Hip hip hurraaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!

Wow, was ist das für ein grandioses Gefühl!!!! Ich habs geschafft!!!! Es ist aus und vorbei! Das Physikum ist in der Tasche!! Ich bin um einige Tonnen erleichtert incl. gelassenen Nerven.

Aber jetzt - ganz offiziell - gehts in die Klinik des Medizin-Studiums... aber die nächste Wochen will ich kein Buch sehen, das Wort Lernen nicht hören und an kein Studium denken!

Ferien ich komme...

1. Hürde

Der August ist rum, genau wie der schriftliche Teil des Physikums. Nun ja, die offiziellen Ergebnisse stehen noch aus... aber inoffiziell könnte es, wenn auch äußerst knapp, gereicht haben...

Leider heißt es noch nicht das Ende der Lernmarathons... dieser geht in die 2. Runde und Mitte September steht noch die mündliche Prüfung an. Nochmals ein harter Brocken, wo irgendwie noch letzte Kraftreserven zusammen gekratzt werden müssen, um noch was in den Kopf reinzuprügeln, welcher sich mittlerweile nur noch gegen das Lernen sträubt... dies wird wohl das Unwort des Jahres...es hängt einem einfach nur noch zu den Ohren raus.

Nun ja, da muss man durch als Lurch, wer ein Frosch werden will. Aber am 13.9. 17.30 geht das Leben wieder los ;-) - Kampfziel!

mi ultimo clase de espanol

Es el fin de semestre y hoy estaba mi ultimo clase de espanol. El acababo con un examen y tal vez continuo con Aufbaukurs I en el proximo semestre, si tendré tiempo...

Tja, wie auch immer - momentan dreht sich eh alles ums Physikum. Noch weniger als 4 Wochen... und immer noch ist der Berg des Lernstoffes riesig... klotzen, klotzen, klotzen heißt die Devise.

Damit auch der Juni einen Eintrag bekommt

...weil wirklich viel ist nicht passiert.
Da meine letzten Wochen hauptsächlich mit Lernen gefüllt waren.
Die Klausur liegt hinter mir - das Physikum vor mir.
Wie sagt man - vor der EM ist nach der WM - nun ja aber so lang sie noch läuft - beeinhaltet sie den anderen Rest meiner Zeit - und sie ist ja auch gar zu toll! Wir werden Weltmeister! :-) (ich hoffe ich muss im Juli keine Korrekturen durchführen...)
Selbst die WM in Deutschland ist reisebezogen - hehe - Freitag dann wohl gegen Argentinien! Ui, wie ich Argentinien mag, aber so leids mir tut - Freitag müsst ihr wieder in Euer schönes Land zurück (auch wenn ich mitkommen würde ;-) ).

Más fotos de Chile

Entre Lagos

Plaza de Armas, Santiago

Santiago

Coquimbo

Arica

Iquique

La Serena

Valdivia

Once again the latest news ;-)

Ja, wenns sie auch nicht umhauend sind, aber immerhin:

ich belege dieses Semester nun einen Spanisch-Kurs im Sprachlabor der Uni (4 SWS) - und steige gleich mal ein bei Grundkurs II (nagut... aber auch nur weil ich keinen Platz in Grundkurs I bekommen habe, hihi). Nein, aber nach der ersten Woche kann ich sagen, dass ich denke, dass es so gut ist. Ich hab bis jetzt alles verstanden, komm gut mit und fühle mich nicht hoffnungslos verloren - 2 Monate Südamerika haben also tatächlich was gebracht!
Das wirkliche Problem ist es eigentlich, alles in meine vorgegebene Wochenplanung einzubauen - die Profs wissen noch nicht, dass ich hier und da gern etwas eher gehen würde...

Ja, da heisst es jetzt wieder Hausaufgaben machen... und fein Vokabeln lernen.

Der Ernst des Lebens nimmt wieder Einzug

Nun ja... jetzt bin ich tatsächlich wieder auf dem Boden der Tatsachen angekommen... heute war Unibeginn und wir werden mit Terminen nicht verschont. Vorbei die schöne Zeit des in der weiten Welt rumbummeln, jetzt ist wieder Lernen angesagt - und wohl nicht zu knapp dieses Semester mit dem Physikum als "krönenden" Abschluss.

Auf geht's!

Impressions of Chile

La Serena, Geysirs del Tatio y Valle de la Luna, San Pedro de Atacama

Back in Germany

Jaaaa, ich bin wieder da!
Mit lachendem und weinendem Auge hab ich Santiago am Mittwoch verlassen. Und bin gut wieder in der Heimat angekommen und mit kurzem Abstecher nach Heidelberg, bin ich nun seit heute wieder in Weissenfels. Und freu mich jetzt wieder daheim zu sein. Ostern kann kommen!

That's it, I guess

My very last entry from abroad...
I arrived in Santiago at 4.30 am. Not a good time here, since the metro opens at 6.30 and everybody else is asleep. So I waited 2 hours to go to find a hostel. The first one was full... the second one I have to wait until noon to find out, but I could leave my stuff there.
So I am very tired... border crossing at 1 am isn't so funny, but at least I didn't have to open my backpack as others did.
Santiago is clowdy, humid and soooooo cold. I am freezing, I got so spoiled with the weather in Argentina. But that is okay... that makes leaving easier.

So I am going to see some more of Santiago, maybe meet Yuri if he has time...
and tomorrow I am coming back ;-) It's a bit of a strange feeling. Holidays are a nice invention.

See u all very soon. Besito y ultimos saludos de Chile!

Ultimas palabras de Argentina

So this is going to be my last report from Argentina.
I am staying at Flor´s house in Maipú which is very nice and her family is lovely. Today we went to the Thermas in Cacheuta - beautiful day - sun, hot water and just chilling. Tomorrow maybe, I'll visit some wineries and some more of the city and then I'll leave for Chile in the late evening... my last long bus ride... all´s ending now...

Besito y hasta la proxima semana

Some more pics

To the pictures:

1. Paraglyding in Mendoza

2. Sun DAWN! (well, yes I have seen one, though it happened because it was one of these long bus rides , hihi)

3. Trekking to the Cascadas in Cafayate

4. Quilmes - riuns with Llama y vista

5. Me on a rock in the Quebradas de Cafayate

The highlight of today was definetely PARAGLYDING... that was an awesome adventure. So cool flying like this! Incredible!

I met with Florencia and we spent the afternoon in a very nice and huge park and walking around town and having pizza at her house.

Happy Birthday once more to my Dad, I don´t know if you got the message I left on the answering machine?

And of course, I am looking foward to see you!!!!

The days are counted ... but Mendoza is the place to be

It is me once more. Arrived well in Mendoza and my first impression: great spot to be.
Cafayate was beautiful. I did a trek to some nice waterfalls through untouched nature, without even a trail.
Tucumán: well, I can say I have been to the city where independence was declared and saw the actual room. No need to stay longer.
And the last bus I took was also a nice surprise: when I arrived I was welcomed by name... that always makes me think, what have I done... but it turned out there were only 7 people on this double decker bus and me the only foreigner ;-)
And the bus was so comfortable and I had so much space AND there was actually a real dinner (which I could not enjoy, just to prevent the runs in the middle of the night). And it was so nice, they showed the movie with English subtitles for me.
Yeah, so I have 3 days in Mendoza and I don´t know yet what to do, because there is so much to do here... Tonight I stay in a hostel and the rest I am going to spend with Florencia, the girl I met in Santiago my first day.

So see you in less than a week :-(

Besos!

Some pics - ok 2

Tiwanaku, Boliva

A sign in the German-Bolivian School, Sucre, Bolivia

More pics follow, it just didn't want to upload them...

In Sucre there was only rain, though the town is nice. Just couldn't do alot in the surroundings. That was ok, since I was not able either...

Well, I am in Cafayate now. A very nice and cute 11.000 inhabitant town. I did a winery and a cheese factory tour (that was the best cheese I tried here, however it is still no real cheese :-) ) and a great tour of the surrounding canyon. I'll stay here another night. Another stop inbetween and then a couple of days in Mendoza. And a night bus to Santiago.

Muchos besos

Jippi! back on Argentinian grounds

From La Paz, the highest capital in the world to Potosi, the highest city in the world on 4070m,
then continuing to Sucre, the constitutional capital of Boliva and finally now back in much safer Argentina - Salta.

Well, that were some exhausting last days with not a lot of sleep, some bad buses and interesting places.
In Potosi I visited a mine, which is the main thing there. That was impressive crawling through tiny dark holes and seeing the miners work. Wow, I thought they stopped working like this centuries ago...very shocking.
Then in the evening to Sucre. Very pretty colonial town and it seemed a lot richer. There I did a tour to dinosaur tracks discovered in 1994. That was quite amazing, too. On the one hand to see left overs from the past and on the other hand, how Bolivians treat these archeological treasures "Oh, yeah and this here in the sand is a fossil alga".

Then I got a bus ticket for the 24 hour trip to Salta via Villazon, a border town... well, I made it there in a crappy bus thinking I would not make it there because the bus had to stop twice in the night on this lonely dirt road to fix something. Well, then after changing my bus ticket 3 times (that´s a long story) I had to walk cross the border to La Quiara. I got all my stamps and finally a bus.
I am glad I am out of Bolivia now without any bigger losses! ... it was nice and interesting but it is just too exhausting, you always have to pay attention, and well yes I did get sick. It was still in La Paz - right in the morning of the day of a 11 hour bus ride. So I had to use my travel first aid kit for the first time, and thanks to Dani I found some usefull stuff. So I didn´t eat a thing and drank only little for almost 2 days because the busses in Bolivia don´t have a toilet on board and stop only little, and since I spent the whole morning in the bathroom, I just didn´t want to take the risk. I am better now...just have to watch what I am eating to leave it in.

So, I am goining to cook this evening again... the first time after 5 days. And guess what...of course..noodles and tomato sauce ;-) (oh I forgot, perhaps there is an asado in the hostal tonight)

I don´t have my further route planned yet, I only know that my days are counted :-( . Soooo sad! 12th of April is coming closer... I am really looking foward to see u guys again, but it is hard to see it all end...

Many greetings and besos!

La Paz

Impressions of Bolivia

La Paz - just crazy. Culture shock. A great city, huge, located inside a canyon climbing up the hill, many native people, poor, market places, people selling EVERYTHING literally (from antennas, to 1 pack of tissues, food, bags, nails, souvenirs, music, tv... just what you desire) museums... I wanted to stay just a day but I will leave tomorrow evening... I skip Sucre and go straight to Potósi.
Bolivia is a lot different than Chile. Very poor and dangerous for gringos like me (well, it was ok, but you have to be very carefull). There are many begging people and shoeshine boys following you and a national police you cannot trust. You have the feeling the people on the streets are not as friendly towards tourist, they just want their money... but many are very nice and helpful, too! Probably it is just the different living situation Bolivians are in.

Today was very interesting. I walked around town in the morning together with a girl from my room. Then I visited the orphenage, the place the 2 Dutch girls volunteer in. That was very impressive in a sad way. The conditions are very bad, the kids have almost nothing. Many are disabled and stay there their whole life. I fed the baby Maria, 10 months. It is such a strange feeling.
In the afternoon I went around the market area. Oh, so many lovely things you could buy!

Tomorrow I am going to visit Tiwanaku - a riun city of the ancient people of Bolivia.

Take care, as I am, too.
Besos

From Arica (Chile) to La Paz (Bolivia)

Just to let you know where I am heading. Tomorrow morning I am going to La Paz, Bolivia. I found 2 Dutch girls in the hostal, who do an internship there. So I am not travelling alone... so far. Then I try to take the fastest way to Argentina.

Arica is nice, but I have seen all important things here in one day. And I was swimming in the Pacific ocean today - yeah (and cold!).

Take care.

The adventure of being in the middle of nowhere

Humberstone

&

Gigante de Atacama

Ui, what a day. After breakfast we started off to the ghost city Humberstone. The 2 French girls we met found out about a bus going that direction, which can drop us off. So, we arrived well. That was very interesting... a very functional place for these mine workers and really a ghost town.

After that, we wanted to go to the Geoglifos del Cerro Unita. The only problem was that there is no public transportation heading there (well, of course you can book these overrated tours...). So we saw this bus station with a lot of Chileans waiting for sth. - which was Arica. So this was at least part of the way and so we decided to wait and go at least some km... after the first bus, coming after waiting 1 hour, was full and after another 1 hour of waiting we decided to try it by hitch-hiking after a truck had stopped at the bus station to offer a ride. So we took it and went on... not very far because a tire broke... well, it was quite exciting to see a Bolivian trucker change a tire of his truck ( he didn`t want our help... he said it is work for a man ;-) ). So after 20 minutes we continued. He took us until the next town Huara, which was still 14 km away from our destination. So we started walking. And somehow there was just no car coming. But then the second car passing us after another hour took us until the km 14 mark and we could see already the hill. The rest of the way was walking for about 40 minutes. But it was really worth it. We finally reached the Giant of Atacama and it was very impressive to see what humans left about 1000 years ago.

Since our time schedule was way behind and it was already 6 pm being in the middle of nowhere - the next town 30 km ahead and the last one 14 km behind... and us being like 3 km off the mainroad. Wherever you turned - nothing. But a really nice sunset. So we wandered back to the main street with the sun being already very low. Finally a car of roadworkers picked us up ... probably wondering what 2 girls are doing in the literally middle of nowhere. They took us again until Huara... it was 7 pm by now and dark. We planned already the worst case with staying in a residencial in this town for the night. There was no bus coming. And we eventually hitched a ride, but there was also a woman with 5 kids waiting... and we did a"gute Tat ausreichend fuer die naechsten Wochen" and let the family take the car. Well, so we waited another hour... and the police man invited us to wait in his little cabin because it got really cold and windy. And then, fortunately, a travel bus from arica had to stop and they were so kind to take us back to Iquique even though it was only 1 seat left. Well, so we arrived in our hostal by 9 pm after a quite adventurous road trip. And now we are having a barbecue at the hostal what is really fun and tasty!

Iquique

Iquique from above (taken by Alex, a pilot from Brasil, from the hostal)

Yes, it worked...my first picture on the blog from Chile. We arrived here in the morning at 6.00 am. Unfortunately, it was cloudy all day and we used the time to catch up sleep and to relax in this very nice HI Iquique, which is located right at the beach. And our small room with 2 triple-bunk-beds has a view of the ocean. It feels like holiday ;-) . In the evening we had a little come-together in the patio... with a lot pisco sour... very nice and many interesting people.

Tomorrow we`ll try to visit the ghost town Humberstone and the geoglyphics of this region - let`s see since there is no bus going there.

Today I did also my laundry again... it was so necessary! And I finally got my route planned since I have only 2,5 weeks left (that is just so sad!)... well, I am heading to the very north of Chile - Arica and then not going back the same way, I will cross to Bolivia heading south a bit through Argentina and back to Santiago. That is the plan by now... let`s see how long it`s hold up.

Besitos

deserto - Wueste soweit das Auge reicht

Seit einigen Tagen gibt es nur noch Wueste... mit hier und da schoenen Oasen. Eine davon ist San Pedro. Hier fuehlt man sich ein wenig in der Zeit zurueck versetzt - ein kleines Oertchen (2000 Einwohner, und mehr Touristen als Einwohner, die sich aber trotzdem verlaufen), wo es nicht eine asphaltierte Strasse gibt, die Haeuser hauptsaechlich aus Lehm sind und der Strom 1.00 nachts abgeschaltet wird. Es gibt nur kleine, teure Minimercados (der 5l Wasserkanister ist das einzig billige) und nur einen einzigen Geldautomaten (meine Karte hat er genommen, die der Schweden nicht...). Es ist wirklich niedlich hier. Und die Wueste und seine Formationen sind atemberaubend!

Heute habe ich einen Ausflug zu den Geiser del Tatio auf 4300m in den Anden gemacht. Es ging 4.00 morgens los, weil es am besten vor Sonnenaufgang ist... und es war echt umwerfend. Das ist schon was, wenn es direkt unter einem brodelt und kochend heisses Wasser aus zig Loechern spuckt. Der Rueckweg war wunderschoen (und holprig) durch die Anden mit ganz vielen Vicunas und Lamas und einigen Flamingos.
Am Nachmittag gings weiter ins Valle de la Luna, wo es tatsaechlich etwas wie auf dem Mond aussieht. Dort haben wir den Sonnenuntergang auf den Felsen genossen.

Morgen Abend geht's weiter nach Iquique (ich hab ja soooo lange ueberlegt, ob ich nicht eine 4-Tagestour nach Uyuni, Bolivien und den groessten Salzsee der Welt machen soll. Hab mich dann doch dagegen entschieden, weil einfach die Zeit davon rennt. Ach, ich wird doch noch so gern so viel machen!), wo ich dann am Donnerstag 5.30 ankomme und wohl mal einen Strandtag einlegen werde.

P.S. Meine 1GB-Karte und meine 265MB-Karte ist voll! Und ich musste heute eine CD brennen, damit ich noch weiter Bilder machen kann...