Good morning from beautiful Santiago.  We left Saturday afternoon and arrived yesterday morning and the city is amazing and full of hustle and bustle. 

My daughter Marti, my sister Julie and I flew to Santiago, Chile by way of Atlanta.  We flew over Cuba, the Caribbean Sea and Panama. We then flew along the western shoreline of Bogota, Quito and Trujillo and  Lima.  

It is interesting to note that flying the shoreline was not the most direct route but apparently the jet stream is more favorable along the coast because of the Drake passage, which is where we will soon be cruising though.   Weather conditions on the way to Antartica effect travel to Chile, who knew????

We landed in Santiago, Chile around 8:00 am and the sun was shining and the snow-capped mountains were glistening.  

Santiago is the capital and largest city in Chile, surrounded by the  snow-capped Andes and Chilean coastal range.  Time-wise, they are only two hours a head of us and it is summer.  Their currency is the Chilean Pesos.  5000.00 pesos = $5.00 ish.  

We took advantage of a walking tour in Santiago and rode the cable cars over the city. It was stunning. 

Jorhan, our guide, was very knowledgeable about the history of the city, which has a lot of seismic activity.  Lots of Earthquakes and Volcanic activity.  Buildings are all built to with measures to withstand it al.  The architecture in the city is amazing.  There were a number of old building that have been repurposed over the years and are currently being used.  

We saw the Presidential Palace and the Santiago Stock Exchange, the Roman Catholic Cathedral, parish and the Archbishop’s home.  Also of interest to me was the Supreme Court, “where justice is always served.”  

We learned how Santiago was a dictatorship in the 70’s and in the 80’s returned to being a democracy.  It is very interesting stuff.

Weird fun fact….Santiago is known for its Completo, or, as we know it, Hot Dog.  Some guy visited New York and was introduced to a hot dog.  He brought it back to Santiago and tried to popularize it but it wasn’t taking.  He then tried to elevate it by adding sauerkraut, tomatoes and mayo made from potatoes.  That is when it took off.  He then made a version with avocado, tomatoes and mayo and now, on every corner, there are multiple stands and restaurants that sell the Completo.  Who woulda thought……

We also tried a fan favorite called Mote con Huesillo.  It was basically peach juice with corn cornels and a peeled peach.  Interesting and not a fan.

Today we got up early and boarded a charter flight from Santiago to Punta Arenas, Chile.  There were about 200 of us heading to the Silverseas Cloud Expedition ship and we were all on the charter.  We then boarded 3 small planes that took us to Puerto Williams, Chile, where we embarked on the Silverseas Cloud Expedition.  

After boarding, we attended an Expedition ship briefing, where they told us about the ship, the mandatory daily briefings and the crazy weather they are anticipating for the Drake Passage crossing. Surprisingly, WiFi onboard isn’t the most reliable, so we will have to upload photos tomorrow. Wish us luck!