We are in Santiago……..bumpy, bumpy flight.
It felt like an almost day 1 …..mostly because we avoided two near catastrophes.
1) Michel was nearly stranded in Montreal under feet and feet of snow and made the connection with about 10 minutes to spare. Shockingly, all of his luggage actually made it to Santiago!
2) Last minute tech issues nearly sank us but we are good and we can’t thank Tom from ExplorersWeb.com enough for the last minute advice at all hours of the day and night yesterday. Man, you rock!
It is 80 degrees (30 centigrade) sunny and gorgeous. Our guide, Dr. D. Greig one of our heart failure fellows, is here on his Christmas break. He h
as rented a van and we are off for a tour!!! Lunch at a traditional Chilean restaurant. Found out that Chile is actually known for their Pisco Sours.
Santiago has a population of 4 million. We saw the tanks and cop cars that they used to quell a rebellion in 1973. The tank shoots water and the cop car: tear gas. Thankfully, there’s no revolution tonight.
We think we are going to be experiencing a bit of a thermometer joke over the next few days -10 in Toronto, +30 in Santiago, +20 in Punta and -30 in Antarctica… Tough to yo-yo like that!
Santiago is pretty quiet today as they are preparing for the New Years Day Celebration. They have closed the centre of the town. We did a walkabout and had a look at some of the old town – beautiful. Apparently they have different styles of “cafes” here. There are the type that we are used to, where you get a coffee…..and then there is the other type where the doors are smoked and the waitresses wear very short skirts. We went to the first variety. There doesn’t seem to be anywhere to shop – I do like to support the local economy where I’m able.
Boys had a bunch of local beers and we ate at the Airport Hotel. We are up in six hours for our next flight to Punta.
Cheers from Diego, Dale, Michel and Heather
4 Responses
Hi Dale and gang
It’s -22 and sunny. Not that cold.Hope you had a good new years eve, but not too good. We brought in the new year in the warmth of the front porch with some bubbly. Jennesia got us able to blog bless her heart and I know she would not consider that a sentence.Hi from Kate she leaves soon for the equator.
lots of luck to you all
peg
It’s -23c here. Was really cold on the mountain this morning. I was thinking of you guys and how cold it’s going to be for you!! Watch for frostbite!!!
Dale and team members
Good luck on your new and latest adventure
You constantly take us to areas we only dream of
We will be following your every step
wayne & Liz
Dale and Team
The last 100 is just a breeze in the cold fine air
Just one step at a time
Enjoy the challege
Keep safe
Love wayne and liz