Mercifully, I was able to finagle an upgrade to business class for my flight down to Santiago, and my injured back tolerated the 15 hours without pain. I had a day in Santiago to meet up with my group and have a city tour before flying to Punta Arenas in the south.
Walking around the many pedestrian streets, it appeared that life was back to normal for many Chileans. It is nearing the end of summer, and the people were out enjoying the sun, eating gelato, and, it seems, enjoying a smoke (there seem to be a lot more smokers in Chile than the other places I have been recently). One day in Santiago was not enough though, and I have resolved to come back and see more of this very modern city.
As I mentioned, for this trip, I joined an organized group. It is not my preference - I like going it alone, but seeing Patagonia on one´s own, via public buses required a lot more time than I wanted to spend (the region is mostly uninhabited). Mountain Travel Sobek has been running trips to Patagonia for 20 years, so I knew I would be in good hands too. The group consisted of 5 seniors (over 65), and Jenny (37) - a recovering investment banker from NYC who is traveling for awhile like me. A good group!
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