Santiago, city tour, city impressions

Three pm, a little late for typical lunch time in Santiago, finished my city tour, and I am at a Chilian Restaurante that was recommended by the hotel desk senorita.  Very nice, gonna have a typical Chilian dinner, and Chilian kunstmann beer.  Not very hoppy.  The dinner has beef, the rest will be a surprise.  There is a huge 'rock' in the middle of the city, we'd call it a stand-a-lone mountain, away from the rest of the Andes chain of mountains to the east and the coastal mountains between us and the ocean to the west in between which is Chile's central valley, in which Santiago sits.  Santiago has about 8 million people, and like Buneos Aires, Lima and Cusco, is packed with cars, busses, trucks, and tourist vans.  It is a very comfortable 70 degrees, with an occasional breeze.  The sidewalks since eight am this morning are teaming with walkers, everywhere.  Dinner's arrived, we'd call it a pot pie.  Will continue after lunch.   Forty five minutes later, l've eaten the pot pie, which came in an earthen ware pot, seven inches across, and four + inches deep.  A corn bread type golden brown crust across the top, and the insides were beef stew bits, but they were the size of my finger nail, not the two inch pieces of stew beef we get from the Hyvee.  Then there were mashed corn bits as a primary ingredient, black olives-with pits, a chicken leg on bone, egg both scrambled and hard boiled, and a few greeny veggies.  Was good.  Now desert has arrived, six inches tall, six alternating layers of pale colored pastery, Carmel sauce dribbling down the sides, strawberries a top of whipped cream on the side.  More after I eat this desert.  It was served cool, the white layer was slightly crunchy, the yellowish layer was like a frosting, and was quite sweet.  Ate half, the rest is in a plastic bag ready to go.  My check just arrived:
pastel de choclo.                          $8,500
Kunstmann sin filtar.                 $2,900
Agua S/gas.                                   $1,800
Gotta merengue/lucuma.          $3,200
Total a pagar.                            $16,400

Now remember there are about 690 pesos to the dollar, so it's not so bad, and with the tip of 10% written right on the bill it's $18,040.  Going to go and walk off these calories, so more tonite.
Walked quite awhile, architecture amazing, so many unique buildings.

SANTIAGO BUILDINGS,  expand pics so can see better, price of one Snickers bar, presidential changing of the guard.

The city tour except for, 'the rock' was of the downtown area of older buildings, many government buildings, parks and squares.  My tour of South America is over tomorrow after breakfast, but I am staying in Santiago four more days at a different hotel which is located in the downtown-old area of Santiago, so since I just got just got a brief taste today, I'll comment more in the upcoming days when I can walk around and see them in detail. After my additional days in Santiago I am off to the Falkland Is!ands, which I have to wait four days until my once a week flight leaves from here to there.  Bye for tonight!