The Virgin Mary

 So we see this big statue that is on top of this hill/mountain seems to preside over the city and of course we want to go see it. At the base of the mountain there are taxis that take you to the top for about $2. Bradley decides that we should hike up instead. Keep in mind that we are wearing jeans and it is very hot and sunny. So we hike our sweaty bodies up a very dusty path up to a view that overlooks the whole city; it was very pretty and we both managed not to get heat stroke. We realize that the statue is actually a shrine to the Virgin Mary entitled The Immaculate Conception. There was catholicism everywhere. At least it was beautiful. The hike down was easier. There was a lot of slipping and sliding on the loose gravel since it was quite steep all the way down. There happened to be a fruit tree of some sort on the path and I decided to try it. Bradley was sure it was deathly poisonous but after I told him that it tasted great and fruit that tastes great usually are not bad for you he ate some as well. Hmmm, is there something in the Bible that follows those lines?

Zoologico Nacional De Chile

Our third stop of the morning (after eating our unwashed strawberries from the market) was the zoo. We didn't really intend to go there, but during our wanderings we just happened to find ourselves there, so we decided we better stop. As far as zoos go, this one in phenomenal!!! It is basically built all up hill, so each plateau has a different set of animals. They have your normal zoo creatures, but there were also many native species of Chile that I had never seen before and an amazing aviary. It did feel a little ridiculous that we had flown all the way to Chile, and we found ourselves watching a peacock endlessly in hopes it would fly (it didn't for the record). Although they have an albino peacock, which I don't think can be seen many places. We ended our visit with some ice cream overlooking Santiago from the top of the zoo.

Mercado Central

Hello everyone!!! This is Brandon. Contrary to the signatures this is my first post. I am having a great time with Bradley here in Chile. Just so you know, we will be in Santiago until Monday morning and then we will be meeting our congregation in Vina del Mar which is a 3 hour bus ride away. I mention this so you don't think that we are heathens that have stopped going out in service to play in Chile. Actually I can't wait to get started in the ministry.

For now though, Santiago is very fun and interesting. Today we went to the crazy packed market. Lots of dead sea creatures as you can see and many many people loudly hawking there wares. Courageously I bought half a kilo of strawberries. They were tasty; hope I don't get sick :)   Actually the doctor said the chance of getting poisoning especially in the city is very low.

Museo de Bellas Artes

Our first stop of the morning was the Museo de Bellas Artes. The building itself is a piece of art in my opinion, with its ornate carvings, the wood floors, and the amazing glass ceiling. We got in for free because it was only open half the day due to New Year's Eve, which is a nice perk because it is not very big on the inside and they are under construction in some areas. The other half of the building is the Museo de Artes Contemporaneos, but it was closed all day so we didn't get to go in. Regardless it was nice to see some Chilean works of art (the majority of the art works featured are by Chilean artists) as well as a smattering of marble sculptures from throughout the ages. They also had a beautiful park all around the building, it is almost the same set up as the Louvres' garden but with more trees than sculptures.

Walk About

So after a good night's sleep in our quaint bed, we had a delicious breakfast and hit the road. Wanting to see as much of the city as we could, we walked to every place we wanted to go today, no subways or busses for us. It required a lot more effort and time (we left at 9:30 this morning and didn't arrive back at our hostel until 6:30) but it felt great!!! We got to see more of the buildings, the people, and things off the beaten path. More details of the places we saw today to come shortly.

Hostile Hostel

So, we checked into our hostel today, and it is less than advertised. Apparently the hostel in London set my mind to what a hostel should be, and this isn't it. Don't get me wrong, it is super safe and is in a great area (all historical buildings and we can walk anywhere) but we have a small room to share the next few days. Hopefully the breakfast makes up for it and the fact that we pay only $30 a night doesn't really hurt, and I think they are grilling out for all of the residents on New Years. Our fellow hostelers, about 6 besides us, are friendly though (but I can't remember anybody's name or where they are from) and the owner knows where to go for anything we could want. We stay in Santiago until Monday, so hopefully we get to see a lot (and not get as lost as we did on today's walk). Also, it is sunny and about 85 today, but there is a strong breeze almost all summer in Santiago, so no humidity or bugs. :)

Embarking

So yesterday we arrived at the airport in Kansas City, MO, bright-eyed and ready at 6 am. First stop was supposed to be Dallas, but after being unable to land due to fog and running low on fuel they sent us to San Antonio. Two hours later we were back in the air and en route to Dallas. We landed with sunny skies, no hint of fog, and still had an hour to make our next flight. After boarding to go to Lima, they discovered an oil leak, and another two hours later we were in the air after they found and fixed it. Finally got to Lima at 12 am, and had to wait around till 8 until we could take off for Sanitago, but Lima has great benches for snoozing. We finally got to Santiago at 3 this afternoon, exausted and gross after about 25 hours of travel time (not counting time changes).

Blog set up

Ok, just set this blog up. This is the evening before we leave and we are very excited!!!!