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 closest country to Antarctica. Spain colonized the region in the mid 16th century and Chile gained its 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…8 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. The cleaning crew “doing their thing” amounted to us sitting in our seats and lifting our legs so they could vacuum under us. Too funny! And of course, nothing surprised us at this point. I was actually so bored I almost was going to volunteer to help with the cleaning!!!

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.

And by the way… Happy Valentine’s Day.

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.