Hot and Bustling: 2 1/2 days in Santiago

Welcome to Chile!  Our first stop on this adventure...

When we're traveling, we generally limit the amount of time we spend in cities. We've lived in lots of big U.S. cities, and been to many others.  So we're usually eager to get into more remote and rural areas where it's less chaotic and the livin' is easy. But Santiago proved to be a good introduction to Chile. A few things we learned in our two and a half days:

• Chileanos are very nice and courteous. They even let pedestrians cross the road - truck drivers at rush hour will stop and wave you across.  Needless to say,  this was a big a cultural shock after two years of living in Boston.
• Even Chilean stray dogs are nice and much cuter than your average stray dog. 
• Many Chileans don't speak English - this gives Erin an excellent chance to practice her Spanish skills (which aren't too bad!)
• The subway is cleaner, faster, cheaper, and just better than those in Boston, D.C., New York, San Francisco, London, Paris, Budapest, and many more.  Quite impressive.
• There are lots of great museums, but the capstone is surely the Museum of Memory and Human Rights. 
• Santiago is a vibrant, fun city, and given the amount of construction, is planning some serious growth.

Here´s a link to a few photos from our time in Santiago, including a few from our wanderings, the Mercado Central, a whimsical French art installation, and some archaeological treasures.

We´re now down in Puerto Natales in Patagonia (after an aborted landing at the Punta Arenas airport, but more on that next time).  While Santiago is hot and dry, this place is cool and damp.  But there are epic mountains and hundreds of miles of wilderness, trails, and fjords to explore.  Tomorrow we start an 8-9 day circuit hike in Torres del Paine national park, around its eponymous peaks.  It should be an awesome (if difficult and somewhat windy) experience.  We´ll let you know how it goes...

Hosteling in your 30's

When we're on vacation, we usually stay at nice B&B's, mid-range hotels and the occasional luxury resort (when we get free Hyatt nights). But this is not a vacation, and we're on a budget. That means hostels. And hostels in your mid-(or in  Brook's case late)-30's is a different experience. To minimize feeling really old, we have strict criteria for our hostels: no attractive women on the website, no advertisements for all-night drinking parties, and a private room option. Don Santiago is our first hostel stop and so far, so good. Yes, we are the oldest people here, have to put our toilet paper in the trash can and there's a shared bathroom with a floor that was weirdly wet last night. But we had drinks last night with a couple of guys from the Netherlands, three Koreans, a Brazilian woman (not hot), a woman from California, and one very tired German. Then we put our earplugs in and went to bed when one of the Dutch guys pulled out a bottle of Jim Beam at around midnight. Because, after all, we're in our 30's.  

Packing

We're in Florida at Brook's dad's house for a final visit and some last-minute preparations.  We're battling winter colds (a little memory of frigid New England), but otherwise we think we're about ready.   Our goal was to cram everything we needed for a year into two backpacks, and by jove we think we did it.  That includes a tent, sleeping bags, other camping/cooking gear, photography equipment, travel gadgets, malaria meds, and clothing for a broad range of climates (think down coats to board shorts).  We have to admit, it's a little messy and more stuff than we thought.  But, we can cram it in backpacks and run for that early morning bus (or flight, or boat, or yak) if it comes down to it.

We've updated the Kit and Logistics page with more details on what we're lugging around, but the following photos should provide a (hopefully amusing) insight into what we're bringing along...

Before...

And after.

2014

We rang in 2014 with a wonderful send-off hosted by some of our best friends in the world, with some very unexpected out-of-town visitors. And we spent today visiting Erin's sister, her husband, and our new niece before having dinner with yet more great friends. It was a good reminder of how fortunate and blessed we are to be surrounded by great friends and a loving family; this trip would not be possible without their support.  We're excited about what 2014 has in store for us, but we will miss everyone and think of you often! Feel free to come visit us along the way...