DAY 3.
Santiago (Chile)
To the left is a photograph of the standard view of Las Condes. This is a picture of one of the main roads in Las Condes, it's called "Avenida Presidente Kennedy", I think that you can guess what that is in English... Like I said before, High-rise apartments line the streets with a few parks dotted along the way. Oh yeah and the driving is on the opposite side to Australia, so I get a little confussed every now and then, but just for a split second and then it's back to reality.

Well I have basically done nothing on Day 3. I think I sat arround the house, tried to read one of the chillian newspapers "La Tribuna" (guess it's translation...), watched a little TV (laughed at Homer and the family spoke Spanish for the whole show. It was about the one where the Simpsons join a cult. I guess it's ammusing when you have seen it a few times in English...). I think that I needed the rest and I just enjoyed doing nothing for a day. Eventually Paul and I went to the local shopping centre to look for a new microphone and headphone set, for his computer, and to but some new soccer boots and runners. Purchasing the head set was fine, but the shoes was another story. I don´t that that people here know what customer service is. First you need to get their attention...This doesn´t take long when you walk right up to them after looking at them for 5 mins and they are looking at you... Then you ask them to try on a size. They get come back, give you the box (take the shoe out if you are lucky) and walk away... you try it on and then go through the attentio'dance' again until they take the old shoe away and bring you a new one... Sometimes this dance takes you to the other side of the store, as all the attendants are talking away from customers... Very strange, when people in Australia want to sell items to you and generally don't leave you alone while you are in their shop. Just a different way of doing things, I guess... Anyway, as you can see I had a nothing day, if that was my high-light...!!!

DAY 4.
Santiago (Chile)
Again Day 4 was a lazy day. However, after getting up late, I went supermarket shopping with Danni. To get there we walked to the local 'colectivo' stop. Now colectivo's are taxis that have set routes, like buses, but they are cars and you pay the same amount if you are going one stop or 50. A maximum of 4 people per car and everyone just jumps in. Most people are happy to start up a conversation with fellow passengers...which can be hard when they speak to fast, which is my problem... so laughs all round when they ask wehre am I going and I say that I am an Engineer from Australia and I love being in Chile... Yo estoy mui estupido, pero no siempre...
Now, when I say supermarket, I mean SUPER. This place was huge... This of a Coles and K-mart combined. Sort of like the set up at Coles/K-mart Northland, without the wall inbetween. That said, the clothes are of a better than K-mart and there is a greater selection of food items. Awesome! I think we finished up with 2 full trollies. Fresh cheeses, meats, bread, seafood, the list goes on... and did I mention chocolate... Hmmmmm chocolate...We then caught a cab back home, which cost us about $5 Aus. to travel about 5km, so it was a bit of a bargin. That's something I have noticed here, some things are really cheep, most things, but every now and then you get a doosie or is that because I'm a gringo?

I did very little for the rest of the day, which I am getting used too. I think I like this idea... That was until Paul said that one of his mates was coming to collect us to go for a game of Pichunga (I hope I spelt that correctly) it's basically soccer on a smaller field, so that you can hone your skills, without having to run too much... Well I think I did Australia proud. I started on the bench... (Due to an odd number of players and I didn't want to show up my hosts. That was my thinking...) Anyway another guy turnd up, so now it was my turn to 'strut my stuff'. I played a defensive mid-field role and did it well. Made a few runs up the right wing and gave a few passes for felow team mates to convert. Like always, the goal scorer gets the glory. I was having fun in the 2deg C temp. I then went into goal keeper, as everyone must have a go. I must have done ok, as that's were I stayed until the end of the game. Made a few saves and the crowd went wild, well my teammates said a few things and the bird that flew by made a noise. All in all, it was a great time of hanging out with the guys. I really enjoyed the run, but no doubt will feel it soon.
That's been about the sum of my activities of late. Not much, but a good introduction to life in Chile. I am currently writing this blog at my friend's house in the south of Chile, a place called Los Angeles...yes, they have the same name. But I´ll write more about that later. Until then, Adios muchachos!