Coda

Well, this is the beginning of the end. I spent yesterday morning wandering around Rapa Nui, looking at some of the places I'd missed in the previous couple of days:

That afternoon, I headed back to Santiago (economy class, regrettably), and spent today wandering around the city, before starting my roughly 24 hour trek back to Alaska.

The museums are all closed on Mondays, so wandering is pretty much the only option (Santiago is the one place in my travels I wouldn't actually recommend you spend any time - I had to hike for a couple of hours before I got out of the smog).

And with that, I left for the airport.

Whew! It's been a wonderful trip; I've seen so many amazing places, and met so many fantastic people. I really can't recommend this country highly enough - Chile is probably the best country I've ever visited, and really has so much to offer. Unlike other countries I've visited, where I mostly run into tourists on week-long trips, or few day stops, here it seems like everyone I've met is traveling here for three months, or six, or a year, and I totally understand it - after a month here, I really feel like I've just scratched the surface.