We’re a little tired by the time we finally check into the hotel (although one of us has managed to sneak in a few naps along the way).

Puerto Montt isn’t as much of a destination as it is central to other areas to visit, so we’ve booked two nights here to get our bearings before moving further afield. The great news is that I still have some status at the Holiday Inn Express (from years ago when I racked up stays there to score free nights at the Intercontinental in Istanbul), so we’re pleased to find that we can choose from a free bottle of water, or a package of two, yes two, cookies. Membership does have its privileges.

After settling in, we wander around town a bit in search of dinner. Apparently they roll the streets up pretty early here and the few places that are still open are packed full of people watching the Chile v. Columbia soccer match. Fortunately, we do stumble across a french fry stand and suddenly, all seems right with the world.

Overall, a pretty unexciting day, but after a good night’s sleep in a real bed, we’ll be hitting the road in search of adventure.

It seems like a pretty good day to leave the country given the election and all, so for the next few weeks, while many of you are busy clicking through the Canadian Immigration website, my trusty sidekick and I will be stomping around Patagonia, checking out giant stone heads, and speaking really bad Spanish.

Having done a lot trips like this, you’d think we’d have the process mastered, but for reasons I can’t quite put my finger on, we seem less prepared than ever. Nevertheless, the flight is leaving with or without us, so whatever we’ve forgotten (and there is definitely going to be something), we’ll have to deal with it from afar.

The next 24 hours or so are going to be spent in the air, with our final stop in Puerto Montt, which is part of the Lake District in central Chile. Angela has taken the lead on setting the itinerary, so while I know we have about a week planned in the area, I’m not really sure doing what. A little adventure is good for the soul though I suppose.

In general, from central Chile the plan is to head down to Punta Arenas, at the southern tip of the country, then to Easter Island, and finally, a few days in Santiago. It’s a lot of flying, and there are still a few spots we just aren’t going to make it to, but for what looks like such a small country on the map, places are really, really far apart.

Even more stressful has been the near absence of beloved Sheraton and Hyatt hotels. My travel companion does enjoy her perks of status, and it remains to be seen how her system will react to no name accommodation found on TripAdvisor. Please pray for her.