January 4: Ciao Chile!
When I booked my flights home from Chile a few months ago, I had no idea how helpful a ten-hour layover in Santiago would be. After being directed to board the wrong plane in Punta Arenas and dealing with uncertainty about when and where to pick up my bags, I was grateful I had plenty of time to sort things out and that I was so well rested from my stay in the country.
Wanting to savor my last few days in South America, I lingered in Punta Arenas, exploring the Costanera del Estrecho, the walkway on the eastern side of the city that runs along the shoreline of the Strait of Magellan. I also treated myself to reasonably priced self-care services in the area.
Listening to the waves lapping up on the beach and digging my toes in the wet, gritty, grass-filled sand I gazed out at the yellow and blue cloud-dotted sky making beautiful silhouettes of buildings on the beach and commercial fishing boats in the water.
Walking further, I admired the flock of cormorants resting on the remnants of an old pier reaching out into the choppy grey seas, their black backs, white chests, and webbed feet very much reminding me of penguins.
With the challenging days on the road behind me, I splurged during my visit on both a deep tissue massage and a full-service pedicure, leaving with relaxed muscles and freshly painted toes.
My time at The Hotel Almasur was invigorating, with an attentive, mostly English-speaking staff and a full service restaurant serving tender moist local fish and delightful baked provolone cheese topped with olive oil and oregano and a garnish of prosciutto.
Arriving at Punta Arenas Airport Saturday morning several hours before my flight to Santiago, I had plenty of time to enjoy two cups of tea with steamed milk, read a good book on my Kindle, and chat with fellow motorcyclists in the waiting area.
When boarding for flight 92 was announced, the gate agent scanned my pass and directed me and over a hundred other tourists down the jet bridge to what we thought was our plane. However, after the line had moved forward and I was almost on board, a surge of passengers came back towards me announcing we were getting on the wrong aircraft!
All pretense of boarding groups and taking turns went out the window as we scrambled over each other to transition to the next gate and board what we hoped was the correct Latam flight only to wait over an hour on the tarmac so the luggage from the first and second planes could be swapped.
Enjoying views of the Patagonian Andes out the window on my way north, I landed in Santiago still not sure whether I should collect my bags to go through customs before boarding my next flight as there was not a clear consensus among airline personnel at either airport as to what the correct procedure was.
Deciding to cover my bases, I proceeded to baggage claim upon landing, noting a sign there stating “If you have an International Flight Connection, you must claim your baggage here to drop it off in the international terminal.” Waiting while all the bags were removed and still not seeing mine, I decided to continue to the international terminal to get more information, only to find that my ticket counter would not be open for at least two hours.
Thankfully, once the Delta Airlines temporary check-in booths were set up, the personnel were able to confirm that they did have my bags and provide me with boarding passes for my next two flights.
I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to ride Adventure Baby in the Patagonian wild and to have taken a vacation within my vacation in the port side town of Punta Arenas, leaving me ready to greet my tutoring clients today and start work at the high school tomorrow.
