Moraira -Santiago

First day of whar would be our last trip on the Silver Explorer: she will be taken out of service with Silversea in November of this year

We left home at 4.45 to catch a 7am plane from Alicante to Barcelona. Despite a phone assurance from Iberia, we were unable to check our cases ight the way through to Santiago de Chile. But we had plenty of time in Barcelona to pick the cases up and check them in again anyway. After an uncivilised boarding, we found ourselves on a Level3 plane., with more agreeable staff than Iberia and food if the same quality ‘ or lack of!

Received the sad news in Barcelona airport that. Mario had stage4 cancer

The entertainment system was more limited than on Iberia , but I still managed to pass some of the 14 hour flight watching some of it.

We arrived at Santiago airport at 9 pm local time. There was no Silverseas presence at the airport but, ,quite quickly, we got a taxi to the Mandarin Orient hotel, We were very glad to bed down and gather our strength for a more exciting day ahead . Eventually we discovered that the coach to the Airport for the charter flight to Punta Arenas left between 7,30 and 8.00. But then that we had to be in the lobby by 7..but we had been told that that was the start of breakfast 😀

Got up at 6am and David went down to the Silverseas desk. Apparently we should have received an envelope from reception the previous night ‘?? we had asked repeatedly for it!! - telling us what was happening. During the night our 2 suitcases , which we had left in the porter´s desk, had been loaded on a bus for the airport, destination the Silver Explorer: This worried us as there was also a flight going to the Silver Endeavour and the cases had not received the correct labels . We had to fill in health forms and have our temperature taken.There turned out to be a breatfast for us from 6an - and not the 7am which we had been told . . .Absolute chaos!!. At 7.40 we boarded the second bus for the airport. We were very impressed with our processing from here on ; a very pleasant charter lounge, Aviasur, and we took off at 9am. Really enjoyed the pisco sours aboard . Followed by a Chilean meal of salad, beef stew and blueberry mousse.

Onto to Puntas Arenas