CHILE 2023
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2023
We packed the dogs and cat into the car around 11:45 am. Because our kitchen renovation is not done we have to leave them all at Tara's. Floki makes it almost the way to Tara's before he throws up. Stache is also whining more than she usually does in the car.
The doggles are excited to see Enzo and New Mommy. We set Stache up in their basement, and she immediately starts wandering around to check it out. I'm glad she also eats some of the food I put down.
We're flying out of JFK, and it's normally a 2:00 drive there from Tara's, but once we hit Staten Island we start hitting traffic. And once we cross the Verrazano Bridge into Brooklyn, we come to a dead stop. The Belt Parkway is basically stop and go traffic for the entire rest of the trip, and it takes us 3 hours total.
We paid for long-term parking for once (because the day rates at the terminals are ridiculous). The lot is at the end of the air tram train, but it's only a 10 minute ride to our terminal.
We aren't checking bags, so we go to the PreCheck line, which is pretty short. However our boarding passes are being rejected, so we have to go to the Latam Air ticket desk to get paper boarding passes. It adds another 10 minutes or so, but we get through the security screen with no issues.
We only have a few minutes but our gate is nearby, so we pick up some snacks and neck pillows. We get to the gate as boarding is happening but it's not a crazy line. We are in 16K/J. We didn't get upgraded even though business class is only half full. We have no issues fitting our overhead bags.
We sit in the plane for about 30 minutes before takeoff…and at the last minute, a family comes on the plane. There's some confusion as to where they are sitting but ultimately the mother takes the window seat.
We sit on the plane for around an hour before we actually take off. Dinner is chicken with rice for me (ok) and pasta for Cher. Cher watches movies. I read "Nothing But A Good Time", an oral history of hair metal. It's ok. I don't even try to sleep and Cher doesn't really get much sleep.
The flight is fine. Total time is 10 hours in the air. We don't have to get up much and the seats are fine. The woman next to us basically sleeps the entire flight and never gets up.
Steps - 8,746
Miles - 4.15
Calories - 341
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2023
We land in Santiago around 7 am (5 pm eastern time). There's a few minute walk to border control, and a pretty long line to get through. It takes maybe 15 minutes, but these lines usually feel longer than they actually are.
After passing through border control, our bags are screened and we have to display a certificate that we aren't bringing animals or plants in. There's only one person collecting these forms, so there's a really long line. Cher just cuts right in so we don't have to wait long.
Cher remembers that we got lost here the last time heading from international arrivals to domestic departures…but I figured out that we need to walk across the road. It's a beautiful summer morning. Cool and not humid.
Because we had issues with the boarding passes at JFK we went to a kiosk and printed out new boarding passes for the next flight. There's a decent line for security, but get through without issue. It's a good thing Cher booked the later flight to Calama, because we would have almost certainly missed an earlier connection. But that means we have 2 hours to kill, which we do at Starbucks.
We happen to be sitting right at the gate we need to be at so that's convenient. The flight to Calama is 2 hours, and it's painless. There is some confusion getting off the plane because they are trying to deplane by rows (maybe - they only did the announcement in Spanish).
We meet the driver at the exit, along with Joe and Molly, who are also from Philly. They flew through Miami.
The airport is about 75 minutes from the resort. The drive is through the desert. There is a small town near the airport, and the desert. We passed some wind and solar farms. There are mountains in the distance that have snow covered peaks which is surprising.
We see small roadside memorials along the drive (I assume they are memorials of some kind)
The Tierra Atacama hotel is in the small town of San Pedro de Atacama, which sits in a small oasis in the desert. There are mud brick buildings and walls everywhere. We are at 8,000 feet here, and I do feel a little short of breath here and there initially.
The hotel is very nice, but maybe could use a refresh. We're greeted by Laura (?) who is one of the managers. We fill out our guest paperwork and she tells us a little about the hotel. Then Fernando, one of the guides, helps us set up our excursions. We plan something for all 4 days we're here, including the strenuous hike up Cerro Toco [Toco Volcano] up to 5,604 m (18,386 ft).
We head to our room which is nice, but could use some minor updates. Along the way we pass gardens filled with huge pomegranate trees, fig bushes, and Hollyhocks of different colors. There are large Chañar trees everywhere. We are in a string of rooms that have a view of the mountains on a little sitting patio with chairs and a couch. We shower, and jump into bed around 3:30 pm. The bed is very comfortable and we fall right asleep.
We set the alarm for 8:30, but we decided not to get up for dinner, and just sleep through the night. We both take some time to fall back asleep but ultimately we sleep most of the night. I set another alarm for 6:30, and we need it.
Steps - 5,792
Miles - 2.71
Calories - 227
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2023
We get up with the alarm at 6:30. The sun is just starting to rise over the mountains surrounding the town. We shower and head to breakfast around 7. Breakfast is the typical resort continental breakfast. The croissants aren't great (they have an odd sweetness to them) but the eggs and pancakes are fine. Cher has strawberry juice which is surprisingly sweet, but in a good way.
We head back to the room to grab our gear before we go on a bike ride to the salt flats at Laguna Cejas. I'm feeling a little stuffy and short of breath, from the altitude I guess.
There are lots of dogs barking in the distance, and roosters crowing.
We met our tour guide Diego, and our driver Chris for our 11 mile bike ride to Laguna Cejas. We are with a group of 6. We get fitted for our mountain bikes and helmets, and get driven a few miles to a drop off point. From there, it's a 11 km (6.8 miles) ride to the lagoon. ⅔ of the ride is flat dirt road, and the last ⅓ is a bumpier dirt road.
The salt flats sit between 3 mountain ranges - the Andes to the west (with snow peaks), the Salt Mountains (???) and the Cordillera Domeyko mountains to the east.
There are some changing rooms and bathroom ls at Laguna Cejas where we put on our bathing suit's. There are lots of short green plants (brea?) with little purple leaves all around the lagoon, and which are more green right now because it had strong rains last week.
There are two lagoons here but you only swim in one. it's cold but not freezing to get in, and it's a weird sensation to not sink. But it's neat and the view of the mountains is so cool. We don't stay long…maybe 10 minutes and then head back to the car for the drive back to the resort.
Back in the room for some fun and a shower. Then we head to the spa to book massages for after we hike the volcano on Wednesday. Lunch is at 1 so we sit outside the restaurant and have a drink. I have a Kross stout, which is a Chilean microbrew brand, and it's tasty, and Cher has a mixed bourbon drink that is ok too.
Lunch isn't great. The food is fine but it's fancy, and it's a limited menu. Cher has avocado soup and a quinoa salad. I have a greens salad that has breaded brie cheese that Cher eats, and a pork belly on noodles. Not a fan of pork belly but the noodles weren't bad.
After lunch we talked to Molly and Joe for a while. Seem like nice people. They live off Rittenhouse Square. Molly is a nurse educator and Joe is a financial engineer. Cher thinks he works for the hedge fund owned by that rich guy from Antarctica. Cher has a sparkling rose, and I have an Atacama Soul (some peach liquor, peach juice and rick milk). it's ok.
At 4:30 we meet our guide Sébastien for a drive to the Laguna Chaxas salt flats to see flamingos. There are 8 of us, including Molly and Joe. There's a couple from Wisconsin and an older couple from Auckland. We see a dust tornado off the side of the road. We pass the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array observatory office. We can't see the actual dishes, which are over the Andes.
On the way we stop at a small town called Toconao. There are only 700 or so people who live here. We see a small group of dancers celebrating a carnival. There's a small church that has a roof of cardona wood, a local cactus. It has a lot of holes and is cool looking. We see some cute dogs - they look less like street dogs and more like clearly different breeds. We also see a man walking a small llama on a leash. We see a small shop with touristy stuff and Cher gets pulled into the dance circle.
Leaving the town we pass Lascar Volcano, which is the most active volcano in Chile. It erupted two months ago. It releases just ash, not lava. There's also small rain showers off in the distance to the right.
It takes about 10 minutes to get to Laguna Chaxas. They hand out binoculars which is nice. it's truly in the middle of nothing. Just rough dirt all around and a salt pool in the middle. They play classic rock on the radio.
We are at Los Flamencos National Reserve. We see Andean Flamingos. There's a fair amount. We also see a few Puna Plover (small grey birds) and some black and white Andean Anocets.
When we get back to the van, they offer us sodas, beers, chocolate, or nuts. A nice touch. Cher has a diet coke and I have a Fanta. We also took some chocolates. We see two random wild donkeys walking in the middle of nowhere. Once we get into town we see a bunch of people gathering to celebrate Carnival. They all have white paint on their faces, which has something to do with hating the Spanish.
Dinner isn't great for me. It's another limited menu - 3 starter options and 3 main course options. It seems there's always a fish option for each too. The starters were carrot soup, some fish, and beetroot salad. I had carrot soup, which was good. The dinner options were a spinach ravioli with pumpkin and ricotta, some fish something, and ostrich. I had the spinach ravioli which I didn't like but Cher did. At least the portions are small. Dessert was ok. Cher had some fruit /meringue cake thing. The fruit part was ok. I had 3 local ice cream flavors: Rica Rica (which has a plant-like flavor), chañar (the small fruit's that are everywhere around, which was kinda like caramel or dulce de leche, and something else, which was supposed to be like a coffee flavor. All were OK.
Unfortunately our star gazing night was canceled because of clouds, though after dinner we walked out to the pool area and most of the sky was clear. Even with the resort lighting you can tell the sky is unreal here.
We went back to the room around 9:30, and got ready for bed.
Steps - 16,512
Miles - 7.68
Calories - 656
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2023 - 50th BIRTHDAY
Wake up at 7:15, after we sleep through the night. Big breakfast and then preparing for our morning hike to Vallecito (Little Valley). Our guide is Camilo, and our driver is Johnny. It’s an easy hike through a valley in the Salt Mountains.
The landscape is otherworldly. Big salt mounds, mixed with gypsum, sand, and mud. It looks like Mars - all red and desolate. The entire hour we only see one small dry bush. The salt is crunchy to walk on because the water doesn't flow…it just evaporates.
Of course we also see pipeline markers. Apparently there's a pipeline that flows east to west between Bolivia (to the west) and Argentina (to the east). Chile and Bolivia don't get along (the War of the Pacific was fought over this area in the late 19th century). There is an amazing view of the basin at the end of the walk, and a small sand dune, but we don't run down.
Back at the bar before lunch. Cher orders a Pingo Pingo (whisky, licor 43, pisco, orange and lemon juice, pingo pingo syrup, artichoke bitter, albumin (powdered egg whites). It’s not bad. I ordered a New York Sour (bourbon, orange juice, lemon juice, simple syrup, and carménère liquor). We sit by the pool and talk to Joe/Molly and Bonnie/John, who are from Wisconsin.
We have lunch inside. We each get the greens salad, which is ok, and the linguine in a creamy pepper sauce, which is tasty. Cher tries a chocolate/orange cake, which isn't great (too wet) and I have passion fruit sorbet which is ok but really sour.
After dinner we sit by the pool and veg for a little while. Then we go to the indoor spa pool, which is like the one in Sri Lanka in that it has jets but no obvious way to turn them on. Like most of the buildings here, it could use a refresh.
Our afternoon excursion is a hike through a river canyon in Guatin Gatchi valley. This will be the first "medium" hike we do, and it's up to 10,000 ft or so, so it will be interesting to see how we feel. Gonzalo is our guide.
The ride over is slow and bumpy. But it's worth it because the river canyon is gorgeous. There are sandstone and basalt walls lined with giant cardón cactuses. These cacti are extremely slow growing (1 cm per year!) so some of these are hundreds of years old.
The river is relatively low but it does flow throughout the year. There are waterfalls all along the way, some of decent size too. The hike has a number of difficult spots, but it's very fun and the landscape is gorgeous.
There's also other plant life, a lot of which we've seen all around the basin. We see:
Vasal? (small red flower in valley)
Some salty leaf (also used in ice cream) (No photo)
Rica rica - tiny green leaves and white small (tastes like eucalyptus).
As we leave the canyon we hike another 15 minutes or so to van, for the 30 minutes ride home. One of the young Brazilian guys (who may be in a thruple), leans his gross armpit on the hanging seat belt.
Back to the resort at 7:20 for a quick shower. There's a special barbecue dinner tonight. We sit with Joe/Molly and the Wisconsin couple (Pat and Bonnie). The food is ok. Cher gets a pisco sour but I end up drinking most of it. I got an Austral Calafate, which is really good. They also have wine on the table - most (all?) of the wine here is from Chile. Cher has some Lapostolle Carmenère which apparently is a grape variety that grows best in Chile. it's not bad, as red wine goes.
Cher has different salads, potatoes, some rice and there's a weird baked pepper with cheese and egg. I have a chorizo, a beef filet that is really rare, some corn and a baked potato. it's ok.
We stay until 9:30 or so and they remind us that the stargazing is canceled again…but as we walk back the sky is very clear, so it's weird that they canceled it again.
In bed by 10:20, for our 5:15 am alarm to see the El Tatio Geiser. A very nice 50th Birthday.
Steps - 18,220
Miles - 8.44
Calories - 718.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2023
Up with the alarm. Neither of us slept very well for some reason. Lots of tossing and turning. We put on warmer clothes and head to the lobby. Cher has some coffee and I have a banana.
Our guide is Lancelot. We are with a group of 8, some of whom we've seen before. There's a cute white and orange cat meowing loudly by the door. Apparently there are 5 house cats that live on the property. This one looked nice and healthy and let me give it a few head scratches.
The sky overhead is still very clear.
Lancelot says the ride will be 45 minutes. It takes 75. Cher feels a little nauseous from the bumps. We do see some flamingos and vicuña (the littlest camelid) along the way. it's colder when we arrive but the sun soon crests the Andes and it's very comfortable from then on. We are very close to the border apparently.
The Tatio Geysers are neat. Small pools with small eruptions and lots of steam, not like the geyser in Iceland. This is the 2nd largest geyser in the world after Yellowstone. We walk around one area and then drive to another area with more geysers. We both are a little short of breath but nothing troubling.
We note that the bathrooms are pretty clean and well stocked for places in the middle of nowhere really.
We drove a little while to a small lagoon area for our breakfast. There are flamingos, some ducks, and some gulls.
They lay out some deli meats, cheeses, eggs, and stuff like that. It's a nice place to have breakfast. A pack of llamas (domesticated guanacos) walks by, along with a pair of vicuñas.
On the way home we pass a “Suri” (a Rhea Ostrich) (no photos) and stop at the wetlands near Volcán Putana (active with wisps of white smoke). It's a huge crater with lots of birds including Guayata (large white bird near wetlands).
Stop at another small lagoon with Chilean Flamingos (more pink, no black tail) and some common Andean ducks.
We see a small family of Vacunas (with a baby maybe a week old) crossing the road, and a bunch of donkeys).
Back at the hotel around noon. We change and head to the pool for a little rest before lunch. Cher has a Cactus (pisco 40°, limón, green apple, basil, simple syrup), and I get a Pisco Sour. Lunch isn't great again. There's a bad beef option, so we both get curry vegetables. The curry and rice is good but I wasn't a fan of the rest. We ordered two appetizers for Cher because none of them work for me: a pumpkin soup with cheese and a "Chilean salad" which is just tomatoes with red onions and olives.
After lunch we head back to the pool. It's a perfect day. A few clouds in the sky but dry and comfortable.
We are in the hot tub at 2:45 when we realize that our afternoon excursion is at 3 and not 4, so we skip the hike through Rainbow Valley. We head to the room for some fun, and then back to the pool. Cher gets a cappuccino, and I get an Austral Patagonia 508 Pale Ale, which is very tasty. It's a perfect afternoon for sitting in the shade and chilling.
Back to the room to get cleaned up for dinner and we get a call letting us know that we're going to try stargazing tonight.
We go to dinner at 6:30. Cher orders a Piedras Rojas (bourbon, almond milk, chañar liqueur, and Cinnamon). I ordered the New York Sour again. We both use Gentlemen Jack (Daniels whisky). Good drinks.
Dinner isn't great for me. They have nothing I'd eat. The meat is lamb chop, the fish is a fish, and the vegetarian option is a Spanish quiche. Cher orders that, and I order the lamb because it comes with sweet potato puree. I have chocolate and vanilla ice cream (good) , and Cher has tiramisu (ok) for dessert.
At 9 we meet our group for our stargazing. They break the groups up into 2 groups because there are a lot of people. It's good that we are in the 9 o'clock group and not the 10 o'clock group. But because there are two groups they shorten the time we are out.
it's still Carnivale (technically it's Fat Tuesday too) so there are busy roads even at this time. The driver has to back up to make room for another car, and breaks the passenger side mirror.
It's a short drive to a small house where there is a bigger telescope (in a maybe 12 foot tall enclosure), and two standalone telescopes. Our guide explains stuff about how to know where different sky planes (?) are, how to tell time, points out constellations we can see, and the Pleiades and the large Magellanic cloud. Everyone gets to look through the different telescopes but I run off to take a Milky Way photo using the large telescope thing as a foreground. I only have 20 minutes or so but I manage to get some stuff quickly. It's too early to see the Milky Way core, it's so nothing special but I got something.
Back at the hotel around 10:30 for bed.
Steps - 12,063
Miles - 5.6
Calories - 473
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2023
Up at 7:30 for our Cerro Toco volcano hike. I had woken up in the middle of the night with my left hand really itchy. Something bit me.
Basic breakfast, and then we meet our guide Christian. We are in a 4Runner with two folks from Brazil. It's an hour ride to Toco. The other car has Molly/Joe and the blond woman (Allison) who talks a lot, and speaks Spanish.
On the drive we see a Viscacha, a rabbit-like rodent sitting on rocks (there’s only a phone photo).
We drive up to around 5,000 meters (16,000 feet), and then start to climb from there. It's cold but not too windy and it's crystal clear skies. We each get hiking polls, and start going up, very slowly. The Brazilian woman thinks we are going too slowly so she takes off with another guide. Her older husband follows her but he's not as fast as her.
We go very slowly to make sure we don't get dizzy or otherwise sick, and it's a good thing. It is harder to breathe as you get hired. There's snow on the ground but it's mostly packed so it's not hard to walk on. But we all make out fine.
Half way up I take my water bottle out, and it slips through my fingers…dropping on the ground and sliding down to a rock a few hundred meters down. One of the guides from another tour ran down the hill and brought it back up!
About ⅔ of the way up we took a few minutes break to have some water and some snacks (chocolate). It was getting more windy so I put on my puffy coat for the rest of the climb.
The last ⅓ wasn't much tougher than the rest, but my hands were getting very cold. We only had lightweight gloves and that wasn't enough for the 30-ish degrees weather. But we made it to the top and got some high-fives. It probably took 2 ½ hours to go up, but I didn't check the time. I carried my backpack with my camera the entire way, but my hands were so cold I just used my phone for photos.
Cerro Toco (Toco Volcano) is approximately 5,600 meters (~18,400 feet). It's slightly higher than Basecamp at Everest, which is pretty cool. And the 360° views were awesome. On one side was Bolivia, and the other was the Andes.
After hanging out for a few minutes, we started back down. It probably took an hour to get down, at most. I thought it was harder than the way up because we went much quicker, and the altitude decline really messed with my head. Plus my left middle finger was frozen for most of the decline. My brain was getting very fuzzy by the time we reached the cars, but I made it down (tho with a killer headache and some wobbly legs). Cher had no issues with the decline at all.
Once we got back to the cars I felt better, though it took some time for my finger to regain feeling. We hopped back in the car for the hour ride back to the resort.
We quickly changed and went to lunch. We had Carol again and she's super friendly, but Cher ordered an iced tea and Carol brought her lemonade. I had a Fanta.
There was no appetizer on the menu, but Cher loved her mushroom ceviche. We both ordered rice noodles with vegetables, and they were very good. They also had a steak option I passed on. Cher tried an Oreo cheesecake (which was ok, not very cheesy) and I got vanilla and chañar ice cream. It was a good combination.
At 4 we head to the Spa for our massages. I got a basic 30 minute massage, which was fine, and mostly focused on my back, shoulders, neck, arms, and head. Cher got a longer stone massage. Both are fine. It doesn't do much for my headache even though the massager spends a lot of time on my head and neck.
After the massages we hang by the pool and then go back to the room to start packing, and organizing our money for tips. We leave specific tips for the guides, and our primary waiters Carol and Raphela (?), and then general money for the rest of the staff.
We grab drinks (Stout for me, sparkling rosé for Cher) at 7 and sit in a 4 person table, waiting for Joe and Molly. Dinner is fine. For appetizers I have zucchini soup (eh) and Cher has something I forgot. For dinner I have NY strip steak (ok but undercooked) and Cher has polenta gnocchi (ok). Cher has an almond torte for dessert (ok) and I have more of the chañar and vanilla ice cream.
Joe (actual name Charles) and Molly (actual name Margaret) are nice. Early 40s, just married. Live in a rented condo on Rittenhouse Square. Molly had breast cancer and it sounds like it has been removed but she still needs some surgeries. They will be flying to Patagonia today and we'll see them at Tierra Patagonia too.
After dinner we head to the room and we are in bed by 9:30. We both have trouble sleeping and are up in the middle of the night. At 3:45 I go out to the pool area to try and take photos of the Milky Way. I tried a few different compositions using some trees by the pool area. The sky is beautiful and the Milky Way core is visible. I see a few shooting stars too. For some reason the area smells like soft pretzels.
I go back to the room around 5:30 am.
Steps - 6,760
Miles - 3.11
Calories - 266
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2023
We woke up at 8:00 am. Our transfer to the El Loa airport in Calama is 11:20 so we have time. Normal breakfast - Carol helps us again - and then we hang by the pool for an hour or so before finishing our packing and checking out.
The ride to the airport is about 75 minutes. We have boarding passes so we don't need to check in. There is no line to get to security and we're through in no time. They checked our boarding passes but not our passports.
It's a small regional airport - only 5 gates, and a few shops (including a Sunglass Hut). We have an hour before we board so we just sit. There's a small cafe that has donuts so we have a nutella one and an oreo one. They are a little hard but very tasty. They are cake ring donuts that have glazing and cream inside too.
We have no issues getting on the plane with our stuff. The Latam air planes have all been pretty new and in good shape. The flight back to Santiago is 2 hours. After we land we get some money from the ATM and get a cab to the W Hotel.
We check in, drop our stuff off, and go to one of the restaurants for some food. There's one with an open air terrace, and we get some pizza (margherita for Cher, pepperoni for me). I eat the whole thing, and Cher eats a few pieces. She has some blueberry spritz drink, and I have another Caliphate.
We go back to our room and watch some TV at 7:30 before bed. We have a 5:30 am Uber pick up to go back to the airport. We can't use many of our streaming services overseas, but Netflix does work, so we watch the first half of the Pamela Anderson documentary.
Steps - 4,721
Miles - 2.24
Calories - 187
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2023
Terrible night sleep. It's too hot in the room, we're on the wrong side of the bed, and I'm snoring a lot.
My alarm goes off at 5:00 am. Quick showers and we're ready for our 5:30 Uber. We get to the airport in probably 15 minutes or so, and we get through security with a minimal line. We have about 90 minutes to boarding, so we just sit and wait. Cher wanders to get some food.
I've had no mobile access in Santiago. Cher is fine though. Very odd.
There's an "outdoors" shop here so I bought another pair of long pants, some warm socks, and a hat. It seems like it will be more rainy in Patagonia than I expected.
Getting on the plane is no issue, but before we take off they have us wait on the Runway for a while, and then they taxi us back to the gate because of a computer issue. We sit there for a few minutes before they decide to change the plane. So we have to disembark.
But we don't have to wait that long for another plane. Just an hour later we're on a new plane, and this time we take an entire row just for ourselves (because it was empty on the first flight).
The flight’s fine - only 3 hours to Aeródromo Teniente Julio Gallardo. It's mostly cloudy when we arrive, but this specific area is a small port town. Not huge but certainly more what we expected from Chile. We meet our driver but then we have to wait a while for the other people in our bus to arrive.
The trip to Tierra Patagonia is about an hour. There are small welcome bags for us, with water, trail mix, and chocolate. The initial landscape near the airport is a wide plain, with big jagged mountains on one side, and lower, softer hills on the other. Then we enter the hills and see beautiful hillsides with gnarled trees, some large farmland for cows and horses, and beautiful lakes. It reminds us of New Zealand. We pass a guy on a horse with three small dogs herding cattle.
I'm having sharp periodic pains in a very specific spot on the back of my head. It's something I've had before and think it's Occipital Neuralgia. It should be temporary, but it's been a few hours now. I'm also starting to get sick - a little tickle in my throat (spoiler - it will end up being Covid).
We checked in at Tierra Patagonia, which is gorgeous. Then we sit with Kiteret (a nice woman in a wheelchair) who handles excursions. We set up a full five-day schedule, mostly all day excursions. We're talking 9-14 miles of hiking per day. She warns us about dry clothing, but we think we'll be ok. We also set up massages for later this week.
Our room (and all rooms) looks out directly on Lake Sarmiento, which is surrounded by hills and mountain peaks.
Sarmiento Lake is a lake located in Torres del Paine National Park, in the Magallanes Region of southern Chile. It is named after Spanish explorer Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa, and gives its name to one of the areas in the National Park Torres del Paine. Its edge is marked by extensive calcium carbonate "Thrombolites" deposits, possibly from hydrothermal activity in the lake.
The view from the hotel is stunning. It's at the end of a very long hallway. It's very basic but nice. We take a bath, a shower, and then head to the bar for a pre-dinner drink. Cher gets the cocktail of the day, which is some sort of margarita. It's fine. I have a Hernando de Magallanes Brown Ale which is very good. It’s very windy out.
My headache is happening less and less so that's good.
Dinner is ok. Cher has carrot soup and a zucchini pizza. I have linguini off the kids menu, and mango sorbet. We go right to bed because we have a 7 am departure.
Steps - 4,728
Miles - 2.23
Calories - 186.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2023
I slept terribly - my head issue continues until I take an Advil at 3:30 am. But Cher slept fine. We get up with the alarm at 6, get some quick breakfast (it's basically the same) and meet our guide Lucas at 7. They give us trail mix and chocolate snacks.
It's very windy but it's not super cold or rainy yet. The drive to Lake Grey takes about 75 minutes. Once we get to Torres del Paines National Park we start climbing up through the hills, passing a cool light blue lake (very Salty) and other cool lakes. We pass the Horns but they are mostly covered by clouds right now.
The landscape of the park is dominated by the Paine massif, which is an eastern spur of the Andes located on the east side of the Grey Glacier, rising dramatically above the Patagonian steppe. Small valleys separate the granite spires and mountains of the massif. These are: Valle del Francés (French Valley), Valle Bader, Valle Ascencio, and Valle del Silencio (Silence Valley).
The head of French Valley is a cirque formed by tall cliffs. The colossal walls of Cerro Cota 2000 and Cerro Catedral punctuate the western region of the Valley. Cerro Cota 2000 is named for its elevation; its highest contour line is about 2,000 m (6,562 ft). Cerro Catedral is named so because its east face resembles a cathedral's facade. To the north stands the granite arête called Aleta de Tiburón (English: Shark's Fin). To the east, from north to south, lie the peaks Fortaleza (Fortress), La Espada (The Sword), La Hoja (The Blade), La Máscara (The Mummer), Cuerno Norte (North Horn), and Cuerno Principal (Main Horn).
In the Valley of Silence, the gigantic granite walls of Cerro Fortaleza and Cerro Escudo (Shield Mountain) stand face to face with the western faces of the Torres del Paine. Ascencio Valley is the normal route to reach the Torres del Paine lookout, which is located at the bank of a milky green tarn. The highest mountain of the group is Paine Grande, whose height was measured in 2011 using GPS and found to be 2,884 m (9,462 ft).
The Southern Patagonian Ice Field mantles a great portion of the park. Glaciers include the Dickson, the Grey, and the Tyndall.
Among the lakes are the Dickson Lake, Nordenskjöld Lake, Lake Pehoé, Grey Lake, Sarmiento Lake, and Del Toro Lake. Only a portion of the latter is within the borders of the park. All are vividly colored, most due to rock flour suspended in their waters. The main river flowing through the park is Paine River. Most of the rivers and lakes of the park drain into Última Esperanza Sound via Serrano River
As we move farther and farther west, it starts raining hard. We stopped at the Lago Grey hotel, which is on the edge of Lago Grey (Grey Lake). When we picked up our tickets they told us that we can't get the catamaran to the drop off point because of the wind and hard rain, so we won't be able to do the glacier suspension bridge today. We might be able to get there later in the week if the weather is better.
Lucas suggests some shorter hikes that would at least get us outside, and we collectively determine that we should have a half day and then go back to the hotel.
The first hike is 2.2 km up and down some rock/plant areas that overlook Lago Grey. The landscape is full of short, hardy bushes. Very reminiscent of Iceland or New Zealand. It's cool with on and off drizzle, and really strong wind gusts. There are some pretty views.
The second hike is supposed to be to a waterfall near a lake, but it's raining a lot harder, and there are 85 kph winds. So we're going back to the resort.
We get back at 12:30, make a quick pit stop in the room and then go to lunch. Cher orders an espresso martini and I get the Hernando de Magallanes Imperial Stout. it's nice and roasty. Because it's so windy they put the central fire on in the main hall.
Lunch is ok. We both have the green leaf salad with pickled vegetables. I have the baked brisket, which is basically pot roast, and Cher has a lentil soup type thing with tofu. We try the Chocolate/whisky and Caliphate cake. It's ok.
After lunch we restructure our excursion schedule - we add the Laguna Azul (Blue Lagoon) and reschedule our Glacier hike to Friday. It's a pretty easy hike - we see some Guanacos, and the Horns are very clear on the drive over. But the view is covered in clouds by the time we start our hike.
We hike near Laguna Amarga. It's windy, and there are lots of burned Lengas trees from a 2005 wildfire. The view of the Horns mostly clears up as we crest the hills. It’s a very easy walk.
We drive to the Torres del Paine Cascades waterfall. It's part of the Paine River which surround the Cordillera Paine. It’s beautiful. The sun is peeking through the clouds on and off.
Paine River (Río Paine) is a river located in the Magallanes Region of Chile. The river rises from its source in Dickson Lake and flows east for nine kilometers (km) to Paine Lake. After flowing through the lake, the river runs for 15 km, first southward and then westward to Nordenskjöld Lake.[1] This part of the river's course includes the Paine Cascade.
From the mouth of Nordenskjöld Lake, the river flows for a short distance falling into Pehoe Lake. In this area the river forms a spectacular waterfall known as Salto Grande. Along the Paine River, and specifically in the vicinity of Salto Grande, are a variety of natural vegetation forms as well as certain wildlife species, including the wild guanaco.[2] After leaving lake Pehoe, the river forms another waterfall called Salto Chico and runs its last 6 km until emptying into the Del Toro Lake. Its lower course is wide and deep.[1]
Along its course the river borders the Cordillera del Paine.
Paine means "blue" in the native Tehuelche (Aonikenk) language and is pronounced PIE-nay.
Stop at Lago Paine (a green salt lake) with the Three Towers in the distance. Beautiful.
Back to the resort around 7 pm. We jump in the pool to see what that's like, but we can't figure out how to open the door to the outside spa. About 5 minutes later these other guys open it, no problem. We were trying to open it, and you had to slide it,
Back to the room to clean up and go to dinner with Joe and Molly. I order a Pale Ale but the waitress somehow hears Lager and because there was a mistaken order (not surprising from our waitress tonight) there's literally a lager being carried around by another waiter so I just suck it up and take it. Dinner is rough for me (Guanacos!) so i just got pasta and salad again. Cher has some green soup and manicotti like pasta filled with spinach and cheese. Dessert is some ice cream for Cher and peach sorbet for me.
Back to bed around 10 am for our 6 am alarm.
Steps - 14,016
Miles - 6.56
Calories - 556
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2023
We both sleep well thankfully but I wake up more congested, and with a worse cough. Sucks for a like 10 mile hike. Ugh. The weather seems much calmer though so hopefully the wind isn't an issue.
Breakfast sucks. Maybe because I'm sick everything is tasting off. For some reason even my Pineapple/Orange juice mixture tastes weird - it tastes like concentrated juice and not fresh. The eggs aren't great either.
We met our guide Tomás at 7. They give us the crappy-sandwiches-and-goodies bag. We're in a small group with Joe and Molly only - Tomás calls us the "Balboa" team. We see the Horns mountains from the hotel, (near where we will be walking). The weather is warmer and comfortable, with mostly clouds but some breaks.
As we get closer to the Horns they clear up so we stop at a lookout point to take some photos. Unreal. As we get moving again, we pick up a group from another tour that has a flat tire.
Another 10 minutes to Lake Pehoé, where we catch our catamaran, along with a bunch of other people.
Lake Pehoé (Spanish pronunciation: [peoˈe]) is a surface water body located in Torres del Paine National Park, in the Magallanes Region of southern Chile. The lake is fed mainly by Paine River through the Nordenskjöld Lake, but it also receives the waters of the outlet of Skottsberg Lake.
Paine River waters feeding the Pehoé Lake have emerged from the Salto Grande waterfall. In this upper reach of the Pehoe Lake watershed there are numerous flora and fauna, including grazing wild guanaco.
It's mostly cloudy but not too cold. Still it's windy with big gusts. We get on the catamaran and it's about 35 minutes to the other side of Lake Pehoe. There's another group of Tierra Patagonia guests on this boat too.
We get off the boat and start hiking from a campground at 9:45 am. This is the French Valley hike. There's a ferry leaving at 5:00 pm, so we commit to making it back in time for that. The entire hike is 25-26 km (15.5 miles) round-trip. It's a beast. The first 8 km is basically flat with little hills. Our first stop is an Italian campground at the base of the valley. The second half of the hike is about 2.5 km (1.5 miles). It's rough. It's mostly uphill and through a forest of Nothofagus (Southern Beech).
We stopped at the French Lookout which has a great view of the river and the Glaciar Frances (French Glacier).
Valle del Frances, as it’s known locally, is home to the French Glacier (Glaciar Frances) and several points for admiring Cerro Paine Grande, the highest summit of the Cordillera Paine mountain range.
Valle del Frances (the French Valley) is a beautiful valley located on the southern side of the Cordillera Paine mountain group. The vale splits the range in between the peak of Cerro Paine Grande to the west and the Cuernos to the east. The hike through the French Valley is part of the famous Patagonian multi-day trail W-Trek. Most people would normally attempt it on their third day into the W-Trek.
The route takes you through the beautiful forests and mountains, terminating at Mirador Británico – its highest viewpoint. The viewpoint signifies both the end of the valley and the middle tip of the W-letter the W-Trek is named after. The visitors then retrace their steps to camping Italiano and continue to either Paine Grande or camping Frances, depending on the direction they do the W-Trek
Joe refills his water bottle from the river flowing through the valley - which is apparently a life goal. After the French Lookout, we keep hiking up to the Mirador Frances lookout. It's got an amazing view of the Glacier to the west, and the Horns to the east.
We have about 15 minutes to sit and eat our lunch. I have an ok turkey and lettuce sandwich, which is fine but so dry. Cher has some veggie sandwich. We don't have much water so it's not great but it's something.
In order to get back to the boat in time, we basically have to go back faster than we went. It's a lot faster going down, especially in the forest area, and even though it seems like it takes forever, we make it to the catamaran by 4:30. My feet are on fire, and my shoulders are beat up from carrying the camera backpack. It was definitely too much to carry - I didn't even use the tripod.
On the way back I have "Never Let Me Down" in my head so I make up some parody lyrics:
♫ I'm taking a hike with my schmoop friend.
I hope we never do that hike again.
Who knows where she's taking me.
Taking me to see rock icy.
I hope we never do that hike again.
We're climbing high.
We watching old men pass us by.
Will we ever get down?
Will we ever get our feet on the catamaran?
While waiting for the boat, Tomás gives us some beer, soda, and little hors d'oeuvres. We get on the boat and head back to the car. As we get closer to the resort, we see a full rainbow crossing the sky in front of us.
We each take much needed showers, and then meet Molly and Joe for dinner. We each have salad appetizers (me with no cheese, Cher with no ham). Cher has a stuffed avocado thing for dinner. I have beef stew with potatoes. The potatoes were good but everything else was ok. Everyone has carrot cake for dinner, and I have an apple tart. it's all ok.
We decide to stick with the hike to the towers so we'll see how that goes. It's supposed to be very hard. Not sure I'm up for it.
In the room at 9, and in bed at 9:30.
Steps - 36,173
Miles - 16.95
Calories - 1,441
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2023
I sleep terribly. It's really warm in the room for some reason, even though it's very windy outside. So my head and chest is really congested, and it's hard to breathe and sleep.
When the alarm goes off at 6:00, I decide not to do the hike to the Towers. Cher goes to tell them at 7 and they basically say this will be the only day it would be worth doing that hike, because the rest of the week will be cloudy and rainy. But they do set up a special hike to Hunters Trail for us anyway.
Cher has an omelet for breakfast, and I have waffles. They are ok.
It's not too cold outside, mostly sunny, and windy.
Our guide is Anto (this is her first year) and our driver is Francisco. Anto plays a mix of Chilean pop music and mainstream American rock music (Aerosmith, RHCP).
Hunters Trail is about 50 minutes from the resort. It's a 6 km walk. The view is pretty but there's not much to see. They say this usually has a lot of wildlife but maybe because we go out a little later, and it's bright sun and warmer, we see only one pack of Guanacos.
We also get to see some cave paintings in a cool rocky area.
Anto is fun - she's like 22 and unfiltered. She says we aren't missing much on the Towers hike - hard and a lot of people on a nice day. Our hike is pretty easy.
Back to the hotel for lunch at 1. Cher has spinach soup and a roasted cauliflower. I have a salad with turkey and blueberries, and the cauliflower dish. It was pretty good. I have an Austral Torres Del Paine lager. It's ok. Cher has banana cake (which was like layers of banana bread with filling that reminded her of icebox cake). I had a poached pear thing which was ok.
At 3 we meet our guide Ivan for horseback riding. It's 45 minutes to the small farm where there is a gaucho named Poncho. We put on leg guards and helmets, and meet our horses. Mine is a brown horse named something like "Vaspico". Something like "Shorty". Cheryl's is a white horse, - we don't remember the name.
The ride is 2 hours through a small forest, and then down into a river valley. We cross some streams and take photos in front of a pretty waterfall. We also take photos on a lookout viewing the Grand Paine and the Towers. The horses are very calm and just follow the gaucho. Once or twice they trot for a few seconds. But it's a very pleasant ride. And the weather is beautiful - perfect day.
After we get off they have the traditional snacks and drinks for us, and then we get in the truck to head back.
The clouds here are so cool - they are overwhelmingly smooth, like paint strokes. I assume it's because of the winds over the mountains.
Back to the hotel at 7:30 pm. We go right to dinner to get a drink. Cher has a white Russian and I have a mango sour which is really good. We talk to Tomás a little about their hike to the Towers.
We have a quick dinner - Cher has just salad and potato soup (which is too oniony) and I have the burger (with bacon) and fries. The burger’s awful, the fries are good.
Back to the room around 9:00, and we watch the last bit of the Pamela Anderson documentary and go to sleep. it's calm out so we leave the window open. I take an Ambien.
Steps 23,276
Miles 10.87
Calories 933
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2023
Up at 6:00 with the alarm. We both sleep great. Ambien plus a cooler room works well.
Quick breakfast as usual, and we meet Tomás at 7 for our attempt at seeing the glacier. We are in a group with Molly and Joe, and Dan, a guy we didn't meet before (ER doc from Dearborn Michigan). It's pouring rain at the hotel, but we have an hour drive to the Lake Grey place to get the catamaran.
Near the entrance to the park we see a mother and 2 cubs eating by the side of the road. Very close to the street - maybe 10-20 feet on the side of the road. There's a bunch of people here but we get plenty of good views. It's also clearer and not rainy so it's perfect.
After we enter the park it's more sunny and we see some rainbows (including a double rainbow) facing the west. But as we get closer to the lake it starts raining much harder again. Because the West side of the park is more wet there's more vegetation - it's mostly green with Ñirre trees (Antarctic Beech).
At Lago Grey we actually get our boat tickets. It's still windy and rainy but apparently if we get on the catamaran we will do the hike. There's a 25 minute walk from the parking lot to the catamaran, over a rocky sandbar. There are strong wind gusts.
The boat ride on Grey Lake is 15 km long to the edge of Grey Glacier. There’s no life in the lake. The glacier moves and creates a layer of sediment on top which blocks light. We see a few floating icebergs. The ride isn't too bumpy but apparently a lot of people got seasick. None of us did.
After we get off it's a short walk to our starting point at a camping site. The first 2 km are through a really old mountain forest, with super old lengas trees - like huge oaks. Gorgeous. The hike isn't too strenuous except for a few short uphill sections. There are 2 hanging bridges over waterfalls that are super fun.
Along the way we see a bunch of lookout spots to see the Grey Glacier. We are only seeing one tongue, which is about 1 mile wide at the mouth - the main Glacier extends back beyond the eye can see.
Grey Glacier is a glacier in the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, just west of the Cordillera del Paine. It flows southward into the lake of the same name. Before dividing in two at its front end, the glacier is 6 kilometers wide and over 30 meters high. In 1996, it occupied a total area of 270 km2 (100 sq mi) and a length of 28 km (17 mi).[2] In November 2017 a large iceberg broke off the glacier
The glacier has 3 "tongues". It’s 6 km wide. It's the 3rd largest ice field (not sure if this Glacier alone or this entire area).
The final viewpoint is unreal - and the sun has come out at the perfect time. Behind us is another part of the Paine Mountains which we haven't seen before. All unreal.
We hike back to the campsite for lunch. Cher has a hummus and goat cheese wrap, I have a chicken and lettuce sandwich. It's pretty late when we eat - almost 2:30. But it makes sense because we then have a long 11 km hike back to Lago Pehoé to pick up our 6:30 catamaran (the same place we took the catamaran for the French Valley).
This is the last section of the "W" hike, along one of the lakes and past the Rio Olguín, a small but river in the valley. It's not too strenuous, though the first half of the time it's raining pretty steady, and there's still a lot of wind. Not the best conditions for a hike, but it's not too cold at least. We manage, and the latter half is much better, drier, weather.
We make it to the catamaran pick up point around 6 pm, and we celebrate with beers while we wait for the boat. The boat drops us off at the other side of the lake, we hop in the van, and drive the hour back to the resort. We briefly saw one of the pumas we saw this morning in the same place.
We saw a hawk (something like a “chee chee”?) - which we also saw the afternoon before at our horseback riding).
After our shower we head to dinner around 9 pm. I have a salad with pears and mushrooms, and breaded tofu for dinner (not good). Cher has the same. I have a mango sour, and Cher has a King Mojito (not sure what makes it different).
We trade info with Molly, Joe, and Dan and then get to bed late - like 10:30.
Steps - 36,797
Miles - 17.17
Calories - 1,466
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1, 2023
We woke up around 7:30. We don't have any outings planned today, and after we see what's offered for the afternoon, we decide just to stay here and get organized. The morning is mostly cloudy and cool.
We have breakfast with Molly and Joe who show up basically right after us. Surprisingly we haven't run out of conversation topics yet.
I get the pancakes - which are actually crepes - with the Caliphate fruit in them. Not great. Cher has the waffles, which are tough.
We start packing back at the room, and at 11:00 we have our massages. Cher has a deep tissue massage which she loved, and I have a Kospi massage which is ok. I tried to book a 30 minute massage but they gave me a 50 minute massage instead. It's fine.
Back at the room for some fun, and then we organize our tips.
Over to lunch around 1 for a drink. I got a Calafate Sour (ok - more blueberry flavor than I expected). Cher gets a Baguales (vodka, Calafate Liquor, and basil syrup).
One more lunch with Molly and Joe. Cher has tomato soup (ok) and carrot risotto. I have a green leaf salad with chicken and pineapple (good) and carrot risotto (good). Cher has an almond cake for dessert, and I have an amaretto sabayon (like a dense ice cream) - it's ok.
After lunch we took a walk down to the lake. It's windy so we don't stay very long but it's pretty. Volcano fine black sand beach with all the small bushes scattered around. We see lots of different animal poop, and some Guanico foot prints, and on the way back we see a brea pretty close by.
Cher grabbed a glass of cabernet (eh) and we went back to the room to change into our swimsuits. We try the outdoor spa, but it's not very warm, plus the wind blows my Tierra Patagonia flip flop into the wilderness. The pool inside isn't much warmer but at least there is no wind.
Back to the main area for a cappuccino with Amarula for Cher, and a hot chocolate with Amarula for me. Very tasty.
At 6, Cher goes back to the spa, and I hang out a little before walking to the beach in case the weather clears. it's not as windy as before, but it doesn't change.
We have one more drink at dinner - a final Caliphate beer for me, and a whisky-amaretto for Cher. We pull out all the stops at dinner. Cher has zucchini soup (all the soups taste similar), and mushroom ravioli. I have a green salad with apples, the pasta again, and french fries. We skip dessert.
Talking to some other people it's clear we got pretty lucky with the weather. It wasn't too rainy on any of our hikes, and we basically have clear skies (or at least no clouds blocking our views) at all the key lookout locations).
Back to the room around 9. We leave the window open to keep the room cold.
Steps - 8,288
Miles - 3.92
Calories - 328.
THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2023
The alarm wakes us up at 6. We slept pretty good though it was so cold (to me). At one time I woke up to close the window, and soon after Cher opened it again because she got too hot. It was so cold.
Quick showers, final packing, and we're on the van at 6:30 for the ride to Puerto Natales. They give us a goodie bag with a sandwich, more trail mix, and chocolate.
There's a long line to check in and even though we have our boarding passes Cher wants to get paper passes. But no issues in getting our passes, through customs, or on the plane.
The flight is about 3 hours. I watch videos and Cher plays Scrabble and listens to her podcasts. They offer use an energy bar snack and a drink. The flight seems fine to me, but Cher says it seemed long.
Since we don't leave until midnight tonight, Cher has set up a tour of a winery, but there's been confusion with the driver picking us up. We don't know if he's picking us up at the airport or the Holiday Inn hotel at the airport. But since we booked a hotel room for the afternoon, we checked in and dropped off our bags.
Ultimately we meet the driver, Eugene, at the hotel, and start off for Cousińo-Macul Winery. It's one of the oldest wineries in Chile, and the oldest that is still owned by the same family.
Because it's later than we expected, it sounds like we will have to take a private tour, but it's not clear. We get in the van and drive off, and I'm not sure if he knows where he's going. I don't know if he's a private tour driver who's just taking us there or not.
On the way we drive through some nice areas of Santiago.
The winery is right on the edge of some Santiago residential districts - it's basically surrounded by the edge of the city. But the grounds are pretty and filled with rows of active grapes.
Eugene actually did manage to get us there close to on time, and we joined the tour only a few minutes late. There are two other women, from Virginia, here too.
Our tour guide is a young woman, and she's very good. She tells us about Isidora Goyenechea, who was the widow of one of the early winery owners. When she was widowed, she basically built the winery into what it is today, and was apparently very progressive and ahead of her time.
The tour takes us through some of the gorgeous old brick buildings where they used to make, store, and bottle the wine. We also go down into two huge, old, aging cellars. It's very cool.
On this part of the tour we try a Chardonnay, a Cabernet, a Carmenere (she tells us the story about how they used to think it was a type of merlot grape), and a Riesling.
Then we have a special private tasting. She sits us down in front of three special vintages, with some cheese, chocolate, and dried fruit. She tells us about each one, how to smell and taste it, and what to pair it with. We try a "Tierra Perra" Chardonnay, a W series cabernet, and a Last Tierra blend with cabernet, merlot, and syrah.
Overall it's a very nice tour.
We ask Eugene to take us back to the central area so we can find some food, and on the way we talk about our mutual love of 80s music. He turns out to be a fun host and guide.
After walking past some places we have dinner at Carta ConfiterÍa Torres. It's a diner I guess? Cher has Porotos Granados (basically a bean soup). I have beefsteak spaghetti - which is basically spiced beef over spaghetti in a garlicky sauce. It’s all OK. Cher has a límonade with mint, and I have a strawberry límonade which isn't great - it has ginger for some reason. Not the best meal, which is a fitting end for our trip.
We grab an Uber for the 30 minute ride to the Hotel, where we shower (there is no soap) and change. We waste an hour watching The Heartbreak Kid, the terrible Ben Stiller movie about being married to a crazy woman on his honeymoon.
We walk over to the airport around 9, and get into a relatively short line for premium check in. It doesn't take long to get our boarding passes, and it's another short line through immigration, and then security. We have not once had to take off any clothes, or take anything out of our bags, during these screenings. The US wastes so much time and effort.
Our gate is a few minutes away but we find seats about an hour before the scheduled boarding. Cher grabs some terrible snacks.
At around 10:30, they make an announcement in Spanish only and everyone rushes to the gate, so we do too…but it's only something related to the stickers on our boarding pass and doesn't affect us.
BUT a little later they call me (and a handful of others) back up to the gate and tell me I've been randomly selected for a special pre-boarding screen, which sounds awesome. They pull us aside in front of the lines and we wait for them to screen us for explosives or something. Cher in the main line also has to open all her bags for a quick look.
This process doesn't even start until 11:00. I'm 4th in line, and it takes a few minutes to get to be. But it's mostly harmless. They open my bags, and swipe them down, but they don't take everything out. They also swipe me down quickly. Ultimately it doesn't delay the boarding or the flight.
We are in first class and it's nice. All of the Latam Air planes have been very nice and new. We have lie-flat seats, and they give us nice blankets and a "mattress". After the plane takes off at midnight we take an Ambien, skip dinner, and go right to sleep. We each get 6 or so hours of sleep, which is fine.
We're up around 7:30 am, and we have some breakfast. Cher has a frittata, I have an apple thing, along with some fruit and bread. It's all fine. The OJ is very good.
There's a deep red sunrise.
Then it's just hanging out until we land at 8 am at JFK. We're actually about 30 minutes early, but because we're early we can't get to a gate for 30 minutes anyway. But we're off the plane quickly, there's a relatively short walk to border patrol, and we get through global entry in no time.
We grab the AirTran and we're in our car in about 10 minutes. It's cold, but we warm the car up in advance.
We fly down to Tara's, even with a stop at their rest stop to get Cher an Impossible Whopper, and 15 minutes to charge the car. The doggles are very excited to see us, and before you know it, we are back home.
Beaudoin Cher hasn't been feeling well, she takes a Covid test, and she's positive. So I take one too, and I'm positive. A fitting end to a 50th birthday trip.
CONTACTS:
This is John (and Bonnie) from Milwaukee.
johnmeerschaert25@gmail.com
littlebee53018@yahoo.com
