Moving Day.

PUERTO NATALES, CHILE, 8 March, 2023.

A leisurely breakfast then we pack. We have to vacate the room by 11am but we can leave our luggage, hang around the hostel and use their toilet. We go for a walk, it's very calm by the harbour today, then enjoy a coffee in the clothing shop. We kill an hour by walking around the shops. We decide to have a salad each and share a garlic bread in Napoli. The waiter takes our photo for their Instagram page.

We talk to the chambermaid back at the hostel. She's hoping to start her own bed and breakfast in the next couple of years'. We watch a bit of MTM music channel (we can't find out how to change the channel!). Then the taxi driver arrives. He tells us that his father was from Scotland with a surname Whitlock. Also the driver's son plays professional football for Puerto Montt. He shows us his action photos whilst driving!

The airport is a small one. We're held in the check in area until 4pm when security opens and we're allowed into the lounge. To celebrate, RJ sprays us with fizzy water (the pressure must have built up over the last couple of days. The plane leaves early and we arrive in Santiago 20 minutes ahead of time, despite the technical stop in Puerto Montt. We wait a while to collect the bags. Then we go in search of the shuttle running the gauntlet of taxi drivers. At the transfer bus park, a helpful organiser lends PG his phone to call the hotel. The receptionist asks PG for his number so that she can WhatsApp him. After terminating the call, we realise that we don't have internet. Hurriedly, we connect to the airport. The shuttle driver tries to call us but doesn't get through. Eventually we talk but he doesn't speak English, however we communicate somehow. We expect him to drive to us but appears in person, leading us to the car park. As we enter the lift, two girls join in between us and the driver. A little rude we think until we realise that they are also going to the hotel. We finally arrive at 10:30pm, only just over an hour from landing. The receptionist offers us a 2pm check out. And is happy if we stay around the lobby and pool until we leave.