Extra stuff

It is still raining in Chile and Hes has brought us up to date on the old bloggeroo. So, with little better to do, here's a bonus post with some general thoughts on the whole travel thing:

21st Century Backpacking

Everywhere has wifi, which means that our favourite tools are not the guidebooks but 'tripadvisor.com' and 'hostelbookers.com'. This is a good state of affairs. It means that it isn't all about getting into the lonely planet, as was the situation in India, where these tomes held an unnatural and problematic sway over local tourist industries. It is also a democratic way of keeping hostels on their toes, and as a direct result we have stayed in very few sh*tholes. 

(I am keenly aware that Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador may present more of a challenge ahead.)

I am also more up on the news in the UK than ever I was whilst there thanks to my regular breakfast-time review of the bbc news website. Horsemeat, eh?

The Kindness of Strangers

Sickening, maybe, but this experience really is very uplifting; we have encountered so many little acts of kindness towards us. Whether it is Argentinian locals helping us with bewildering transport fare systems, Brazilians donating their guidebooks (to one particular grateful twitcher) or Chilean traffic wardens stopping traffic so a flustered gringo can navigate the one way system, it turns out that at least 90% of the people in the world are really nice. Maybe more. How lovely.

Learning About Things Closer to Home

I have been enlightened about things closer to home, too. For instance the French's reaction to the preponderance of new world wine (of course the argument that winemaking is an art in France, and a science elsewhere), or a slightly surprising residual guilt in even the youngest Germans about the Second World War. Also, the fact that the British are a kindly, witty lot, and I for one am quite proud of the way we seem to conduct and represent ourselves over here.

And of course how these countries contrast with the UK and how that makes us appreciate the good things we have but don't appreciate (I vow never to bemoan a 10 minute tube delay after the 2hr plus delays we have had here).

Wonder Fatigue

With the almost constant flow of wonderful experiences, it has become easy to be underwhelmed by things which would have blown me away 6 months ago. Top five things I couldn't have expected to become commonplace, and treat with a 'meh' rather than a 'who-ho-hoah':

5. Penguins

4. Glaciers

3. Hummingbirds

2. Mountains which are taller than they are wide

1. 2 litres of decent wine for £1.50

Thanks for indulging me. More proper travel updates when the rain stops and we can do something.