If this is my birthday, I must be in Santiago! I arrived in Santiago, Chile at 3am, after a brief stop in Lima, Peru – which seemed to have a much larger, modern airport than Quito, Ecuador. Upon arrival, I knew I was going to have to pony up the infamous “reprocity fee” charged to Americans, Canadians, and Australians. Fortunately, Australia charges Chileans less than Americans do, so it was handy to have a second, cheaper passport I could use.
So sure enough, I see the sign instructing me to pay my reprosity fee which pointed to a long bank of about 20 tellers booths before coming to the usual immigration booths. The reprocity fee desks were all dark, and all quiet. I slowly walked back and forth looking in each one to see if there was anyone there and finally found a woman sleeping at her desk. Startled when I said “hello”, she quickly jumped into action and processed my transaction.
Getting to my guesthouse was pretty seamless in an airport shuttle. Fortunately my guesthouse was open 24 hours – but they left a big watchdog in the vestibule to greet me when I poked my head in the front door. The dog’s barking quickly woke up the night watchman and he checked me in, even though I was about 12 hours early.
On the whole, I’m not super impressed with the guesthouse. It is a bit pricey for what you get and there is no wifi available in the rooms. I’m forced to sit in the lobby to use it. I managed to find another place a block away with wifi in room plus private bath and kitchen for $4 extra, so I will be moving down there in a few days.
I only managed to do a little bit of exploration after waking up at 10am. I think it was the latest I’ve ever slept in, to be honest. Almost missed their free breakfast! I did join a free walking tour of the city conducted by a volunteer who begged for tips at the beginning and the end of his tour. Another struggling actor playing a tourism role to fill his otherwise empty coffers, just like you find in L.A. The tour was fun and he acted out his passion and enthusiasm for the place quite well. The other five tourists were all very nice, with three from the U.K., one from France, and two from Perth, Australia (!) including me. Small world…
It is nice to be back in a safe city again! Safe, but expensive. Santiago looks like a very interesting and well developed city full of museums, fine restaurants, cafes, and beautiful old buildings. It very much has a European feel to it. Or so I’m told (having not been to Europe yet).
