Review of LATAM flight from Santa Cruz to Santiago in Economy

Walking around VVI with a spring in my step and a smile on my face, no one would believe that - only 24 hours before - I was a wheezing wreck of a human being. In fact, I feel ready to run across the airport with open arms singing The Trees Are Aliiiiive… BTW, now I wonder how Julie Andrews prevented altitude disease on that mountain… 🤔

The small hotel where I stayed, Equipetrol Suites Apart Hotel - quite a big name for such a small hotel - calls me a taxi, and 20 or 25 minutes later I'm at VVI. It was 60 BOB.

VVI is a medium-sized airport…

…built much in the style of several Chilean airports I have visited, like PMC.

That is, a long main hall on the first (ground) floor…

…and an escalator in the middle, that takes you upstairs to security check.

But before we go upstairs…

…let's have a look around. EcoJet and TAM are two pending tasks for my next visit.

VVI's terminal building is - obviously - much smaller than LPB…

…but VVI has nothing to envy LPB when it comes to services and amenities.

Besides, VVI manages a lot more international flights. Let's go upstairs.

Over there, at the bottom…

…is the access…

…to security check.

If you're taking an international flight, don't forget to fill in your Formulario 250.

You'll be asked to show it before you're allowed into security check.

Once airside…

…the view is kind of ghostly.

Brrr…!! Not a soul around here.

Why do you make me come so early, LATAM? I mean, to the airport.

I see two Priority Pass VIP lounges. Not sure if this one is open…

…but this one certainly is, and this cafeteria seems to be an extension of it.

It has a very good offer of pastries and sandwiches. In fact, everything is prepared inside the lounge and then served outside. Great! If Pulpintu can't access the VIP lounge, the VIP lounge will access Pilpintu! ✊

Around that corner…

…are the gates.

In case you're wondering about BoA's baggage allowance.

CP-3209 - a 10-year-old A330 - is sitting outside…

…but is promptly pushed back and left to soak under the rain over there.

I thought it was in order to make way for my incoming flight…

…but LATAM's CC-BFB…

…pulls into the next gate.

First time I see these bifurcated(?) jet bridges. Anyway, the one on the left doesn't seem to be used very often.

Not that I didn't like Bolivia, but I have been eager to cross this door these days. 😩

And yes. In a rare act of money squandering, Pilpintu paid a little more to have more legroom.

Yep, I'm so miserly that I kept some sandwiches from the day before. 😅

You can plug in anything here!

I keep asking myself "Where are the people?" The boarding room was almost empty, and the boarding process was lightning fast. I hope nobody else will sit in my row.

Meanwhile, a look at the safety information card…

…and a photo of the IFE QR. See my previous report for detailed information about the IFE.

And yep. Nobody else sits in my row… or in most rows. The plane is almost empty!!

After such speedy boarding, we depart on time…

…leaving the flat savanna of Santa Cruz de la Sierra behind…

…with mixed feelings…

…of relief and sadness…

…for not having enjoyed the trip more.

Well, at least I have an excuse…

…for another trip…

…since I still have to visit Sucre, Tarija, and a bit more of La Paz.

The Geography Lesson

Some additional information about this flight.

Too bad it was impossible to see any of the Bolivian Amazon.

However, as we reach the Andes foothills…

…you can notice the "folds" caused by the pressure of the Nazca plate pushing South America eastwards, while the South American plate pushes towards the west.

Here:

In the intricate landscape of  mesas and valleys…

…I suddenly catch sight…

…of an airstrip, here bottom center. It happens to be Sucre, the city I was unable to visit because of my cough.

And just some kilometers west of Sucre, one of the most amazing rock formations I have ever seen, in the shape of a Spanish fan.

It's huge! Only as I'm writing this report I learn that it's a crater! It's called Maragua (or Marawa) and you can take a full-day tour from Sucre, which, of course, has just made it to my bucket list.

Simply a - ma - zing. I wonder if it's of volcanic origin, or was it caused by a meteor impact, or what…?! The only other rock formation that I find equally mesmerizing is in the same area, but in Chile. This geologic formation has intrigued me for years, and I have no idea what it is.

Meanwhile, the FAs spoil the fun with the onboard service - a cereal bar, a large cookie and a coffee. For an additional 80 USD (Premium Economy) a bag of chips is included.

I didn't take the time to check the route carefully before the flight, so I'm a bit surprised when I see a large white extension, stretching to the horizon.

Just below us, a runway that looks disproportionately long for the town it serves.

Oh my f… god!! It's Uyuni!!

I'm ecstatic! Oh, the landscape! It's like… Jovian… Saturnian… Neptunian…

…or perhaps Plutonian… Who cares! It's just… amazing!

Is that the spine of a super giant ancient reptile?

It was an incredible treat. I never thought I would see the Salar de Uyuni (Uyuni Salt Lake) from the air.

And the rest of the flight is not less impressive. As we near the border with Chile, we catch sight of the first volcanoes.

I was around here when I visited San Pedro de Atacama and the Tatio geysers.

Flying over the Atacama desert is like flying over the surface of a creamy latte. 😋

I was right! The dark stain in the center is Calama. You can see the airport (CJC) right on the left of the city. When you travel to San Pedro de Atacama, the transfer bus won't go into the city (thank God because the place is horrible), but south west along the road that runs through those wind turbines you see just below the runway. All of that is in my report.

The colors and shapes of the desert leave me speechless. The next three photos look like composites…

…but they are not! This is exactly what the landscape looks like.

This one is my favorite. Absolutely otherworldly.

Mining is the main economic activity in Chile, and it's concentrated…

…precisely here, in the north of the country.

Meanwhile in the cabin, I think I can see no more than four people in premium economy.

As we reach the southern fringes of the desert, the land looks a bit like marble…

…which reminds of a town called Combarbalá, where a local stone called combarbalite is turned into nice pieces like these:

I don't think I'll be reporting from that runway anytime soon.

As you see, these are precisely the colors of combarbalite.

Some 1000km north of Santiago…

…we find the first thin valleys of the Norte Chico (lit. Small North)…

…an area where the lowest hills of the Andes meet the sea.

Up in the air, my bladder is trying to tell me something. After the visit to the lavatory, this view shows how shockingly few people are flying today!

Most of the passengers are old and speak English. LATAM, you should distribute metformin and omeprazole on these flights, nor cereal bars! 😅

Dams are essential for agriculture around here.

In your local supermarket you might find some wine or pisco produced in these valleys.

Oh! Did I mention Combarbalá? It's down there! 😁

The sight of Illapel lets us know that we are aboout 300km north of Santiago.

Our turbine is swallowing Salamanca, in the valley of river Choapa.

We have started our descent with a view of the Costa Central. That is…

…the area where most santiaguinos (the inhabitants of Santiago)…

…flock to in summer…

…turning all the towns in that area, like Viña del Mar or Valparaíso…

…into hell on earth. New tree plantations have been popping up on the foothills around Santiago.

I think they're avocado trees.

Mashed avocados used to be a favorite among Chileans for breakfast and once (lit. eleven, meaning "the evening tea". Long story*)…

…but the price of avocados has soared, just like everything else. Bolivians asked me A LOT about salaries in Chile, and yes, they can be 30% to 50% higher than in Bolivia…

…but life has become extremely expensive.

In fact, I met some Chileans who have an income in Chile, but live in Bolivia. The word is expats, right?

Well, if you're planning to become an expat once you retire…

…I highly recommend Chile. Nice weather, nice landscapes, relatively stable economy, 11th in a ranking of the most beautiful countries…

…aaand, by the way, I might be selling some nice plots of land very soon. 😅

Oh! Here we are!  JetSmart was waiting for us to land.

Oh, SCL, I hate you for so many things…

…but I'm so happy to see you.

I really don't care that - as usual -…

…you will send me off to the farthest possible gate…

…because LATAM didn't squeeze me today…

…and I feel fit and light…

…now that I'm breathing an atmosphere as God intended.

Oh, I like this welcome with the theme of the Paine Towers National Park.

As I've said before, be warned…

…that you will walk a lot at SCL.

You forgot the windows by gate B08, guys. They were filthy in my previous report!

A brief stop just to see where I am.

Oh, I see. I have to get to the middle of that curved building. So I'd better…

…keep walking.

…and walking…

…until I exit the piers and…

…keep walking.

Almost there.

And I finally make it. Once you take those escalators…

…you'll be confronted with a long line for foreigners, who have to go through manual passport check…

…or those kiosks if you are Chilean.

But now I know that they work only with passports, not with ID cards, so I bypass them and go directly to the line for the only window for Chileans.

After that, there's…

…a little duty free…

…an extensive baggage claim…

…and the very strict SAG, which will check that you're not bringing any plant or animal products what - so - ev - er with you.

Then you're free to roam…

…around this long and narrow…

…strip of land. If you find the exit, that is.

At long last, for God's sake. 🙄

I'm a bit at a loss landside…

…because I forget I am in the international terminal, not the usual domestic one. Hah. Early-onset dementia, I guess. 😅

But I walk all the way to the end of the hallway, just like I do at the domestic terminal, and I find these booths…

…where you buy your bus ticket to Santiago for 1900 CLP (about 2 USD)

And here we go. The bus will stop at Pajaritos metro station, too, but I'll go all the way to their bus station downtown and take the next bus home…

…which is some 120km south of Santiago.

And this would be the end of this insane trip around Bolivia, so badly ruined by my cough and the thin air. As we race along the 5 Sur I admire the landscape, so beautiful this time of year.

I recline my seat and doze off.

I'm so happy to be back home!! 🥲

Thanks for reading! 😀