Travel

We slept most of the way on the red-eye flight to Panama City. We crossed the equator back into the northern hemisphere some time before landing. As we approached Panama we, could see ships probably waiting for their turn to cross the canal. × < > After landing we freshened up and went through immigration at Terminal 2. We were entering the country on the basis of our B1/B2 visa for USA. The officer asked us when we would be flying out and I showed her our flight on Turkish Airlines later that evening. She confirmed that we were in transit and stamped our passports and then asked us to wait by another door. No one answered when she knocked, so she took our passports and went around. Another immigration office walked over with another passenger and she waited behind us. After a while, our immigration officer returned with a photocopy of our passports and visas. She slipped it under the door and then asked us to leave. ...

We got up in the morning and got ready for the day in Santiago. We packed our bags and left them at the front desk before heading out. Our plan was to take a taxi to the nearest metro station and buy a bip! card, which we would subsequently use on the metro and/or bus. We booked an Uber from our hotel to the Pudahuel metro station. But I made an error in choosing the destination, so the ride ended short of where we wanted to be. Since we didn’t have a bip! card, we couldn’t take the bus, and we were not sure that contactless credit cards would be accepted on this bus here (like they had worked in Buenos Aires). We had to walk about 20 minutes to get there and got to see a little bit about the local neighbourhood on the way. ...

We had a packed morning today with a couple of back-to-back tours before flying out in the afternoon to Santiago. We got up early to get ready and we could hear the noise of rain outside. The guide for today got in touch with us asking if we could do the tour the next day. However, we weren’t going to be here. After some back and forth, it was decided that we’ll go ahead with the tour as planned. Luckily the rain was gone by the time the bus picked us up. We drove to Āhu Toŋariki and were there for a little less than 2 hours as we watched the sun rise behind the statues. Rano Raraku also looked nice in the morning light. ...

I had woken up earlier in the morning and had a chance to see the moon. The full moon was out the previous night, and I was able to capture this amazing sight on my phone. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the photographs. × < > We had an leisurely start to the day. Our host dropped off fresh bread and eggs for breakfast. He has already stocked up basic essentials like salt, butter, oil, jam and also juice in the fridge. We had breakfast and got ready, excited to get to explore more of Easter Island today. Our tours today and the next day included pick up and drop from our accommodation which was a nice advantage and it saved us from the walk to and from the main village. Our guide for the day messaged us on WhatsApp and the bus collected us as scheduled. ...

We waited around in the check-in area till 5:00 AM when the police verification for passengers to Easter Island would begin. There were lots of other passengers like us who were spending the night or at least some hours there. Most benches were full so I decided to use a couple of towels and jacket and fashion a makeshift sleeping bag out of it. The police verification counter started at around 5:15 AM, and we went straight through. We had to fill in an online form beforehand for visiting Easter Island, and based on that, they gave us a verification slip each. This was collected from us just before boarding the flight later. ...

After a weekend of travel, we had an easy start this morning. We got ready and packed our bags before heading out. We walked across Plaza de Mayo. Our first stop today was the Puente de la Mujer, a pedestrian suspension swing bridge with a unique design. × < > We walked back to Casa Rosada and took a bus from here to Caminito. It was nice to see the colourful buildings and the vibrant atmosphere in the area. ...

The security check for the morning flights opened at 1:00 AM, and we headed through. We found a carpeted zone in the departure area near charging points. We hooked up our device for recharging, and also tried to get some sleep before the next flight. × < > The flight was not too long, and there was a quick beverage service. We landed at Iguazu Falls on time. There is no public transport from the airport to the National Park; you would have to take the bus into town and then a bus back to the National Park, which would add a lot of unnecessary travel time. We took the taxi from the airport and it cost ARS 25000 each way. Our driver dropped us off at the entrance of the National Park and gave us his WhatsApp number to message him when we were ready to head back to the airport. ...

We left our Airbnb at around 2:00 AM and took Bus 8 to EZE airport. As it turns out, we took the regular bus and not the express one. The driver was probably trying to explain to us when we got in, but we were obviously not able to understand. The bus eventually reached the airport but we had anticipated 1 hour to get to the airport, similar to when we arrived, but this time it took more than 1.5 hours. We made it there by 4:00 AM and in time for our 5:00 AM flight to Ushuaia. ...

Today was our first day in Argentina, and we planned to spend it roaming around Buenos Aires. We started the morning walking to Plaza de Mayo. There is a huge flag of Argentina here, which was nice to see. The Monument of General Manuel Belgrano was in front of Casa Rosada. × < > After spending some time there, we walked across to the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral. It didn’t look like a typical cathedral from the outside, but inside, it was grand and majestic. ...

We started our journey to South America from Mumbai with Ethiopian Airlines. Our first flight was to Addis Ababa. Breakfast was served before landing. × < > We had some time in Addis Ababa to visit the Plaza Premium Lounge. They had Chechebsa and Shiro Wot for breakfast, among other usual things. And of course, Ethiopian coffee. ...