When planning to do some bureaucratic activity, like trying to obtain an official "tax" number and have vehicle documents put in your name, it is best not to arrive in the capital city on a national holiday. Especially one that occurs on a Thursday, so everything shuts down for 4 days.

Our friend Juan, who we are buying the bike off, picked us up from the airport and took us to our apartment.
The apartment is situated in the centre of Santiago and is very secure. To our right we have the city police station (Carabineros de Chile). With riot wagon.

When we walk to the left we have the red light district at the next junction. All very civilized.

Each morning we are greeted by the sight of a different mangled wreck of a car dumped outside the gates by the police during an eventful night.

Soon after Juan had dropped us off we negotiated the metro system and went over to his to view the bike, and fit the lock set we had bought with us. Then it was off to see Juan (senior) for a meal, wine and talk (we stayed with Juan senior during the Two Pegs trip). We were treated to a full set of Chilean dishes: abalone salad, cerviche (raw fish), steak cooked on the BBQ, advocado salad, potato bread, and curanto (fish and meat stew). Juan senior had planned the meal to represent food from the north, middle and south of Chile. Its a big and varied country!

The time difference here is only 4 hours, but after a 14 hour flight, bike maintenance, wine and excellent food (mixed with the heat) it knocked us out over the weekend. We have managed to do just about all the free sightseeing things, which involved walking a lot.

Last time we passed through Santiago, it really was just that. A hectic few days of bike maintenance, planning and moving on. We saw very little of the city. Now I think we have rectified that. Santiago is large, by Chilean standards. Most of the countries 17 million people live here, or at least in the region. When it is not a holiday weekend, the roads are heaving, so it all seemed very calm and surreal to us compared to the last trip.

Like all Chilean cities it has a Plaza Des Armas as a focal point, and all activities and shops are centred here, about 2 blocks from the apartment.

At least twice a day we have wandered in and soaked up the entertainment. We have listened to the obligatory pan pipe sessions, heard some flamenco music, watched the Chilean national dance (the Cuerca) be performed, and seen the Carabinaros de Chile brass band play, strangely they included "Africa" by Toto.

Buildings are a mixture of old and new.

We have also enjoyed a return to the fruit and vegetable choices available here, avocados to die for. But above all chirimoya, custard apples. And we can get it as a yogurt style drink as well. The local market here is heaving with goodness.

Unfortunately there is no change to the stray dog issue, they wander the streets by day, sleeping where they feel like. People do not even appear to notice they are there.

Tomorrow I start the process of obtaining my RUT (tax number), without which I cannot legally own anything here. Once that is done the fun of trying to get the bike in my name will follow.