Traveling to Chile

My travels to Chile were non eventful and went smoothly. After arriving in Pittsburgh I carried my “surf-ski” to the check in desk and greeted the lady with a huge smile. For those of you who have not traveled with a kayak or other large objects, it can be a mission to check it in as luggage. After a short conversation about surf-skies, the weight of my bag, and the Steelers (which I know nothing about but pretended) the attendant told me she had to charge me for the overweight bag. Expecting the worst I asked how much. She replied, “twenty-five dollars.” Okay, I’ll pay. After I paid her the staff member realized she had made a mistake as was suppose to charge me $100. I said nothing as she continued to work on the computer keyboard and shortly after said, “I’ll give it to you for twenty-five this time.” I said, “Thank You.”

I had only a fifteen-minute wait in Dallas before boarding the plane. While in line to board I met two fellow kayakers from West Virginia. It is always good to run into another boater type when traveling. Exhausted from the day’s activities I passed out shortly after dinner and woke up just before arriving in Santiago.

After exiting the plane I was informed that all American and Canadian citizens had to purchase a visa for the price of $100 US. This was a shock but I had $100 on me and was able to make the purchase. While in line I realized that the reason Chile charges we Americans is because the US government likewise charges Chileans $100 for a visa. In the words of my friend Tetan, “What can you do? Nothing.”


I slowly made my way through immigration and customs and into the main part of the airport. The airport was crowded and people were jammed together shoulder to shoulder. Quickly after leaving the secured area I was found by Lorenzo. Lorenzo is the brother of my good friend Tetan, both Chilean. Lorenzo brought me to their families rafting/ trekking/ horseback riding company. This is where I am now and I will stay here the rest of the week. It is a beautiful area located in the Maipo River Valley near the town of San Jose. The resort is riverside the Maipo River which is a class III/IV run that reminds me of a narrower version of the Colorado River. This area has beautiful desert canyons with wet areas providing lots of colorful wild flowers.

So far my time has been occupied with logistics for our trip. I have found time to go on a couple of small hikes, jogs, and a quick dip in the resort pool. At night I have been studying my Spanish lessons and watching Los Simpsons. And who said the Simpons weren’t educational?