Oh, it is more than bearable in Chile or Argentina:
The cama seats we had almost fully reclined, with an angled leg rest and more space than first class seats on a plane.
I had a very great nights sleep, reasonably good meals-snacks, and watched a number of episodes of Fresh Prince and the Nanny. Mick and I both agreed that push come to shove, we could have stayed on for longer if needed. It was that comfy.
We stayed right downtown in Santiago for two nights to get our laundry under control and to give ourselves a break from transit. I had expected Santiago to be on the European side. But that wasnt quite it. As we wandered around with street cars and city transit bustling on the roads and parks between malls and busy sidewalks, I couldnt shake a sense of familiarity. And then I got it - Santiago uncannily reminded me of downtown Toronto, if Toronto had more Spanish colonial churches around. Very strange.
After so much time in the desert, I was anxious to lay eyes on some green scenery. Santiago is ringed with mountains, like La Paz, but without the incredible steepness of streets. There was a river through the city, which we walked to, only to be disappointed by a half foot trickle of muddy water littered with garbage and dog carcass. The area around the universities was pretty nice with a big pedestrian promenade full of artsy shops, patios and cafes.
Most remarkable moment was when Mick and I were walking back to our hostel in the middle of the day, going about our business, when a rather shady possibly homeless older man... um, not super sure how to describe this but... dance-attacked Mick. It wasnt quite a punch, it wasnt quite a dance step, lets call it a feint. Totally out of the blue. We were totally confused and unsure whether to be alarmed or to laugh. So weird. He left off after a few minutes, but seriously - what??
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