Two errant lines intersect in Chile, a TR with two perspectives.

[juddles]

Hi all.

I have not been the most prolific poster when it comes to TR's. Mainly because most of my travel is repetitive and it just does not dawn on me to post about it. But I also see that within AFF all these humble trip reports are actually a massive resource. They all really give others that true perspective into what a voyage somewhere can mean.

The title of this thread is because this "trip' is exactly that - two very different experiences but from a single thing. I am heading "home" to a part of Chile that I often live in, @JohnM is the visitor. So I thought it would be slightly different, fun, to do a joint TR based on this. From both sides.

So I invite Johnm to indulge, and help me with this. And I have the smug satisfaction in starting the thread

John will visit me in my home area in mid-northern Chile. He is coming over via the middle east, me a straight trip across the pacific. There will be many airlines, places, lounges, and local things to get into here.

And I dare say some food, wine, and a few surprises.....

 

[love_the_life]

Looking forward to hearing the shared experiences from you two.

 

[juddles]

Hello again everyone.

It is now almost T-24hrs - the journey begins.

Apart from what me and JohnM want to say, are there any requests? Lounges, airlines, places, food, whatever?

I like to have a mission.

 

[RooFlyer]

Some pictures of La Serena. I haven't been there in 20+ years . It was a prelude to taking a flight up the Elqui river to near the Argentine border ...

 

[VPS]

Just looking forward to taking it all in. I'm sure it's going to be a memorable TR - Stay safe and have fun

 

[drron]

So it is now ~ T -12 hours and still no word from JohnM.
Is he getting cold feet?
Is he using the "I left my baby at the gate"excuse?
Or did he just have too many champagnes in the Flounge?

 

[I love to travel]

John M if you have to transit via Santiago any tips of payiny the airport Australian charge would be great. Thanks

 

[JohnM]

If someone, anyone, had put @ before my handle, I would have seen this before now . I just started a TR (A Chile chill with a Uruguay and Argentina topping) and then saw this.

Edit: just realised @juddles did, but I missed the alert .

@juddles is going eastwards; I'm going westwards .

I have had no seat dilemmas . 7A (front row of J) on the EK A380 PER-DXB tomorrow night was safely snared months ago . CD was booked before the axing for award flights - natch.

I'm stopping overnight in DXB on Thursday and the ride to GRU and on to SCL sets out Friday morning. I arrive in SCL late Friday, will overnight there, and then on to La Serena, arriving around 1230h Saturday to be picked up by @juddles .

Let the games begin!

 

[JohnM]

John M if you have to transit via Santiago any tips of payiny the airport Australian charge would be great. Thanks

That's easy. Done it many times before. There is a desk at the top of the escalator, but that has seldom been open when I've arrived.

There are other desks in the border control hall - but the trick is to turn sharp left at the bottom of the escalator and head over to those at the left of the passport control booths, pay the fee (they take CCs), then join the passport control line.

It's all very straightforward downstairs as long as you see the reciprocity fee booths way to the left. I've seen many people join the passport control line, get to PP control, only to be directed to the fee booth. It's just a function of a poor layout because the escalator doesn't come down directly facing all the arrivals hall booths.

All these comments assume no recent changes.

 

[JohnM]

So it is now ~ T -12 hours and still no word from JohnM.
Is he getting cold feet?
Is he using the "I left my baby at the gate"excuse?
Or did he just have too many champagnes in the Flounge?

I will be looking forward to a Champagne or two in the EK lounge and onboard tomorrow night after today's running around. I had my elder son on the satphone several times today from way out of Kalgoorlie needing me to do some things for him, while younger son and 2 yo grandy will be around for dinner in a couple of hours.

I need a quiet day tomorrow. My PER-DXB flight leaves at 2220h tomorrow night.

 

[love_the_life]

That's easy. Done it many times before. There is a desk at the top of the escalator, but that has seldom been open when I've arrived.

There are other desks in the border control hall - but the trick is to turn sharp left at the bottom of the escalator and head over to those at the left of the passport control booths, pay the fee (they take CCs), then join the passport control line.

It's all very straightforward downstairs as long as you see the reciprocity fee booths way to the left. I've seen many people join the passport control line, get to PP control, only to be directed to the fee booth. It's just a function of a poor layout because the escalator doesn't come down directly facing all the arrivals hall booths.

All these comments assume no recent changes.

When we were there in November it was very well sign posted with 'Australian passport holders.....'; easy to find. We paid in $US (clean/new/unmarked) but aware that CC payments are also accepted as per AFF posters.

 

[juddles]

If someone, anyone, had put @ before my handle, I would have seen this before now . I just started a TR (A Chile chill with a Uruguay and Argentina topping) and then saw this.

Edit: just realised @juddles did, but I missed the alert ......

"You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make them drink"

Maybe the mods can merge these?

 

[juddles]

.... I just started a TR (A Chile chill with a Uruguay and Argentina topping) ....

I like how JohnM (sorry, @JohnM) started his tr with some background, so will do some myself:

As most would know here, I travel between Australia and South America continuously. For many years it was all the way through to Colombia, but my work there finished and for the past year it has been mainly just back to Chile. I grew up in Chile and 2018 was all about getting back to my childhood/home, and rescuing the family house which was abandoned when my parents retired and returned to Australia almost 20 years ago. I finished that task in December and got back to my real home with my family in Noosa just before Christmas.

The house in Chile is in a small fishing village called Guanaqueros. During summer it is full of tourists and I avoid it then, so my first trip in 2019 I delayed until late march, which worked well with JohnM's plans.

Despite having been back there so much of last year, I was busy and did not do any touring,etc, but JohnM's visit gives me a great excuse to myself to do just that. He thinks it is all about him, but really I just needed someone to drive when I am too hungover, and to use his knowledge of wine. In my evil plan to get a free driver, I actually considered a few AFF members, but I put a lot of thought into the matter and discarded some other options until I was down to just three. (I don't want to actually name them as this could offend @drron and @RooFlyer )

The first of these I discarded as he is WRONG in all of his opinions on everything, and he infuriates me as he refuses to see just how WRONG he really is. So drwrong was out. This then brought the selection field just down to two, so I considered carefully who would be least annoying. When I considered the enormity of the annoyance level that both these runners could cause me, I almost went back to the drawing board. But then I had a sudden and very scientific thought that made the choice clear.

The IV Region of Chile is arid - and it is a huge new mountain range bristling with magnificent geological wonders, whereas the flora consists just of a few coughty cactuses. So there are heaps of rocks, and bugger all plants. This made the choice easy - go the botanist, not the geo!

 

[JohnM]

My excuse: I've had a frantic few days....

Sanity will return tomorrow night when I clasp my first glass of Champagne in the PER EK lounge - while praying that they again have Veuve , not just Moet , on offer... .

 

[JohnM]

This must be the first time on AFF a duet has been done for a TR.

OMG, we're good, mate... .

And - we haven't even uplifted from home yet... .

 

[drron]

Well juddles-or jumbles as i will now call you as that is how you are thinking-one day we will just have to sit down with a bottle of rum or 2 or 6,hey whatever,and see just how alike our thinking really is when said rum removes the blinkers from our eyes.
Actually I would really like to visit you in your Chilean home but mrsdrron has way too many other plans for me.

 

[juddles]

I am flying over on Qantas - BNE-SYD-SCL, connecting immediately to a domestic LATAM flight to do the hop up to LSC (La Serena - the regional capital, and 40km north of the village)

As I travel continuously between Sth America and Australia, I have the luxury of being able to buy tickets starting at either end. Since commencing this pattern of travel almost ten years ago, things have changed as to with who and how I buy my tickets. Essentially ten years ago buying a QF ticket ex-Australia via the QF website was the MOST EXPENSIVE way by far, and buying a LATAM ticket via a third party travel agent (expedia,etc) starting from the other side was by far the cheapest. But over these years this has all changed. So now I buy every ticket direct from Qantas, and starting from Australia. (This had the effect that I have been P1 for the last few years)

Having travelled these routes for some 40 years now, I am amazed at how far prices have fallen and continue to fall. (For example BNE-SYD-SCL is often now on sale for $4000 AUD - that is IMHO very good value compared to some other ex-Australia QF routes)

As I am expressing in another thread, I have become somewhat jaded at the all-too-frequent negative staff experiences I have had in the J cabin, so because of this (and also saving some money while I am not working) I have for about a year now been mainly buying seats in PE. Essentially I do not really "enjoy" my extreme milkrun that much, so being in PE is simply just a bit more painful than J - J is not "fun" when you do it too often. And so far I have had almost universally good staff experiences in PE, which do mean a fair bit to me on these repetitive flights.

Another aspect of the PE selection is that LATAM do not offer PE, neither on their own metal, or as codeshares on Qantas metal. If you buy a ticket in Y or J via either airline, you will see that not only do they offer within their tickets the other airline's metal, but normally to get the cheapest ticket it is actually forced on you to at least do one way on the other's metal. And despite me quite liking LATAM, I do feel better with QF's 4 engined plane and their pilots, than LATAM's 787 and aircrew. And finally, my personal belief (for my personal situation) is that by far the best value I can get with QFF points is upgrades on international flights, and the sweet spot IMHO is a points upgrade from PE to J. So QF ticketed QF metal in PE is what I buy. On sale a return SYD-SCL QF ticket in PE is often down to about $2000 AUD, so really excellent value.

So, to cut this short (thought it could be of interest to someone), is that I am a P1, flying on a QF sold PE ticket, paid for, not points. And I have NOT requested a points upgrade to J.

This involves Y from BNE to SYD, and PE on the long flight over and back. I obviously have QF business lounge access in BNE, and the Flounge in SYD. And the most significant flight is that PE seat on a QF 747.

 

[VPS]

It would be quite ironic if they upgraded you at the gate for nothing

 

[JohnM]

He'll have to knock it back if they do....

 

[JohnM]

but mrsdrron has way too many other plans for me.

You can keep your problems to yourself.... You don't get out enough....

Juusst kidding....