This is from a couple years ago traveling to Puerto Montt, Chile:
Wow. Delay. Delay. Delay….But it´s still faster than travel was before airplanes.
First, on Wed we were told our flight on Thursday to Santiago from Dallas was canceled and we were automatically put on Friday´s flight.
We figured they were combining two flights that weren´t full. One American Airlines employee said they´ve been pulling lots of planes – the FAA has noticed a seal issue on the bulkhead. (I say the seals should pay for seats like the rest of us 
We were all packed so on Friday we left early for the airport. Heidi, one of our favorite AA employees checked us in. Sacramento to Dallas.was uneventful.
We walked about 5 miles from Concourse A to D. Then hitched a ride -. It was exhausting.
We stayed in the VIP lounge till time and went to the gate. A young man approached – he had a white bearch, mustache and hair and was about 42. He had hunted at age 7 with his Dad and General Yeager. Now he is a geologist. He had such fun memories.
We approached the desk – Gen Yeager had noticed the cowling off the engine. Oh, it´s just a computer problem they´re fixing is what we were told.
An hour later, we went up to the desk again – the woman there said they were putting the flight off till 10;30am. They fueled, but the gauge didn´t register it. Bad gauge.
Me: Or the fuel is going right out again.
Gen Yeager laughed. I was probably right. But no big puddle….that one could see….yet.
I asked re our vouchers for Santiago since we were arriving later than the last plane out – you get that tomorrow.
So they bussed us 30 minutes to a hotel. We grabbed a terrible dinner because the restaurant was closed so bad bar food – on their $10 voucher which hardly covered coffee – and went to bed.
Promptly at 7;30am we headed downstairs, spent our $5 breakfast voucher on coffee and tea. The price went up when she heard we had a voucher.
We were on the first bus at 8am. We considered just going home. Oh boy….little did we realize we should have. Very few were on the bus – they were going to get on the 8:30….and they weren´t all going to fit.
I asked re our vouchers for Santiago since we were arriving later than the last plane out – you get that in Santiago
The plane ride was uneventful – being during the day, Gen Yeager and I watched movies – he watched westerns, I watched historical and girly and skimmed thru stupid just to see what all the hype was about.
We got in at 11pm. Right off the plane were reps with vouchers. I asked re our vouchers for Santiago since we were arriving later than the last plane out – you get that downstairs.
We got our luggage at 12 midnight – last one out. So much for priority travel
I asked re our vouchers for Santiago since we were arriving later than the last plane out – you get that upstairs.
O.K. I was done.
Me: I´m done. You guys have had 24 hours to figure this out. So where is a supervisor.
Lots of radio calls.
Deskclerk: Your vouchers are on the way.
And 10 minutes later: Two more minutes.
Twenty five minutes later, I told her she had 5 minutes or we were leaving and we would just let American Airlines know and send them our bill. Well, how could the Chileans skim off the top if we did that?
So she immediately came back with: Your vouchers are outside customs.
We got outside. No rep. Fortunately one of the other passengers saw us and led us to the man in hiding. He gave us a hotel voucher. He gave us transportation vouchers. No dinner voucher. Fine, we had eaten enough. And breakfast was dicey.
He told me to go to the second booth for transportation. I went there – the guy thought it was Christmas. The American Airlines rep said NO! and took me to the third booth.
He took our vouchers. Gave a guy a ticket for us. This guy took us to a van. Only one ticket, there weren´t two on the print out. Much fuss but they ran back. The van driver put in another passenger from our flight. Then the van driver starts putting in filthy, dirty, hippy-ish people with us. I tell him no.
I tell him we leave in 1 minute or we take our bags off. It is now 12:40 am.
We drive 50 yards and stop. He runs into the booth. I get out and ask the other passengers how they were getting to the hotel. They didn´t know. I asked the head guy to change the others in our van out or get another van for the other passengers.
We leave. We go round in circles to deliver one couple. We then drive to our hotel and arrive there at 1:30am (a 20 minute cab ride normally) AFTER the other passengers who had had no ride when we left.
They were taking the last rooms! The receptionist took 15 minutes to handle this. Fortunately the three of them had been given three rooms so they gave us one of theirs. They were suites, in fact. We offered to let the other guy in our van stay in ours, but the hotel managed to find another room.
We were asleep by 2am. I had set the alarm for 8:45am hoping to wake up and tour Santiago. We had been to Chile now 7-8 times – General Yeager´s first time being 1954 along with the Patillo twins who were part of the Thunderbird team. Mine was in 2001 I think.
Well, the alarm went off and Gen Yeager was sleeping very soundly. I turned it off and rolled over for another hour We needed it – can´t see much with your eyes drooping.
At 10:45am I got up and Gen Yeager leaped up – yes he is a leaper out of bed kinda guy. We packed back up, left our bag downstairs, changed some money and checked out.
I knew changing money I would not be getting the best deal but couldn´t find out what the exchange rate was. I later learned from our friend outside Puerto Montt, it was 12%!!!! On top of this highway robbery (Chile really needs our dollars I have also just found out), when we gave the receptionist our keycard, he wanted our voucher. I told him he already got one from the guy whose room it was. He saw the determination in us and gave up.
We went walking to the old part of town.
Hungry, and no vouchers we stopped in at a corner sandwich-pizza shop.
Gen Yeager had a meat forget the name in Spanish popover and I asked for avocado something.
Waiter prompted: Tostada?
Me: Ah! Si!
I was thinking American – big shell with salad, avocado, sour cream…
Uh. No. Toast with avocado spread on it. It was delicious. I looked around to see if anyone thought I was a weird American. Nope. Others were eating it too.
I also waited to see if the Chileans tipped. The first one got by me without my being ablr to determine. Usually I investigate all this before we leave. But we were visiting our friend as usual and he takes care of all this or answers my questions year to year.
The young tostada eating couple just left the change in coins as tip.
So I gave our change to the waiter. He was most appreciative. I think it was 60 cents on a 9.40 breakfast.
We continued on. When we got to the old church . the oldest building in Santiago, Gen Yeager wanted to sit down – we had walked over a mile without enough sleep and hardly good nourishment and it was fairly warm.
So we went inside. The services were going on so we sat in the back. VERY high ceiling but not quite the same as those 11th and 12th century churches we visited in France in the fall.
The services chanted on in Spanish. I had meant to learn a little more Spanish before this trip but suddenly we were leaving – it was November and suddenly it was Feb and we were in Chile. How did that happen?
So rather than pick out English words with a Spanish accent, I listened to the hum of the chant and the singing.
As I was thinking all this, General Yeager with impeccable timing turned to me and asked: Do you know what they are saying?
Me (smiling – I had already bemoaned to him my not brushing up on-learning Spanish so was feeling sheepish): No.
Gen Yeager: Leave all your money in the collection plate. Give the rest you have at home, too.
I laughed. Up till then, I didn´t know he spoke Spanish except huevos rancheros con jambon. Tee hee.
I took some photos after he mentioned the amazing stonework.
We´d been blessed enough times we felt where it would carry us for the week and left. He sat on the fountain rim, I explored some of the smaller streets. Pretty architecture from the 19th century with their balconies and tall windows.
We then crossed the main thoroughfare and headed back on the other side of the street. He hesitated thinking I was going to make him walk up the hill to the fort. My body was unwilling. We looked for a place to set down in the park below – near a dog who really didn´t want to move. But his was the only bench in the shade. I realize I´m in a foreign country when I see dogs just roaming by themselves in a city.
Gen Yeager sits down. I´m worried – the bench looks like it´s had too many people and too many LARGE people sitting on it. It is sagging and cracking… a LOT.
But we sit and watch the fountain.
On the front of the City Library, a beautiful 19th century building with Greek columns, is the graffiti Amor with lots of hearts. On the bench next to ours, is a couple taking the message very seriously.
And there were the usual beardy, dirty…types…possibly great poets.
We decide to move on. We think we read this is the bicentennial year for liberation from Spain. There is a mural for several city blocks on the side of the cultural center. Some fantastical stuff and some serious ones – a variety. Chile has the ocean, rivers, mountains, Indians, Spanish – a bit of a mix.
We eventually get back to our hotel. We are rewarded for going to church and hire a knowledgeable driver for 2 hours for not much more than it would cost to drive the 20 minutes to the airport. He takes us first to the hill we hadn´t climbed – tourists can go by car and for free (for everyone- no entrance fee). Woo hoo!
Our driver spoke English well enough and knew the history well enough. We saw all the hot spots. If we had had a lot more time, I would have lingered in the Plaza des Armes and the marketplace where he said it is popular on Sundays because Chileans after a big Saturday night, think eating fish is good for you.
Gen Y told me about the Patillo twin brothers: Buck and Bill. GCY had done a South American Goodwill tour with them in the good old days (1954) when the Thunderbirds (the Patillo twins were members then) were a good outfit. Doing several air shows throughout South America, (about 40 air shows in as many or fewer days) GCY did the first aviation sonic boom in each of the South American countries. Those shows must have been spectacular especially for their time.
GCY also was called upon to fly many dignitaries supersonic. And to dine with a few such as Evita Peron.
Living history.
c. GCYI