Arrival in Chile

Ok, I made it!! horray, horray. I have about 15min left on this computer to summarize my first day. So far so good!
Flight from NYC-Atlanta-Santiago was pretty uneventful...old plane, old seats, bad food, weird neighbor, lousy crew...boy, i miss business class and the warm nuts! that's an inside joke for those of you who don't get it.

Took local bus to Barrio Brazil where my hostel is...some hostel...all about the partying...they sell beer until 4am, this is going to be promising.... that's ok though, i'm so tired from touring the city that i'll sleep through it all.
Got in around 11am and took off to explore the city right away....the main square Plaza de Armas, the cathedral, the fish market -very important-, the view from the Cristobal -that's where I bumped into the president (Michelle Bachelet, yes, a woman president!!! might be an inspiration to others) who happened to be taking a private tour of the spot....pretty cool, no! on my first day...there were a dozen guards around her, but people were able to shake her hand...i couldn't figure what to say to her in spanish (that's because I don't speak Spanish yet, hmmm)...oh well- continued on to the pedestrian streets for some folklore and to a supermarket for some research. BTW, Stoli is cheaper than Bacardi...and they don't have real vermouth, but some cool immitation instead. Tons of yogurt, so i'm happy about that, but no good chocolate, i guess i'll have to give it up for 6 months....will that counts towards lent?

Ok, gotta wrap up, more later....quick observations: Santiago (6million habitants, ie: over 1/3 of Chile's population) seems to be a mix of Buenos Aires and Lima, modern westernized buildings mixed with more tradional houses/neighborhoods like Bellavista, I feel totally safe walking around, people are friendly, gas is about $1 a liter, high school kids are into punk rock (from the school uniform they switch to that 'east village look' plus throw in long black hair with bangs), people here love their ice cream...and hot dogs, weird...the fruit stands are beautiful: strawberries galore, full artichokes like from Britanny, big asperagus, and tons of avocados... will go back to the fish market tomorrow for a feast and buy some fruit too. Not quite like the Tokyo fish market, but still impressive... crawlie-crawlers all over but mostly whole fish from dorade to bass (Chilean seabass!! even if un-pc right now).

Ok, off to read up for tomorrow.... not sure when i'll update next...probably from Arica. Stay tuned...

Day 2 in Santiago: weather being so-so, it was ideal to go tour some museums: the Cousino Palace, highly recommend (a european-like extravagant house with french wood, italian marble...huge contrast with the outside world), and the pre-columbian art museum. Also walked through the various neighborhoods Bario Paris-Londres, San Francisco, Chinatown, and back to the fish market for lunch. Got a good feel for the city in two days...met some US college students from University of Oregon...they told me all about the bar scene- so I felt lived through that as well- but also some good tips for my upcoming travels.