Santiago

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As a general rule of thumb, its probably a best practice, not to lose one's passport while traveling abroad.

I "lost" mine in the bus station today and now find myself (along with Craig and Centor), stuck in Chile till Tuesday at the earliest. My passport, along with my Citi Bank debit card, and yellow vaccination pamphlet are now the proud possessions of someone other than myself.

We have spent the last few days in Santiago...which is a great city. Lots to see, great food, great ice cream, and the nicest hostel we have found thus far in our travels. But after three days in one place, we got a bit antsy, and decided to take the two hour trek to Valparaiso to hang at the beach for the day. So after getting to the bus station, purchasing our tickets and taking the bus to Valparaiso, I reached in my bag to check for my belongings, and low and behold...missing items. Still can't decide if my stuff was stolen, or if I'm just a complete moron and lost them, but one way or the other, we spent the entire day hunting. First running to the bus depot in Valpo to search the original bus, then boarding a return bus to Santiago to search the lost-and-found at the bus station, then to the police station to file an "I really cant believe I lost my passport" report, and finally on the phone with the US Embassy vying for a replacement. Embassy folks take Christmas seriously, and unless I had a limb dangling, didn't really seem to want to be bothered this afternoon (understandably so...I guess).

Basically, we were planning on heading to Mendoza, Argentina on Sunday, but now alternative plans are in the works. One way or another, we should find ourselves in Buenos Aires by Thursday, with plenty of time to figure out where to spend New Years (either in BA or in Punta del Este, Uruguay).

If anyone has any pull with expediting the process of passport issuing in Santiago...please let me know.

Anyways, aside from this "minor" debacle, everything else has been great. Craig and I made our way down from Arequipa, Peru across the boarder (big pain in the tuchas) to Arica, Chile earlier in the week. After spending the day in Arica, we boarded a flight down to Santiago to meet Centor on the 20th. We have had a great few days down here, and now plan to head back to the beach tomorrow (Viña del Mar this time) for the rest of the weekend.

I plan on being the first genius in-line Tuesday morning at the US Embassy, and hopefully, with a little luck, will get everything straightened out in order to head to Argentina.

Anyways, hope everyone is doing well and happy holidays!!!

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Comments

[Freda]

don't be too hard on yourself
Don't be too hard on yourself! You're not the first to lose a passport, and you won't be the last! Be safe and have a wonderful rest of your trip.

[Auntie M]

Oy Vay, Nephew!
Uncle Bruce is still waiting for you to call him back....he left a message on your cell phone. Be sure you get another tourist card also, as I'm sure it was attached to your passport. Very Important!! You can't go nowhere w/out it! Call us if you can...Unfortunately, nothing can be done until Tuesday. Bummer...

[caroline]

d'oh
awww, marc, no biggie. i just hope it doesn't take long to get that new one issued. as soon as i read that i ran to my hotel room to check and make sure i still have my passport, as i am in london right now. sounds like you are at least having fun, so have a great time whilst waiting out the holiday. Turns out the British also take Christmas very seriously, so i will be spending most of it in the hotel and walking around- almost everything will be closed. At least the sidewalks and streets will be clear!