Snippets of reflection

17 hour bus rides give me plenty of time to think and reflect on the last 10 days. Thoughts that have slipped through the cracks on my previous posts but deserve some recognition all the same. So I'm writing them down in order to not forget them the moment I'm free of the confinements of my seat and taking in the sights of another amazing place along our journey. In no particular order: 

- Don't sit in seats 53 & 54 on an overnight bus unless you enjoy the smell of urine

- There are so many dogs on the street because they are taken in as puppies then cast out to roam wild once they get older. How they can do this is beyond me? I'm guessing the sizes of their homes has a lot to do with but god, the idea of casting Oti aside for 3 months is painful enough, let alone for forever!

- Nothing tastes quite like a sandwich you've made yourself with fresh ingredients using a plastic knife & a paper bag as a chopping board 

- English speaking locals are like gold, especially when they offer to drive you to the bus station so you don't have to carry your packs the 4 blocks from the Avis office to the bus depot (and as a bonus play cool music which Jimmy has shazaamed for later enjoyment) 

- It feels like we have been away a lot longer than 10 days, but it's also exciting knowing we have 9x that long still to come with and epic finale week in NYC with friends and a cool looking apartment to boot

- While the temperature during the day here is warmer than home is right now, the nights are MUCH MUCH colder, so maybe it's just practice for when we one day move to Wanaka 

- I wouldn't ever want to be lost in the dessert because sleeping in the dessert sucks every ounce of moisture from you, leaving you gasping for water at about 3am every night

- Not a new observation for me but one that still surprises me. EVERYONE smokes! Both travelers and locals. With our crazy expensive cigarettes in NZ, maybe it does work as a deterrent after all when you compare how dirt cheap they are in most other parts of the world

- Chileans prefer to say Ciao instead of Adios as their goodbye which I find interesting but enjoy returning with a Ciao now and maybe receiving a smile in return 

- You can get a damn good bottle of Chilean Carmenere wine for about NZD$5. A bottle of vino between us each evening is too tempting at that sort of price!

- The three most important modes of transport in Chile appear to be buses (loving these right about now -6 hours into a 17 hours journey), taxis, and most importantly, those things attached to you called legs. Which is refreshing when coming from a city of drivers!

- Jimmy has had 3 strangers compliment his beard (I think this count might grow somewhat as the beard itself continues to grow). 

- I think the beard also gives of a false impression that we have been traveling as long as the beard has been growing since people seem surprised to hear how little time we have been here for. We however feel pretty damn fresh 

- Sleeping pills on overnight buses work a treat!

That is all.