I discovered a good sleep aid last night. That combination of a Manhattan and chicken soup really worked great. By the time I went to bed after midnight I slept like a baby until awakened by my alarm at 8:30AM.

We were not able to secure late checkout from the hotel and I had planned to join the  group who was going to the Concha y Toro winery at 10:30 so I needed to pack and checkout prior to that. Eight of the ten people went, led by Wladimir and our local tour guide , Maria, who had led us on our walking tour of Santaigo last week.

Concha y Toro is the oldest winery in Chile, established in 1883. It is located about one hour from Santiago. We had reservations for a tour leaving at 11:50 and we were there about ten minutes earlier so there was no waiting around. Vantage seems to do a good job of scheduling and meeting time deadlines. It was a small group with an additional 6 people from Canada and a young couple from England who are on a three-month backpacking tour of South America. There was three tastings spaced out as we walked through the gardens and small vineyard where all the different grape varieties were grown for people to see. We were  given an engraved wine glass and handy carrying box as part of the tour.

Only the Cabernet Sauvignon grape is grown in quantity here; their other grapes are grown in other parts of the country. It is close to picking time so we were able to sample some of the different grape varietals hanging on the vines.

Concha y Toro is the largest Chilean winery and supposedly the second largest in the world. One of the original varietals brought over from France in the 19th century happened to be the Carmenere grape, saving the varietal when the Phylloxera aphid almost destroyed the industry during the same timeframe.

After the wine tour Wladimir suggested we go to have lunch and some ice cream before going back to the hotel. We readily agreed. He chose a lovely wine bar/bistro (Bocanariz Vino Bar) in an area popular with the locals and it turned out to be a really unique place. First, they offer hundreds of different wines and about 20 different tasting pairings based on some unique feature, like small vintners, classics, or regional wines. The food offerings were also unique, with each menu section offering several different dishes, based on a trait like spicy, herbaceous, citrus or sweet and sour. I chose a spicy entrée of octopus, but it was really mild. Plating of all of the dishes was a work of art.

Surprisingly I had not seen many ice cream shops anywhere in Chile but Wladimir took us to a local one where he bought us each a dish to finish off our meal. He suggested we take the local subway back to the hotel and because he was with us to show us how to do it, we readily agreed. It was fairly modern and cheap to ride. Wladimir did say that it was chaotic during rush hour and expects them soon to have “pushers” like in Japan to cram more people into each car during rush hour. It was not yet rush hour so our trip was pleasant and uncrowded.

We had an hour to relax at the hotel and retrieve our luggage before it was time to head to the airport at 6 PM for our evening departures. We had been told that you needed at least 3-4 hours lead time because of the large number of people who would be at the airport. I bade everyone goodby as we entered the airport as I needed to find the business class check in; everyone else was flying economy.  LATAM In Santiago has a totally separate check in area for business class. When I asked the information person at the check in area, I did not get an answer I fully understood. Luckily Wladimir was still there and he showed me where to go. You actually had to go up one level where you would go after checking luggage. Once there I found a separate check-in desk with virtually no one there (compared to the massive lines at the regular check in area). They even had a special area to clear immigration and security. I was able to complete the whole  process in less than 10 minutes and was shown to their fairly massive nearby VIP lounge where I spent the better part of three hours snacking, snoozing and getting generally caught up. 

We boarded for our 10:50 PM departure for the 8.5 hour overnight flight to Miami; we left on time. There were a lot of families on board who I assumed were headed for Florida (Disneyworld?) as it is summer break in Chile. I did pass on dinner, put on an eyeshade and proceeded to try to get a decent night’s sleep. For the most part it worked; I felt like I got 4-5 hours of fairly decent rest before being awakened for breakfast. 

 

February 8, 2019: Miami to Seattle.

I had taken a risk about booking a separate flight from Miami to Seattle, choosing to take some United flights back through Houston that left Miami at 8:50 AM. My flight from Santiago was due in around 5:30 AM. I would have to clear US customs/immigration, collect my luggage, go to the United terminal and recheck luggage, as United and LATAM are not partners. Given that I had global entry I thought I had enough time to accomplish that; the only hiccup could be if the LATAM flight was somehow delayed. As it turned out I had plenty of time. There were no lines at immigration; I could have used the old regular method of entry without any delay. I was surprised at a new twist that I experienced at the global entry kiosk. Normally you insert your passport, scan your fingerprints, fill out the customs form electronically, take your picture and receive a printed slip to give to the agent. When I started the process it immediately took my picture and printed out the form. The other steps were bypassed. Another business traveler said he heard they are simply using facial recognition to speed up the process. Well, it sure was fast. 

I collected my luggage and the United terminal was next door so it all went well and I had more than enough time to catch my flight to Houston. As a historical note I am flying back to a projected snow storm in Seattle (off all things), but it looks like I will beat it as the brunt of the storm is to occur later tonight. I had to dig out some of the heavier clothing I wore in Patagonia as I catch a ferry back to Miller Bay.

It was snowing when I landed in Seattle and the city was in the process of “shutting” down, but I was able to share a cab to downtown where I managed to catch the 3:50 PM ferry to Bainbridge with 5 minutes to spare. Because we did not know the condition of the roads on our side of the bay, Yvonne suggested I take the local bus home as it can drop me virtually at our driveway. I had never done that before but it really worked well. Yvonne met me at the top of our steep drive with her car so I did not have to lug my suitcase down it and I was soon home to a warm home where I could watch the snow fall… and fall… and fall for the next two days!

I was home safe and sound from another adventure and another “country” to add to my places visited list- Rapa Nui. Yes, I know Rapa Nui is really part of Chile but most travel lists consider it to be a separate country/ territory that can be counted.  I choose to do so!