The "docents" saw me coming. I'd stopped to read a sign
about ground transportation and got temporarily separated from my husband as we
exited the customs area at the Santiago airport.
"Lady, can I help you?" The "docent" reached
for my tote bag, which was about to topple from my rolling suitcase.
("Docent" is the term my husband I have assigned to those obsequious
locals who suddenly become your best friend and offer to escort you around
their city, or the monument you're trying to visit, usually in expectation of
remuneration.)
"Lady, where are you going?" The docent's partner
approached. Sharks were closing in. They had spotted a rich, gullible American
tourist, bleary-eyed after an overnight flight, lost and bewildered, definitely
in need of some Latin chivalry.
"I'm looking for my husband."
Helpful docents immediately started assisting in the search for my
husband. In a few moments, we were reunited. And surrounded by my new amigos.
"Did you find out where to catch the bus to Valparaiso?"
my husband asked me. Fortunately, I had done some research ahead of time about
ground transportation options. Taxis from the Santiago airport to Valparaiso
cost approximately $150, but there was a public bus from the airport to
Pajaritos station, where we could board another bus bound for Valparaiso, for
approximately $10 each. Frugal travelers that we are, we had settled on this
plan.
One of the docents pointed out the location of the
public bus stop. "But you don't want to do that," he advised.
"To get to Valparaiso, you have to go all the way into Santiago and change
buses. And the bus will drop you off downtown, where you'll have to take a taxi
to your hotel. Three changes of transportation, carrying all your own luggage, and
it will cost you about 50. For only 60, you can take the mini-bus directly to
your hotel in Valparaiso. And you can pay with a credit card!"
Minibus? I hadn't read about one, but in many of the cities we've
visited, there are semi-public buses leaving from the airport that make the
rounds of area hotels, often for less money than a private cab would cost.
"Come." Docents started pulling our suitcases toward the
minibus boarding area.
"Sixty what?" I asked as I trotted along after my
baggage. "Dollars? Pesos?"
"You'll pay in pesos," one docent replied. "By
credit card."
"How many pesos to the dollar?" my husband whispered to
me.
"The exchange rate is six to one," said one of the
docents.
"Sixty pesos sounds pretty good to me," my husband said.
But something wasn't right. I couldn't remember the exact dollar
to peso exchange rate, but it seemed like there were a whole lot of them to the
dollar. Sixty pesos was probably less than a dollar. No way was anyone going to
drive us two hours to Valparaiso for 60 pesos.
"Do you mean 60 dollars?" I asked. The last time we'd
taken a cruise out of Valparaiso—about 10 years ago—we'd taken a shuttle from
the airport to the cruise terminal for about 60 dollars each, and my husband
still felt like we'd gotten ripped off.
"Six to one," replied one of the docents.
We passed a currency exchange booth and I glimpsed the rate for
U.S. dollars: 656 Chilean pesos. Not easy math to do in your head. "He
can't mean 60 pesos," I murmured to my husband.
The official taxi stand I had passed at the customs exit posted
prices starting at 90. At first glance, my addled brain had assumed 90 dollars
but now it sunk in that the price had to be in pesos. The 90 in large print was
followed by three tiny zeros. Ninety thousand
pesos. But still, a ride directly to our hotel in Valparaiso for 60,000 pesos didn't sound
bad.
We reached the minivan. It looked like a large private taxi, not a
community-type minibus like I'd seen in other cities. The docents loaded our
baggage into the trunk. The driver opened the passenger door.
"Wait," I said to the driver. "How much are we
paying?"
He grunted and pointed to the credit card machine.
"Sixty dollars," said my docent friend. "But you
pay in pesos. With credit card."
"Sixty each," said one of the other docents.
"Sixty each?"
I looked at the driver, the one who would be collecting the money and holding
our bags hostage until we paid. "Cuantos
pesos para las dos?"
He typed into the machine and thrust it toward me: 120,000. Sixty thousand. Each.
"No! Too much." I didn't have time to run the numbers
through my calculator but I knew that amount was way more pesos than we wanted
to spend. We grabbed our bags before the docents could close the trunk and
headed back to the public bus stop.
"Lady! Wait! What's wrong?"
After a stop at an ATM, we boarded a bus for the 20-minute ride to
Pajaritos metro station, paying 1200 pesos each. There we purchased tickets for
Valparaiso for 3000 pesos each, with comfortable assigned seats for the
90-minute ride. From the downtown bus station where we arrived, we caught
another public bus to a major square for 300 pesos, where we hired a taxi for
1100 pesos to take us up the hill to our hotel. A little less convenient than
the private taxi directly from the airport, certainly, but our savings covered
our two nights in the hotel. Not to mention getting a little local color in the
process.
Several lessons we learned—or rather, reinforced—from this
experience:
- Do your homework.
- Know the exchange rate.
- Don't engage the docents.
What rip-offs have you encountered while traveling abroad? I'd
love to hear your comments.
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