People seemed quite negative about santiago so we werent quite sure what to expect! We had a lot of recommendations for the Dominica hostel which was new and meant to be really good so we made our way there. We got there quite early but we were allowed to help ourselves to breakfast and use the internet before we checked in. There wasnt a massive amount of things to do in santiago but it was quite a relaxed town and an ok place to kill a few days. First things first we needed to restock on a few essentials so headed into the city to the shops. After refuelling on toiletries we headed back to the hostel and had a few drinks before heading out for dinner with Trisha who we had met in Rio and BA. Afterwards we sat on one of the streets near our hostel. We were staying in Bellavista which is a studenty area of town and we sat chatting to some chilean students looking at improving their english which was quite fun.

We were staying right next to one of the parks with a massive hill in which we decided to walk up the next day, we had been told that there were some swimming pools in the park but as it was now april, they had closed as it was their winter season, even though it was still over 30C. We werent intending on walking the whole way up but we found our way somehow to the top. It was easter sunday and there was a service going on at the top in the open air church perched right at the top with views over the city. We went in after the service had finished and we took some photos of the beautiful views of the city and mountains around. Unfortunately as Chile has developed nearing first world status, the environment has suffered, and in Santiago you can see the thick layer of smog enveloping the whole city. On a sunday the smog is at its thinnest but still the haze is obvious, blurring the horizon. The next day we headed to the bus station to see about buses back to Mendoza in Argentina but we decided to hedge our bets and come back the next day in search of a bargain! So we decided to see a little more of what santiago has to offer wandering through the city streets and browsing through the markets. We walked a long way through the city and came back quite tired but rushed back to the top of the hill, this time taking the train and cable car to the top to watch the sunset. We had a nice last meal before getting ready to head to mendoza fairly warly the next day.

The pass through the andes to mendoza is stunning, you traverse up and up the side of the mountain to the border at the top following beautiful little rocky streams and getting great views of the mountains and valleys bellow. Once through the border you get to do it all again as you come down the mountains on the other side. If only we had had time to stop and take photos! Unfortunately somewhere on the way I ate something extremely dodgy and arrived in mendoza feeling very rough indeed!