these are a few of my favorite things

So I found my two favorite places in Santiago yesterday. One is the top of Cerro San Cristobal, which is really very high (840-some meters) and has a huge statue of the Virgin on top looking out over the city. It's a spectacular view and you get above the smog. We traveled up via the funicular railway, which is very old (about a hundred years, I think) and jerky but fun for those reasons. Once at the top, the cleanliness of the air was euphoric. You can really look DOWN on the smog from up there, and really see the cordillera (and the lower range on the western side of the city, too). Even on a clear day here the mountains are hazy, but from up there...wow. Everyone took lots of pictures except me and Vicky because we'd forgotten our cameras. Then it started to get dark and the last train down is at 8 (you can walk, but it takes a long time), so we descended back into the smog and bustle of the city. It was very pretty on the way down because the sun was setting spectacularly and lights were starting to blink on all over.

Then we walked around a little bit and people peeled off and went home and eventually Rosie and I were back at the cafe near her apartment with the delicious pizza. Unfortunately we couldn't order any because they only serve it after 8 and it wasn't that late yet, so she got tea and i got a coke and we sat outside and talked for a while. Then I went home and started making some calls about getting people together to go to my other new favorite place in Santiago (either you've been waiting on tenterhook to see what it is or you've forgotten that that's how this post started out...I fall into the latter category and I'm writing it, for crying out loud), the Club de Jazz (pronounced: Cloob de Yazz). The show was fantastic. First, the headliner, a Swiss drummer named Christian Bucher soloed for 20 minutes in some very odd ways, including playing for a while with hollow sticks, which was awesome. Then a bassist and a pianist came out and they jammed for about a half hour, doing some weird experimental stuff. The group ended up being just me and Tim and Durham and Rosie. Tim and I got there first and saw the whole show and the girls got there about half an hour in. The next group was a Chicago-style quintet of Santiaguinos, including a music student from la Catolica on the sax who was sick. Wrapping up was a swing band, but at that point I was a little drunk and very much enjoying talking to the other kids, so I forget what they were called or anything too specific about them. The show ended around 2:30 and, very happy and somewhat inebriated, we went to HBH, the beer garden, which is practically across the street from the Club de Jazz, and ordered some schop negra (schop means draft beer here) and little pizzas, which set us back a little bit more (sometimes you just have to commit to an expensive night, that's what I've decided) and yelled because that place is LOUD. It was really fun and there were people at all the tables singing and cutting up and whatnot. Good times. I spent 40 bucks on the night (gulp) but had a spectacular time and now that I know what's up I won't have to spend so much next time. Tim and I decided that we'd be back at least once a week for the rest of the semester; we'll see how many trips that turns into but right now I'm pretty serious about going for it. I loved it there. Okay, now I'm hungry and am going to eat lunch. Classes start tomorrow (from the Dept. of Non Sequitors). Bye!