I needed to stop off in Puerto Montt to get a better deal on the flight to Punta Arenas. This saved several hundred dollars. So, yesterdy I left Easter Island and flew to Santiago on the one flight that leaves daily (so no choice of times). I got to Santiago at 20:30. The next flight to Puerto Montt was 23:55 (yes, midnight). So, i got to Puerto Montt at about 01:45 this morning (Saturday the 13th). I did actually consider getting a hotel room and called 2 hotels. They didn´t have any room at the inn. So, i went with my original plan and stayed here last night. The airport is tiny. Smaller than Jackson´s. I didn´t know if they would let me stay. Bigger airports it is no big deal and usually there is a whole gaggle of people sleeping there. I was wondering if I would get kicked out. I was sitting in chair trying to be inconspicuous when a man that works here came up and said something. I didn´t understand and asked him to repeat and he said, "you sleep here?" as he motioned with his hands folded and laid his head down. I said "si, si." and he moved on. Guess they don´t mind if i stay. There were 3 other people that slept here also. I got a few hours of sleep actually, but man it is COLD!!! If i had been able to get to my long johns, then it would have been a much better night! But oh well. I resorted to my old tricks and would visit the banos to warm up under the hand dryer. Works pretty well, but doesn´t last long. I managed to unpack and reoraganize both carry ones i had with me. Charged the ipod. Charged the camera battery. reviewed all pictures on both cameras and deleted the duplicates or bad pictures to make room for more. tried to charge the phone, but you have to hold it a certain to make it work? don´t know what was going on there. ipod and camera battery chargers are working fine, but my cell phone charger was acting funny. That got me from about 02:00 to 04:30. Then I watched this airport fill up and empty again after a 06:00 flight. Then fill up and empty again for another flight. Finally at 08:00 the snack bar/restaurant opened and i was able to get some food!! The phone was charged enough to use so i called mom and dad. They were real pleased that i was calling before 06:00! ;) i thought for certain they would be awake. I´ve been up for hours and hours. So, checked in with the units and now the internet place is open. Something to do.
So far this trip, i´ve read the following books: The Complete Guide to Easter Isand, Easter Island (novel), Hemingway´s A Moveable Feast, halfway through Lucado´s Facing Your Giants. I have one book left--In Cold Blood. Luckily all my flights since Miami have been on LAN. This is the main Chilean airline. They have GREAT entertainment systems. All my flights have had tv screens on the seat in front of you. You chose what movie to watch (Little Miss Sunshine has been offered on all flights:)). The flight back from Easter Island to Santiago had even more movies, games, TV than the others. It had 30 movies to chose from--both new releases and old favorites. I watched All the King´s Men and then to balance that out The Fantastic Four. The flight from EI to Santiago is 4 1/2 hours--so plenty of time for 2 movies. That has helped my books last as long as they have. I´m also keeping my old fashioned hand written journal.
Forgot to mention the other stranger i visited with. . . you know they see me a mile away!! I was at Tahai Thursday night watching the sunset and waiting on the sky to explode in those orange colors so i could take pictures of the sun setting behind the moai. I had my ipod on with both earplugs in---sure sign that i am not open for conversation. Or should be to anyone in the 20th century. I had the "pleasure" of finding the one person that didn´t know what that meant. She walked right up and stood there so finally i took my earbud out, "hello." Off she went. A doctor from Arizona. Where she had been before EI, what all photos she had taken. Where all she had been before, etc etc etc. I thought i had my break when the tour driver that gave me the pineapple rode up on his horse, but she wasn´t deterred. He was and left. The clouds ended up obscuring the light show i was wanting. Just as well. a truly spectacular sunset should be viewed in peace and quiet.
At long last my 8 hours in the Puerto Montt airport are coming to a close! My flight is boarding in the next 30 mintues and i am out of here and off to Punta Arenas!! Penguins this afternoon. I´ll try and post and upload pictures tonight. Tomorrow is Tierra del Fuego (see map from other article) all day. Then Monday i get picked up at the hotel that morning to start the W hike in Torres del Paine National Park.
