sucre...

ok folks, i'm still in sucre. which by south american standards is really beautiful. i've been here since last i wrote, partly because it's an enormous bus ride to get anywhere else, partly because i've met some really cool people here. i've been spending a lot of time with kate and alice, to girls from oxford, england. these girls are fun, they certainly know how to have a good time. we've been drinking cocktails, hanging out, watching movies and generally just shooting the breeze while we wait for alice and i to get our tummies in order.

sucre is, as i've mentioned previously, the constitutional capital of bolivia. all i take this to mean is that they get a fancy plaza and the people obviously have more money. there just isn't the same density of people, polution and of poverty that there is in la paz. and yet, it's still a lot of fun. we've been spending stupid amounts of time at this cafe called joyriders. fantastic movies, amazing food and great cocktails makes it my kind of place, plus they have a book exchange with things in english (plus the obligatrary german and dutch, who knew these two nations were so well read!), plus every gringo who comes to town inevitably comes to joyriders, the place is always packed and this is low season! i can only imagine what an absolute party it would be in high season. as it is the brits and i went to joyriders on sunday night, got a bit smashed and then headed out to this club called tropical, which was just bloody dire! the girls and i all got up and did some tragic kareoke, which was fine because we were the only people in the place!

anyway, i've had a small change in itinerary. instead of going all the way back to santiago from here i have decided to go straight through argintina and head to B.A. and then stick to the plan and head up to brazil. the reasons are mainly fiscal, it's much cheaper in argintina than chile and for the sake of a flight it will also save me time so i can do some more stuff. so i guess from here i'm heading to the border of bolivia, then changing buses there and heading to salta argintina, which i don't REALLY know anything about yet. but i guess i will by the time i get there!

i have another 13 days in south america, so i'm past the half way mark now and i've seen some cool stuff, but the coolest thing is the people. they're a bit more intent and serious than people travelling through europe (one reason i'll be infinetely glad to get to london) but they are all universally interesting, which of course makes me feel terminally boring! still, there ar esome definte cool characters, like in'bel who i'm hanging out with at the moment, she's 22, just spent the last month playing with a puma up at a nature reserve and has just come out of four years of working intelligence in the israelli army, oh and she has the largest stuffed toy collection known to man. how random! but she's lovely and has quite a quick wit. i went out with her and this dutch couple last night and it's an interesting concept to be sitting around a table conversing in english, knowing you're the only one who a) speaks it fluently
b) has it as a first language
don't get me wrong, they are so good at english, better than i am at dutch and hebrew! so i am eminitntlly grateful for their skills!

ok kids, i've got to go and sort some stuff and then i'm starting all my bus journeys tomorrow. be good!
love
simone