Around the world in 90 days starts today

It was sheer exhaustion that numbed me to the incessant kicking in the back of my seat by a whining toddler with ants in his pants. I was not overly impressed with the airline I was flying with either. Ranked with five stars, it far from lived up to it's reputation, or maybe the fact that the entertainment system was not easy to navigate, the food was average and the stewardesses looked harried made me question it's spot as the seventh best airline in the world. Although I did notice an "under review" annotation next to it's name. Hmmm..
A stop over in Buenos Aires, a new airline and an upgrade to business class brought back my sanity. As I wiped my hands with a warm towel, sipped Malbec from a real wine glass and seasoned my delicious salad from mini ceramic salt and pepper shakers, my previous flight became a distant memory. Unfortunately the flight was only two hours and my bliss ended as we landed in Santiago, Chile.

I was pleasantly surprised at the cleanliness and efficiency of the airport, so with not much effort I retrieved my backpack and headed out through customs. As I popped out the sliding doors into the arrivals hall I was expecting to see my name on a board with a friendly face behind it. Instead I was accosted by an array of Chilean taxi drivers waving their signs in my face with nothing but "taxi" written on them. I finally managed to convince them that I did indeed have someone picking me up. That someone arrived about half an hour late, his excuse being he was stuck in traffic. I must say, I have heard Santiago's traffic is nightmarish and I got the full experience on the way to my hotel as we fought the barrage of vehicles.
While we weaved in and out of traffic I gazed out the window at all the stories passing by. A complex of gingerbread houses, a Parisian style railway station and buildings, a busker strumming away at his beat up guitar while a girl covered in tattoos walks by puffing on a cigarette. A group of mariachis strolling along the sidewalk with their instruments, chatting away excitedly while a couple kiss at a bus stop. A park, full of jacaranda trees carpeting the grass with their falling purple flowers. A white cocker spaniel chasing another dog and getting scolded by his owner as she puts him back on the leash. A woman hosing down the grimy pavement outside her store while an elderly man in a panama hat checks his watch. The welcome-to-Santiago scenes were truly colorful!
We eventually turned down a street into the leafy suburb of Providencia and arrived at the cute Meridiano Sur Petit Hotel. It is petit, but also very trendy with minimalist design and lounge music playing softly throughout the premises . I sat out on the terrace with an hibiscus tea and caught up on my emails, letting loved ones know I had arrived safe and sound.
Eventually at 2:45am South African time, I crawled into bed. Needless to say, a lot can happen in a twenty two hour day!