Latest from BA

So after searching high and low for a true "internet cafe" we realized that all they really have in BA are internet kiosks, most of which are stinky and hot, so we apologize for not posting earlier. I'll split this update into multiple posts so this one won´t be rediculously long.

The flights to South America were surprisingly comfortable. It took cloe to 24 hours from start to finish and until we got to Santiago was largely uneventful. We were able to precure an exit row seat so we had plenty of leg room. We would recommend LAN if you ever flying to South America. They were polite, had a decent selection of movies, TV and music with screens built into the headrests and served ham and cheese sandwhiches every 6 hours or so, including for breakfast. They even had decent wine on the flight which was a pleasant surprise. I ended up watching Mission Impossible 3 and Pirates of the Carribean 2 - both highly regrettable movies that were painful to watch from start to finish.

Along the way we stopped in Lima for a coulpe about an hour which was an interesting experience. The terminal we were in was brand new and reminded me a bit of the Dallas airport. Virtually everythig was in english and they even offered a lottery of sorts for american tourist flying through. We didn´t try it out cause the kiosk was closed - it was around 1AM - but from the advertising it was directed entirely at Americans and you could win $10,000. We sat in a bar of 80´s cool - plush white leather loveseats, odd lighting and C&C music factory blaring. It was a bit surreal.

By the time we arrived in Santiago the sun was finally coming up and the city was completely shrouded in a thick layer of fog so we couldn´t se the city very well flying in. It is almost entirely surrounded by imposing mountains that put Denver to shame. Once in the terminal the first thing we see is a Starbucks with a Ruby Tuesday just around the corner. So far the trip had not been as exotic as we had hoped.

After waiting for about 2 hours and trying to get on the wrong plane, we found out that our flight had been delayed and it would be a least an hour before they could tell us a time when the plane would take off - some undisclosed problem with the plane that didn´t bode well. We quickly transferred to another flight that was leaving about 30 minutes after our initial flight was scheduled which left withoug a hitch. Flying over the Andes was unbelievable. We crossed about 500 miles of the most incredible, seemingly impassable mountains that you could ever imagine. It was a swirling mass of rock, sheer cliffs hundreds if not thousands of feet high, thick snow pack covering most of the summits. We saw no settlements at all even though the visibility was perfect. There might have been roads, but they looked more like streams. Somehow we are going to be crossing through that in a bus in around 2 weeks. Should be interesting. Once on the other side of the Andes, we hit the Pampas, which is as flat as the Mississippi Delta, has about 1/10 the number of trees and stretches for over 1000 miles. It´s the heartland of the beef industry in Argentina.

So finally we arrive in Buenos Aires, tired and a bit wary because of rumours we had heard about scam artists. Plus Jenna Bush just had her purse stolen under the nose of secret service. We were the last folks off the plane and we get through customs without problem but it takes forever. We get to baggage claim and everyone has already collected and left and our luggage is nowhere to be found. Things are not looking good. We talk to the lost and found folks who tell us to wait for the flight we were originally on to see if the bags are on that flight. So we wait, and wait, and wait and about an hour later the flight arrives. And so we wait, and wait some more, and watch most of the passengers collect their bags and leave. Then finally we see one of our bags come out. And about 10 mintes later we see the rest. The whole experience was exhausting, but finally we are on the road into Buenos Aires.