Santiago señoritas

Sitting amidst the presence of  five baby aloe vera plants on an east-facing sixth floor balcony, I can make out snow capped mountains of the Andean Sierras seemingly worlds away through the slight haze resting above Santiago. The constant buzz of traffic, buildings upon buildings rather than rock upon sand, and the scent of city are a far cry from the tranquility of the coast and desert. Such intermissions in tranquility mean initiation into festivity. From my perspective, Santiago appears a 

nice place to be festive for a stint.

I had met a group of friendly Chilenas while in San Pedro, and quite timely was offered refuge in their apartment when and if 

I arrived in Santiago. After a couple of weeks camping and hostel jumping along the roads and pueblos of northern Chile, with a mild case of monkey butt and a  convincing appetite for fiestas, the "offer" grew into an unrefusable proposal.

Claudia (second from the right) has been especially welcoming and seems to have connections everywhere in this city. She 

hooked me up with her mechanic, Daniel (two time Chilean moto

cross champion), and we worked on the bike for a few hours, chatting about the beauty of motorcycles and wrenching on my fortunate machine. We´ve been to the cinemas- for free, barbecues with her family- incredibly generous people and phenomenal chefs as well. Beach combing, ocean swimming, river rafting, and of course dancing  (free entrance to one of the best clubs in Bellavista). With such close proximity to both the ocean and the mountains, it has been easy to zip off to the beach or up to the high country for a couple of days here and there. My frequent trips to Parque San Cristobal and the pool (overlooking all of Santiago) during the last couple of weeks have offered the opportunity to meet a few influential citizens, namely, the lifeguard who waved the entrance fee (12$) every time I arrived after making his acquaintance. Ahhhhhh, 

 my sub-conscience is trying to get my body to soak up all the warmth it can get before venturing further south into the cold, the rain, and the snow.

Taking these top-knotch chicas up on their offer has meant dropping a few habits picked up on the solo road of bachelorism. Not at all a bad thing, as regular was

hing & grooming of oneself is considered to be the norm for most of society today, but nonetheless, different from the daily world of a touring (motor)cyclist. I happily traded a few "manly" routines for a bit, whilst enjoying the kindness and generosity of my Santiagan friends, and have been in here for more than two weeks now. I can feel a strange comfort starting to settle in, and that, in my book is a cue for me to move on. The festivity in Santiago has been impressive, the people have great hearts, and the road out of town will once again  be accompanied with a longing to return someday.