SANTIAGO DE CHILE 07.02.2023

So, today was the last day in Santiago's heat. The wildfires in the south have also had an impact on the capital, as the sky is very hazy and the air is even harder to breathe. Everything feels so unhealthy! Comparable to the experience in New Delhi!

Now we had some time to prepare for our return journey. We successfully booked our seats on Monday (we reserved a double seat for €55 per seat) and now it's time for online check-in. After that, we went to the suitcases and bags. Luckily, our luggage was reduced because the transport of the electronics was only one way, so the empty backpacks could fit in the suitcase. Just a reminder: as an Economy Plus customer, you can bring two or three suitcases as checked baggage and two items as carry-on baggage without any extra charge. For the return flight, each of us had a backpack and a total of three suitcases! Since there were no volume problems, I could soon dive into the blog and Karin could visit the pool.

At 6:00 p.m., we were in front of Franzi's office building and took a taxi to a Shell gas station on the road to the ski area. This gas station was where the Indes? met. It is a worldwide organization that offers a platform to new residents of a city. Not only does it provide information and tips on the Internet, but it also offers events in various fields. You can meet for trekking or participate in parties solo, or like today, Franziska accepted the offer to observe meteorites together. She has been a member of this association for a long time and also obtained permission to bring her parents. So we waited at the gas station for about 20 people who didn't want to miss the passing of the celestial body. Soon, we drove out of Santiago in a thick Mazda C 5, into the valley of the Rio Mapocho, heading north. The valley was even narrower than the one from the excursion to the reservoir, and the only road steadily climbed towards Cerro Plomo after about 1 hour. In winter, it is a very popular ski resort, and the road often has to be closed after heavy snowfall! It is very hard for us to imagine in this immense heat, but the signs indicating the requirement of snow chains cannot be wrong. Our driver twisted and turned higher and higher, and we felt like we were in South Tyrol on our way to the castle courtyard. The 23rd curve was supposed to be the meeting point, but that was probably incorrect information. We reached an altitude of 2000 m, after at least 45 curves. We parked at a suitable place for our five cars, and everyone dispersed in the area with the snacks they brought. Everyone chatted with everyone else and took photos. Not only was the landscape spectacular, but the sunset with all its shades of red was also enticing to capture. It didn't occur to us that the meteorite xxxxxx was supposed to pass by here again after 2.5 million years, but there must have been a lot about it in the newspaper. Later, it turned out that the flyby was expected at 10:00 p.m. Not only our group was on the move, and there were vehicles parked along the roadside everywhere, and people were running around with cameras and binoculars, as we noticed on the way back. Two young men, who also wanted to go home after the agreed-upon time and were heading in our direction, gave us a ride. A journey of about 2 hours! But time flew by quickly with the conversation in English and Spanish. We didn't see anything of the comet, which was actually supposed to come at 11:00 p.m. We all agreed that we would probably find the best pictures on the Internet the next day. The young men, one from Venezuela and the other from Bolivia, both working for a German company in Santiago, dropped us off near Franzi's office, and we made the final leg of the journey with a taxi.

One last balcony with cold drinks, and then it's over! It's a pity that it's over, and it's nice to have spent such a great time with Franziska. We are driving back reassured because she is exactly where she belongs in Chile and feels comfortable there. But it has also made us realize that we have to travel here more often! Hopefully, that will be possible for a long time in terms of health!?!