First days in South America

I have arrived safely in Lima today, after a great stay in Santiago, & a quick visit to Auckland on the way. Santiago is a pretty city with lots of parks, & I had a short tour of the central city area. My guide, George, told me that11 September is the worst day of the year to visit Chile, because they commemorate the sad anniversary of the assassination of the democratically elected socialist president, Salvador Allende, in 1973. There are demonstrations in the city, which can turn violent. Of course, the World Cup soccer play-offs are also going on, & Colombia defeated Chile, which was also going to turn a bit ugly later in the evening. But, my tour went well, & we were very safe, although I couldn't go into the Cathedral on the Plaza del Armes as there had been a bomb threat earlier in the afternoon, & there was lots of police tape, & the carabinieri were out in force! I had a great seafood meal, tried the ceviche & a pisco sour, & enjoyed both. My room at Lastarria Hotel was really great, & all my transfers & tour arrangements went perfectly. Left the hotel at 7am this morning, but my flight was delayed due to lots of fog in Santiago, but we still arrived close to the scheduled time. It is overcast & cool here today, & the hotel is opposite the beach at Miraflores. I had to have a nap this afternoon to catch up from my flight (watched 6 movies, no sleep), & I am meeting Cristina, my Peruvian guide for my last week, at 6 pm this evening for dinner & then at her home to plan our trip. All is well!