¡Hola! from Santiago

Well, we arrived safely in Santiago - we even managed to get our cooker here without it being confiscated by Qantas, which was a definite bonus. First impressions of Santiago - hot (26 C), dry (its in a desert afterall), rather polluted (first time I've ever seen the smog sitting in the streets like it does here. Both Dorthe and I are suffering from cronic itchy throats and runny noses as a result of the pollution), surrounded by epic mountains (except you can't see them due to the pollution), and it has a mangnificent collection of cathedrals and churchs, which we've been exploring. Its fun being back in the South American madness though - people everywhere, buses roaring back and forth, all sorts of strange foods, and prices that don't make much sense ($1100 for a bus ride? How much exactly is that in NZ$??). We have a few more days here, and then we head south to Patagonia.