Hi Everyone,

Arrival in yet another Country, the 3rd in South America has brought me to Santiago in Chile. This is just a stop over en route to New Zealand so I have a couple of days to look around. The weather is much the same as in the Uk during autumn, grey overcast, misty and only about 10 degrees. What a shock having left Brazil in brilliant sunshine and 37! it is refreshingly different, as soon as you leave the aiport you feel the European / Spanish influence everywhere. Everything shouts Spanish to you, apart from the Andes that is, however it is difficult to see them today.

I have become more efficient at passing through airports, I now anticipate the onslaught from taxi drivers and touts who are attracted to backpackers like moths to a light. The best weapon is a very confident stance, a broad knowing smile, polite but firm Spanish, even if you know very little and stride purposefully to where you wish to go, if you know where that is of course.,

Before leaving the baggage hall find an Information centre, ask all you need to know and go for it!

I am staying at a Hostel called Rio Amazones and it is fabulous. I have my own room with 3 beds in it, own bathroom, nice towels and I'm not sure what to do. I'm not used to this now, where are my room mates, why don't I have to share the shower. It's cheap as well only about 20 pounds including breakfast. I'm not sure what the premises was before but it appears to have been a grand old house and is located next door to the Argentinian Embassy (don't worry I'll open the window later and give them some gip!) I am located not far from Downtown and the more interesting sights and near to Plaza Italia and you know what that means - food, gastronomic delights!

First things first though, I HAVE to do some washing, boring I know but what you can not realise, or rather can not smell, is the result of three weeks overlanding through Sth America. Several bits of clothing have taken an absolute hammering and are close to going in the bin and not making it to the laundry. I bought 2 travel shirts especially for the last stage, they have just about made it, any normal shirt would be in shreds by now, they look more like 2 years old not 2 months. I dropped it all off with some poor unsuspecting lady at a local laundry and beat a hasty retreat before she opened the bag, and decoided to take a hike to see a Virgin.

There is a hill on the west side of town with a statue of a Virgin (not The Virgin) on top, there is a small chapel and more to the point 2 coffee bars! There is also a funicular and a gondola going up to the top. It is only about 200 meters high so I decided to walk up, after Roraina it was easy allbeit rather muddy.

I arrived at the summit and came off the path into a car park. Half a dozen people just stood and stared at me as if I was mad. I may have been a bit sweaty but that was about all! There's a great view of the City from the top, or so I'm told when there isn't a blanket of fog like today! And also a view of the Andes. What you can get on a day like this is a fabulous meat turn over and a cup of coffee, you also get two dogs who come and sit with you and help you with the weight control! It was so peaceful just letting life pass by and people watching, the chapel is quiet and interesting with some wonderful wood carved panels around the inner walls and ceiling. The dogs had what was left of the food, which wasn't much and I decided to walk down. Then having seen that the Funicular was in operation, I changed my mind and rode the funny little 1920's rail car to the bottom.

I returned to the hostel much later and linked up with some fellow travellers discussing the various merits of differnet Countries. Ironically one of the girls was from Maldon, it is amazing that you can come half way round the World, pick a hostel at random and bump into someone who lives so close by and knows people you know.

The following day was beautiful I made sure that I had a good day sightseeing and went to as many places as possible. The Cathedral and Government building were well worth the visit and I enjoyed 'Downtown'. I had chance to catch up with lots of bits and pieces and charge up all my gizmos which had become a bit depleated. I am really gearing up for my journey to New Zealand which is a 13 hour flight and will mean that the temperature drops even further as I will then be in mid winter.

I purchased a lovely Alpaca wool jumper for five pounds, bloody rip off!, so everyone has got Alpaca pressies, whoops, shouldn't have told you! I went down to a market where there were some great handicrafts and some very interesting people who appear to have migrated from various parts of the globe. I met poets, artists, musicians and some bohemian indeviduals who had strangly familiar cigarettes!

I pre-booked my taxi to the airport and was collected slightly earlier than i expected. The driver clearly knew that traffic was going to be heavier at that time of day and set about demonstrating how to dispose of five lanes of traffic despite white lines, rumble strips and raised lines of concrete in the road! At one point a VW came across our path from left to right. It forced my driver to brake but only encouraged him to then try and force this poor couple off the road not once but three times in succession. First we drove at the VW's bumper and almost nudged it off the carriageway, then we drove at the drivers door and forced the car onto the far side of the road across two lanes of traffic. Loads of hooting and hollowing later we pulled infront of the VW, slammed on the anchors, just about came to a standstill and then side swiped the VW as it pulled alongside! We then forced the VW down a side road, whether or not they wanted to go that way I'm really not very sure, and then carried on! I wondered whether it had all been worth it, lets hope the pilot has had a better day!

I'm going to catch my flight so I'll catch you at the other end, in New Zealand.

Chris