Getting there.

Well it has been a somewhat surreal 24 hours. I am not sure if I am paranoid or just have a heightened sense that they really are out to get me........................................ 0500 at Adelaide: "Are you sure you spoke to someone at Qantas about that oxygen bottle?" Of course we had, and requested a confirming email, to be told "No worries mate, it's in the system." Ha ha, heard that one before........................................... "Can't issue boarding passes through to Santiago as it is a Lan Chile flight." OK................................. 0930 at Sydney: "Sorry, you can sit at one end of the plane and he can sit at the other cos we gave your seats away cos we didn't think you were coming." "But our baggage is booked through to Chile" "Well how are we meant to know that?" ............................................. Hmmm! ......................................... Crying and rowdy children for the next umpteen hours............................................. 1130 Santiago: USD61 entry visa fee. Oh well, they must hate the Americans more; they pay USD130..................................................... 1200 Santiago: "Where is the oxygen cylinder" Missing baggage form filled out. It may arrive one day............................................. Car rental: "Excess for damage is USD6000....! Unless you pay extortionate insurance premium" Jeez.............................................................. Freeways: Actually tollways. 100 m out of airport, demands for pesos. We have no pesos as no ATMs in airport. Eventually settle for Euros that Mark luckily has in pocket. Then get lost in most complex flyovers and intersections I have ever seen. Even with talking GPS. Get stuck on road that talking lady says is 8km to next U-turn. Come off tollway, demand for pesos. Do U-turn, approach tollway, demand for pesos. Get lost again in very same set of flyovers as before........................................................... Eventually find hotel, shower, change, head to airfield. Get lost in very same flyover as before, find ourselves heading up road 8km to next U-turn. Do very illegal U-turn through barricades before demands for pesos can be made................................................ Eventually find airfield and glider. They managed to push my glider into a wall last week and trashed a flap; a new one was flown out and has just been fitted. Mark will have a good look at that tomorrow........................................................ We are completely knackered. Mark has crashed and I am on my way............................. Flying tomorrow!