Day 250!
Wow..doesn´t time fly! 250 days travelling....
Santiago, Chile, South America
US$1 = 503 Chilean Pesos and...
US$1 = AU$1.07!!!!
Last night we pretty much zonked out..after having a sleepless night on the plane. We had dinner at the hotel and that was a challenge. Greg ordered a healthy chicken sandwich...and it came with sauce and a side of fries! (which he didn´t eat..but they were beckoning him he said!)
Seems we can´t get away from it! I ordered tuna and salad, which Greg turned his nose up at! I can see his change of diet is going to be something that will be difficult for him!
We left the hotel in Chile at 7.30am this morning so we could get the hotel shuttle to the airport and check in and maybe get a seat together...and aww...we did!
It was a strange thing going to the Santiago Airport..it was like being in a really up and coming place and felt very much like North America. The airport is new and all the check in´s are really organised and the departure is simple and easy. It was actually an enjoyable experience to be there at that airport...
So..our experience in Chile, staying in Santiago..in a four star hotel was very civilised and we felt spoilt! But it didn´t feel like being in South America i have to say...i know there is so much more to see here..and we´ll be back two more times and for longer when we leave South America so i´m looking forward to that.
While we waited in Santiago Airport i read our trip notes for our Peruvian Trek..and it said it could get really cold...below freezing in fact..so i bought a Chile beenie! And while i was shopping..i bought a typical Chilean bag to throw over my shoulder. Up till now, i´ve kept my notebook and pen, wallet, mobile, tissues and lip gel in my coat pockets..so it feels rather nice to actually wear a bag again! Even though it´s just a small one that i can tuck under my coat!
We also had breakfast which was a buffet..because they weren´t serving alacarte and now with our health conscience outlook we ate fruit and bread and had pure orange juice and sniffed our noses at the cooked eggs, ham, bacon and quiche!
Although Greg was chaffing at the bit to pile his plate..which seems to be a tendency with buffets! It cost US$25 as it seems in Santiago...they like to deal in US money!!! And they expect a 10% tip as well.
We boarded at 9am..and left at 9.30am...
Then, on the plane, Greg developed a massive and splitting headache!
He´d taken the blood pressure tablets the doctor had prescribed (as well as those other two little pills) and she did say there might be a reaction in the form of a headache..but he said this was a cracking one!
It seemed to go away for a moment when the air hostess came around with breakfast though! And..he was ready to eat it! Fried ham, cheese, omelette, bread roll with butter, chocolate brownie and a fruit salad, the only thing that looked ok to eat!
I just couldn´t..as we´d just finished a buffet..and when Greg started to hop into his and then look at me as if to say..don´t give yours back, i could eat it! (Which has become another habit, he finishes all my meals!)
Honestly, i wondered if he´d had a relapse of memory..i mean..when you have a blood pressure of 180/110 and a weight that is 7kg over normal...you WATCH WHAT YOU EAT! LESS SALT AND LESS FAT the doctor said!
Normal is 120/80!!!
I tried to be gentle....and persuasive.
And went into a scientific explanation of the calorific value of what he was about to attempt..not to mention the salt...and the fat..and everything else.....but most importantly, the fact that HE´D JUST EATEN!!!
Denial?
Anyway...after i told him i didn´t want to be a widow...i didn´t want to do the Peru trek on my own..and i didn´t want to trek the Milford Track in New Zealand or plan to climb the Kilimanjaro on my own..he seemed to come to his senses.
To find the man of my dreams..and my soulmate..and for him to be as reciprocal in his feelings for me means he has to treat his body like his temple and feed it as he would fuel a well loved sports car.
I think it takes some getting used to..to eat healthily! The man i married was VERY health conscience..except when tempted...but here, while we´re travelling, the unfortunate downside is we are given the temptations on a daily basis...all laid out on a platter, so to speak! The options for fries on the side..and bread and butter..and sauces with our meals..are endless!
At home i made vegetable soups..and for mains always had vegetables with grilled chicken or meat...and we really were health conscious..but here, you have to really control your eating choices or it´s derimental to your health.
And we´re not just on a one month holiday..we´re travelling..and eating out every day. The only times we´ve been able to cook our own is when we´ve rented an apartment and they´re expensive..or being in a hostel and they´re overcrowded and you can never get to the kitchen!
So....i think i´ve become the droning dragon...dictating what is healthy and what is not..and now...Greg has a headache..and is in bed, again.
Do blood pressure tablets make you feel drained and fatigued?
Because that´s how Greg feels..and i´m worried about this trek we´re going on...and the effects of these tablets. My foot issues and the fact that my right foot is fused and i can´t bend it..and it´s sore each morning till i walk on it for an hour or so has paled into insignificance at this point.
Will us old crocs make it on the trek????
I guess it remains to be seen. It´s a pretty organised tour..and as far as i can see..the hotels we´re booked into are actually better than the one´s we´ve chosen ourselves..particularly in Europe where a lot of the accomodation was hostels...
BUt it´s the four day inca trail that is the worry...
We´ll be in Cusco to acclimatise for a couple of days..so that will help...
I seem to have lots of trepidation here in South America..and so far...there´s been no reason for it!
We should be seasoned travellers!!! And used to the changes....
We might surprise ourselves i guess!
PS My blood pressure was 120/70...and normal weight range.. That´s better than usual, its usually very low. But I think all the years of ´being careful´ has paid off and now it´s in a good range! I hope i´m not speaking too soon tho..........i did have that ´irregular heartbeat´ a while ago that was considered unsual....but then the doc decided it was was an ´unusual normal heartbeat´!
Gosh, is old age catching up with us?
