Off to Santiago

26 and 27 August were much the same as Monday, since we were still trying to get our RV shipped and getting nothing accomplished other than a lot of frustration. The excuse we were given was that the Shipping Broker in New Jersey's internet and phones were down. We finally talked with a super helpful Alejandra and things started looking promising for Thursday. After business hours our shipping documents finally arrived in my E-Mail, so we had hope for Thursday. 28 Aug We went to sleep last night with the usual cacophony of barking dogs and were awakened by a very confused local rooster, starting at 3 am. Eventually we surrendered and got up, after debating on what would be the best way to serve up the local rooster. As soon as we could, we moved the RV over to the port location and parked in a little different spot, because our "usual" place was taken. We then found an open Internet Cafe and printed out our shipping documents. The paperwork said that AJ Broom was going to be the local agent, so we walked over there with the documents. The ladies at AJ Broom were not helpful. They told us that they were the shipping agent, and had nothing to do with arranging cargo. They told us to go back to Ian Taylor and talk with them. So we walked back over to Ian Taylor, where we had spent the last 10 days trying to get things resolved. Ian Taylor said that AJ Broom was the right agent and told us to go back over there. So we did. When we arrived the second time at AJ Broom, the lady finally decided to be somewhat helpful. She eventually worked it out with the company in Santiago and Ian Taylor. So we went back over to Ian Taylor and finally things got moving. Eventually we had to go to Customs, because when we entered Chile, the RV was associated on Roger's passport. This meant that the RV had to be removed by Customs off his passport, so when we fly, the RV isn't on his passport. After a lot of bouncing around, and an several trips to different ADUANA offices, Roger now has several pieces of paper indicating that the RV was left in San Antonio, pending shipment to the USA. The RV is going to be shipped to Galveston TX, departing San Antonio on 12 September. We left enough paper and Benjamin Franklins with Ian Taylor, that it is our expectation that they will make sure the RV ships on 12 September. We were dropped off at the bus station, and took a Pullman express bus from San Antonio to Santiago. The buses go fast and the trip took about an hour, cost was about $15 for both of us, then another $6 to get us to the Santiago airport. For simplicity we opted for the Holiday Inn, which is right across the street from the air terminal, walking distance. We couldn't get a flight to Buenos Aires today, as the only flight leaves at 14:40 daily. The Santiago airport is not that big for a capital city, but the population is less than 4 million in the greater metropolitan area. We did get all our tickets within Argentina arranged, which was great. We were having problems finding flights that made sense and with good connections, so it worked out using a kiosk at the airport. So tomorrow afternoon we'll be flying to Buenos Aires, then Saturday on to Ushuaia, capital of the Tierra del Fuego (southernmost) region of Argentina. It is the southernmost "city" in the world. There are a couple of hamlets/villages further south, but nothing that qualifies as a "city". Time for of few days of some warmer clothes. Average September high is 40 degrees. Average low is 31 degrees.