Arriving in San Pedro de Atacama. March 8
March 12, 2012
No photos today as this was a travel day after the Skorpios docked in Puerto Montt. A cab to the P. Montt airport, and a Sky Airlines flight to Calama (60 miles NW of San Pedro) with stops in Concepcion and Santiago, where we changed planes. I have to say this about Sky -
1. They serve real food, even on short hops!
2. The seats are roomy and the aisles are wide enough to wheel your carry-on without constantly hitting the seats
3. They are very punctual.
4. There are no first class or business class seats. Everyone is the same!
What concepts!!
At the puny Calama airport, we watched as the luggage was loaded onto carts and wheeled to the terminal for unloading onto the one and only baggage carousel. Wouldn't you know it, our bags were the very last of the entire plane. No problema, right? incorrecto!. Because our bags were last, we were the last hombres to sign up for the Transporte (large van) from the Calama airport to San Pedro. So what, usted habla? Well, it seems that the Transporte drivers have a strange system for how to drop folks off af their hotels. They go in the order you signed up for the van!! So, even though the first stop was 2 blocks from our hotel, we had to wait another 45 minutes while a thunderstorm began, before we were finally dropped off at our very nice hotel - Lodge Terrantai.
Oh yes, the thunderstorm. This is the driest dessert in the world and you are correctly scratching your head as we were. It has not rained in San Pedro in 17 years we were told, but it has rained almost every day or night for the last few weeks. Global warming anyone??
We quickly "unpacked" and headed out to a nearby restaurant where the lights almost immediately. However, everyone made do, power generators kicked in and we had a lovely dinner.
Fortunately, as I will soon report, it has been sunny and beautiful during our days here with an occasional storm in the evening or late afternoon.
1. They serve real food, even on short hops!
2. The seats are roomy and the aisles are wide enough to wheel your carry-on without constantly hitting the seats
3. They are very punctual.
4. There are no first class or business class seats. Everyone is the same!
What concepts!!
At the puny Calama airport, we watched as the luggage was loaded onto carts and wheeled to the terminal for unloading onto the one and only baggage carousel. Wouldn't you know it, our bags were the very last of the entire plane. No problema, right? incorrecto!. Because our bags were last, we were the last hombres to sign up for the Transporte (large van) from the Calama airport to San Pedro. So what, usted habla? Well, it seems that the Transporte drivers have a strange system for how to drop folks off af their hotels. They go in the order you signed up for the van!! So, even though the first stop was 2 blocks from our hotel, we had to wait another 45 minutes while a thunderstorm began, before we were finally dropped off at our very nice hotel - Lodge Terrantai.
Oh yes, the thunderstorm. This is the driest dessert in the world and you are correctly scratching your head as we were. It has not rained in San Pedro in 17 years we were told, but it has rained almost every day or night for the last few weeks. Global warming anyone??
We quickly "unpacked" and headed out to a nearby restaurant where the lights almost immediately. However, everyone made do, power generators kicked in and we had a lovely dinner.
Fortunately, as I will soon report, it has been sunny and beautiful during our days here with an occasional storm in the evening or late afternoon.
