My day started at 5:30am when my neighbor Jolly came to take me to the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. At the Delta Airlines counter the agent checked all my required documents: Chilean Mobility Pass, Negative PCR Test, the Chilean Government Affidavit and of course, my passport. These are all required before they would allow me to board the plane. Then I went through airport security. Luckily I have CLEAR, a program that expedites you through the waiting line using biometric identification. Then I go through TSA Pre-check, a program that waives some of the detail check like taking off your shoes and jacket, taking cameras and laptops out of your bags, etc. Another program that expedites my return from overseas is Global Entry, which saves me a lot of time and anguish when going through US Immigration and Customs. Since I travel so much internationally all these programs make travel less aggravating.
Now I am about two and a half hours early before my flight. Again I make life easier by going to the Delta SkyClub; access was given through my American Express card. I spent two hours relaxing and having breakfast before heading to the gate. I was one of the early boarders, again through another American Express card.
The first leg of the flight was uneventful. It took 3 hours and we were in Atlanta. Now I have almost 6 hours to kill before my flight to Santiago. Luckily I was able to find a quiet corner and kill time at the Delta SkyClub.
We boarded the flight to Santiago slightly late. There was a lot of activity at the gate and the agents were about 15 minutes late in boarding us. They don't usually tell us but I suspect that they were delaying the departure because they have to wait for other connecting passengers from other flights. Atlanta is the home of Delta Airlines and is their major hub. After I boarded the plane it appeared to be half empty. But 15 minutes later a big group of passengers came on board. I think these are the passengers whose connections were late.
I dozed off for about an hour when the flight took off. Two hours later they were ready to serve us dinner. Having eaten a big lunch at the Delta SkyClub in Atlanta I wasn't very hungry. As soon as dinner is over they dimmed the cabin lights. Most passengers started to fall asleep. This is the part of travel I hate most - I CANNOT sleep on airplanes! I usually ended up watching movies but nothing appealed to me. I started watching Alexander the Great but it was a long movie. Almost 3 hours long! I gave up almost half way through. Sometimes I'd play classical music to make me drowsy. Unfortunately the music player was not working. I was not in the mood to read. In the end I just closed my eyes, without falling asleep. 5 hours, 4 hours, 3 hours,......and finally we touched down at the Santiago airport.
Exiting an airport after a long international flight is always a dreadful experience. That's why I applied for the Global Entry Program. In normal times it may take perhaps an hour. These are not normal times. Because of the COVID pandemic every country has put barriers or restrictions to slow down the spread of the virus. In the case of Chile, as I mentioned before, I have to have a negative PCR test before they give me an affidavit to enter the country. They also require me to have at least $30,000 worth of medical insurance.
After waiting a long time in a line it was my turn to have my documents checked. Then I was given directions to get my mouth and nostrils swabbed for a PCR test. It was not the most pleasant experience. Only then was I allowed to exit the airport, after 2 1/2 hours!
I first have to look for an ATM so that I can get local Chilean pesos. This is probably the safest and cheapest way to get local currency. I have an ATM card from Charles Schwab that reimburses me for any ATM fee that I incur, which basically means I don't have to pay any ATM fee. However, I don't think it's totally free because Charles Schwab uses your cash for other purposes while it's sitting in their checking account. Nevertheless, I have to pay an extra ATM fee if I use my other Bank of America ATM card.
Using a foreign ATM machine is always a scary experience. The worst case is the machine swallows your ATM card and refuses to give it back to you. Or, trying to decipher a foreign language may not be the easiest thing to do. Luckily somewhere in the menu it asks if you want the information in English or have the UK or US flag for you to choose. In this case I found the right button and I was able to get my cash withdrawal in English.
Although the instructions given by the Chilean government said that you are only allowed to take chartered buses or official taxi to the hotel, there was no one at the airport to enforce it. However, when in a foreign country I always look for the official or anointed taxi agency. There you tell the person at the counter where you are going and he or she will write you a ticket. Then you go outside and give to the dispatcher who calls on the next taxi in line. You may pay at the counter or the taxi driver directly. Never never take a taxi with someone who randomly approaches you at the airport. You are almost certain to be cheated.
Hurtigruten booked its passengers into the Sheraton Santiago Hotel on the first night. Because of all the uncertainly surrounding the PCR tests I came two days earlier. I typically go at least 1 day early if I were joining a foreign tour. This gives me time to get ready and familiarize myself locally. I requested the hotel to put me in the same room for the 3 nights. Not only they did that but they upgraded my room to an elite room because of my Marriott Bonvoy Gold Membership, courtesy of my American Express card. They gave me a big beautiful room with a wonderful view of the city.
After a shower I took a fairly long nap. I hadn't had a proper sleep for more than 24 hours and I was feeling it. After my nap I took a walk to the Costanera Center Mall. This Mall boasts the Gran Torre, the tallest skyscraper in Latin America. I walked around looking for something to eat and found a Peruvian restaurant that features seafood. It was about a 20 minute walk back to the hotel. After two long days of traveling I was dead tired!
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| Peruvian Restaurant |
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| Fried Octopus with Pineapple and Corn |
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