Crossing the border to Chile

When I left Mendoza, I was finally able to see the beautiful blue skies and the sun from the windows of my bus. The Andes covered in snow, beautiful ski resorts, the yellow leaves and yellow grass in the mountains and some neglected rustic railroads. It turned out to be along ride. We spent 2 hours at the border. The Chileans are not joking when it comes to border control. No fruits and meats are allowed. And you pay a stiff fine if you have it at time of entry. I had the salami package, mandarins and persimmons on me… and had to eat it all before we reached the border instead of throwing it away, I guess... The whole bus goes through many different checks and you even have to take out your luggage and take it to the scanner machine. At one point, right before we had to scan our bags, I am realizing that I still have some coca leaves in my bag. Coca leaves are widely used and sold everywhere in the north of Argentina; indigenous people chew them or use them to make tea. They are officially illegal but tolerated in the small quantities. Well, as I realized that I have some coca leaves, I started to sweat in panic. What do I do? I was already lined up to have my bag scanned and I see the patrol dogs… Shit!!! After several minutes of panic, I saw the garbage can that I was able to successfully deposit my coca drugs :)). Thanks god! My first hostel in Santiago de Chile, La Casa Roja turned out to be a disaster for me. It’s a huge hostel with a full bar, swimming pool and Jacuzzi, and lots of happy drunk party kids running around, etc…. I really hated it, but had no choice but to spend the night and find another home in the morning. Now, I am in EcoHostel!! Small, cozy, lots of character! I love it!!! I really love Chilenos! They are really friendly, and people keep helping me when I am looking at the map or just talking to me on the streets, genuinely curious about me and why I am traveling alone… One of the things I need to do while in Santiago is to buy a new backpack… My old one is dying as we speak… its very thin on the edges and is about to be finished. It was already fixed once in Ecuador last summer. I have no choice but to get a new one before I find it completely unusable. My backpack has a sentimental value for me; it’s been with me to most of my trips…for over 9 years… I cant believe I will have to just leave it here somewhere in South America.. :( The highlight of Santiago for me so far is not its people or hostel or sightseeing. It IS FOOD!!! I finally had sushi!!!! Wow! Considering that I did not eat sushi for 4 months, they were really close to being the most delicious sushi in the universe!! Besides sushi, Santiago has many different varieties of seafood; clams, mussels, oysters, see urchins, even things that I've never tasted before!!!! It’s going to be a happy-fed Zhenya week!!!