppping with sweat haha. Then it was technically over but everyone stayed for ages. We went back to the tents and different groups would hang out and play together, it was so awesome. While we made a massive bbq to share between 3 groups and god damn was the meat tasty as fuck, except it was just salt and fire lol. DeLICIOUS. Then around 5ish pm we started heading off again to the metro, most people tired and grumpy but I felt super satisfied and happy. We spent a couple hours in the bus terminal and then slept the entire way back to La Serena.

It was such an amazing experience. So fucking odd but fun and everyoneeee was super friendly and no dramas, so chill. Plus I made friends with a few new people and Leo was there! He rocked up heaps late but he made itttt, he's the one who really looked after me during and after the party the weekend before, he gave me a place to crash and made me breakfast in the morning. He's a real kool guy, so is his brother. They're both real artsy, in every sense of the word. Plus, they (and their friends) were good to talk to, they're a little different, they live a simple life but they've also done a bit of travelling and know a little bit more about what it's like in the rest of the world and don't get mad at me! There's been a lot of times where people are kind of...stuck in their circumstances and they can't let go, it's like they're mad at me for having the opportunity to leave my country and they make me feel like crap. Like...I know how lucky i am! Don't make me feel bad because you haven't had those chances. It's not my faultttt. It's not like I'm some obnoxious bitch going on about shit, I'm really aware of that and I always feel uncomfortable. I don't like talking about the places I've gone to and where I'm going because a lot of the time they just assume I'm bragging but that's really not my intention. So with these guys it's different, they're happy for me, and they're all excited that I'm discovering my roots and finding new experiences and living while I can, plus they get it, they see that I'm not some snobby bitch lol. I have no probs just going with the flow. People have the misconception that I'm loaded a lot of the time because Im travelling but occasioanlly I try to explain to them that I'm a westy lol I'm not poor, but hey! i also live in the ghetto xD hi5 !! haha. Trying to explain to them what happened in the west in terms of migration paterns and how Sydney's become the most amazing melting pot of cultures and people. Some people listen, some people just don't understand.

Mon, Tue this week I was technically alone too but I spent the whole time with people lol and Wed I flew to Santiago to my grand-uncles place and that all went really well! I was kind of worried because I don't know them too well, and I've never spent much more than 2 or 3 hours maybe like 3 times in my life with them and always with mum or gran who actually know them. It went fantastically, they were soooo kind, they were full waiting for me with lunch ready and hot to serve and then we napped and went to their performance XD He and his wife performed as part of a Trio. He plays Violin and she plays Chello. They were part of the symphonic orchestra and the philarmonic orchestra since the 70's and they're finally retired now but they still play. They've travelled all over the world, been put up in 5 stars and shown around for years so they're very worldy interesting people. Their home is beautiful <3 a="" about="" actually="" and="" because="" bit="" can="" chile="" conversations="" d="WHO" does="" don="" environemt="" florish="" formal="" friends.="" grandparents="" grew="" guess="" haha.="" have="" how="" i="" in="" kind="" knew.="" know="" learnt="" like="" listening="" little="" lot="" more="" my="" never="" of="" older="" people="" plus="" proper="" really="" richer="" say="" shit="" span="" spanish="" speak="" swear="" t="" talk="" talking="" that="" the="" their="" them="" to="" up="" well="" with="" young="">

The recital turned out nicely, and was suprised because another one of my grans sisters was there from another city with some other girl..who is my cousin somehow. I dont know. They were kinda mean snobs...but *sigh* I guess that's when I pull out my crap and can hold my own anyway, if theyre going to be cunts then fine, im going to play the ICU nurse card and talk about my travels for them to stop being such bitches. I don't think being a nurse is anything that special, it's one of the lowest entry requirments in aus lol and sure it's a hard job, you gotta care blahblah but in terms of professions, it's no where on the level of engineer/architect/lawyer/doctor...buttttt since it's Chile lol they're impressed by anyone who's made it through highschool and good job if you also don't have a kid =P So to have finished uni and by the age of 21, it's all like impressive here haha coz most people don't finish until 26ish coz they tend to have to work a bit and baby dramas and watevs.

But I had a nice time with them, later that night we got dominoes, the slices are massive D= and it tastes so healthy and fresh, delicious! The next day I took them out to eat and we got italian soooooo good haha. Then they took me to take money out and buy euros and in the arvo I met up with my cousin from my dads side. It was really awesome and easy! I was heaps tight with him when we were like 10 but that was for a summer forever ago. He's the biggest stonner haha, he's studying Music at uni so he moved interstate all on his lonesome and lol became a uni student =P He's got dreads now and spacers and he was real kool, we only talked like 2 hours but it was nice catching up and comparing drug culture across countries haha.

This plane doesn't have monitors, I don't know where we are or how long it's been or how long we have left. I can't imagine it's too long. I fell asleep before and woke up for lunch. I wonder what I'm passing over =S It's coastal but it looks really arid and deserted =S

I can't remember what other stories I need to tell buttttt it's been magical. It's more than I could have asked for and well...Im staying back D= haha at this stage at least until a few days after new years. But tbh....the plan was always 6 months. People convined me that I would be home sick but.....gah. There's soooo much I still haven't seen or tried. SO MANY RESTAURANTS haha If I leave early jan, that's still just 2 extra weeks. I kind of wanted to be back in time for the Sydney Festival though haha...yeah priorities.

There's heaps I want to do when I get back though. Like go on another meiditation retreat before I start looking for work. I want to go away with the boys to JB! I want to go solo hiking into the blue mountains and I want to get my license. I thinkkkk...the next tour I'm going to try doing IF I like these group style things, is around Australia! It only takes like 4 weeks and work will give me 5 once I've built up enough time there.

Ahhhh life is good at the moment <3 span="">

I'm really happy.

take care sweetpeas.

& Kitty goes MeOw.