First Stop - Santiago, Chile

Santiago is the capital and the largest city of Chile. It is also my point of entry to South America in this trip.

As the largest city and capital, almost one third of Chileans live in Santiago. I arrived right in the middle of summer, so it was quite hot (but fortunately, the weather is Mediterranean, so it is usually dry heat and rarely humid). There are not really that many interesting tourist sites to visit. I did walk around a bit, visit its main square and the Cathedral. I also visit a small hilly park, Santa Lucia. It is relatively modern and clean. The metro system is clean and efficient (yes, cleaner than New York's). You can get to most of the points around town. Thus, pretty much you can finish most of the sights in Santiago in one day.

And then you can start your 2500 miles journey either toward the north or south end of the country...

For a complete photo album, please check:

http://travel.saricie.com/SouthAmerica2006/Santiago_en.htm