Santiago, Chile

Before my trip I emailed a cousin living in Colombia, asking for tips to stay safe in South America. He warned that buses traveling overnight occasionally are stopped by armed gangs, who board the bus and rob passengers. He said it´s more common in Colombia and Brazil, and that it was very unlikely to happen in Peru. I guess I was just unlucky.

Halfway to Tacna from Lima, around midnight, our bus came to an abrupt stop. I looked out the front window (I was on the second floor of the bus, in the second row), and in the headlights were masked men with guns. They had laid out large rocks across the road, it was impossible to pass. They boarded and I heard a lot of shouting below as they directed the bus off the road. A man came up to the second floor, told us to put our hands on our heads. He was yelling orders, and it was a really stressful time to not understand rapid Spanish (I could understand him saying something like ´´No tengo matar nada´´, meaing ´´I don´t have to kill anyone´´). He came to each passenger and demanded money, and tore through the bags of those who didn´t offer anything. I immediately handed over the $140 dollars in my backpack. They left after about fifteen minutes, and the police arrived shortly after. It was probably the most surreal thing that has ever happened to me.

We drove to a police station and waited there for about two hours while the passengers reported the money they lost. Waiting outside with everyone (pictured below), I made friends with people who spoke some English and tolerated my truly awful Spanish speaking.

We just got robbed!

We arrived in Tacna four hours behind schedule, and took a taxi with Cali (the girl on the right) across the border to Arica, Chile. The bus ride wasn´t all bad though. The bus went through Peruvian mountains, and there were some spectacular views of the valleys:




This picture really doesn´t do it any justice.

I decided I was not up for the 30 hour ride to Santiago, and would fly instead (twice as expensive but worth it). The next flight wasn´t until the next day, so I spent the night in a hostel that Cali recommended. I had heard Chilean people were extremely friendly, and this was confirmed when I asked a man on the street where a good place to eat was. Rather than give me directions, he walked with me several blocks to a restaurant, talking with me even though I could understand maybe half of what he said (the Chilean dialect is really fast).

After staying up drinking with fellow travelers (really diverse, a guy from Chile, two girls from Norway, a girl from Germany, a girl from South Dakota, and a guy from Canada), I woke up this morning hungover, took a taxi to the Arica airport, caught a flight to Santiago, then a taxi to Nick´s house, where I am now. Nick was the college roommate of my mom´s cousin, and has been incredibly welcoming. I just had dinner with him, his wife, and 5 of their 9 children.

I am taking an 8am bus to Olmué tomorrow, my host Mario is meeting me at the town pizzeria at noon. I will blog again as soon as I can.