Route of the Maya Day 1
Route of the Maya
DAY 1 - 11/24/05 - Depart U.S./Arrive San Salvador, El Salvador
Our alarm went off at 4 AM and we were up and had our last minute morning chores done quickly. It was very dark when we left the house at 5 AM with the temperature at 38 (4 C) degrees. Traffic was light as it was early to be out on the interstate on this Thanksgiving morning.
Driving through Denver we saw a few signs of life and by the time we reached Pena Boulevard, the main road to DIA, the world was awake. Our usual parking area (Pikes Peak) was full so a staff member directed us to Mt. Elbert. The shuttle bus came right to the car and waited for us to unload our luggage and lock the car.
The line at United International moved quickly and soon it was our turn to check-in. We had an unpleasant surprise - as of September, luggage is not to exceed 50 pounds, even for international flights on all American carriers. We were used to the 70 pound limit of Lufthansa and I had even checked the United website yesterday that still listed 70 pounds. Now we know!
We arrived at our gate, B-20, and had an hour's wait. We were a little early, but better than racing to catch our flight during this busiest of all traffic weekends. Our flight to Dallas was just a hop, only 2 hours, but the flight was almost full. An interesting sight - a lady boarded pulling her carry-on luggage with a fresh pumpkin pie balanced on top of her bag! Going to grandma's for Thanksgiving in this new day and age.
We arrived in Dallas on Concourse B and took our time walking to D the new international terminal. We had lunch TGI Friday's and then sat waiting for our 2:30 flight to El Salvador on Taca Airlines. Because two of the luggage handlers had called in sick, we had an extra hour wait in the aircraft while they loaded the cargo and luggage.
We were lucky the flight was not too full and we were able to get an exit row with all three seats to ourselves so we had plenty of leg room and space. We met five other OAT travelers on this flight which will help us to start learning names.
We arrived in San Salvador, Central America's second largest city and the capital of El Salvador. Our first stop was the immigration officials who informed us of a $10 tourist tax to enter the country.
We proceeded to luggage and after a little wait, we went to customs where they had the dreaded red/green light system. I pushed the button and GOT RED! So they asked me to open my suitcase and made a cursory inspection and waved us through.
Our OAT Trip Leader, Judith, meet our flight and along with Carlos, our driver, accompanied us on a 45 minute ride to Sheraton El Presidente, our hotel, located in the pleasant Zona Rosa residential area. We checked in and they gave us a complimentary drink ticket and took us to our very spacious room. I prepared the photos and journal and then took my computer to the lobby where we got a drink and then used their Wi-Fi system to send our first day on the Route of the Maya.
Accommodations: Hotel Presidente San Salvador
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