Today was the ultimate test of patience and perseverance. Last night we found a perfect solution- an overnight bus to Arica and from there we would catch a 40 minute flight to La Paz that would put us there only 5 hours later than we had originally planned (a miracle, considering we were getting so desperate we started looking up flights back to Santiago...)
Sounds perfect, right?
Problem #1: We couldn’t book the tickets for the bus online because our cards are foreign. Imagine that, foreigners in Chile wanting to travel and book a bus from a hostel computer? The audacity! Nevertheless, we ran into similar problems in Santiago, and always resorted to going to the Tur Bus office to pay in person. Luckily we knew there was a Tur Bus office in San Pedro, so we were able to go right there to pay. Okay, fine, problem solved.
Problem #2: SKY (a South American airline based in Chile) ALSO wasn't accepting our cards BUT we used this airline to book our Buenos Aires trip that was less than a month ago. Some people in the hostel lamented that they had similar problems, but we couldn't figure out why! Calling them via the hostel phone wasn't an option because, apparently, they can only call in the San Pedro region. The girl working at the front desk overheard us though, and was nice enough to let us use her personal net-book to Skype call SKY. From this we learned that after 72 hours prior to the departure date- you cannot pay for a flight with a foreign credit card online. So, basically, if you are a foreign traveller like we are, and have to make a quick plan B (SKY has by far the cheapest rates!) you are screwed unless you can get to an actual SKY office. Thankfully, we were able to get to one by bus....two hours away in a town called Calama.
Problem #3: We made it to Calama fairly painlessly and with sufficient time to return back to San Pedro and pack before we had to catch the overnight bus. But when we went to pay for a return ticket to San Pedro,there was only one left. You have got to be kidding me. Deirdre bought it anyway as we knew the overnight bus stopped in Calama on the way to Arica. We figured I could wait here and she could somehow find a way to lug both her stuff and mine on the bus (a difficult feat- I was relatively packed but my bag is HEAVY...I'm still practising this whole "packing light" thing.) Seeing our panic stricken faces as we approached the bus, a worker approached us. We explained the situation- hoping we could plead our way to convince him to let me on the bus, even if it meant standing. He told us not to worry and relax (an increasingly common response from South Americans to us stressed out gringa's). He assured us that it wouldn't but a problem because the buses never fill up and that when the ticket collector comes around I can just pay in cash. I was still a little hesitant, but boarded anyway, and sat in an empty seat. Twice I had to move because I was in someones actual seat, and I held my breath as I moved in to my third seat which also happened to be the last empty seat on the bus. I breathed a sigh of relief once we exited the town- I assumed we wouldn't be picking anyone up in the middle of the desert.
And that has kind of been the theme of this entire trip, and in general, how I try to cope with stress in my life: just get to the next step. One step at a time.
Thankfully when the ticket collector came around he was more than happy to take cold hard pesos, but motioned that he would be right back, as he continued collecting tickets from the back of the bus....but he never did. When I exited the bus upon arrival he was nowhere to be found. I guess my luck was starting to turn around!
We made it in time to catch the overnight bus and we smoothly transitioned to the airport, which is where I sit now, scribbling in my notebook because reading when I am tired (whether it is early morning or late at night) puts me right to sleep. We should be in La Paz in a matter of hours, and I hope this city will bring us luck for the rest of our trip!
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