Wednesday, 11/08/23: Success in Negotiating Travel Hassles

My flight arrived about 15 minutes early as we had had a “cola viento” (tail wind) for most of the night.  Getting through immigration was a breeze and customs showed no interest in my luggage. 

First on my agenda:  Score some Chilean pesos.  I didn’t want to chance trying to use dollars for transportation to my hotel:  either they wouldn’t take them or I’d get screwed on the exchange rate.  An airport official directed me to a Banko Santander “cajero automatico” (ATM machine) at the international terminal entrance.  I tried a couple times but it didn’t spit out the money I requested – it wasn’t a problem with my card as the person waiting in line behind me had the same problem.  I found another Santander ATM not far away – same problem.  Then, I found a Santander Bank at the edge of the terminal (they seemed to be the only ATM game in town).  “¿Qué pasa con los ATM?” I inquired.  Oh, those in the international terminal weren’t working today.  I could go to the domestic terminal where they were working.  The clerk pointed me in the general direction.   

So, off I went, schlepping my small but heavy backpack, computer satchel, and little suitcase with wobbly wheels.  The spring morning air was heating up fast and I was pretty well toasted after a day of travel with little sleep.   I also need water.  The domestic terminal is about ¼ mile walk.  I was directed to an ATM on the second floor and presto, it worked and out came three 10,000 peso notes.  A minor problem which I realized later – my foggy brain put the decimal point in the wrong spot in my calculations.  I had wanted about $300 in pesos but only got less than $30 worth.  That would cover me until I arrived in Argentina the next day but the flat $9.00 Santander ATM fee made it a bad deal.  The good news was that Charles Schwab covers all ATM charges on my debit card and levies no international transaction fees (thanks, Chuck!)   It’s a card that every international traveler should have.  I also have a Fidelity debit card – they recently implemented the same deal. 

A little store next to the ATM sold bottled water to my great relief.  There was an information desk close by and I learned that, yes, there were city buses to the Santiago South bus terminal which was close to my hotel.  A 0.1 mile walk got me to the airport bus terminal where I got a ticket for about $2.25, a big savings over a private taxi ride. 

The bus ride left me with the impression of Santiago as just another big, modern Latin American city albeit with the towering peaks of the Andes on the eastern skyline.  As the bus pulled into the terminal, I spotted the Hotel Ibis where I had reserved a room for the night.  It was right across the street from the terminal and I gave myself a pat on the back for having chosen it.  This was the same terminal from which my bus to Mendoza, Argentina would be leaving tomorrow morning.

 

Crowded expressway between the airport and downtown Santiago.

It was only 10:00AM – too early to check in – so I was told I could use a hotel computer in the lobby to check emails and catch up on the New York Times.  The computer brought back memories of my month of volunteer work in Cuernavaca, Mexico in 1998 where I first used one of these awkward Spanish keyboards.  One has to reach further over some extra keys with the right pinkie to get to the enter and shift keys.

Around 1:00, the desk clerk told me I could check in.  The room was only $64 including breakfast so I wondered if it would be shabby.  I was pleasantly surprised at the small but clean and modern room with bath when I arrived on the hotel’s 6^th floor.  And the window faced east towards the mountains.

View of Santiago from the Hotel Ibis

Now I had a problem.  It’s something we don’t like to talk about in polite company so I will approach the subject delicately.  My inability to relax during my long journey in very dry cabins, not enough liquids, the bustling Denver and Miami terminals, and two trips through airport security had been stressful.  Thus, after arriving in my room when I received a call from nature, my response was inadequate.  And I had neglected to bring pills from home to rectify the situation as I had not experienced this problem in at least ten years given my mostly vegan diet.    

I looked up the necessary word in my mini Spanish-English dictionary which I brought because the crooks at Verizon wanted to charge me $10/day to get internet though my phone.  What I needed was a “laxante”.  The hotel clerk directed me to a “farmacia” right around the corner.  The pharmacist told me I needed Ciruelax Forte.  It would take 8 to 12 hours to work but she squelched my plea for something faster-acting.  Pharmacists in most countries don’t just fill prescriptions.  They dispense many of the drugs we buy over the counter in the US as well a those unavailable without a doctor’s prescription back home.

Dusk in Santiago:  My room at the Ibis faced east toward the Andes.

 

So, I shelled out about $5 for a box of 24 and hoped that maybe the suffering would abate sooner.  I immediately popped one and went over to the bus terminal where I bought a couple of delicious and cheap spinach and mushroom empanadas at a bakery.   

I fell into my bed from exhaustion around 8:00, my fatigue quickly overcoming my discomfort “down there”.  Around 2:30 AM, 10 hours after taking the magic pill, nature called again and this time my answer was entirely successful.  Life was now looking much better!