Pisco Elqui Valley
Going to La Serena reminded me of why I really love travel. The people. When you check into a hostel, you never know exactly who you are going to meet and what crazy experiences you will share. You meet a lot of people from all walks of life, and countries. Some of them you won´t remember in a half an hour, while others you will remember and talk about over and over. Some of them become infamous, part of your travel history. One thing is for sure, you meet a lot of crazy and entertaining peeps in an 8 person dorm room.
Here in South America there are the regulars. These are the people you can always count on meeting on your journeys, the top five standard people you will end up rubbing elbows with in the hostel bar or kitchen:
Here in South America there are the regulars. These are the people you can always count on meeting on your journeys, the top five standard people you will end up rubbing elbows with in the hostel bar or kitchen:
1. The Auzzie Dudes. You will always, and I mean always, find yourself sitting down to breakfast with a group of rowdy, party hardy Auzzie dudes. They are dressed in rugby shorts and surfer gear at all times, even in the rain. They are down to play drinking games at 3pm, and next thing you know they have turned on the techno music and somehow started a party. They travel in a pack of at least four at a time. Half the time you have no idea what they are saying but you just laugh anyway. They are complete mixers and are always cracking jokes at each others expense. They usually come home from a night out at 5 am and you wake up to the sound of them singing songs or wrestling. They speak absolutely no Spanish and instead just add an O to the end of English words. They are a good time-o.
2. The 30 something Euro Couple. Usually German, Belgian or Dutch. They are usually found at the hostel front desk asking for extra maps and extra information on tours. They will hound you for travel tips and write everything you say down, diligently. They are usually meticulous about the details and have their trips planned out to a T. They jam pack their days with way too many ridiculous tours. When you ask how they enjoyed their day you usually receive an excruciatingly long 20 minute reply. They are disappointed by everything, they find the cities "not as beautiful as we had hoped" and the tour of whatever factory or museum too be "okay, but not so nice."
3. The Brazilians! They sleep all day and dance all night. They are everywhere. You cannot go to a hostel in South America and not meet a pack or two of Brazilians. They travel in mass groups, and are usually making steak and pasta in the kitchen. They are super relaxed and not as interested in sight seeing as in meeting new people, drinking, and hitting the dance clubs. You will be in a hostel bar around 12pm and you will suddenly meet about 15 Brazilian peeps (mostly from Sao Paulo) most of whom, you did not even know were in your dorm room. At midnight they are just waking up and getting ready to go out until the break of dawn. They are friendly and jovial,by the end of the night you have new Brazilian friends and many invitations to come and visit them in Brazil.
4. The snobby British chick duo. They live in London, are 19, and have already been to way more countries than you. They are on their gap year, spending money like water. They show up to the hostel with designer outfits and wearing way too much jewelry. You have no idea why they have not been robbed and you seriously start to think about robbing them. Obviously you don't because you are a moral person, and because Americans already have a bad enough rep as it is. They have no desire to socialize with you, or anyone really. They usually end up treating everyone around them like staff, and asking you to get them more jam or butter at breakfast. They are a real treat.
5. The overcompensating Canadian. He is usually in his early thirties, with thinning hair, and he is dressed like a hipster dufus. He is somehow still in University, and still trying to "find" himself. He is from Toronto or Vancouver. He will go on and on about how Vancouver, or Toronto is one of the most amazing cities on the planet, and then brag how many Hollywood movies are, "actually filmed in Canada". He finds some way to sneakily insult you for being from the U.S. He will with out fail, find some way to bring up the Guess Who, or Wayne Gretzky, or Neil Young. I usually "accidentally" insult him or make a moose joke. After that I avoid him like the plague, for the rest of our stay in the hostel.
2. The 30 something Euro Couple. Usually German, Belgian or Dutch. They are usually found at the hostel front desk asking for extra maps and extra information on tours. They will hound you for travel tips and write everything you say down, diligently. They are usually meticulous about the details and have their trips planned out to a T. They jam pack their days with way too many ridiculous tours. When you ask how they enjoyed their day you usually receive an excruciatingly long 20 minute reply. They are disappointed by everything, they find the cities "not as beautiful as we had hoped" and the tour of whatever factory or museum too be "okay, but not so nice."
3. The Brazilians! They sleep all day and dance all night. They are everywhere. You cannot go to a hostel in South America and not meet a pack or two of Brazilians. They travel in mass groups, and are usually making steak and pasta in the kitchen. They are super relaxed and not as interested in sight seeing as in meeting new people, drinking, and hitting the dance clubs. You will be in a hostel bar around 12pm and you will suddenly meet about 15 Brazilian peeps (mostly from Sao Paulo) most of whom, you did not even know were in your dorm room. At midnight they are just waking up and getting ready to go out until the break of dawn. They are friendly and jovial,by the end of the night you have new Brazilian friends and many invitations to come and visit them in Brazil.
4. The snobby British chick duo. They live in London, are 19, and have already been to way more countries than you. They are on their gap year, spending money like water. They show up to the hostel with designer outfits and wearing way too much jewelry. You have no idea why they have not been robbed and you seriously start to think about robbing them. Obviously you don't because you are a moral person, and because Americans already have a bad enough rep as it is. They have no desire to socialize with you, or anyone really. They usually end up treating everyone around them like staff, and asking you to get them more jam or butter at breakfast. They are a real treat.
5. The overcompensating Canadian. He is usually in his early thirties, with thinning hair, and he is dressed like a hipster dufus. He is somehow still in University, and still trying to "find" himself. He is from Toronto or Vancouver. He will go on and on about how Vancouver, or Toronto is one of the most amazing cities on the planet, and then brag how many Hollywood movies are, "actually filmed in Canada". He finds some way to sneakily insult you for being from the U.S. He will with out fail, find some way to bring up the Guess Who, or Wayne Gretzky, or Neil Young. I usually "accidentally" insult him or make a moose joke. After that I avoid him like the plague, for the rest of our stay in the hostel.
