green heart of the 'hood

3 hours SFO => DFW; 9.5 hours DFW => SCL
and i made it! got through customs and waited at a cafe for 2 hours with all my luggage on a cart to meet up with 2 other UCSBers. only downside to this was that the cart couldn't fit into any of the restrooms and i really wanted to brush my teeth.

*when i checked my email at the cafe my Dad spelled Chile like this: "Chili". twice.

SCL => taxi => Hostelling International Santiago

                                      
 

Plaza Brasil - gnarly tree - monkey puzzle?

here is the description in the Lonely Planet guide for the neighborhood i am currently staying in: local's are often baffled by Barrio Brasil's popularity with foreigners; it's short on sites and has a dodgy reputation after dark.

good thing it's 8:30 pm and the sun is still shining.

to make matters worse better, Lonely Planet describes Plaza Brasil as "the green heart of the 'hood", due to the monkey-puzzle tree shades. what?

Plaza Brasil - super cool play structures

here are some highlights of my first stroll through Santiago:

1. babies on a trampoline - i wish i got a picture of this. i watched two adults literally put together a trampoline at the park and then put all these tiny kids, 2-3 years old, on it to bounce around.

2. dog with crazy eyes attacking people - okay, so no one actually got hurt. but this stray dog at the park would start barking viciously and lunge at a person walking past it (all victims were males).

this dog would approach a man walking by and start growling and barking and each man would react differently - one guy kept trying to kick it away, but the dog was too quick for him. others stared it down.

however when my group of 3 walked past it, it laid there and did nothing. this particular dog especially liked this lady on the bench next to him with a bright red bob.

3. endless stray dogs, pet dogs, fanny packs, mullets, and rat tails

4. ordering a pitcher of beer from a cafe

i already feel like i experienced so much today, tomorrow will surely be crazier.