I love mummy. And
cheese. But with cheese, it can be
any cheese, really...
****************************************
The guidebook says it all: 'Pocket-sized Putre is an appealing Aymara village perched precariously on a hillside in the precordillera at a dizzying elevation of 3,530 m.' What it doesn't mention is Chakana Mountain Lodge, one of the finest budget accommodations I've come across - and I've had a dormitory all to myself these last two nights, which always helps. 'Appealing' doesn't really do justice to the surrounding scenery, either. It's magnificent.
I'm making my way, belatedly, to Lauca National Park after dallying in Arica longer than expected, for all the right reasons. I shall certainly miss the daily dose of being within touching distance of so many grumpy sea lions and pelicans at the fisherman´s wharf (a hasty, irresistible, and probably irresponsible, stroke of a sea lion and a couple of batterings about the head by pelicans' wings testify to the 'touching distance' bit).
And a 'thank you' to Hostal Sunny Days, Arica. Having spent the first couple of nights in a real dive, Sunny Days was a breath of fresh air. Not many places will lay on a breakfast for you at 6:00am then drive you to the distant bus depot for Putre (someone's back room, as far as I could make out). A big thank you to Ross the Boss.
Hey, ho...
Putre, Norte Grande, Chile.
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
if the 'k' isn't silent, then the limp's pronounced, too...
if the 'k' in knee's
not silent, the chances are
you've got arthritis...
not silent, the chances are
you've got arthritis...
tip him too much and he'll fall over - sorry, fall over himself to help you...
the waiter came and took
our out of order: "and chips,
tea, fish and twice, please"...
our out of order: "and chips,
tea, fish and twice, please"...
hang him up!
"look here, not even
a death sentence should end in
a preposition"...
let's just pray it's an adverb...
a death sentence should end in
a preposition"...
let's just pray it's an adverb...
life - it's not as easy as it looks...
I was a child once.
I had a girlfriend once, too.
I miss my childhood...
('life' - PG recommended, for longer than you think)
I had a girlfriend once, too.
I miss my childhood...
('life' - PG recommended, for longer than you think)
the birdie song...
we closed our eyes, they
played our song - the music stopped,
but the dream lived on...
yeah, right...
played our song - the music stopped,
but the dream lived on...
yeah, right...
Global Language Monitor* names 'Twitter' word of the year - as in(?):
just give a twit a
social networking site, and
by God, he'll use it...
*news item
social networking site, and
by God, he'll use it...
*news item
I think it was a Thursday...
I was handsome once.
Twice would have been nice, but it
wasn't meant to be...
Twice would have been nice, but it
wasn't meant to be...
the word's out (but not necessarily the right one)
dyslexics rarely
refer to 'cancer' - they much
prefer 'the big N'...
dyslexia: calling a spade a daspe...
refer to 'cancer' - they much
prefer 'the big N'...
dyslexia: calling a spade a daspe...
two-faced son of a bitch...
to some, my dad's the
salt of the earth - to others,
he's - well, rather sweet...
salt of the earth - to others,
he's - well, rather sweet...
hey, make up your mind, OK?...
first you ask me to
give you my promise - now you
want me to keep it?...
give you my promise - now you
want me to keep it?...
Fat Miss Muffet...
call her 'Little' and
you're out of touch - she's scoffing
curds and whey too much...
you're out of touch - she's scoffing
curds and whey too much...
time to turn over a new leaf - or maybe not...
a page or two of
Tequila Mockingbird and
I'm anybody's...
Tequila Mockingbird and
I'm anybody's...
give us a clue, girl - and another... and another...and...
the throaty laugh, the
fleeting glances - a simple 'yes'
might help my chances...
fleeting glances - a simple 'yes'
might help my chances...
and they say romance is dead...
"oi, keep yer 'ans off
me bird!"...oh dear, it seems she's
badly spoken for...
me bird!"...oh dear, it seems she's
badly spoken for...
walkers fell (and now we know why)
fell walkers? - they're just
self-fulfilling dyslexic
prophesies - on legs...
self-fulfilling dyslexic
prophesies - on legs...
cutting out the garbage (well, some of it)
reduce your carbon
footprint now! - start with all those
throwaway remarks...
footprint now! - start with all those
throwaway remarks...
Wednesday, 25 November 2009
I read her books, like, religiously...
-----------------------------------
The Boy Who Became a Mantra
-----------------------------------
Hare Krishna
Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna
Hare Hare
---- o ----
Hare Rama
Hare Rama
Rama Rama
Hare Hare
---- o ----
Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Potter Potter
Harry Harry
JK Rowling, I am not worthy...
Vincent Hefter, Govinda Hare Krishna Restaurant, Arica.
Off to Parque Nacional Lauca - see you in December...
The Boy Who Became a Mantra
-----------------------------------
Hare Krishna
Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna
Hare Hare
---- o ----
Hare Rama
Hare Rama
Rama Rama
Hare Hare
---- o ----
Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Potter Potter
Harry Harry
JK Rowling, I am not worthy...
Vincent Hefter, Govinda Hare Krishna Restaurant, Arica.
Off to Parque Nacional Lauca - see you in December...
beautiful game, my arse...
Aussie Rules Football? -
no problem. Our problem is:
football rules England...
no problem. Our problem is:
football rules England...
Tuesday, 24 November 2009
just how many gills are there in a pint?...
Him? Drink like a fish?
Breathes like one, more like. So yes,
I'm talking gills, here...
more anon - this has been but the briefest of opportunities...
Breathes like one, more like. So yes,
I'm talking gills, here...
more anon - this has been but the briefest of opportunities...
multiple personality disorder...
when things get too bad,
all I have to do is give
myself a group hug...
all I have to do is give
myself a group hug...
Saturday, 21 November 2009
'I promise to pay the bear on demand the sum of 5 pounds,' said the note inside...
Cried Winnie the Pooh:
"I've a card from Peru...
And oodles and oodles of money!" -
"I wish I were there,"
Wrote Paddington Bear,
"But perhaps you could send me some honey?"...
...it's time for Vinnie the Pooh to disappear for a few days, too - but not to Peru. Though I was tempted...
it's Chile here (in the mornings)
"I've a card from Peru...
And oodles and oodles of money!" -
"I wish I were there,"
Wrote Paddington Bear,
"But perhaps you could send me some honey?"...
...it's time for Vinnie the Pooh to disappear for a few days, too - but not to Peru. Though I was tempted...
it's Chile here (in the mornings)
S, M, L, XL, XXL & "Jesus, would you take a look at that!"...
to wear a tent's one
thing - having it called figure-
hugging's another...
if there's is a euphemism for "Jesus, would you take a look at that!" I believe it's: "to be in XXXLent shape"...
thing - having it called figure-
hugging's another...
if there's is a euphemism for "Jesus, would you take a look at that!" I believe it's: "to be in XXXLent shape"...
the pigment of his imagination...
only Jacko could
have regarded 'tall, dark and
handsome' as a slur...
have regarded 'tall, dark and
handsome' as a slur...
must be Irish...
hey - see that brothel? -
I'm told it's just a front for
a massage parlour...
('or for some of the banking profession, more likely, these days' - Editor's note)
I'm told it's just a front for
a massage parlour...
('or for some of the banking profession, more likely, these days' - Editor's note)
Friday, 20 November 2009
travelling on (a tad more than) a penny farthing...
sound travels at night -
it saves having to pay for
accommodation...
...travellers on a budget, too.
But this latest bus journey, to Arica in the very north of Chile, took the best part of 24 hours, anyway. 21, to be precise, door to door (I speak of my new bathroom door that is forever open - the joys of budget travel, again). Great journey, though - truly a feast for the eyes. Stark moonscape, rather than landscape, all the way and as far as the eyes could see - never boring, often beautiful, sometimes precipitous and at times quite dramatic. Chile is basically the Peter Crouch of 13-man Team South America. A long, thin, gangly streak of (and here the analogy struggles a bit) great and contrasting beauty - and, ploughing on with the analogy, I´ve worked my way up from basically the midriff to the quiff (Santiago to Arica). Though it´s less of a quiff and more of a bald patch, to be honest. Nothing much grows here. Aridity rules. But enough of all this...
...This is meant to be a '17 Syllables' blog, not a travel blog. I do try and rein it in, but sometimes - quite often - you wonder what right you have to be swanning around the world when others struggle to survive by selling tat on street corners. A mere accident of birth, no more, no less - what sort of world is this? Many other issues, too. I know there's poverty in England, as well. But somehow you feel there's more of a chance of escaping it at home, there's less of an inevitability to it - or, rightly or wrongly, perhaps it's even of a person's own making. It's certainly less visible at home than it is in so many other countries around the world. And Chile's by no means the worst example of 'in your face' poverty. Far from it.
A few days ago, however - and it's sort of related in my mind - a mangy street dog followed me around for more than an hour before I was forced to lose it. I hadn't given it a thing, nor showed it any affection initially, either. It hung around the restaurant where I had lunch (inside, deliberately) for at least half an hour before it was shooed away once to often. The next day it turns up again. With a friend. And just as clingy. So now I had two followers - one more than my blog. I´d like to think it was my charisma, and not just my aroma, but I'm sure many another exotic-smelling 'extranjero' has experienced something similar. Sticks in the mind, though. And I am a sucker for dogs.
Incidentally, though cheap by European standards, Chile is not that 'backpacker cheap', so in the evenings I try and restrict myself to a banana or two, and maybe an empanada (pastie) or cup of cheap, local mote con huesillos - a vaguely syrupy drink with soaked, dried peaches (stones included) on a bed of wheat(!) which I seem to be strangely partial to - (if the carton of red just isn't enough). Most 'meal deals' are at lunchtime. But it´s not a complaint. Not like psoriasis. Anyway, what with these budgetary/dietary restrictions and the constant walking, I'm in grave danger of getting - and I can hardly bring myself to say the word - fit.
But, as I said, this isn't the place to wax lyrical, or otherwise, to too great an extent - because I don't want it to be. But sometimes the 'reining in' is just that little bit harder.
So - back to the crap (but it's my crap), and, on the 'sound travels at night' theme...(see below)
it saves having to pay for
accommodation...
...travellers on a budget, too.
But this latest bus journey, to Arica in the very north of Chile, took the best part of 24 hours, anyway. 21, to be precise, door to door (I speak of my new bathroom door that is forever open - the joys of budget travel, again). Great journey, though - truly a feast for the eyes. Stark moonscape, rather than landscape, all the way and as far as the eyes could see - never boring, often beautiful, sometimes precipitous and at times quite dramatic. Chile is basically the Peter Crouch of 13-man Team South America. A long, thin, gangly streak of (and here the analogy struggles a bit) great and contrasting beauty - and, ploughing on with the analogy, I´ve worked my way up from basically the midriff to the quiff (Santiago to Arica). Though it´s less of a quiff and more of a bald patch, to be honest. Nothing much grows here. Aridity rules. But enough of all this...
...This is meant to be a '17 Syllables' blog, not a travel blog. I do try and rein it in, but sometimes - quite often - you wonder what right you have to be swanning around the world when others struggle to survive by selling tat on street corners. A mere accident of birth, no more, no less - what sort of world is this? Many other issues, too. I know there's poverty in England, as well. But somehow you feel there's more of a chance of escaping it at home, there's less of an inevitability to it - or, rightly or wrongly, perhaps it's even of a person's own making. It's certainly less visible at home than it is in so many other countries around the world. And Chile's by no means the worst example of 'in your face' poverty. Far from it.
A few days ago, however - and it's sort of related in my mind - a mangy street dog followed me around for more than an hour before I was forced to lose it. I hadn't given it a thing, nor showed it any affection initially, either. It hung around the restaurant where I had lunch (inside, deliberately) for at least half an hour before it was shooed away once to often. The next day it turns up again. With a friend. And just as clingy. So now I had two followers - one more than my blog. I´d like to think it was my charisma, and not just my aroma, but I'm sure many another exotic-smelling 'extranjero' has experienced something similar. Sticks in the mind, though. And I am a sucker for dogs.
Incidentally, though cheap by European standards, Chile is not that 'backpacker cheap', so in the evenings I try and restrict myself to a banana or two, and maybe an empanada (pastie) or cup of cheap, local mote con huesillos - a vaguely syrupy drink with soaked, dried peaches (stones included) on a bed of wheat(!) which I seem to be strangely partial to - (if the carton of red just isn't enough). Most 'meal deals' are at lunchtime. But it´s not a complaint. Not like psoriasis. Anyway, what with these budgetary/dietary restrictions and the constant walking, I'm in grave danger of getting - and I can hardly bring myself to say the word - fit.
But, as I said, this isn't the place to wax lyrical, or otherwise, to too great an extent - because I don't want it to be. But sometimes the 'reining in' is just that little bit harder.
So - back to the crap (but it's my crap), and, on the 'sound travels at night' theme...(see below)
adventure lite...
sipping Horlicks in
the Valley of the Thousand
Fires - now, that´s living!...
...as opposed to slipping into a cybercafe in a grotty Calle Cienfuegos (100 Fire Road) - which is somewhat nearer the mark. The spirit of Walter Mitty lives on...
the Valley of the Thousand
Fires - now, that´s living!...
...as opposed to slipping into a cybercafe in a grotty Calle Cienfuegos (100 Fire Road) - which is somewhat nearer the mark. The spirit of Walter Mitty lives on...
hey! it's starting to work...
Empanadas and
bananas! That's 6 straight 'A's!
Talk about brain food...
OK, so I've used this before - with 'taramasalata'. But this time it's personal - these are my staples here at the moment...
bananas! That's 6 straight 'A's!
Talk about brain food...
OK, so I've used this before - with 'taramasalata'. But this time it's personal - these are my staples here at the moment...
The Fifth Round (& I paid for all of them)
Her? - No, of course I´m
not in her league. But what the
heck, this is the Cup...
not in her league. But what the
heck, this is the Cup...
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
"you don't know the half of it," said the bucket...
"how lucky I am,"
said the strawberry jam,
"that to rhyme with 'absurd'
you must be lemon curd"...
For better or worse, I was on a bit of a roll last night. Couldn't sleep. It happens sometimes. So, instead of drip-feeding you the end products, here they all are - let's get it over with: A Night In The Life, La Serena, Chile...
said the strawberry jam,
"that to rhyme with 'absurd'
you must be lemon curd"...
For better or worse, I was on a bit of a roll last night. Couldn't sleep. It happens sometimes. So, instead of drip-feeding you the end products, here they all are - let's get it over with: A Night In The Life, La Serena, Chile...
spread the word - on toast, with butter...
with 'orange', it's known,
no rhyme can be made,
so people should wait - till
it's marmalade...
-------- 17 Syllables --------
with 'orange', it's known,
no rhyme is made (best to wait
till it's marmalade)
no rhyme can be made,
so people should wait - till
it's marmalade...
-------- 17 Syllables --------
with 'orange', it's known,
no rhyme is made (best to wait
till it's marmalade)
letting the mind wander...
I've become ever fonder
of just going for a wander -
so returning to base
is getting harder to face...
of just going for a wander -
so returning to base
is getting harder to face...
24 syllables? - conciser would be nicer...
it's a silly old passion,
and quite out of fashion -
but it's ever so nice
to be so concise...
24 syllables - 'A Day In The Life': a syllable an hour - on the hour, every hour. A good day's work. Well, a day's work, anyway...
and quite out of fashion -
but it's ever so nice
to be so concise...
24 syllables - 'A Day In The Life': a syllable an hour - on the hour, every hour. A good day's work. Well, a day's work, anyway...
"screens, nurse! - turn'em off!"...
American Idol
Makes me quite suicidal.
But why should I die? -
I shall just have a cry...
- it's actually 'Latin American Idol' round these parts, but who's counting - though the contestants actually seem more articulate and to be more talented than the in UK version (I saw half an hour's worth - even the cheapest doss-houses have telly, ditto the greasy spoon cafes; it seems to be a human right round here) -
Makes me quite suicidal.
But why should I die? -
I shall just have a cry...
- it's actually 'Latin American Idol' round these parts, but who's counting - though the contestants actually seem more articulate and to be more talented than the in UK version (I saw half an hour's worth - even the cheapest doss-houses have telly, ditto the greasy spoon cafes; it seems to be a human right round here) -
a tall story should see you off, though...
you never should jump
from the top of a syllable -
they're ever so high,
but not really killable...
from the top of a syllable -
they're ever so high,
but not really killable...
self-esteem issues...
"it's really absurd,"
said the nice lemon curd,
"for the want of some money,
she could have had honey"...
said the nice lemon curd,
"for the want of some money,
she could have had honey"...
breaking the fast...
at half past seven
the bread's unleaven...
so it's better to wait
till twenty to eight...
hey, it'll still be unleaven - but you´ll enjoy it more...
the bread's unleaven...
so it's better to wait
till twenty to eight...
hey, it'll still be unleaven - but you´ll enjoy it more...
same sh*t, different bird...
"no, swanning around
the world isn't the same as
ducking one's duties"...
the world isn't the same as
ducking one's duties"...
something to take on that chin of yours, Brucie...
I'm insincere, so
I'll say it twice: "nice to see
you, to see you, nice"...
I'll say it twice: "nice to see
you, to see you, nice"...
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
you've read the Bible - now check out the prequel!...
"In the beginning
was the Word, right? - now, before
even the Word, folks"...
hey, the money men insisted...
was the Word, right? - now, before
even the Word, folks"...
hey, the money men insisted...
"that's, like, wicked!" thought God...
Then God created
Arsenal and Spurs, and He
was well pleased, innit?...
Arsenal and Spurs, and He
was well pleased, innit?...
"and there shall be seven of them"...
when God created
the 24-hour clock He,
like, called it a day...
Hey, I've found God! After all these years! - (He'd gone into hiding in South America, apparently). Only kidding. There's as much chance of god finding Me...
the 24-hour clock He,
like, called it a day...
Hey, I've found God! After all these years! - (He'd gone into hiding in South America, apparently). Only kidding. There's as much chance of god finding Me...
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