The day came when I was leaving my comfortable apartment in Brooklyn, to spending 9 days camping and trekking in a foreign land.

 

I tend to always take public transportation, and from where I live in Brooklyn, I can take the Prospect Park shuttle to the C train and switch to the A, which connects to the JFK Air Train.

 

So, when I was switching to the C train at Franklin Ave, I made the mistake of getting on the Manhattan bound track. I think I missed 2 trains going toward JFK and luckily I didn't get on the Manhattan bound one or I would definitely have been late.

 

Getting to the other side was a pain, because I had to go up some crazy stairs, to an elevated path over street level and then back below ground, to get to the other side, hauling my backpack of supplies. I really didn't want to get sweaty and wear myself down so early. 

 

It was cold out....about 30 degrees, and I was just wearing a short sleep shirt, because the backpack was making me sweat. People must've thought I was crazy.

 

Anyway, I got on the C, but then had to switch to the A, but the one that goes toward Howard Beach, because the A splits into 2 different lines (and 2 more if going to Rockaway Beach). Then take the JFK AirTran for $8...an increase from the $5 it used to cost.

Since I had a backpack, there was no need to check any luggage in and I was able to take it through security no problem.

 

Everything went smoothly and I had a couple hours to spare waiting for the plane.

 

During the flight, I was sitting next to a girl about 10 years younger than me, who was connecting with her husband who was Chilean. We had a nice conversation and she was excited about my trip. She also pronounced the Paine in Torres Del Paine, not as pain, but with a short e at the end.

 

After customs check, I accidentally went through international security. It took me about an hour to figure out how to leave the international section and get to the domestic area.

 

I assumed I had to go back out the international check-in, but the security person I asked told me to take some elevator, which just took me back to the international departures. 

 

After asking a few airport employees, and going around in circles a few times, a customs lady was able to help me.  I had to backtrack out the international check-in, which was my original assumption, that the first security person I asked didn't seem to understand.

 

Talking to another security person, they let me go back out and I had to leave the international section, actually going outside the airport and come back into the domestic departures.

 

Tired and sweaty, I rushed and made it in time to my departure gate, with a couple minutes to spare. I didn't get a chance to refill my water bottle and was definitely parched.

So after all that, the plane ended up delayed and I sat on the runway for about an hour. Then it had some mechanical issues and it went back to the terminal, where we waited another hour for them to resolve it. 

 

At that point I had to ask the flight attendants for some water and a lot of it. 

 

Some other passengers decided to get off the plane, because I assume they weren't going to make whatever plans at their destination.

 

Eventually we did take off, albeit 3 hours later. 

 

When I booked my trip, I had the option of flying on the day of my trek, but I gave myself an extra day, in case a delay like this happened. So glad I did!

The airport in Puerto Natales was a small one, with only a couple of gates. I had to take a bus to Punta Arenas, my final destination, but I didn't do much research on how to reserve the bus. The information desk was kinda helpful and gave me a schedule for 2 different bus companies. The options were bus Sur and Fernandez.

 

I also had no Chilean Pesos on me. Getting lost at Santiago airport, I didn't have time to get money. I usually use an ATM, because I read you get better exchange rates. There was one there, but it sensed I had an American debit card and was asking too many questions in Spanish I didn't understand. I wasn't sure if it was going to give me peso or dollars. 

After trying the ATM a couple of times, I gave up and went to the bus waiting area, which was only about 50 feet away. The entire airport was not that big, so it was not hard to find anything. Maybe 200 feet long and 2 floors.

 

The bus waiting area wasn't very informative and I had to ask some other tourists if I was in the correct place. I was also able to ask, who looked like an employee, if I could pay on the bus and with US dollars. Luckily I was and it was only going to cost me $10. 

 

Some of the other tourists did reserve online, days in advance. While waiting, I also tried to reserve on my phone, but I wasn't getting a good WiFi connection.

 

I think I waited over an hour and the bus finally came. It was a decent charter bus and I was on my way to Punta Arenas, expecting a 2 hour ride. Not bad for $10.