Touchdown in Sunny Santiago

Trippin Chicks are reunited and reignited once again!!! And already causing trouble, as you would expect! Hey, we can't let down our public! ;)

My flight over was great! The plane was empty so I lounged across 3 seats and slept! That's probably what got me energised for day of exploring and a night of partying!

If anyone has any post-earthquake qualms about visiting Santiago - don't!

Firstly, the views of the Andes upon landing (pictured) are breathtaking!

But beyond that, immigration was surprising efficient and everyone at the airport was super friendly and eager to help! Luggage came out quickly (LHR-take some tips!) and booking a shuttle to my hostel was cheap and easy and done with a smile. The shuttle bus driver even gave me a yummy chocolate egg as we waited for other passengers! The guy collecting the tickets asked for my number - but that's another story!

There are obviously signs of a major disaster, especially in the outskirts. One of the shuttle bus passengers was a local woman, so I was fortunate enough to see some of the residential areas, as we drove through a labyrinth of small streets finding her house. There are still small piles of rubble lining the pavement, scaffolding in place making repairs and new brick walls looking very out of place lined up next to ones that are aged. And there is graffiti absolutely everywhere!

And the hostel is lovely! We're staying in Eco Hostel, not too far from the centre of town, and it's safe, clean and awesome showers!

To celebrate my arrival and our reunion we ventured out to Bellavista, which is the cool part of town that boasts the best bars and restaurants, and kicked off the evening at 6pm with Tequila Margaritas! Potently strong, but a really good idea at the time - especially when we ordered our second! Well, it was Happy Hour - 50% off drinks! It would've been rude not to!

And it's so warm that everything is done al fresco, which is brilliant!

Santiago, my first impressions of you are great...now let's see what tonight has in store...

Packing Squared

It's not really sinking in that I'm going to be spending the next 6 weeks wreaking havoc in South America. I have no idea why. It was booked 2 months ago, talked about for 2 months prior to that and my fellow Trippin Chick, Natalie is already in Argentina - and I leave tomorrow!!

In fact, this time tomorrow I'll be sitting on the plane.

Not even loading my backpack full of cute little cami's, skirts or shorts (which, if you wore in London now, you'd freeze your little schnitzels off!) seemed to help me register that for the next 6 weeks, hostels will be my home, buses my mode of transport and the mystical landscapes of South America, my enviable backdrop.

I blame my amazing little packing cubes! Seriously!

The last time I backpacked - around Brazil - I remember jamming and cramming stuff into my wonderfully sturdy 65 litre Macpac Orient Express and thinking of how the next month of my life will be spent jamming and cramming everything from my cargos to my toothbrush, but somehow that dread and frustration was quickly replaced with a sense of challenge, adventure and of course the thought of gorgeous Brazilian men. It was all worthwhile.

But this time packing was a breeze! I managed to roll up 18 tees, cami's and vests into a single Eagle Creek packing cube! Yes! 18!!! And I easily fit other accessories, like belts, fleece, bikini and jewelery into another. Comfortably rolled shorts, skirts and a pair of pants around them and voila! I'm good to go! A little too easily, I think, but at least now the evening is mine.

I owe a big thanks to Natalie, who opened my eyes to them! At a tenner a pop they ain't cheap, but they are strong, durable and so worth it!

Anyway, first stop Santiago...I hope you're ready...me and my cami's are!