Argo
Spent most of the last couple of days preparing for the church fundraiser, Dining for Dollars, squeezing in preparations for the trip to Chile in between.
We boarded Wander and Argo at the vet, leaving Xena at home, where Corie is house sitting for us. Argo was not originally a candidate for the kitty hotel, but he got into a tussle with the other neighborhood cats and developed a pair of abscesses on his head, which the vet lanced. Rather than ask Corie to catch the cat and shove a pill down his throat twice a day, we let the vet staff do the honor. Of course I started missing them immediately.
Argo
Wander
Xena
All the Dining for Dollars preparation distracted me from the anticipation of the trip, although at work I mentally checked out on Thursday. It wasn’t until I left all the folders and bid books in the church office after church that I began to focus on our eminent departure.
Why take a walking tour of southern Chile?
The answer lies in a number of places. I had been looking at walking tours in Italy (usually Tuscany) for the past few years. We were starting to think seriously about it – then Jonathan had his triple-bypass operation a couple years ago (October 2002). Earlier this year I took a seminar in project management where the instructor challenged us to come up with ten goals for our personal lives and steps to achieve them. He also said/claimed that none of us would do it. So I did, just to prove him wrong. One of my goals was to travel.
Another factor was a conversation I had with Mom, where she indicated that she and Dad no longer felt up to traveling to Pine Point, Maine. They are in their early 80’s. Given the difference in age between Jonathan (68) and me (47) it seems to me that if we are to do any serious traveling together, now is the time.
We discussed the situation and started with a few goals in terms of what we wanted to see. I still want to take the walking tour in Italy. Jonathan expressed interest in seeing the stars of the southern sky. We agreed we would go south first.
Jonathan went to a travel agency and got brochures about several cruise lines. Apparently mentioning the word “cruise” obliterated the broader request for information. In the meantime I got an email from Country Walkers (the group that had the Tuscany tour I was interested in) offering a special deal on a tour in southern Chile. After considering the options we decided on the Chile tour. (I have never been on a cruise and was unsure how I would like it – and the most interesting cruise was from San Diego to the south Pacific including Tahiti, Bora Bora and others, lasting 30 days.)
Our preparation for the trip was measured rather than frantic. We made a few trips to REI Outdoor Sports to get hiking boots, rain gear, and other stuff. I ordered luggage and other necessities online. We gradually accumulated our travel gear over a two month period.
I packed over a three day period. Taking my time resulted in a relatively stress-free preparation.
Rather than drive one of our cars to the airport and leave it parked for more than two weeks (at $10/day), we took a SuperShuttle to the airport. We did this with some trepidation. Our previous experience with them, we got a Russian driver and a confusing address. We spent a lot of time driving around with the driver on his cell phone to his cousin trying to figure out where the house was. Then to make up for lost time, he drove like a maniac to the airport – a white knuckle experience. Our driver today was a young Asian guy who had a GPS system in his van. His driving habits were much more to my liking.
So here we sit (now 2300) waiting to board the plane in 45 minutes – so they say. Jonathan has already taken some photos for posterity. In the meantime, I’ll go back to reading Travels in a Thin Country by Sara Wheeler.
Jonathan wandering the airport lounge with camera in hand.
Arrived in Panama City, only a few minutes late – fairly inconsequential given our 9 hour or longer layover here.
The LAX-PTY flight boarded and departed with no problems. Although the website (Continental’s) indicated no meals, they fed us both a light dinner and breakfast. Dinner consisted of either a salmon or chicken sandwich. Breakfast offered cereal, omelet or crepes – I did the omelet, Jonathan the crepes.
The airport here is somewhat small, perhaps slightly larger than Providence’s TF Green Airport. They have about 2 dozen gates and it serves as the hub of Copa Airlines. (Jonathan described the airport as reminiscent of the old Detroit terminal buildings, barely a step above Quonset huts.)
Getting into First class/Business class using our frequent flyer miles has been very worthwhile for the comfort of the trip. Besides getting the roomier seats and the better meals in-flight, we have access to the airport lounge operated by Copa and Continental. Our 9 hour layover should not be too uncomfortable.
One feature of the airport is the shopping (duty free, I think) that give the central hall of the terminal the feel of a shopping mall. Not too much there that we’re interested in even if we had room in our well-stuffed bags.
Jonathan has taken a couple of pics already. I suppose I should do the same.
We sit in the Santiago airport. Our flight arrived at about 4am. Our flight to Puerto Montt leaves at 1115.
Boarding the flight in Panama City last night was an interesting experience. The announcement was all in Spanish (no surprise there), but there was not any in English. Also the crowd around the gate had a chaotic feel about it – nothing threatening, but orderly it wasn’t. We listened for the key words in Spanish for business class and the frequent flyer program Copa shares with Continental. Once these were called, everything was easy.
We both passed a milestone with this leg of the trip – this is the first time we have been in the southern hemisphere/across the equator.