Back to warm

I decided not to tough it out in Putre, despite the amazing scenery. It was just too cold to sleep well at night or to relax during the day. So after the national park tour this morning, I hopped on a bus back to Arica. As soon as I stepped off the bus, I knew I had made the right decision. I took off my long-sleeved shirt and let the warm air and cool sea breeze wash over me. I walked back to the hostel I´d stayed in on Saturday night and checked back in.

I started chatting with a German guy who´s been living in South America for a while as a guide for German tourists. It was great beccause he doesn´t speak English, so we spoke Spanish slowly together! He and I walked to the center of town, but it was pretty dead because today is a national holiday. He was talking about all his adventures and how he´s now in Chile for 50 days of tours straight. But he was wearing a ring, so I asked about his wife. He said that he´s not married and showed me that he had rings on both ring fingers. I teased him that, okay, he has two women.

Then, later on, I asked him who he stayed with during his time in Bolivia and he replied, "Tengo una mujer allá" (I have a woman there), and I laughed. Turns out, they´ve been together for a long, long time and have lived in several countries together. Ummm, why didn´t he mention her when I asked about the ring? Kind of sketchy if you ask me, but he didn´t try anything.

Anyway, he´d quit his job as an engineer and come to South America. His friends and family thought he was crazy for giving up such a great job. But since then, he´s been able to live and travel for two years on a few months´ earnings as a guide. What, really, was he giving up? A stable job with not much vacation time? For that, he gets to see the world with not much working time! I started thinking that maybe I should figure out how to be a guide!