My overnight flight from Miami to Santiago on a LATAM 787 was pleasant but not outstanding. We boarded about 30 minutes later than stated but left on time with a mostly full plane. Although I said I was going to skip the dinner on board I found myself quite awake and the menu tempted me to at least try it. I ordered the mushroom ravioli  but it was disappointing, as it was only luke warm when served. Chilean wines were featured so I had to try a couple of them. The salad and fresh fruit were excellent.

The movie selection was slanted heavily to South American films so I simply went to sleep after the meal was served. They provided pillows and duvet which coupled with the lie flat seats made for a fairly restful sleep. However, I found the duvet was really too warm and it soon ended up on the floor. About 4 hours later I was gently awakened for breakfast. One thing they do different on LATAM was they did not raise the cabin lights while serving breakfast-not a bad idea as it allowed those who wanted to sleep to do so without bright lights. Unfortunately the coffee they serve was obviously instant coffee!

Arrival in Santiago was a bit unorganized as we were bused from the plane to the customs area but there was no one there so we had to wait on the bus a good 15 minutes before being allowed into the building. The transfer system in Santiago is a bit chaotic. You must clear immigration, claim your luggage, go through customs , then carry your luggage to another level and recheck into your domestic flight. Luckily Vantage Adventures provided a local (English-speaking) host who met us with a sign and escorted us to the proper line for our domestic flight to Puerto Montt. It would have been a hassle without their assistance as the domestic check-in area was packed with people and English-speaking staff were hard to come by. I even managed to find and successfully use an ATM to get Chilean pesos( lots of zeros as the rate of exchange is 670 pesos /dollar).

Clearing domestic security was quick. The gate areas are new and modern with good seating at the gates. I had to laugh as the music being played in the area was strictly good, old American pop music. It almost felt like home.

My first stop on the Vantage tour is in the lake shore city of Puerto Varas, although the nearest airport is in Puerto Montt, about 15 miles away. Puerto Montt is a very small airport with one runway and a small terminal. It was refreshing after experiencing the madness of Miami and Santiago. A quick $30 cab ride took me through green farm fields, teeming with wild flowers and mountains in the background, finally delivering  me to my hotel in Puerto Varas, our stay for the next three days.

The origin of the city of Puerto Varas dates to 1853 and is named after Antoino Varas, the Minister of the Interior at the time. It was founded by German immigrants who settled the shores of Lake Llanquihue as part of a government program to encourage Germans to immigrate to Chile.  Currently about 38,000 people live there, with a surprising male/female population ratio of almost 50%. Puerto Varas is a popular tourist destination with its distinctive German-inspired architecture, wide variety of hotels and inns, a casino, a beach and striking views over the lake to the Osorno and Calbuco volcanoes.

Our hotel, called “Enjoy Puerto Varas” (weird name if you ask me) has had prior lives as a railroad hotel, a casino and again a hotel. I am impressed with its rustic decor, decorative common areas and the large room sizes. I like it! Surprisingly I am finding a lack of English-speaking staff, only a few are able to deal with our bumbling lack of language skills.

Those interested embarked on a short 1.5 hour walking tour of the city center with a local guide. Although our guide said it is often rainy here we have a spectacular day- warm and blue skies! About 10 of the people joined us-a few have yet to arrive. I was pleased to see that I am not the only “single” person on the trip. We have a group meeting/dinner at 7 PM. There seems to be 6 men traveling alone, including a father/son couple and 2 women. We were briefed on the trip moving forward; the weather looks promising the next few days, but Vladimir, our tour director, warned it could change suddenly so come prepared for all sorts of weather on our excursions.

We adjourned for a group dinner overlooking the lake with ample appetizers and wine to complement the meal. Now it is time to rest up as we leave tomorrow morning at 8:30 for  full day of exploration.