A Capitol Visit

Although we are already preparing for our journey home (we will be returning to NYC one day ahead of the original schedule), we are also enjoying our last days in South America. Yesterday we went on a walking tour of three different areas of the city, led by the one and only Dan Zinn. We got to see a great artsy area (which reminded us of King William in San Antonio) where we enjoyed some great empanadas. We then walked through a beautiful city park along a river, which was less than impressive, and past the art museum to the Central Market. Here we saw evey kind of seafood for sale, including large piles of squid just waiting to be served as calamari. It was quite the experience.

We then headed to the Plaza de las Armas, the third time we have been to such a site with the exact same name this trip. As predicted, it was filled with people, pigeons, and energy, including dozens of men of all ages playing in a chess tournament which we watched for a while. There were also children torturing the birds, two comedians working as street performers and entertaining the crowd, and some artists with their work for sale. We enjoyed the gelato and the atmosphere.

The last stop along the tour was a hill called Santa Lucia. We both want to do some more research on the matter, but it is the most bizzare hill right in the middle of the busy city. We climbed hundreds of stairs to get to the top where there could have been a great view of the snow-covered mountains and the city all the way around if it hadn´t been for the dense smog that clouded our vision (a lot like what we saw in Beijing, I´m afraid). It was a mysterious place, still, with castle-like structures and fountains that could have been seen anywhere in Italy. Oh ... and lots of couples making out. Yikes.

Overall we have really enjoyed our time here in Chile. This city is a lot more modern and Americanized than any other we have seen on this trip. The metro is a nicer version of the NYC subway; there are "Nuts 4 Nuts" vendors just like in Times Square; the people are very metropolitan and there is no distinctly Chilean look as far as we can tell. Tonight we will be on a red-eye back to NYC and will make the obligatory phone calls and emails when we can. Be well!