Up and down,up and down,up and down

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Well hello again blogging buddies,from Valparaiso Chile.I am stting in my apartment on Calle Hector Calvo on the cerro Bellavista! Sun is shining on the hillside and the sea, which I can see from my livingroom.It was foggy when I arrived and time will tell if fog is part of my life here. Let me o back tou from the fog to the snow.

I left Ottawa on Saturday morning very early,a 6am flight meant up at 3:45 and a cab waiting at 4:30 so leaving Ottawa was in a fog of itself.I thought I would be alone at the airport but found it crowded with vacationers heading south to sunny locales but had lots of time and a business class ticket so leisurely boarding and leg room.First flight was to Toronto and what I thought would be a comfortable connection proved to be nothing of the sort.Ottawa odeparture required deicing and a long wait until we got into the air then my flight connection on Copa Airlines was as far away as you could possibly be at Pearson airport so I arrived at the gate as they were announcing last call for the flight!! Again deicing and a very long line of planes ahead of us but eventually off we went south.

A 5 hour flight to Panama City where I changed planes to get on another Copa flight.Panama airport is modern and well marked but again I was at the far end of it and arrived with a few other winded passengers at the gate and was greeted by the pilot patiently waiting for us all.

Copa flies older 737-800 aircraft so lots of room but no individual screens so I was not able to catch up on my missed movies but did have good food and drink and the ever present ipod to keep me company and sooth me to sleep on the 6 hour flight.

Arrived in Santiago in the middle of the night and was greeted by an e-mail telling my plan to bus to Valparaiso would not work due to the timing so I hopped a cab and headed into Santiago and a pleasant little hotel near the fine arts museum. Happy to get to bed!

Morning was sunny and I had breakfast at the hotel then went into the subway station nearby to get some money from a bank machine.Subway looks new and modern and I look forward to going back to Santiago. My taxi driver from last night and I struck a deal and I was picked up at the hotel at 10 and driven to Valparaiso bypassing the chaotic bus station and the thousands of travellers coming to Valparaiso for New Years eve and the fabulous fireworks!

Enough for now, I am finishing this off as the sun sets on the new years eve so time for fiesta and i will be back in 2013.

Happy New Year! feliz ano nuevo!

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