After a week acclimatising to a different culture, climate and economic situation, we are finally, at last, on the road on our bikes. Santiago is a huge, flat sprawl. The smog is really bad at this time of year, and this meant that the only time we saw the Andes that are a famous backdrop to Chile´s capital was the day we arrived. We spent the week preparing our bikes for the road, buying supplies, and planning our route out of Santiago, breaking these tasks up with a little sightseeing. The highlight was a visit to the fabulous museum dedicated to the 15 or more Indian cultures that lived in Central America and the north-eastern South American continent in the few thousand years until Columbus arrived in 1492. The inspiring collection concentrates on stone carvings, pottery,
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