Bienvenidos a Chile!

A sunny warm morning and a 5 mile run kicked off our South American Adventure. We arrived in Santiago, Chile at 10:30 am and I was on the road by 11. Unfortunately, many other people were out as well. Santiago radiated with life. I worked hard to find space within the highly populated downtown area at mid-morning. While being transferred to the hotel I noticed a river with a park and path system stretching for miles through the city. That was my goal destination.

 

It was a harrowing trek to get there. Road construction caused the sidewalk to be closed in a couple of places. Friday, and the weekend before the holiday, brought throngs of people out on foot, car, bus and motorcycles. Santiago reminded me of Damascus or Cairo, sans the immense number of cabs and the ever blowing car horns. I began to realize that a city run right out of the gate was not the best plan.

 

Once I arrived at the trail it was all worth the risk, to me anyway. As I breezed through town I tried to take it all in: the sculpture, people, paths, water, buildings scraping the sky, and a figure of Jesus similar to the one in Rio de Janeiro stood high on a hill. The turn around provided a divine view of the massive snow covered peaks of the southern end of the Andes. This was a great run and a fine bienvenidos a Chile!

 

Ver. Encantar. Correr!

 

Tom