** ANTARCTICA - 2002 **
** Chapter TEN **
** SANTIAGO **
This is the 25 June 2005 edition
of this page.
15 December 2002 (cont)
At PUNTA ARENAS, the aircraft departures (including ours!) had their signs changed, periodically,
just to confuse us! We moved, eventually, to their INTERNATIONAL section for the 'domestic'
flight northwards. We appear to have NO time for changes today. Our 18.50 flight is due in at
SANTIAGO at 23.05hrs.
All four of us got WINDOW seats for our Airbus A-320 flight, which appears (after a brief meal) to
get there 2 hours early!! It had made a '28 seconds roll' to our 'takeoff rotate' - and at this 'intermediate'
stop, we waited for ages for departure instructions.
We had ONLY, it appears, come to a small airfield at PUERTO MONTT (where our ship was heading
for, anyway!) with a LARGE volcano visible from our aircraft windows.
Our A-320 mileage from Punta Arenas had been 840 miles, but after a while, some new passengers
joined us, settled in, and we were all given the safety and security instructions before our takeoff for
SANTIAGO. That takeoff required a 32seconds ROLL, before the rotate and getting airbourne. We were
then plied with more food and drink and a NIGHT-FLIGHT to Santiago for a touchdown in the DARK.
A very long taxi-phase made me think that the AIRBUS had, mistakenly, take us direct to the hotel!! That leg
of the journey (Puerto Montt to Santiago) had taken us a further 580 miles. My case, unusually, came off the
rotunda/carousel quicker than usual! Martin, Frieda and myself then proceeded to the EXIT, meeting RON and
another guy (who was looking for a MR ROY!). Clearly, in Chile, the order of forename and surname had got
mixed up - but I shook hands with this pleasant guy (and his driver) and assured them that I was WHO they wanted.
They took us to the FUNDADOR Hotel in town.
This ride in another VAN from the airport to the city centre was about 20kM - i.e 12 miles - and done at a very high
speed! Eventually, we all got 'checked-in' and the vouchers changed once again - to deal with a two-night stay, the
half-day tour tomorrow and the later transfer to the AIRPORT on the following day.
As I was very sleepy, I 'turned in' to bed at 20minutes PAST midnight!
16 December 2002
It was a 'good-nights-sleep', being the first time that the bed hadn't "rock-n-rolled" for NINE days. I woke
up wonderfully at 7.15hrs, before dressing slowly with a thinner shirt for SANTIAGO's temperatures (in the
range from 25degC to 30degC).
I went down for breakfast - on the route between the 5th floor (I'm in Room 529) and the 4th floor - being
confused by the control of our room-card - just SOMETIMES!- both there and back. The main hotel's lift,
between the 4th and the 1st floor, was kinda 'standard'!!
There was a reasonable breakfast on the table adjacent to Martin and Freida's, - after which we bade each other farewell
until our 1pm HALF-DAY-TOUR start.
Back in my own room, eventually, I wrote up yesterday's and today's notes until 9.26hrs. Woah! Roy - you're
going nowhere! Slowly, I sorted out my Chilean and Argentinian currencies by 9.47hrs Then I rested on my bed until 10.05hrs.
Then I browsed channels 1-56 on the TV, recognising FEW and understanding even LESS. This took me until
10.40hrs - until I took a meander around nearby streets, shops, markets (around Hotel Fundador). Clearly,
I did not understand the 'separate-building' lift-system and its operation!
The temperature on this walk varied between, possibly, 30degC and 40degC - and I was SO PLEASED that
I had this THIN SHIRT as temperatures were decidedly non-Antarctic and more TROPICAL! This visit and
current notes finished at 11.38hrs.
Later, before seeing our guide and driver, I walked around local streets and markets again - and had a chat (in
English) before and after my walk, until about 12.50hrs, when Martin and Frieda joined me in the FUNDADOR
foyer for our half-day trip starting at 13.00hrs in our VAN, returning at about 16.15hrs to the FUNDADOR.
This van-tour had several stops over the 3.25 hours (covering about 30van-miles) during the course of our exploration!
The FIRST was at the 'horse-race-circuit' (the 'Club HIRICO') which was, alledgedly, based on ther LONGCHAMPS
course in PARIS, with its changing rooms, its photo-areas and its 'upper-crust' ambience (like 'Ascot'!")
The 'area for the masses' reminded me of the AYR (Scotland) 'Race-Course-Camping' from several years back! Other
visits/stops included walking descriptions of museums, cathedrals, 'Plaza des Armas' (for ice-cream - using a $1US with
120peso change!)- also to PROVIDENCA, JFK Avenue, Andres Belli (by the river-side) with (extinct?) volcanos
close!
Then I went back into Room529 for refreshments, note-making and TV browsing - until 17.24hrs.. Later, in a nearby
kiosk, I bought a 237cc tin of 'Light Coke' for 260pesos. (I had given a 500 peso-note and got 240pesos change!).
I managed to get back to my room via the 'confusing' lift-system by 17.56hrs..
Later, I went searching for a packet of biscuits and bought some McKAYS for 120Pesos, eating them by 18.30hrs..
Then I indulged in some TV browsing until 19.00hrs, before a walk-around the local area and a return to Room529.
There, I watched an AMERICAN SHARK-FISHING film whilst performing some personal ablutions.
Being then 20.20hrs, I retired to bed and watched the CNN channel - for the 'breaking' events!
17 December 2002
(The travelogue will continue in the next edition.)
EMail (?) to: Roy's Location.
Return to 2002's Index-page
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