January 22nd - We Made it to Santiago

 

We made it!  Travel is NOT easy these days and not for the faint of heart.  Our flight to Dallas was delayed and I started worrying about our connection and our PCR tests expiring.  Fortunately they made up time and we were fine.  Chile is VERY serious about Covid and their procedures for entering the country are extensive but they are staffing things appropriately.  There were 100 stations to check documents for people flying in and our mandated PCR tests at the airport were streamlined and very efficient.  It took us 3 hours to get out of the airport and then we headed to the Sheraton Santiago where we had to quarantine in our rooms until our PCR tests results were sent to us.  Fortunately we got the (negative) results by 6pm and were able to have a lovely dinner by the pool.  After a good nights sleep, we had a lovely breakfast by the pool and then lounged by the pool until mid-afternoon.  One of the best parts of travel - talking to locals and to other travelers.  Met Jack last night, a very nice American who has been in Santiago for 10 years and today by the pool, I traded lots of tips with Rebecca, an American Airlines stewardess.

Santiago is a lovely city and we spent the afternoon walking along the river, through the parks and even had a quick spin through the mall.  Everyone wears masks, indoors and out, and stores have strict capacity limits to allow for social distancing.  Given that Chile is a CDC level 3 destination while the US is a level 4, we feel very safe!  And with 85°F days, it is easy to opt for outdoor dining!