The roosters made themselves known throughout the night, but were eventually drowned out by heavy rain. The rain stopped just as we were rising for the day. Yesterday we were asked what kind of things we enjoyed for breakfast. We said things like muffins and fruit (both of these things were present in the previous day’s breakfast, so it seemed a reasonable request.) Interestingly, the muffins disappeared from this morning’s options and the closest thing we had were some bland bread things that had a passing resemblance to a potato.
Anyway, after breakfast, we ventured back to nearby Ahu Tahai. The sun had yet to break through the overcast layer, so front-lit statues were not to be had, but the clouds created a nice even, albeit eerie light. Gangs of stray dogs and horses were dueling each other in the background, which was a bit distracting, but otherwise we found ourselves all alone at the site.
It has been a very nice time here on Rapa Nui if you disregard the many unknowns we face ahead on account of poor internet. I was initially worried that the two day window we had for flights might feel rushed, but I think it was just the right amount of time. We saw everything we needed to — sometimes multiple times, and the weather cooperated for the most part.
We partially ignored the advice to be at the airport three hours before the flight. We started the process about 2.5 hours before the flight. We had to get petrol and drive by the rental car office to have the Jimny inspected before parking it back at the airport parking lot. The line for check-in was not long, so we went through with only a minor hiccup when they asked us to show our Chilean government mobility pass, which was accessed through our phones, which of course had very limited service. We were able pull it up. . .slowly, and were issued seats together. Not too shabby for a $45 standby ticket. We went through security shockingly fast and still had two hours to kill.
The plane arrived and after making a few purchases at the airport, we were boarded fairly efficiently. It seemed that even fewer people were going to Santiago than were on our inbound flight. We departed on time and enjoyed some tailwinds that got us into Santiago about 25 minutes early. Nicole and I were both under the assumption that we had ample time to exit, change terminals, check-in and get on a flight to Buenos Aires. Unfortunately, I was unable to check-in online when I finally got service, the check-in counters had already closed, and that was the end of that. Within an hour we found ourselves at the Hilton Garden Inn at the Santiago airport.
It’s not the outcome we wanted, but there was bound to be an issue at least once on this journey. I had received loads for Iguazu Falls a couple days ago, and they didn’t look good at all, so we have essentially eliminated that from our trip. I’m not sure what that means going forward, but you will all find out in tomorrow’s post.
passports & pepto bismol 