New Year

Can´t say I´m really looking forward to leaving Valdivia after having had such a nice time here with this family, but after 4 days of being one of the family I´m probably starting to wear out my welcome.... Catching the night bus to Santiago in a couple hours.

Celebrated the New Year here with these guys. The people here tend to celebrate the new year at home with their families...and then go out with their friends after midnight. I was a little worn out and stayed in.

During the day I went for a cruise around the rivers surrounding Valdivia. At my table was a couple and their 18 month old child from Australia. Actually, the guy was Kiwi and the his wife orignally from New Guinea. They were in the midst of a worldwide year long tour. I cannot imagine traveling for a year with a 18 month old, but they said they didn´t want to let his arrival on the scene deter them and so they decided to do the trip anyway. They looked pretty worn out 8 months into the trip but were interesting people to talk to. Never mind the child, the woman was still using her New Guinea passport and needed a visa for practically every country...what a pain that has to be. Anyway, the tour was good but I´m a little worn out on sightseeing. They did have some interesting information about the 1960 earthquake that hit Valdivia...was the most powerful ever recorded...9.5 on the Richter scale. It submerged the city in 10 feet of water and altered the landscape considerably.