Travels and Treks, Part III: Santiago

I have made to the lands south of the equator. They are cold and, for the moment, wet. I am told that Santiago does not really get much rain. We shall see. This is unfortunate, though, in that it makes going out and sightseeing somewhat less appealing. I went out for a short walk earlier and got just hammered by the rain. It's heavy and nonstop. I guess I'm getting they're entire year's worth of rainfall right now. Nice.

The flight in was good. Long, of course. Total travel time was around fourteen hours. As far as flights, themselves, go, though, I really couldn't have been more pleased. Luckily, the flight crew all spoke English, so language was not a problem (I was flying Mexicana and Aeromexico). In fact, on the flight from Mexico City to Santiago, all the in-flight entertainment was in English. And, if I fly back during August, I'll get to see Star Trek again. I find this to be a tempting offer. Even on the two hour flight, we were served breakfast, which was a rather delicious omelet for having been served in a tin pan. I'm glad there was a long layover in Mexico City, though, because I had the hardest time figuring out where I was supposed to go. I even had to go through Customs (which really is a joke) just to switch terminals. They do have the coolest things there: VW Bug taxis. On the longer flight, we were given pillows and blankets and all the amenities, and two separate meals, and free booze--and this was the cheapest option to get to South America. Remember this folks, when you get on another plane and they won't even serve you peanuts. The biggest problem was that no matter how hard I tried, I could not fall asleep. Sigh.

The place I'm staying at is quite beautiful, though. It's a small little place, with only five rooms, but it's cozy. What I love about it is the character. The floors all creak and some of the doors let through a little too much light, but hotels just aren't the same experience. In lieu of going back out in getting soaked again, I'm writing this and trying to make some plans for just what I'm going to do while I'm down here. The service is wonderful here. Free wifi, super friendly English speaking owners, and I came back after my walk to find my room completely organized. Top to bottom. My toiletries were arranged aesthetically, my clothes hung in the closet, cords and charges stacked neatly together, dirty clothes piled nicely, and all the miscellany straightened. I was floored; it was practically a work of art.

Not much else at this point. Ciao!