We took a 3 hour flight from Santiago to Buenos Aires. Security went through our luggage to make sure we weren’t smuggling fruit, rocks, etc. into Argentina and they also carefully looked at the weight of both our checked and carry-on luggage to make sure we weren’t over the limit
We landed in Argentina and went directly to our hotel. Fortunately our rooms were ready and we checked in and then Jon our guide showed us where we could get our laundry done…same day service.
We went on a short orientation tour around the city, brought our laundry to the shop, and then went to a 4 o’clock “Meet the rest of the Group” OAT introduction meeting. Jon explained what to expect in the next few weeks and it truly will be an amazing trip.
After the discussion, a couple came in and gave us tango lessons. So much fun!! We learned three different steps and switched partners to keep dancing. Jon said we can dance on the ship and show-off what we learned.
We walked over to pick up our laundry. We had given the man a huge pile of clothes to be washed and dried, since we had been pretty sweaty on Easter Island and our clothes were ripe. We had to pay $13!!! Unbelievable. Wish I had sent even more clothes to be freshened up.
16 of us accompanied Jon to one of his favorite restaurants for dinner. The waiter was a hoot and told us exactly what we should choose for dinner. We ordered a delicious bottle of Malbec which we actually finished.
The meal was delicious and we enjoyed talking with the new people who arrived today.
It will be a busy day tomorrow.
Did not stop in for a burger
Margarita empanadas and carne empanadas for lunch. So good!
Tango lesson. We all did great!
Dinner tonight. Breaded beef, spinach and garlic, and French fries. And of course…the wine!
We had a nice breakfast once again on Easter Island and then we walked to a bakery that sells empanadas.
Allan and I purchased tuna empanadas to take with us to eat on the plane since the Latam airline food in coach is pretty vile. A few of us went to pick up empanadas and then Barbara and I walked to the post office so she could mail some letters.
We kept walking looking for the church where we were supposed to turn to get to the post office, but we seemed to be walking too far. I finally asked someone, in Spanish, once again I might add, where the church was and where the post office was. We got directions and from then on it was fine getting back to the hotel. We walked right by the ocean and the breeze was welcoming because it was rather hot.
We arrived at the airport and once again, check-in went very well and the four hour flight was fine. We ate our empanadas which were tasty, although half way thru mine, the tuna started to taste fishy so I didn’t finish it.
We arrived in Santiago and we actually walked to our hotel since it was right outside the airport.
We had dinner with our friends and then it was off to bed as we leave the hotel at 6:45 in the morning.
Yesterday, I had washed some of our Columbia travel shirts, and they were totally dry by morning. They are amazing. I’m a little stiff this morning from the climb that we did yesterday and all the steps we navigated. Thank goodness for Advil.
We had breakfast this morning sitting on the back patio once again, and then got ready for another adventure filled day. When we were leaving, a Viking tour group was also on their way out.
First stop was to learn all about the Bird-Man Cult. The Bird-Man Cult revolved around fertility and the worship of migratory seabirds. The Bird-Man, or Tangata Manu, was a title given to the winner of a traditional competition that took place each year on Easter Island. Each contestant would appoint one or sometimes two hopu (other adult men of lesser status) who would actually swim to Motu Nui carrying provisions in a bundle of reeds called a pora under one arm and await the arrival of the terns, hoping to return with the first egg. Meanwhile, their tribal sponsors, the contestants, waited at the stone village of Orongo.
The competition was dangerous. The hopu had to repel down the cliff at Rano Kau without the aid of ropes or tools, swim across to the islet of Motu Nui where the birds would be alighting to nest and lay eggs. There they would wait for the birds. They had supplies to wait for the birds to lay the eggs, because they carried a bundle of food, etc. on their backs when they embarked on the competition, knowing they would be staying on the islet for a few days awaiting the eggs to be laid, hoping to be the first to find an egg and return to Ranu Kau with the prized egg intact.
Once the first egg was collected, the finder would call out to the shore of the main island, and announce he had the egg. He would yell to his benefactor “Shave your body” because the leader would have to shave his hair and have his body painted red and white. The cry would be taken up by listeners at the shoreline, who would pass it up the cliffside to the man of importance. The successful hopu would then swim back to the main island with the egg secured inside a reed basket tied to his forehead. When he reached land, he would then climb the steep, rocky cliff face and present the egg.
Now the man of importance is declared the winner or new tangata-manu. The new tangata-manu was entitled to gifts of food and other tributes and his clan would have sole rights to collect that season’s harvest of wild bird eggs and fledglings from Motu Nui. The bird-man cult was ended by Christian missionaries in the 1860s.
We saw the houses used in the Bird-Man competition. They are stone houses that were built in the ceremonial village of Orongo. The village of Orongo was located on the edge of the volcano Rano Kau, overlooking the sea. The houses were made of stone called kehu and were designed to withstand strong winds. They had a flat area above the home which was covered with dirt and grass that made the inside of the home completely waterproof.
People slept in the houses which were basically underground. They did not cook in the house, but instead built fires outside of the abode.
We then visited Ahu Huri a Urenga, a solitary moai which is of importance because it has two pairs of hands. It is thought to have acted as a solar observatory, marking the start of winter.
We then enjoyed a home hosted lunch. We arrived and were welcomed by our hostess and she showed us the ground floor of her home, which overlooked the ocean. Her kitchen was the equivalent of a chef kitchen since she, in addition to hosting OAT travelers for lunch, caters meals as well.
Before we sat down to eat, she took us on an hour long stroll through her beautiful fruit garden. Most of the plants and trees had been planted by her mother, who passed away three years ago. Our hostess and her husband have taken over the care of the garden although it is a huge task.
There were avocado trees galore, laden with beautiful specimens. There were guava trees, banana trees, mango trees, passion fruit trees, and so many more as well as a coffee plant. She said, however, they did not use the beans to make coffee as the process was too complicated.
The meal she served was delicious. There was tuna on sweet potato slices sprinkled with Parmesan, homemade potato chips, a delicious salad, and wrap filled with a yellow and red pepper salsa. There was also a different variety sweet potato and a spoon filled with shrimp.
She shares all the fruit she grows with neighbors and family. She doesn’t grow vegetables at this point, but she does have a greenhouse a few minutes away that her mom used to grow things in, and she will soon begin to plant there as well.
After the meal we had the opportunity to ask her questions about her life. She is 50% Rapanui. On Easter Island, only Rapanui can own property.
She said they do not have medical specialists on the island as bringing in medical equipment is cost prohibitive. They do have doctors and nearby we saw the local hospital.
The residents have to pay for water as well as electricity. She recycles and reuses many things that she needs in her kitchen. She told how years ago her mother had to use everything that they obtained because the plane that came in with supplies only came once a year. Her mother was recycling even before it was the trendy thing to do. Her mother would take a can, hit it with an hammer to poke holes in it, and use it to grate cheese. Very clever. Actually today, everyone on Easter Island recycles and is ecologically aware. Even at our hotel, we are not permitted to throw toilet paper into the toilet, but we are asked to place the used tissue in the bin next to the toilet.
After we said our thank you’s to our wonderful hostess , we bid goodbye and got back in the bus. Some of us got off nearby the hotel to walk around the town. We saw a Catholic Church, but we couldn’t go in because it was locked.
Allan and I walked back to the hotel along the ocean path and went to the hotel bar to use our free drink coupons. I had a pisco sour and Allan had a beer.
At around 7 pm, the group got together back in the bus and visited the Tahai ceremonial complex. It was restored in 1974 by an American archaeologist William Mulloy. There are 3 ahu – but Ko Te Riku has restored eyes. The lone moai has a bun made from a red stone and is the only moai throughout the island with coral eyes. Williams Mulloy is buried at the site along with his wife.
Our local guide Noi and our OAT guide Jon set up a lovely spread for us to enjoy as we waited for the sunset. There was wine, beer, soda, and charcuterie boards. They also gave us delicious chicken wraps. We thought it was going to pour, but the rain held off and we watched the sunset over the ocean.
We bid goodbye to Noi and when I shook her hand she told me I had beautiful eyes. She said that when she first saw me she thought to herself.. wow.. those eyes! So gorgeous! Awww shucks.
We leave Easter Island tomorrow and fly back to Santiago.
The islet of Motu Nui The competitors would scale down to the ocean from the top of this vista, swim over to the big island, and then scale the next steep cliff to try to be the first one to find the egg.
One of the homes with the flat roof.
Rano Kay is an extinct volcano. It was formed of basaltic lava flows and its youngest rocks are dated at between 150,000 and 210,000 years ago.
Ahu Huri a Urenga,
The homeowner’s recycle bins
Avocados
Some of the fruit she picks right off the tree
Our delicious lunch
Passion fruit with cucumber and melon for dessert.
Catholic Church
There are lots of dogs, horses, and chickens roaming around.
William Mulloy’s grave
The ahu with coral eyes.
The sun sets on our last evening on Easter Island.
We had a lovely breakfast sitting on the patio of the hotel restaurant overlooking the ocean. Then it was off for our adventure of the day.
There are different viewpoints in exactly how many moai statues have been found on Easter Island, but it is estimated that it took 6 men about a year to carve them with hand-held tools.
At Ahu Vaigu, there is an ancient settlement where you can see a large ceremonial platform – ahu . The large ahu supported 8 statues that now lie on the ground facedown. The place is a good example of huri moai, or demolition of the moai, which took place in the 18th century as a result of the internal struggles between clans. That is also speculative.
Interestingly, the platform or “ahu” that the statues stood on were the main structure that signified importance. You can’t tell now, but they used to be adorned with white coral and red stone decorations. The location of the Moai statues also designates the area where the different families/tribes lived.
Carving giant statues from volcanic rock is pretty believable. But moving these super heavy rocks is not as easy to figure out. Scientists have tried finding evidence, and have even attempted moving them using different techniques, but no luck. It also is difficult to find out how old these statues are. The material they are built out of cannot be carbon dated, so archeologists have to use the surrounding soil to try to find the age of the statues.
The backs of the statues are flat which might make it easier to slide across dirt, and we were told that some of the statues were sent down the mountainside into pre-dug holes, so the statues could slip into the holes and wind up in the upright position. It does seem unbelievable.
i believe most of the statues on the island have been restored, but there are many sites that have not been restored.
We hiked up the steep step incline to see the statues, and at times the steps were difficult to manage because they were very uneven. It reminded me of Machu Picchu. I didn’t have hiking poles, but I nonetheless, I did very well navigating the steps. Allan was there to lend a hand when necessary, but for the most part…I did it on my own. If only my cardiologist could see me now!!
I must say, the island is beautiful. Surrounded by the sea and the lush vegetation, it makes the island a true oasis.
There is so much to impart about the moai and the history of the statues – too much to put on this blog, so if you’re interested, I suggest you research on your own.
We had a very nice chicken dish for lunch and we sat outside at a table and enjoyed not only the chicken, but a delicious fruit cocktail for dessert as well as guava juice.
We toured some more sites of the statues in the afternoon. The statues are surrounded by small rocks and you are not allowed to go beyond the rocks. One of the tourists from another tour group crossed the rocks to go right up to the statues to take a photo. People were yelling and security came and took the man away, along with the tour guide. Our guide was visibly upset as well, because for the man to do something like that was apparently a sign of immense disrespect.
We finished the day with a swim at Anakena beach. The water was warm and I don’t think many people can say, they took a swim on Easter Island, so it was a very special experience indeed.
We went to a local restaurant for dinner and dined on lentil salad and shrimp in coconut milk sauce with rice. Outstanding! We had a dessert made from pumpkin, something I wouldn’t expect on Easter Island.
During dinner, our guide Jonatan got into a discussion with me on pizza. He claims that there is nothing like the pizza from Argentina. I said, “then you’ve never had New York pizza”. He said he had, and the pizza in Buenos Aires is much better! I argued…that can’t be possible and then he said that Chicago pizza is also waaay better than NY. Now he’s blasphemous, and I told him I didn’t think we could be friends anymore. LOL! . But Jon said he’d take me to a pizza place in Buenos Aires and I can decide for myself. We shall see!!
After dinner back at the hotel, we sat with our new friends and shared wine, chocolate, and stories. It was a fun evening.
This is a how the settlers grew food.
Moai
Our lunch.
This area on Easter Island has 15 Moai which has the largest of the monuments that are all in a row.
We were up bright and early to leave the hotel at around 6:00. They gave us a box breakfast and then we went down to the lobby for a quick cup of coffee. A Viking group was also picking up box breakfasts and getting on their bus to leave the hotel for their day of adventure.
Getting to the airport took about 25 minutes and we went through, dropping our checked luggage and going through security with ease.
And then we found out… Our flight was delayed for two hours. Because the flight was delayed, Latam Air gave each person the equivalent of twenty US dollars to purchase food or a beverage. We used the money to stock up on snacks to take with us to the island.
We finally boarded and I spent most of the time during the 5 hour flight reading. It was a very nice flight we were fed lunch… Pasta… But that really wasn’t that great.
We checked into our hotel and it is very nice. There is an outdoor pool and a bar and when we look out our glass sliding door to the patio, there are horses in the field.
Even though we were all pretty tired, we met our local guide and went off for our first tour of Easter Island, also known as Rapa Nui. Only Rapa Nui Islanders are allowed to own property on Easter Island and Chilean visitors and foreigners can only stay for a maximum of thirty days.
Our first stop was Ahu Akivi that looks out over the Pacific ocean. The site has 7 moai, all of equal shape and size. Moai statues were believed to be the reincarnation of important kings or leaders of their clans. The Moais were erected to protect and bring prosperity to their clan and village.
A particular feature of these seven moai statues is that they exactly face sunset during the spring equinox and have their backs to the sunrise during the autumn equinox. This astronomical phenomenon is seen only at this location on the island.
It is thought the statues were begun in the 16th century and they were restored in 1960. Historians are still trying to figure out whether the statues were carved while the stones were standing upright or whether the torsos were on the ground, the heads attached and then the statue raised with ropes.
We then visited Puna Pau which was the source of the red scoria that the Rapanui used to carve the topknots that were put on the heads of some of the iconic statues.
We climbed up a pretty steep incline (note to self: bring hiking poles tomorrow) and we were rewarded with a beautiful view of the crater and quarry where the red scoria had been carved out of.
We then had a delicious fish dinner at a restaurant. I was sorry I didn’t order the cerviche. Since our guide Jonatan wasn’t sure what the fish would be, I opted for the shrimp. The cerviche turned out to be tuna and I tasted Allan’s and it was delicious. I had the shrimp and it actually was very tasty as well. We both enjoyed a tuna steak with fries.
Tomorrow will be a very busy day so it’s an early evening.
We almost overslept this morning. I usually wake up around 6 and so I didn’t set an alarm. I woke up and figured it was maybe 5 in the morning.
7 O’CLOCK!!!! Holy smokes! I quickly woke up Allan and we took quick showers and ran down for breakfast because we had to be ready for our walking tour with Jonatan as well as a local guide.
Our local guide was very knowledgeable and gave us an interesting capsule of the history of Santiago and Chile.
Chile us the longest country in the world as well as the southernmost. It is the closet country to Antarctica. Spain colonized the region in the mid 16th century and Chile gained it’s independence from Spain in 1818. During the 1960s and 1970s, the country was marked by left-right politics and the end result was a coup d’etat that overthrew Salvatore Allende’s government. What followed was a 16 year right wing military dictatorship under Augusto Pinochet and several political and economic reforms, and resulted in more than 3,000 deaths and disappearances. That regime ended in 1990, and was succeeded by a center left coalition that ruled untill 2010. Today, Chile’s government is a representative Democratic republic with a president serving as both head of state and head of government.
There are “pressure groups” in Chile, mainly trade unions, student federations at all major universities, and the Roman Catholic church.
We visited a beautiful church, Inglesia de San Francisco, that is the oldest building in Santiago and has stood through about 15 earthquakes of a magnitude of over 7.
Then we went to the Government Palace and stood and listened as our guide gave the history of Allende’s government and we were joined by a local man who just happened to be walking by and he added to the discussion as he had once worked at the government offices.
After our tour, we went to Cousiño-Macul winery, founded in 1856 and is the only 19th century winery in Chile that remains in the hands of the original founding family. All Cousiño-Macul reserve wines are estate grown, vinted and bottled.
Isidora Goyenechea owned and managed coal mines, silver mines, and the vineyard in the late 1800’s. She was an industrialist and one of the richest people in the world at the time. She was innovative, particularly with the changes she made in the winery to make life easier for the workers. Instead of having them carry baskets heavily laden with grapes, she devised a rail system from the vineyard to the winery so that the grapes could be transported without breaking the backs of the grape pickers.
We toured the winery and saw the original wooden barrels that stored the wine up until 1989. Now the grapes are pressed and then placed in stainless steel vats. We saw where barrels of wine were ruined because the room that was meant to store the wine became plagued with mold which eventually went into the barrels, so the wine was ruined. We went down into the dark cellar and saw hundreds of bottles of wine aging, and each one has to be turned by hand and rotated so the wine sediment doesn’t collect inside the bottle. (But actually I have read that you shouldn’t rotate bottles of wine because it mixes the sediment into the wine. Who knows what’s correct.).
The wines were nice, and they seemed to save the better bottles till last, so we did enjoy them more as we went along. At the end of the tour they served a charcuterie board with meats and cheeses that we also enjoyed. Allan and I bought a bottle of the better wine to take with us to enjoy on Easter Island. The bottle cost about $20.
We then all went for lunch at a local restaurant. I had the pisco and Allan had a juice made from a local fruit. We enjoyed a delicious salad and then we both had a local fish which was tender and delicious.
We went back to our hotel and hurray… Our luggage had been delivered. We were anxious to organize our belongings before we left for Easter Island, but alas, we couldn’t open them because the airport had put zip ties on them. We needed a scissors and…. Wait for it… Our scissors were in the zip tied luggage.
Not wanting to waste the afternoon tracking down a scissors, we left the hotel and walked a little over a mile to take the cable car. Our new friend Barbara accompanied us since she knew the way because she had been there already, and she graciously walked with us to show us the way.
The ride was very nice and we actually were able to see the mountains. Most times at this time of year, the mountains are surrounded by smog and cannot be seen so we were very lucky.
There was a family in our cable car and the little boy was terrified and got more terrified the higher we climbed. I patted his shoulder and he kind of got very close to me and then at one point, he put his little hand on my thigh. He was so adorable. I told the father, (in Spanish I might add), that I had four boys. The older boy was also very sweet and was very interested in what I had to say. I told them that they were a lovely family. At the end of the ride we said adios and the boys kept looking back and waving to me as they walked away. So sweet.
We walked back to the hotel and it was pretty hot so we were happy to get back and deal with the luggage. We asked the consierge for scissors and one of the bell hops accompanied us to our room and cut the zip ties for us.
We didn’t have much time because we had to be downstairs to hear a local woman’s talk on how she and her family survived the uprising in Chile in the 70’s and 80’s. She told how her father was a professor and was a socialist. He was arrested and was fortunate to escape torture. It was an amazing story she told and I was surprised and a bit embarrassed that I didn’t know anything about what was happening in Chile at that time.
After the lecture, our friend joined us for a quick dinner at a local restaurant. Allan and I had the salmon salad and it was delicious.
Then back to the hotel to organize the luggage and get to bed. We have to be out of the hotel a little after 6 am to make our five hour flight to Easter Island.
Santiago
Church of San Francisco
Under the Pinochet dictatorship, people were dragged from their homes in the dead of night. These metal times were imbedded in the sidewalk and have the names and ages of the people who perished.
Flat iron building similar to the one in NYC.
The bystander that joined in the talk with the guide.
The first wine we tasted
The original barrels
Isodora’s innovative rail design to move the baskets filled with grapes
The next wine we tasted
These bottles must be turned periodically… All by hand.
The ruined barrels. You can see the mold on the walls and ceiling
The next wine we tasted
the last wine we tasted which was very nice, along with the charcuterie board. This is the wine Allan and I purchased.
The fruit that Allan’s drink at lunch was made from.
The salad at lunch
The fish. Delicious!
On the cable car. We can see the mountains sans smog.
I meant to mention yesterday, that one of the flight attendants on the Latam flight, handed me a card at the end of our flight, wishing us well and said she hoped the rest of our holiday goes much better than the first day. The crew felt so sorry for us when they heard our saga. What a sweet gesture. We hugged each other and bid adios.
We slept all through the night, I slept till 6:30 and Allan slept till 7:30. We really needed the sleep. We showered and went for a very nice breakfast at our hotel and then went off in search of the Hop on Hop off bus station. The concierge gave us directions and a map, but after walking up and down where he told us to go, looking for the Stop 9 Hop on Hop off bus depot, and asking numerous people, we couldn’t find it and just gave up.
It was lunchtime and we had empanadas. They didn’t compare, as Allan commented to me, to our friend Rosa’s empanadas, and I heartily agreed. We asked for a Chilean Malbec which they didn’t have, but he brought us what he touted as “an excellent Chilean wine”, which also missed the mark.
The hostess at the restaurant befriended us and told us to be very careful with our belongings…especially while holding a cell phone, because people come along and snatch it out of your hand. This was the same advice we received in Peru, but this lady also said be careful when giving cash. If you give a $100 bill to a taxi driver, they can make a quick switch and say that you only gave them a dollar…and show you ‘the dollar’ you supposedly gave them. Even the guide said not to take taxis but rather Uber if need be.
When we left we thanked her and wished her “Tenga un dia bueno”, and she thanked us and wished us the same.
We still don’t have our luggage. I went back and forth with numerous WhatsApp texts as well as emails. They kept wanting the same information over and over and over. What is my cell phone number and what is the address to the hotel. They once again promised delivery today. That didn’t happen and they said the reason was…”We do not have any mobile phones that will be sent out for dispatch today, everything is sent tomorrow.” What????? What do they need cell phones for? They have the hotel address which to me seems paramount. The lady on the WhatsApp said she would help me but then finally said it all was up to the shipping department and it was out of her hands. Then she asked, what else can I help you with? Are you seriously kidding??? And then she asked me to write a review for the help she gave. Again… Seriously?? Anyway… The bottom line…we’ll be lucky if the luggage comes tomorrow.
We met the rest of the group and they all seem really nice and I think we will have a wonderful time with them. We met Jonatan our guide and he went over everything we need to know for our trip to Easter Island. Afterwards, we walked to a restaurant and enjoyed a tasty dinner with a delicious Pisco. I had flan for dessert and Allan had a decadent Death by Chocolate piece of cake that he couldn’t finish. We had a lot of laughs at the table and got to know a little about each other.
Then it was back to the hotel for another good nights sleep.
Card from the Latam crew.
Empanadas. The dough was very thick.
My salad and the Pisco. (Forgot to take a pic of the entree and the dessert.)
Leaving Newark for Miami and then catching a plane to Santiago would seem pretty easy…except… when the connection time in Miami to make the next flight allows only about an hour to get from point A to point B.
Our first clue that maybe things weren’t going to work out so great was when we were sitting on the tarmac in New Jersey waiting to take off . The captain announced we were number 15 in the queue for takeoff and had to wait our turn. Our turn took 30 minutes till we could finally get in the air, so of course we didn’t leave on time.
The flight was very turbulent with our drinks sloshing all over, but we finally arrived in Miami, albeit a little late. We figured okay, we’ll make our next connection if we hustle. But then the plane came to a stop far from the terminal and the captain announced he had to wait for the plane that was already in our spot at the terminal to leave. That took about 20 minutes. We told the flight attendant we had a plane to catch. He said yes…6 others on the plane are also making that connection. He said don’t worry. He also advised us not to take the sky train…”you’d be better off running to the gate” he said. I cautiously asked, “How far away is the gate if we would normally take the sky train to get there?” And he said “we’re going into gate D7 and your next plane is leaving from gate D30.” Geez… can’t we catch a break?
But… Allan and I are still hopeful – I mean there are 8 of us getting on that plane. They’ll hold the plane, right?
The plane gets parked and the doors open and Allan and I are the first ones to disembark, when right in front of us waiting to board, are a few police officers standing in the doorway. An announcement comes over the PA from the captain that everyone must return to their seats immediately and clear the aisles. I’m like ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? So, the police came on and after more than a few minutes of interrogation with a passenger, they escorted said passenger off the plane.
The flight attendant wished us luck and off Allan and I ran dragging our carryons to gate 30, which of course is in Neverland.
My cardiologist wants a routine stress test done every five years. My primary actually doesn’t think it’s necessary and neither do I, especially since i NOW know my heart is working pretty freaking great as it kept up with me as we sprinted to the plane.
Which had already left. There wasn’t a soul at the gate as we came to a screeching halt.
So we went to where they rebook American Airline flights. An hour plus later, all the agents behind the counter are leaving and only one is left who is finally agreeing to take us as her last passengers of the day, since they were closing for the night. The line for rebooking was huge and a verbal fight broke out at one point, because all the rest of the people behind us were told to stay in line and follow an agent to yet another area of the airport to find a flight. It is now after 1 am.
The only flight out of Miami to Santiago was leaving the following morning on Latam Air… and only economy seats. But, the American airline agent cheerfully said, “We are booking you a hotel and you can Uber back and forth to it and we’ll pick up the tab. Just keep your receipts. We’ll send your luggage to Latam tonight and it will be at the airport tomorrow when you arrive in Santiago.”
I ordered an Uber and instead of meeting us at gate 5 departures like we were told by the American airline agent to go to for Uber pickup, he apparently was at gate 5 arrivals. I said, “Well we’re not. We’re at departures.” He said “Well go to arrivals!” We go back in the airport trying to find where the heck arrivals is…we get there… only to find out… the guy left and has canceled our ride AND charged us $6.20 for the cancellation fee.
So we get another driver and he took us to the hotel where our room would be awaiting us. It’s now about 2:30 in the morning and we are exhausted. We walk into the lobby and the lady at the desk said, “I don’t know who told you we had rooms available. We’re sold out.” So I handed her my voucher that the airline gave us for the reservation. The lady said, “Sorry, we have nothing to offer you.”
So we sat in the lobby of the hotel for a while, I shed a few tears, and then we decided to just go back to the airport and wait till they posted the gate number. We called another Uber, got to the airport, went through security, which took about 40 minutes even though it is the wee hours of the morning, and we sat waiting till our flight number and gate would be posted on the board. Our flight number finally comes up, but it says Punta Cana is the destination, not Santiago. We’re like, are we going to the wrong country? So we sat at the gate and waited for the agents to arrive. We couldn’t use the lounge since we were now flying economy, so we sat from 3 am in those wonderful little plastic seats till Starbucks opened (although Allan wasn’t hungry at all and didn’t want anything and the bagel I purchased went into the trash bin uneaten. We were just so exhausted, and we weren’t feeling that great.)
The agents arrived at the gate and told us our final destination was indeed Santiago, but we had to make about an hour plus layover in Punta Cana, which we found out was in the Dominican Republic. She said we don’t get off the plane but just have to sit and wait for the cleaning crew to come in and do their thing and then new people will board. Of course this didn’t surprise us that another two hours would be added to the flight time. This is how it’s been going all along.
Latam is really a great airline. Everyone was so kind and we were fed very well. We actually had seats right behind business class at the bulkhead so Allan had room to stretch his legs. The configuration was 3-3-3 and for the whole flight, and no one sat next to me in the third seat so we could really spread out. (However, about a half hour before we landed, the flight attendant brought a gentleman over to the extra seat next to me and he sat down. Don’t ask me where he came from. He just materialized, but after all we’d been thru already, again, nothing surprised me.)
We arrived in Santiago and went through customs. We’re pretty tired not having slept in over 36 hours… just dozing a bit here and there on the plane…but the agent was relentless in his pursuit to make sure we were who we said we were. He wants a copy of our itinerary, our hotel addresses, the name of the tour company, and on and on. Allan always brings the final documents booklet with us that OAT always sends before a trip, so the guy sat there perusing the entire booklet. He was young and I guess just wanted to take his job seriously. When he was convinced we weren’t terrorists, he finally stamped our passports and we went in search of our luggage.
Our air tags in our luggage told us the bags were over 4,000 miles away, so we didn’t have high hopes of seeing them on the baggage carousel and sure enough, they weren’t there. American Airlines never sent them over to a Latam flight like they promised. They had assured us our luggage would be in Santiago when we arrived, but instead, our luggage was still vacationing in Miami.
We impressed upon the Latam agent the importance of getting out luggage since we are flying out to Easter Island on Monday. She said no worries, they will put it on a plane to Santiago during the night and it will arrive early in the morning and be delivered to our hotel. We thanked her and made our way out of the airport to find our driver who was thankfully there waiting for us.
We checked into the hotel and decided even though it was after 11 pm, we would love a bowl of soup. We walked around the neighborhood a bit, but all the local restaurants were either closed or in the process of closing. So we went to our room, got into pj’s, brushed our teeth, and promptly fell into bed and were asleep in two minutes.
It remains to be seen if we will be reunited with our luggage tomorrow.
And now you know why the blog is called The Escapades of Pookie and Allan.
Packing for this trip was challenging. We will be in very hot weather at Iguazo Falls, freezing cold in the Chilean fjords, and battling brisk winds in Patagonia. We need bathing suits for some parts of the trip, long underwear and heavy jackets for another area, and waterproof everything for the zodiacs.
Layer, layer, layer is the mantra and we did our best to follow that rule. We are limited to 33 lbs for checked luggage per Argentinian airlines, but Overseas Adventure Travel has offered to pay the extra cost that might be incurred should we exceed the limit. However, it is up to the discretion of the airlines if they will be insisting on the 33 lb limit.
We clock in at about 31 lbs for each of our checked luggage, so I think we’ll be okay.
We called the Uber driver to take us to the airport from our son’s home in Jersey, and when he came, he got out of the car, opened the back trunk door and said…”I don’t have room for your luggage”. What??? And sure enough, a piece of luggage and a huge brown box was in the back. He said he still had a passenger’s luggage and belongings in the back. Even stranger!
Anyway, he cancelled the ride and we ordered another driver. But you’ve got to ask yourself… Why would we be going to the airport and not have any luggage with us??? And why would he be riding around with another passenger’s luggage in his trunk??? (Queue in the twilight zone music!)
We had a bite to eat in the American Airlines lounge and then boarded our plane to Miami. Everything was going great until…
…Tune in tomorrow for our unbelievable 24 hour adventure!
“South America, Take It Away” was a 1946 song written for the musical Call Me Mister and was made a big hit by Bing Crosby.
The writer of the lyrics tells of the dances that the folks love down in South America…the Samba, the Rumba, and “your Conga…ay-yi-yi!!!” and how those dances are killing his sacroiliac.
Hopefully we won’t get our “spines out of whack” like the lyrics proclaim, dancing the nights away under the Argentinian and Chilean moons, but we know we will enjoy being submerged in the wonderful culture of our southern neighbors and we look forward to meeting the people, seeing the sites, and of course…THE FOOD!!!
¡Hasta mañana!
Our trip itinerary. We are taking both the pre-trip to Easter Island and the post-trip to Iguassu Falls.
