From Santiago

Writing this from an internet/phone store in Santiago. Just a couple blocks from our hotel (Plaza San Francisco, ironically). It´s now 6:20pm. We arrived here this morning; our flight landed around 9am.

It´s been a busy couple of days since Anj and I left home Fri evening. Took a red-eye (via Las Vegas) to Miami. Spent Saturday around Miami--lunch in Little Havana, a drive to Key Biscayne, drinks and dinner in South Beach--before flying out around 11pm, on another red-eye. Needless to say, we´re pretty sleep-deprived. Hence Anj is napping in the room, but I´m still going on that sleep-deprivation buzz I get going sometimes.

We had a tour of the city today, straight from the aeropuerto practically--just a quick stop to check in to the hotel, and then we were off. First stop was Museo Precolumbino--a not large, but extensive enough, collection of pre-Columbian Central and South American art and culture. Our guide, Eugenio, was quite knowledgeable about the exhibits, and gave us an informative and exhaustive (and exhausting) tour of the exhibits.

That was followed by a visit to the central plaza and the cathedral, and then a drive to the top of Cerro San Cristo (?), a posh neighborhood in the hills, and lapiz lazui shop.

More later...