CHILE TRIP REPORT Day 7: Drive to Punta Arenas, Flight to Santiago

 

DAY 7: DEC 17 FRIDAY PUNTA ARENAS, FLIGHT TO SANTIAGO

We had JetSmart flight at 7.30 pm from Punta Arenas to Santiago. We had to return our rental car to EMSA [AVIS subsidiary] by 3 pm at the latest, we had picked up the car at 2pm. .

We did the checkout procedure at the cabin, putting the key in the box and started off at 9 am

STREET ART IN PUERTO NATALES

Enjoyed some street art in Natales

This house has the painting of their pets, names are also written under the pic...

Their names are BOM BOM, CHINCOLITO, BAR TOLO, SUSY😍😍

At the Seno Ultima Esperanza [Last Hope Sound]. Sound and Fjord are both valleys filled with sea water with towering mountains on the side. Difference is Sound is carved out by glacial melt and Fjord by rivers... sound is a glacial valley, fjord is a river valley

We saw these paradors/bus stops on the way frequently

LUPINES

Enjoyed the colorful lupines

We drove on and reached Punta Arenas

PUNTA  ARENAS

LUPINES AGAIN

We had filled up fuel in the car at Puerto Natales. We again topped up as we reached Punta Arenas.

Saw some yellow/cream lupines and stopped over for a few pics

Then we went to the sea front and had our lunch. 

GOT A BIT LOST BECAUSE OF A STUPID MISTAKE

The car rental office had been in the town though we booked at the airport venue online. When we picked up the car, we had pinned the location on our offline map and also some landmark nearby. 

But when we tried to put in GPS directions from Puerto Natales when we started, we could not find the office location. 

I should have just keyed in the address from the papers they gave at the rental agreement. I MADE A MISTAKE AND GOOGLED EMSA CAR RENTAL PUNTA ARENAS. We went to that place, but it was NOT the place where we had rented the car. It was the downtown EMSA office, not the one which handled airport reservations [the airport one would pick us up and drop us back at the airport free and we had booked there.].

We tried to figure out our office and time was ticking. If we were late, we had to shell out another day's rent.

We again went back to that EMSA, asked them for the other office. Somehow understood their Spanish instructions, and marked the place on our offline map.

Without data, we could only rely on looking at the blue dot of our location and try to navigate our way to the destination. There was heavy traffic, one way streets complicating things.

Anyway, we succeeded and pulled up at the rental office right on dot at 3 pm.

Went in and signed papers completing formalities

RIDE TO AIRPORT

As said, our flight was only at 7.30 pm. We had wanted to walk around nearby, see some street art, statues etc before taking the free ride to the airport. But when we asked , they said the taxi is waiting for us and we had to leave right then. [We did catch some nice murals on the ride.]

Son used their rest room, I thought I'll just wait till we reach the airport... just 1 20 min ride.

BIG MISTAKE, once again as there was a strike at the airport with cleaning staff bloicking the rest rooms!! Any way, let me talk about the ride first

MURALS

Look at the cat sitting in the balcony railings and the dog and the man at the doorstep... so real, right??

This is another amazing painting... 

3-D!!

WEIRD STRIKE BY CLEANING STAFF AT AIRPORT BLOCKING RESTROOMS

At the Punta Arenas airport, when we were dropped by taxi by our car rental , I found the washroom blocked . I went up and found the  washrooms there blocked too. Workers inside did not let anyone move the barricade. Our flight was scheduled for 7 pm, it was just 3.30. 

Son noticed airline staff using a handicapped washroom and informed me. I followed suit.

After check in and getting our boarding pass, going thru security check etc, we were at our gate. The washrooms were still blocked. A kid near us was in tears and her mother was gesturing helplessly. After more than an hour, the barricades were removed. WHEW!!

FLIGHT DELAYED BY 3 HOURS

Boarding was getting delayed and then they announced the flight will take off only at 10 pm. It'll have a stop over at Puerto Montt for refuelling instead of going direct to Santiago.

 they announced at 9 pm for people to come alphabetically to pick up  a pastry, sandwich and drink showing their boarding pass.

We tried to figure out Spanish alphabet. Even after being called there was a wait of 30 min in line, meanwhile they announced boarding. We had a doughnut, cheese sandwich and water and boarded the flight.

STOMACH UPSET

I dozed off and woke up with a terrible stomach ache when the plane was about to land in Santiago.

When son was waiting to collect a checked bag, I had to run to the rest room.

Then we went to the prepaid taxi booths, booked a BLUETAXI to our hotel.

Came out through Exit 2 and waited our turn to board our taxi.

The taxi guy waited till the hotel guy opened the door and we were safely inside before he took off.

The guard gave us our apartment key and we entered the apt at 4 am!!

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Departmentos R&M

Again my stomach was hurting and I had to run to the toilet. I took some pics and a video of the apt; after yet another run to the toilet slept off at 4.30am.

Report continues