Hola Chile!

The Boeing 747 - the old workhorse of any airline, and my plane to Chile.

Some of you may know that I made the decision to move to Chile. Yes, a huge deal, a life changing choice, but hopefully for the best. "Why Chile?" everyone asks me, at the same time as their eyebrows shoot up off their forehead. Well, there are two parts to that answer. The first part goes way back to when I was a child. Chile, looking at it on the map, is one long straight line of coastline. I though - if Australia is beautiful, and has many lovely beaches, well surely a country that is one huge beach, this must be the best country in the world! Kids. The second part is slightly more serious. I had been needing a change in my life for a while, and while deciding on where to go, many places were considered - Japan, The UK, Spain... the usual suspects. I thought - I've been to these places, I think I need to do something crazy, go where I haven't been before... this lead me to South America and Chile. And why not?!

Flying over the South Island of New Zealand.

Once I had booked my flight in January, there was no turning back. $1700 is far too much to kiss goodbye, so it was on. Never enough time to say goodbye and see friends and family, but I tried my best (which is never enough in these cases), and finally jumped on that plane to an exciting and (hopefully) safe and successful life! I was truly excited about the flight, as I was flying with Qantas for the very first time. They are the world's safest airline (as noted in Rain Man), and have a reputation for having great service and food. Sadly, one of these were proved wrong in my experience.

A friend I picked up in Santiago.

Landing in Santiago.

Safety still seems to be Qantas' thing thankfully, but their service on this particular flight was enough to piss off a few people, including myself. I had no complaints about the food - in fact, it was varied and really quite tasty. It took over 2 hours to get my first beer and my lunch - people who know me will understand that I am not a happy camper without food or beer. I ordered two beers to make up for it, and was given James Boags... so the crappy service was forgiven for about an hour. However, once I found myself in need of more whistle wetting, I rang the service button (as the guy in the aisle seat had just managed to nod off), but it continually seemed to go off with nobody coming to correct my state of dryness. So, nimbly climbing over my slumbering friend, I used the opportunity to use the loo and then get some beers for myself. The cabin crew were sitting behind the curtain, gossiping away worse than servants on washing day... I'm sorry but this is what you get when your whole cabin crew are middle-aged gay guys (guys gossip more than women and gay guys even more). I asked for 2 beers, to save everyone the trouble, and was asked: "both for you?" with a surly attitude. Resisting the urge to slap someone down, I said yes, took them, and left. I then went to the back on the plane, found their stash of Tim Tams (which they didn't offer at anytime during the flight mind you!), filled my pockets and sat and ate and drank... take that Qantas! Take note of Singapore airlines staff, for your own good Qantas, as they are magical and cannot be faulted - also they are gorgeous to boot!

Flying over New Zealand - Lake Pukaki or possibly Lake Tekapo on the South Island.

Spanish Telefonica's 'Brick' mobile
tower, built in 1995.

Dogs chilling in the heat on
San Cristobal Hill.

I have done a bit of flying in my time, and have gone both ways, East and West. I have never crossed the International Date Line however. Strange to think that I would leave on Monday and land on Monday at roughly the same time, after 11 hours of flying. Yes, I am here from the future, I could declare once I landed. I left Sydney at 12:40 in the afternoon, and while on the flight, the sun was always blazing through the window, so bright I needed to shut it. A movie and a quick nap later, the sun was not setting, but just coming up. Surely this couldn't be, but yes, cross the dateline and you launch back into yesterday! The flight went mostly over the ocean, but flying over New Zealand was a nice little bonus - seeing the snow-capped mountains and Sounds from the air, as well as a volcanic lake, was quite something!

One of the many stray dogs on the streets of Santiago.

Street juggler performing at a red light - better than a window washer!

So, soon to be jet-lagged but excited and scared all at once, I landed at the airport. I'm so glad I had my Chilean friend came and rescued me from arrivals! No matter how many countries you go and how many airports you go through, it is always difficult when you first land, feeling like crap after a crap flight, and then get hit with the new language, weather and rip-off merchants that plague every airport in every part of the world. After a quick rest at my hostel, I headed out. I was immediately struck by the similarity between buildings here and in Spain. I know this is Latin America, and everyone speaks Spanish, but it still a little surprising that Santiago could be, in some parts, any Spanish city. Not just the buildings, but the companies (Moviestar [mobiles], Santander [bank]) and also the radio stations have the same names. Another thing that I noticed immediately was the huge number of stray dogs. Friendly for the most part, these animals roam the streets, sometimes alone, sometimes in packs, and follow anyone the looks at them kindly. The government does nothing to prevent this, so people dump them after they grow from cute puppies to something that is no longer handbag sized. I would take so many home if I could!

My new tour guide chilling on San Cristobal Hill.

My first day in Santiago seemed to last forever - leaving on Monday and arriving on Monday an hour before you left takes it toll. So to sleep I went at about midnight, and awake by 3am. I knew it would happen. Damn jet lag gets you every time! This will probably last for the next 4 or 5 days, but hopefully much less. I plan on walking and seeing the city in a little more detail, and try to wear myself out so that I can sleep properly!

The Chilean flag - this one is 1/4 of a football field big, made for the 200th anniversary of independence in 2010.