Chile and Antarctica cruise

[RooFlyer]

Had brekkie at the hotel, then wandered across to the International terminal to check a few things out for later.

Uber: officially it’s there, but the best anyone could tell me about the pick up zone is on the departures level, which is of course marked for no passenger pick up. There are official taxis from the airport, so I think they are blocking Uber from properly servicing the airport.

I looked for and couldn’t find a Hertz desk in the arrivals area. I have a car booked them when I come back from Montevideo in two days time. From the Hotel they called Hertz for me and explanation is that a guy will meet me by one of the exit doors holding a sign. Sounds a terrible way to do it but I’ve sent them an email and I hope they will be obvious.

I also looked for the LATAM priority check-in area and found it at the far left end of the check-in hall. Very friendly agent allowed me to check in HLO straightaway about five hours before the flight. With luggage, check-in opens four hours before departure.





A couple of good things about this being a separate flight to MVD today rather than the connecting flight yesterday. First it’s on a LATAM code so I can use my LATAM Black status to get priority boarding and use the VIP lounge.

Second is that I could store my large suitcase at the Holiday Inn and go HLO for a couple of days in Montevideo.

I spent the morning walking around the airport precinct getting some sunshine to adjust to the time zone and also sending off a few emails confirming various things etc.

Then to the airport immigration queues again Long but moved fairly quickly, then to the airport immigration queues -again long but also moved relatively quickly. The agent again wanted to know where I was going (not withstanding he had my boarding pass right in front of him), and he tapped a lot of information in the system, copying off various things. Seems pretty coughbersome.

Through that, then the same for security - a long line, and a strange allocation of the belts to use. With my priority boarding pass, I was directed to the closest one and went through pretty quickly.

Then up to the LATAM lounges. There is the business standard one which Qantas uses and then there is the VIP one for LATAM business and high status. I got LATAM black ( Plat equivalent) via a Status Match a while ago so got the better lounge.

I would judge it to be an excellent lounge. No à la carte dining, but a very nice buffet of many selections, well presented. Decent wine selection, self serve. There is also a bar for spirits etc

Entry to the lounge pecinct



Entry to the VIP lounge



Various views








There is a 'sleeping area' . i’m not sure whether this is it or not; there was a very dark area I didn’t go to so this might just be for relaxing.



plenty of toilets and about half a dozen shower suites from what I could see.

I think the LATAM VIP lounge in the old terminal was probably better, but this is a very high standard toO.

 

[Seat0B]

There were some nice views earlier, too and I asked for the window dimmer central control to be released, but was told they only did that when the Captain annoucned 'prepare the cabin for landing'. Well before that point, the whole cabin was having breakfast or, like me, had finished it. Those electronic dimmed windows are a terrible idea. Not only are they not completely functional when dimmed (not blacked out) but the central control sucks.

Yes Mr Seat 0A hates it too as, like you, he enjoys looking out at the scenery and taking photos.

 

[Lat34]

Yes Mr Seat 0A hates it too as, like you, he enjoys looking out at the scenery and taking photos.

Does the 787 have "viewing" ports in the doors like the 747? Once managed a couple of Antarctic sea ice photos while flying SYD-JNB in early August. Complete accident - just happened to be in the whY Loo Q at the right time and looked out the porthole plus camera was in easy reach.

Agree the crew-controlled window dimmers are not a good idea and sounds like not too effective in bright sunlight

 

[Scarlett]

Do you get to go ashore in the Falklands @RooFlyer? If so, for how long?

 

[RooFlyer]

Do you get to go ashore in the Falklands @RooFlyer? If so, for how long?

We are in Falkland Islands for two days. Stops at two of the western outer Islands, ( West Point and New) and then a stop at Port Stanley the following day. I’m doing a short excursion called Battlefields: A mountain Perspective.

The stops subject to weather of course.

 

[RooFlyer]

Boarding. Like any new terminal building, its very spread out and lots and LOTS of shops. 600m walk for me this time.

While waiting in the queue to board, I got chatting to the business-type next to me, a local. While we were chatting a LATAM lady in red came up to him and started talking about something. When she left, he explained that she was just making sure everything was OK, if there was anything he needed. He's LATAM Black 'Signature' status, and they get very personal service and coddling from LATAM. They know their pax by sight and always reach out personally offering various things. That's what i call elite status!

LATAM Pass Black got me boarding group 1 fortunately, as being in 7C it allowed me to board early and find bin space. Although I was in the first 10, the bins around my seat had already begun to fill up! Pretty standard A320. Wi-fi for entertainment system.





Over the Andes!



2H10m flight to Montevideo; a painless flight in whY.

On arrival at Montevideo, 2 queues for immigration - one with chip, other without chip. I showed my Aussie passport and was directed to the sin chip line. When I got to the front, she told be to go to the other line; fortunately at the front. My new RA series passport worked perfectly on the Uruguayan auto machines.

About 25 mins till I reached landside, where the Uber app directed me to the pick-up zone, on the departures level at one end. Very deserted



Off we went to my hotel. Good driving, car a bit tatty. Past the Sofitel



and mostly along the waterfront to the Atlantic Ocean. Miles and miles of it, mostly beaches.



Traffic along the coast front highway was very stop-start.



I soon realised that the slow areas were where speed cameras were . Reached my hotel in 45 mins.

 

[Port Power]

I love flying over high mountains with snow on top. Last time I flew over the Andes they were boring brown! Good to see your view.

 

[RooFlyer]

Tomorrow I'm in 1A but the weather forecast isn't so good.

 

[RooFlyer]

My hotel in Montevideo is the Soro, a 'Curio' hotel by Hilton. Chosen for its location and description on-line (small, 'boutique') and I have Hilton Diamond via ... I forget; some status gift from someone.

Only 4 rooms to a floor. Situated across from a park and steps to the Playa Positos. The black building.






View through filthy window.



Room pretty standard but with good power points, good black-out curtains, quiet and effective aircon and water pressure you wouldn't believe!







Main drawback is with only 4 rooms to floor, they are all very close to the elevators.

 

[SYD]

Timely. Booking some MVD accommodation is on my “To Do” list today.

 

[RooFlyer]

This place is US$170/ night with cancellation up to the day before. Edit: and breakfast.

Uber works well here, so can get into the city pretty easily ( not that there is much to see there!!)

 

[RooFlyer]

After a very bad night's sleep (second night - always the worst for me), I forced myself to go out and have a look around. I got an Uber to Plaza Indepencia wand took a walk west to and through the old town. The overall vibe of this area is fading former glory. The streets are safe enough.



At the plaza, a prominent statue of Jose Gervasio Artigas, a hero in both Argentina and Uruguay for his leading of battles for independence, and considered the Father of Uruguay.



Around the plaza is the Teatro Solis, Uruguay's most important theatre, built 1856.



The Placio Salvo was the 2nd highest building in Latin America at the time of its construction in the 1920s. it holds a Tango Museum, offices and apartments.



The Puerta de la Ciudadela (Gateway of the Citadel) , the door of the Citadel of Montevideo, which was built in the 18th century and demolished in 1877 along with the city walls. Rebuilt here in 1959. There is a cruise liner in town



Walking west through the Old Town was a disappointment. Few grand buildings; most were early 20th century villas of 2-3 stories; some with nice Art Nuveau detailing but most dirty and gently deteriorating.

 

[RooFlyer]

I continued walking west through the old town, mostly as a duty to see what was there, but most of what I saw was very uninspiring. They seem to be doing some rejuvenation roadworks around the place and there’s a lot of pedestrianisation being done but as yet there’s nothing much to really draw people to this area.











It was warm a little bit humid, so I went back to the hotel, not feeling all that crash hot.

After a while, I long walk along the foreshore. The beaches look okay, but the water looks uninviting. I think it’s pretty shallow and muddy out there. The sea breeze was nice.

 

[JohnM]

I continued walking west through the old town, mostly as a duty to see what was there, but most of what I saw was very uninspiring. They seem to be doing some rejuvenation roadworks around the place and there’s a lot of pedestrianisation being done but as yet there’s nothing much to really draw people to this area.

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It was warm a little bit humid, so I went back to the hotel, not feeling all that crash hot.

After a while, I long walk along the foreshore. The beaches look okay, but the water looks uninviting. I think it’s pretty shallow and muddy out there. The sea breeze was nice.

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You have confirmed what I thought when I was in Uruguay a few years back. I had rented a car in historic Colonia del Sacramento after ferrying over from Buenos Aires and was heading north along the coast and drove along the foreshore at Montevideo, not bothering to swing in.

 

[RooFlyer]

That evening, determined to get my backside out of the hotel for a while, I had dinner at a local Parilla, or steakhouse.

It was just a nice neighbourhood one, not one of the great ones that I’ve had in Argentina or Chile but nice enough. Absolutely zero English amongst the wait staff which was fine. My Google Translate did okay on the menu and by this time I’d remembered enough Spanish to get by okay.

Steak of course and fries. While it looks plain, the accompaniments as garnishes at the back make the steak. There is chimichurri (most places make their own), a tomato salsa, and something based on parsley. A glass of malbec from Mendoza went down extremely well.






Not the best Parilla. experience I’ve had, but okay to keep me going.

Back to the hotel and eventually dosed up with sedating pills, I managed to get some sleep, thank God.

this morning after breakfast and Uber back to the airport only 30 minutes this time, so I actually arrived early.



I had checked in online, so went straight to security, which was a breeze, and then through immigration and again, my chipped RA series passport worked the gates there, so no problems at all.

so now I have two hours to departure. It’s a modern, but small and pretty sterile Airport, and no lounge unfortunately. There’s a third-party lounge which operates Priority Pass and other admissions, but not for me unfortunately



Check in area



Airside



The gates are electronic BP scanners with gates.

 

[RooFlyer]

historic Colonia del Sacramento

I was supposed to go there, but with Qantas delivering me late and me having to spend an extra night in Santiago, it got chopped from the itinerary

 

[SYD]

I was supposed to go there, but with Qantas delivering me late and me having to spend an extra night in Santiago, it got chopped from the itinerary

Planning to go there in Feb as well as Punta del Este. Just now need to work out the logistics. Plus ferry over to BA.

 

[Major]

Did you come across any memorials to the Battle of the River Plate in Montevideo ?

Battle of the River Plate - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[RooFlyer]

I intended to, but to be honest, I too shagged out yesterday that I really wasn’t paying much attention.

 

[RooFlyer]

LA flight to SCL was good. In PE this time, 1A. It is sort of like Euro business with 3-3 seating in the A320, but the middle seat blocked.



Didn’t seem to be any status recognition, but the crew was very enthusiastic and welcoming on board. Lunch was a cold collation and I had a glass of Chilean white. Can't remember what it was though.



some views of going over the Andes through some pretty dirty windows.









This time there was virtually no one at immigration and I breezed through that, and as I was HLO, straight through customs, and again, no one bothered to inspect my agricultural declaration.

I was worried about meeting the Hertz guy as the instructions were very vague, and they don’t have a desk at the airport. But in the end they got me onto their WhatsApp and I was in touch with the guy to pick me up. It all happened pretty okay.

Quite a long drive to their off airport station which looks pretty temporary, but we get through the paperwork eventually and the car looks okay (albeit dusty) and I go heading for Santa Cruz about 2 1/2 hours down the highway.

The day was warm and sunny and the traffic wasn’t too bad. A few crazy drivers but I guess you get them everywhere. I arrive in Santa Cruz, in the heart of a Chilean wine district a bit after five and found my B&B which turned out to be a terrible disappointment, but more about that later.

Slthough it's on a nice grassy site with about 10 or so cabins or units and a pool, I got allocated one at the very front against the road and to say I was disappointed would be an understatement.





I got this place over a combination of Google Maps and some reviews plus their website. It certainly not as nice as it was. I did get a bit of a hint of this when the person that replied to my email booking was different from the person named in a lot of the reviews, so I guess it’s changed hands and not for the better.

After checking me in the host casually mentioned that the next night there would be a party for school leavers. Will that be noisy? I asked. he said no. The music will stop at midnight

A change of plans was required.