From the dirt roads of Bolivia to the paved order of Santiago. Well it seems like order, compared to what we are used to.... Santiago is big (around 5Million people) and there is smog and traffic, but it is all so familiar, it feels like we could be in Toronto, except warmer.
Prices are higher here.. gone are the under 1 CAD meals, now they are around 4CAD. Eating cheaply means a hot dog or a slice of pizza, which isn't really what we want to be consuming for the next three months, so the budget is transforming.
Santiago has many interesting neighbourhoods from university type scenes to modern skyscrapers and colonial buildings. It lies right at the foot of the Andes and the bus ride through the mountains and across the border was spectacular, reminding us a lot of the Rockies back home, complete with lingering snow packs and rocky terrain.
We spent a few days just in Santiago wandering and enjoying traffic lights, throngs of people Christmas shopping, sidewalks, a subway system (WOW), and stores galor.
We are staying in a small hostal that was the cheapest we could find and still works out to over 10 USD per person for a dorm bed. But, and there is a big but, hostals here aren't about a daily struggle for a trickle of water in the shower. No, no, free internet, huge breakfast, 900 movies to choose from, pool table, free laundry(not just a sink here folks, the machine, and they trust you to use it), Xbox, on and on.... Don't know if this will be true for the rest of Chile but if we have to pay the big bucks, it is nice to get a bit back in return....
That being said we head south soon and the camping begins...
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