Santiago

Thought I might stick another post up while Lucas is uploading the photos from Santiago. Had three nights in the Chilean capital and came away slightly indifferent.

Despite the abundance of churches and monuments, and some incredible sunsets over the Andes through the smog, I got the feeling of being trapped in a smokey box. This is probably due to a) having spent the last month in the pristine air and nature of the patagonian Andes and b) Santiago being the most polluted city in South America. A day trip to the coastal town of Viña del Mar and Valparaiso (known to the locals as Viña and Valpo) and a swim in the freezing ocean was a great break from the city. I think it will take a few days to reaclimatize to city living as we are now in Mendoza (the heart of South American wine) and I'm still distracted by the noise and pollution and craving the laid back life of the little villages we have been through in the past few weeks. Which is next on the itinerary anyway in the form of Salta (Northern Argentina), then across the border again to the town of San Pedro de Atacama - on the northern edge of the Atacama desert (driest place on earth). Apparently all the best sights and experiences of the desert are all within reach for day trips from San Pedro, but we still like the idea of traipsing through a wasteland loaded up with our packs under the blistering sun and setting up camp in the middle of nowhere, who knows. And thats the part of this trip that keeps getting better, the less we plan the more flexible we can be and every path we take is an unknown adventure.