As we’ve been traveling, we’ve definitely learned that some days (and trips) go better, and some aren’t as successful. We had a failed trip to Cotopaxi, but less than a week later we were amazed by our hike on Chimborazo! We were amazed by our Galapagos weekend tours, but underwhelmed by our volunteer living accommodations during the week. (I could go on for days, but you get the point).
So we were really surprised when everything came together for 24 hours straight when we were in Santiago. Here’s what happened:
- On our last full day in Santiago, we decided to try to visit Pablo Neruda’s house (now a museum).
- A. You should know that all the guidebook says is to go to Isla Negra by bus, so we figured it wasn’t too hard.)
- B. We had to wait in line to buy our tickets – it was a really busy Saturday at the bus station.
- When we called them (on the cellphone) to make sure we were taking the correct bus, we found out you needed a reservation to visit, and made the last available English-language reservation (our Spanish is ok, but sometimes we opt for English tours, especially when we don’t know much about a place).
- When we got to Isla Negra, we found out that return buses (to Santiago) came every hour. We finished our tour and walked back to the bus station just as a Santiago-bound bus was arriving.
- The ticket assistant even got the ticket for us – we had to pay, but we didn’t need to go into the office at all!
- The next morning, when we checked into the airport, we were issued exit-row seats for our 5-hour flight to Easter Island!
- When we boarded the plane, there was another couple who had the same seat assignments as we did. Convinced we were going to be bumped (standard practice in the US), I went to the front as recommended, ready to fight to stay on the plane. Instead, I was told “You have an upgrade”, and Stef and I flew first-class to Easter Island!
What a great 24-hours – they were really enjoyable. We took a couple of photos of first-class – you can get to them by clicking on the above pic.
