Meeting Bachelet, almost

I guess I forgot to explain the inner compass comment.

I have spent my whole life in the north, and whenever we talk about having a 'good sense of direction' or being able to find your way around, I somehow never realized exactly how complex and environmentally integrated, exactly how ingrained that was. But boy, a few days in the south has really turned me toppy-turvy. It is so strange to see a sun-dial facing south, to walk on the north side of the street to be in the shade, every most simple manifestation of the day seemingly 'upside' down but that does't begin to describe how disconcerting it can be. Guess I have been fairly parochial all these years, but I just can't seem to adjust to looking NORTH to see the sun!!!

a stunning story and a promising sign for equality in this country

Oh, and one other quicky about Santiago - we practically met the new President, Michelle Bachelet. Our first morning we walked and walked, going to the Church of San Francisco here (two masses in one day as we toured the grounds and saw their impressive collections) and eventually found our way to the Palacio de Moneda, orinigally the mint but now the seat of government. There was a lot fo security as we came up the west side (the shaded one in the AM, at least that is the same!) but when we go to the Plaze in front we were surprised to see a full on military dress parade and elegant limousines dispatching hoards of dignitaries and diplomats. I asked and was told that Bachelet would be addressing government and visiting dignitaries, having been inaugrated the day before as Chile's first female president and the first in South America who was not the widow or wife of a previous male president. The guy I talked to told me she was already inside the building, so we headed off on our way to the Cathedral, which took us along the parade route. We leaned in to the fence at one point to see the soldiers in their fanct dress uniforms, and all of the sudden were facing a cavalry brigade escorting the presidential limo (open air down here, no hinding behind bullet proof glass like our little Shrub). I couldn't have been more than 6 feet from Bachelet, who is a stunning story and a promising sign for equality in this country. We wish here luck, and we laughed all the way to the central market, where we ran into the Prime Minister of Jamaica having lunch, but somehow that didn't seem as impressive.