Santiago!

Santiago!

Made it to Santiago!  I overnighted in Calgary and caught a flight this afternoon (yesterday afternoon, technically, but I haven't really slept so this is all one long day to me).  I met up with Kim and JF randomly in Houston, and we shared the 9 hour flight to Santiago.

I said goodbye to them at the airport because they were continuing on with a flight to Punta Arenas and then a bus to Puerto Natales (making for two full days of travel - I do not envy them).  Customs was pretty painless, but then I made the mistake of taking an unlicensed taxi who over charged me and took the long way to my hostel because he didn't actually know where it was.  Halfway through the trip the arm broke off his glasses, so he just stopped wearing them.  That was concerning.  But he got me there in the end.

Since checking in two hours ago I've walked around Bellavista and truly appreciated how little Spanish I know.  I've waked around Pono Nio and walked part way up Cerro San Cristobel, then started sweating and walked back down.  I decided I needed somewhere to cool off, so sat down at a restaurant in Patio Bellavista.  Somehow a beer appeared in front of me and I had the first beer and empanada of my vacation!

Napping will be in order very soon.