Not much to talk about here. I just finished another level of Spanish in my private lessons - now I am a week ahead of my class. There is a small party at the school at 6 PM tonight, I think I will stop by. I haven't played chess in a while here cause the subway trip is getting on my nerves - Plaza de Armas, where the chess club is, is simply too far away. Last night I sat down with the older of my two host brothers, Jorge, and my host dad and planned out what I think is going to be a real winner of a trip. The trip will include Northern Chile's Atacama desert, the lagoon of San Pedro, Icuique, southern portion of Peru for its beaches and the Salar salt flats of Bolivia. Plus, I believe I will go with Jorge, a married 28 year old math teacher, who has been there before. With a native South American with me who has made this trip in the past, I think it's probably safer than my weekly trip into downtown Santiago. Plus, some friends of mine have made a similar trip recently and gave glowing reviews.
I really, really, really want to see the salt lakes of Bolivia. I knew about them long before my Chilean excursion and I know they are one of the most highly prized destinations in the world.
One thing I want to mention is I believe the guidebooks were way off in their description of Plaza de Armas. Plaza de Armas is one of the safer areas in all of Santiago. Yes, it's more dangerous at night, obviously, because what place isn't? Oh, and when there are student protests it can be dangerous. Not dangerous in that you are a target, but dangerous in that you might grouped with the students by the police, who have a nasty habit of overreacting with fire truck hoses, batons flying and beatings. I really have to say that the police here are way stricter on protests than in the States, and it takes much much less to provoke a cop here. Personally I don't really care either way, I'm just saying.
Anways, I have nothing new to report. Tengas una buena noche.
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