Chillin out in Santiago, Chile

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hola,
So after a 22, or so, hour bus ride we made to santiago, Chile wednesday the 18th. the bus ride was ok, another double decker bus, super comfy seats, reclining and all, but still after 22hours, nothing seems comfy anymore! we were able to see most of northern chile in the daylight, as our route took us through antofagasta, and then down south. It is confirmed, all of northern chile is a desert, haha. very similar scenery for most of the ride. it actually didnt even start to change much until we got very close to santiago, which is still a similar type landscape. this city has the andes behind it, and some foothills in front. we are about 50km from the coast. So far its seems like a pretty cool city, nice architecture, and as laid back as a city of 5 million people can be. we are staying in a so-called hip district of the city, about a mile from downtown. it seems like sort of a college area we are in, with many streets filled with bars/restaurants, and all the plastic chairs and tables you could want to sit on in the street and people watch. it stays light until 9pm here, and gets fairly warm midday, but usually has a nice breeze. one thing i am not a big fan of is their dinnertime practices...most of the restaurants dont start serving dinner until after 8pm! and after walking around all day, its hard to stay awake until 8, let alone eat soo late, ha-ha. otherwise all is good here. chile is definitely more expensive than peru, and very european feeling.
so after much discussion, and looking at our options for patagonia, we have finally decided our route down. we just finished booking 2 spots on the navimag vessel. its a working cargo vessel that goes from peurto montt which is another 10hr bus ride south from here, and it takes us along the coast of chile all the way down to peurto natales, which is the gateway to torres del paines national park. its a 3 night 4 day boat ride, which hugs the coast the whole way down, and navigates through all the little inlets and islands while heading south. it also will stop at the ,, hmm, forgot the name, but at a kick ass glacier, and we will be able to see it up close and personal. we are syked for this ride. once in peurto natales, we will then gear up and head into the park for our 3,4 or 5 day trek around the park. our boat departs monday, 23rd. we will stay in santiago until sunday night, then take the overnight bus to peurto montt, arriving monday morning.

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Photos

Santiago, Chile
overlooking the city

santiago, chile
overlooking the city again

mountains behind city
most days its hard to see the peaks of the mountains behind the city, today it was ok