Chilly in Chile

We made it to Chile this morning, after my four hours of sleep, and I decided to bring my computer (e-mailing is cheaper than international text messages, and I wanted my parents to know I made it safely over the Andes.) It is cold here. I keep saying "It's chilly," and then catch myself for sounding like I'm trying to use some lame pun. Santiago is a very clean city. The air smells like the mountains; the subway stations (called the "metro" here) are spacious and bright. There is less dog poop on the streets. At times it seems very American, with its Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks, but also like a bohemian mountain town. It's a nice escape from the bustle of Buenos Aires. But we do stick out as tourists; Annemarie and I are the only blondes for miles. I haven't had the chance to sit down and write much about it, as we've spent the day exploring in the foggy chill. But I took a few pictures to help tell the story. The exchange rate is crazy here: $447 pesos to $1 USD. Sometimes we feel like we're playing with Monopoly money. Things seem to start earlier here, although we're pretty set on Argentine time. We're resting a bit before dinner around 9 pm. I've got my heart set on some Chilean Sea Bass. Seems like I might get my fill of seafood here, which is fine because Argentina is the land of beef and ham...

Annemarie and Meg at the base of Cerro San Cristobal

La Casa Colorada

Jenny & Annemarie celebrate 10 years of Dunkin Donuts in Chile

Tons of pigeons in Plaza Las Armas

Annemarie & Jenny at the Chilean Stock Exchange (La Bolsa de Comercios)

wearing my visitor's badge in La Bolsa de Comercios

The bohemian part of town and Pablo Neruda's neighborhood