Santiago II

HI everyone, this is probably my last entry. Today is Saturday, 26 June and I leave Santiago for Australia (via London & Kuala Lumpur) early tomorrow. I arrived here as I said before on Wed 23/6 but went to La Coruna on the same day with the Australian girls Alice, Zoe and Cynthia and the dutch-kiwi girl Joyce as well. Decided to go with them on the last minute instead of staying in Santiago that day. The San Juan beach party was on (everywhere actually but la coruna celebrates it in a big way!) so I´ve joined the australian girls in the fun. It was good although I didn´t stay up until super late like they did, I was tired so went earlier back to the hotel and my bed... but it was nice going with them, i kind of connected quite well with them all and we even talked about them all coming to Perth to do the New Norcia camino with me... Cynthia said she´s definitely coming to Perth soon to be my ´wife´ for a week (cook, clean etc while staying with me :) Anyway, we came back the next day but again i missed the 12pm mass because we arrived in the afternoon... I tried to go to Finisterre by myself this day (thursday 24) as the girls had plenty of time and were planning to walk to finisterre starting the following day... so on the way back from the train station (back from la coruna) i asked to be dropped off at the bus station to catch the bus to finisterre (90km away from santiago)where i planned to spend the night... imagine my shock when i was told that the bus trip would take 3 hours (they go a long way via the coast) and the next bus available wouldn´t leave until 7pm that night! = it was before 3pm when i asked... so i changed plans, it didnt´make sense waiting almost 5 hours by myself at the station and then arrive in finisterre at 10pm to be catching the bus back the next morning!! so that´s how i ended up spending an extra night here in santiago... i caught a cab back into town and went to meet the australian girls again at the parador hotel (5 stars!) where they´re spending 2 nights for a bit of luxury, they´re sharing a triple room and offered to accommodate one more but i declined the offer to join them and called manoela instead, who they had seen at teh parador a minute before i arrived... that´s how i learned she´d arrived, so i gave her a call and went to the same albergue type accommodation as she did... it was actually quite good (un coma ocho) for 18 euros instead of $250 (parador), very clean, confortable, quiet and excellent service, including internet, printer, big soft towels and laundry service... so after spending thursday night at the uncomaocho, i spent last night (friday) and will be spending tonight as well at the campanas de san juan little hotel, which i had booked from australia... OK, but nothing special for the cost really... ($50 for a single room nothing included)... the room was ok but quite small, so was the bathroom, and no bath although the ducha (shower) was quite nice... anyway, i invited manoela to join me there and she accepted, after changing her initial plans to go to finisterre on friday... today however she decided to go to finisterre on her own, i thought of joining her but she wasn´t sure about the bus timetables and i didnt´want to risk not having a bus back to santiago tonight, as i need to be at the airport tomorrow morning... she just called me from finisterre though saying she´´ll be able to return tonight so we´ll catch up for dinner and she´ll share the room another night with me... i feel a bit disappointed i ended up not going to finisterre, but not overly so... didn´t want to rush just to see finisterre... and i saw la coruna which was a different, nice place too... and today i´m having a cruisy day here in santiago, doing a bit of shopping, doing the blog, checking email, packing up, looking around... and i also spoke to lucas on the phone again... he´s apparently been missing me a lot and is a little bit anxious about me being away, which surprised me and nigel i guess, as he´s been so independent since such an early age... i miss him too a lot and can´t wait to hug and kiss and spend time with him again! well, i´m going now, have something to eat then back to the hotel for some rest as my flight home tomorrow might be quite challenging (and i work the day after i arrive)... i leave santiago early sunday morning and don´t arrive in perth until tuesday early morning (with no stopovers anywhere, just waiting time between flights and the difference in time), bye for now, i´m thinking of you all and can´t wait to catch up and share all my camino stories adn photos! this was the best trip of my life! thanks for everyone who supported me in doing it, either by encouraging me, sharing hints, caring for lucas, going for trial walks, looking after my house... thanks tam, neryl, rik, karen, bev, nigel... and i particularly want to thank my two sisters who have done the camino before me, marisa and eliana! we´re now ´camino´ sisters as well as real sisters...