Mar 7, 2010 - Santiago

Because of the earthquake I decided to travel to Santiago on the same day I was due to fly out. ... So the taxi driver left with my money, which irritates me immensely! But on to Santiago (and bear in mind that my opinion is slightly tainted by this incident!). ... I would describe it as just another big city.Because of the earthquake I decided to travel to Santiago on the same day I was due to fly out. ... So the taxi driver left with my money, which irritates me immensely! But on to Santiago (and bear in mind that my opinion is slightly tainted by this incident!). ... I would describe it as just another big city....

Mar 3, 2010 - Puerto Varas....Our last stop in Chile

Another lake side town, with a German past. We left for Puerto Varas this morning at 8am, everyone was shattered from the previous nights antics, which meant the bus was silent, deadly silent. ... Back to Puerto Varas, slightly bigger than Pucon, with again beautiful backdrops, yet we are not here for long enough to enjoy all that is on offer. ... I have instead spent this afternoon exploring this small town, and to my dismay I have found another classic tell tell sign of western influence.Another lake side town, with a German past. We left for Puerto Varas this morning at 8am, everyone was shattered from the previous nights antics, which meant the bus was silent, deadly silent. ... Back to Puerto Varas, slightly bigger than Pucon, with again beautiful backdrops, yet we are not here for long enough to enjoy all that is on offer. ... I have instead spent this afternoon exploring this small town, and to my dismay I have found another classic tell tell sign of western influence....

Mar 3, 2010 - Back to the earthquake zone

Greetings from Santiago (again)! I got a phone call last night around 8:30 from the nice folks at Sky Airlines, saying that there was a seat for me on the 6:30 am flight to Santiago this morning. ... After landing safely at the Santiago airport they unloaded us onto the tarmac and onto a couple shuttle buses that took us over to the area that they've set up for baggage claim- nobody was allowed into the terminal, not even the international passengers that arrived from Madrid about the same time we did. ... By and large, Santiago appears to already be back to normal; I saw a few buildings on the highway into town with some crumbling facades and trim hanging loose, but they looked as though they were never terribly well-built to begin with. ... Plus, at this point, Santiago feels comfortably familiar- I feel like I know my way around here, I recognize streets and Metro stops and places I went before, and don't feel like such a tourist (if only because I'm not pulling out the Lonely Planet every 5 minutes to check the map). ...

Mar 2, 2010 - Pucon #2

I have spent the past 3 days in this perfect lakeside town, a haven for outdoor enthusiasts.I have spent the past 3 days in this perfect lakeside town, a haven for outdoor enthusiasts....

Mar 1, 2010 - Almost as far south as you can get

OK, so I'm skipping at least 4 major entries here (to be back-filled while I'm stuck in Punta Arenas, hopefully), but given the whole earthquake situation, I figured a real update was in order. ... Even down here, most Chileans are in a state of shock- the streets of downtown Punta Arenas (a decent-sized city) were practically deserted yesterday afternoon, even more than normal for a Sunday, and this morning government offices were still closed while there was a large group of people waiting outside each of the local airlines' offices. ... Actually, that's not all I've been doing- I went yesterday afternoon out to a penguin colony on the Otway Sound, a bit west of Punta Arenas. ... I'm sure there's more to see in Punta Arenas, and I'll probably get to see a lot of it over the next few days. ...