Thanks to Pauline, I how have a page with my itinerary. Check out the Chile 2003 link to the right under itineraries. A big thank you to Pauline.

This weekend, we got a few of those lingering travel tasks done. I’ve got the car for the Lake District. I ended up going with Avis because I could get it cheaper. It will be a sub-compact so we’re going real small. Cars are real expensive and I’m a bit nervous to rent through a local company instead of a multi-national company like Hertz and Avis. Also tax is steep; 19%.

We took a trip to REI to buy some clothes. I needed some mid-layer for the cold regions (altoplano and patagonia). I mulled over a longsleve Mountain Hardware windproof jacket but decided it was too much with a gore-tex jacket. So I ended up with an REI polarfleece vest which has some wind resistance. I also got a good fleece/wool hat for the cold.

I’ve been looking at camera gear. I got a second battery pack for my digital camera so I will have enough power for the 5 days in patagonia. I still need to maybe get a new zoom for my SLR and another flashcard.

We paid Cascada via a Swift Transfer. It was pretty easy since they gave me all the information for the account (routine number, ABN, etc) for the branch of the Bank of Chile in NY. I went to my bank and asked for a Swift Wire Transfer and they filled out a form. I got a copy of the form and faxed it to Cascada so they know I have paid. It will probably take a week for them to actually receive it in Santiago. I faxed them a copy of the form I got from the bank so they know I have paid.

We are now focusing on finishing up our arrangement in Arica. Most of the hotels do not have a web site so I am probably going to have to go through a broker.

I’ve been checking the temperatures. It is finally warming up in Patagonia. The low temperatures are now around 40 and highs are mid-50’s. It is very similar here in Seattle right now. Santiago looks hot since it is getting up to 80 degrees. Add smog to that mixture and we need to look at an option to get out of town! Maybe we will visit Valpariso after all.