San Antonio, Santiago and the queue that kept on giving

San Antonio port before dawn

After the excitement of the bridge visit we needed to gather our thoughts and reflect on our experiences. Gabrielle wrote her blog post and then we got it posted with relative ease, considering we were 40 miles off the coast of Chile. 

We headed out to deck 7 - the Promenade Deck - and set off for our seven laps. There were very few people around and there was a marked contrast between the starboard side which was in shadow and deserted and the port side which was bathed in early evening sunshine. The sea rushed past us, literally at a rate of knots and, do you know, all was well with the world. A simple dinner, a quiet night and early to bed prior to a 5:45am get up. 

We awoke to the change of engine sound prior to docking at San Antonio. This is not a beautiful port and yet with the dock lights and the towering cranes it made for some atmospheric photography. This is our first landfall since Punta Arenas, six days ago. 

Breakfast and then off the ship to catch the shuttle bus out of the port to the passenger terminal. This is a regular routine in large working ports and is all to do with security and safety. In common with many countries, arrivals are not allowed to bring in food or biological materials in order to cut down the chance of agricultural disease being transmitted from other countries. So we are frequently scanned along with our bags as we disembark, as well as when we come back to the ship. 

However, today, the port buses had not arrived when we docked and the Chilean authorities were holding up the disembarkation process with their procedures. Consequently a large queue built up on board, stretching up the staircases. As they were only allowing 40 people out of the ship at a time and most of the passengers - 1400 in total - were going on trips, this was a recipe for a very long wait. Then we discovered it was a double queue on two decks. At this point you put your brain in neutral! The crowd became very restless and the delay extended. 

An hour and ten minutes of queuing later we boarded a bus to get out of the port. On arrival at the passenger terminal, you guessed it, we queued for security to ensure we were not bringing in vegetables … or ferrets, or whatever. There were hundreds of people with luggage disembarking from another ship to add to the chaos but we emerged, after showing our affidavits. 

So, onto our bus and we are introduced to our guide Alejandra who gave an overview of the country and the area. The south has been devastated by huge forest fires among the pine and eucalyptus that have been planted under government subsidies over the past twenty years. 22 people lost their lives and thousands have lost their homes and property. There’s a constant haze from the smoke that hangs over the valleys and reduces the sunlight. 

We drove through the Casablanca Valley, a large wine producing region with Spanish and French varieties of grape that underpin the wine industry. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir are the main varieties that produce local white wines that export all over the world. We then passed through Central Valley, which joins Santiago to Valparaiso and the area where Casa del Diablo wines and many other well known labels are grown. How many bottles of their produce have we drunk over the years, all grown here?

It was also strange as we drove past signs for Casablanca and I was unable to resist a quick “Here’s lookin’ at you kid,” along the way. 

At one point we drove through a long tunnel after a period of smoky landscape and emerged into bright sunshine and much clearer prospects. Yet on this brighter side is where some of the fires had taken hold. 

There’s a strong British influence here with tea drinking as a universal habit, football, couture and a host of engineering innovation including water systems and railways. English is an important second language for aspirational students to learn, giving them increased opportunity. British immigrants came into Chile through Valparaiso, from Liverpool, on their way to California as part of the Gold Rush. 

A shrine to another driver

There’s an alarming number of shrines beside the carriageway as we travel along. One even had Christmas decorations! Are the shrines not telling them anything? The roadside is heavy with litter. We were delayed by multiple accidents as we journeyed towards Santiago. It’s evidently a normal and regular feature of life here. 

Santiago has 7 million inhabitants. And we added to them. Today we have been mostly queuing: on the ship, at the terminal, for the bus, on the bus on the motorway, to get off the bus, to get in the cathedral, to come out and to get on the bus again. As Gabrielle remarked, we have come all the way from San Antonio to drive around Santiago a bit. And then have lunch. Then drive all the way back. It hasn’t been the most satisfying tour although we have learned a lot and seen some sights. 

The welcoming flags

Lunch was at Los Buenos Muchachos, an improbably named dining hall in the suburbs. They'd put out the flags to welcome us - maybe this should have been a warning! Five coach-loads converged and we were “treated” to a fairly average meal. But my first priority was the loos. Imagine my shock when the walls were covered with full size photos of scantily clad girls! Returning to the table we were about to be entertained. A foursome of hunky guys sashayed onto stage and strutted their stuff. Will the girls from the loos be coming in too, I mused and, lo! They were, much to our table’s amusement. 

Our very loud host

There was a very nice dance presentation with a far too loud commentary that really overrode the pleasure of the event. It was a shame because the other elements were pretty good. 

Dancers strutting their stuff

Some fairly loosely attributable dancing to local folklore

Everyone danced prettily and then the dancers, of course, headed for the audience. If you’ve been paying attention you’ll know what Gabrielle said: “Look busy!” The meal was ok-ish - there was a lot of it - and we thought we would probably not need anything much in the evening. We compared it to an experience at the Moulin Rouge, where it was just a churn factory to get tourists through.

So, back to the bus and we prepared for the two hour drive back to the ship. However, we can’t get the bus out of the bus park … because there’s a queue of buses waiting to leave. Ten minutes later we edge out to the street and go in search of a traffic jam. 

Graffiti is everywhere

The thing you notice most about South America is graffiti. It’s everywhere. On public building, private houses, hoardings, derelict brickwork, everywhere. It’s there because of political motivation, tagging or simple vandalism. No one really seems to care about it and it gives the cities a desolate, post-apocalyptic look which is often born out by many of the residents. 

And so to a shopping village AKA tourist trap. We thought we were off to a viewpoint over Santiago and the Andes first but a number of excuses were given as to why we couldn’t go, varying from bus to bus. Cue much dissatisfaction among the assembled company. Said tourist trap was as expected and there were distinct murmurings of discontent. The temperature throughout the latter part of this trip was in the 30s and humid but once we returned to port it cooled down a little.

This has probably been the poorest tour on this trip so far. A wasted opportunity, mostly because of chaotic organisation on the part of the port authorities. One of our guest speakers, Ben, acting as tour escort, collected complaints. 

Hungry dogs at the butchers

Something really nice, if people spot a tourist bus they’ll wave to you like the folk at this butchers surrounded by dogs (though they’re not waving in the picture).