Traveling is frustrating, exhausting, and amazing

Who knew that getting to Santiago, Chile could be such a hassle? Below is a summary of my 48 hours of traveling from Seattle to Santiago:

I woke up at 6:30 AM on December 26th to catch my 9:30 flight from Seattle to Oklahoma City. As we were about to land in Oklahoma, the airplane was struck by lightning. ‘Nuff said. I was supposed to fly from Oklahoma to Dallas for another layover, but my flight was canceled due to terrible weather conditions. I needed to catch my next flight 5 hours later, so I thought it would be a good idea to rent a car. I proceeded to drive for 3 hours in the worst conditions of my life. Tornadoes, flash floods, thunder and lightening, the whole gamut. THEN, when I was less than one mile away from returning my rental car, I got a flat tire. Long story short, I missed my flight. I waited in my car for 3 hours and contemplated the meaning of life while it was literally raining cats and dogs all around me…..and I had to pee. I spent the next 24 hours in the lovely city of Dallas, Texas, as seemingly every single flight was canceled because of the storms. My airline gave me a “discounted hotel” that still ended up costing over $100, and I was severely ripped off by multiple taxi drivers. 

HOWEVER, there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. As soon as I landed in Santiago, Chile, I was greeted by beautiful 85-degree weather, and all was right in the world again. I checked into my hostel and immediately left to explore the city. I hiked up this beautiful mountain called Cerro San Cristobal and took in the views. I wrapped up my first night in Santiago eating pizza with a friend who moved to Chile after graduating last year, and I could already tell that I was going to like this city. 

EL FIN