Day 3-4: Santiago

Saturday morning, we walked around the different squares in Mendoza to get another look at a great city. We would have loved to stay longer, but we had a bus to catch back to Santiago. This time, we took a big bus that was a bit more comfortable. There were even movies during the ride, though they were Walking Tall, starring The Rock and with Spanish subtitles, and The Longest Yard dubbed into Spanish.


We arrived just as it was getting dark, and during our cab ride to the hotel, we got our first real look at Santiago. From our cab ride from the airport to the bus station a couple days earlier, we though the city might be kind of a hole. Apparently, though, we just went through the less desirable suburbs. Now, we were suddenly in a large city amidst some great old architecture.

Sunday was the first day of our Patagonia tour. We met our group in the early afternoon and went on a city tour with a guide. It's always a little tough being in a city for a very short time, so I guess this was a good way to sample some of the different sights.

The highlights for me were some of the oldest buildings around the main square and a trip to Cerro Santa Lucia, a hill overlooking the city that gave us a good idea of how big the place is. Half of the population of Chile lives in and around Santiago. At night, we also got a taste of the good food in the newer part of Santiago. Dee and I joined one of our tour mates, Alex, for dinner at a place called Como Agua para Chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate).