Update time, as the situation with respect to my working in the Atacama is resolved (ish). Essentially, the new plan is as follows: For the next two week block (that starts on the 5th August), I shall be back at the mine, and after that, I’ll be transferred to the deserty/tenty exploration site for the next fortnight. The final fortnight will be back at this mine. Nice and simple (and makes renewing my work permit a LOT less hassly – woo!).
This weekend is the weekend with just me and a field assistant, and I’ve spent this cold Friday morning reading some geological reports about the mine and surrounding area. I’ll not lie, it’s freezing here, and also, for once, it’s cloudy outside (which is pretty rare, as usually the clouds are either absent, or below the office in the valley). Never mind!
Some good news though, as today is pay day! To complicate matters, I’m technically hired by both the London company, and the Chilean one, so it does mean that I am paying some UK tax (booooo), which means lots of fun forms to fill in when I get back courtesy of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (probably the least popular government agency)! In Chile, all I have to do is go to a bank with my passport, and they give me some cash (which is much simpler). Luckily though, I am now actually capable of paying for my trip to Easter Island in September now (which is handy). Whatever’s left (unlikely, but you never know) I’ll keep, as I’d like to go for a holiday to South East Asia (Thailand/Laos/Cambodia/Vietnam) next year, because travel is great (PC, that means I’ll aim to come and visit you, you have been warned), although let’s be honest, I’ll probably spend it in the pub invest it in a local business!
The Journal of a Geologist 