Santiago 2-9-03 Medford to Chile

By Bob Van Leer

(SANTIAGO, CHILE, Feb. 9, 2003) - This is the capital of Chile, which occupies the southern half of the west coast of South America. Betty and I arrived here today after a long flight from Los Angeles aboard an Airbus 340 operated by LAN Chile, the Chilean national airway.

This is the first stop on a month-long cruise that will take us up the west coast of South America and then across the Pacific, winding up in Sydney, Australia.
  We drove to Medford Feb. 6 and boarded a Horizon Air flight to Los Angeles at 6:35 a.m. We flew on a CRJ 700, a small regional jet of a kind relatively new in Medford. They are small, replacing the prop jets, and seat about 80 passengers, but fly about as fast as any jet. At Los Angeles we boarded the Chilean plane for the flight to Santiago, with one stop at Lima, Peru.
  We were charged $100 each, U. S. dollars, to enter the country, the first time we remember such a fee. Canadians are only charged $55. The flight from LA to Lima was long, 7 hours and 45 minutes, with another 2 hours, 45 minutes to Santiago. From Medford to LA was 1 hour, 45 minutes. This was over 12 hours in the air and, with layovers, added up to a trip of about 16 hours. While it was still night at Gold Beach time, the first light of dawn was breaking in Santiago. It is five hours ahead of Gold Beach.
  We think of South America as south of North America, but it actually southeast. Santiago is further east than New York City.

CHILE STRUNG OUT
  Chile is a sizable country, almost twice the size of California, and strung out. Our guide said it is 2600 miles from top to bottom. Population of the country is about 15 million with 6 million living in Santiago. Santiago has a big air pollution problem.
  The city is in a bowl surrounded by mountains and the dirty air has no place to go. Chilean money isn't worth much. The peso is about 750 to the U. S. dollar. The guides tell us it is a safe place but I notice all first floor windows have some kind of bars on them. We took a tour around town in the afternoon and then went out for dinner and an evening of folk dance entertainment at Los Adobes de Argomeda. This is a place well worth visiting.
  Sunday, Feb. 9, we went by bus to Valparaiso, about 60 miles and two hours from Santiago. Valparaiso is a port and here we boarded the Holland American liner, Amsterdam, to start our cruise. The liner is on a world cruise, but we join it for only part of the voyage. Sunday night the ship is to move north to Coquimbo, Chile, where we will take a sightseeing tour.