Back to old habits (photo by Lavon).
The next day folks wandered in and out of the dining room for breakfast. About half the folks had a 12:30pm flight to Santiago, while the rest of us had a 5:20pm flight.
I had found an email center in the hotel the previous night and went in to see how many I had (216 on my AOL account). Jonathan was on the other computer when the group came by on the way to tour the rest of the mansion which is maintained as a museum. Lavon snapped a photograph of us in our typical positions – in front of a computer screen.
After a while we got up and did the tour through the mansion. The décor was very Victorian. We wandered the streets a bit and found the local museum which was offering free admission that day. It too was essentially a mansion dating back before the opening of the Panama Canal when Punta Arenas was a major port of call. The opening of the canal pretty much eliminated the town’s significance to shipping although there is an active port still there. The decline must have been hard to watch.
We had a leisurely lunch with Sandy and Russ at the hotel as we waited for our departure to the airport. Charlie and Ingrid flew back with us, getting off in Puerto Montt. There were fewer passengers getting on than got off so we had more space on the second leg. They fed us on both legs of the flight so once we got to Santiago at about 9:30 and to the hotel by 10:30 we had no desire to eat. Went to bed and slept soundly.
Back to old habits (photo by Lavon).
Santiago skyline.
Santiago skyline.
We woke up about 8am. I went to the window to look out at the cityscape and was presented with a view of the Andes in the clouds and sun looking like a continuation of the march of high rises.
There was a conference in Santiago of APEC, which I believe is the Asia Pacific Economic Conference or some such. Apparently heads of state, I think Mr. Bush was attending, will be present so security is high and visible. There was an x-ray machine in the lobby for our luggage and a metal detector also for hotel guests.
After checking at the front desk, we went to the restaurant on the 17th floor where the view was even more impressive. We spotted Eileen and went over to say hello and were joined by Johan, Olga, and Bill. We had an enjoyable chat with them and were joined by Sandy and Russ at an adjacent table.
After breakfast we wanted to go to the Museum of Precolumbian Art. We checked with the concierge for the subway location and he provided us with a map, augmented with verbal instructions. We made a couple of false turns but located the station without too much difficulty. The subway was fairly easy to navigate.
We wandered around the Plaza de Armas looking for the museum. Using the subway map was useless and worse, consulting the Fodor’s guide helped us get to the museum. The museum was worth the trouble to find it. It has a broad collection that is well organized and displayed.
After we overloaded on pre-Columbian pottery and textiles, we returned to the hotel and had a leisurely lunch in the hotel’s first floor restaurant. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening biding our time until we were to leave at 2am from the hotel to the airport for our 5am flight.
The flight itself was uneventful and I actually got some sleep, which is unusual for me. We are currently the only guests in the first class lounge in the Panama City airport. We’ve been using the terminals here for internet access getting re-plugged in to current events.