Santiago and surroundings

We arrived in Santiago a few days ago after spending the whole night on a bus. I like the city. It is nice to walk around in, relatively safe, with lots of parks, etc. The city is backdropped by beautiful snow-capped mountains. We have probably eaten 10 completos each- hot dogs with diced tomatoes and guacamole on top. They are cheap and tasty. Yesterday we went to Valparaiso to watch the international friendly futbol game between Chile and Panama. It was a 0-0 tie, but an awesome experience. We learned the futbol chants and I had my chile shirt on and Chad bought a scarf. When the Panama players´names were being announced, the Chilean crowd yelled ¨concha de tu madre¨after each one. It was a fun night. We returned to Santiago this morning and have been walking around the center of the city. We walked through the presidential palace that was the site of the 1973 coup that resulted in the death of leftist President Salvador Allende and in which the US graciously lent a helping hand. Tomorrow we ski and then Catherine arrives the next day.