Day 48: Spring Break/ Patagonia Pt. 1

It's about time I share my crazy adventure during Spring Break 2K15. I had so many ups and downs on my trip that I literally needed weeks to recover (or maybe I was just too lazy to put it in words).

I had planned a trip to Patagonia, Chile with my boyfriend (from here on out known as B.a.e....cuz Beyonce, duh). Prior to this trip I knew little about Patagonia, except for you know, the jackets and vests.

But, I was ready for adventure! It was my senior year spring break, and I wanted to do something more than the cliched Cancun or Punta Cana. So we set off for our 10 day adventure. 

Our first stop was to get to Torres Del Paine National Park! We had planned to take planes, trains, buses, and Catamarans to get to this remote location in 24 hours. Planned being the operative word. 

Dulles International Airport -->Bogota, Colombia-->Santiago, Chile-->Punta Arenas--> Puerto Natales-->Torres Del Paine

B.a.e and I left the country with only minor hiccups, and we landed in Bogota without a hitch. However, our flight from Bogota to Santiago was delayed by one hour for no reason! Normally this wouldn't have been a problem, but we had a 1 hour 20 minute layover for a domestic flight at our next stop. With this delay, that meant we had 20 minutes to de-board, clear customs and immigration, and get to our next gate. As we landed and saw the time, B.a.e and I gave up and determined to catch the next flight out to Punta Arenas. HUGE MISTAKE. 

Little did we know, every single flight was not only full, but overbooked by 10-15 people. We knew we would never catch a flight on that day. We waited in the Santiago airport for 10 hours, hoping that some luck would be thrown our way. After meandering about the airport, memorizing Spanish commercials, and knowing the restaurants like the back of our hands, we knew waiting in this airport would be hopeless. The ticket counter notified us that there were two remaining seats left on a flight 2 days later, and we knew instantly that buying those tickets would be better than nothing. So, with a refreshed outlook, we adjusted our trip to accommodate this new flight change. 

We spent the next two days in Santiago, exploring the city and moseying around the museums and markets. Santiago was an interesting city, filled with varying architecture. B.a.e and I were debating what Santiago reminded us of, and I thought it was like a cross of L.A. and Mexico (not that I've been to Mexico before). It was crazy coming from 20 degree weather at home to 90 degree weather in this new city, and it took a while for our bodies to adjust! I think my favorite part were the lazy street dogs sleeping everywhere. These dogs looked much healthier, cleaner, and fatter than street dogs in other cities, so I enjoyed seeing them! 

Alas, our time in Santiago came to an end. At this time B.a.e. and I were itching to start our hike. We had friends who we were supposed to meet up with, but at this point they were 2 days ahead of us. Still, starting this hike would surely make everything worth it right? 

Stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow!