EC Amazon & Galapagos Day 15
EC Amazon & Galapagos
Day 15-5 - Tuesday, December 17, 2007 - Flight to Miami, Florida and then Denver, Colorado
Our alarm went off at 5:15 and we had also asked for a “just in case” wake up call that came two minutes later. Last night we finished packing so we were ready to go in no time.
We were up and showered and went down to breakfast at 6:00. The OAT group was bright and cheery at 6:30 when we got on the bus one last time for our final trip to the airport.
Antonio asked a porter to help with our big bags and we stood in line to check in with LAN. We thanked Antonio one more time; he was an excellent Tour Director, one of the best we have had with OAT!
There was a lot of confusion about the LAN check-in procedures. We had to get a supervisor to check our bags all the way through to Denver and give us our boarding passes.
I helped John and Judy as they have two additional connecting flights to get to Virginia. Hopefully, we will all get our bags at our final destinations!
From the check-in we went directly to pay the Ecuadorian Departure Tax of $40.80 per person. An official gave us a sticker on our boarding pass signifying that we had paid.
We were cleared to go to the next station to have our passports stamped for leaving Ecuador. The next step was to go through security where we were all checked one more time.
Our gate was A4 in this small airport and we found it easily amid the maze of coffee, chocolate, and souvenir shops. We waited for about one hour until they called our flight.
LAN began boarding the plane at 8:40 and we took off on time at 9:20. The flight was almost full, so many Ecuadorians going to the USA for Christmas!
There were a few empty seats in the back of the plane so we were able to move around a little and stretch out. The flight was only 3 hours and 45 minutes and the Boeing 767 was comfortable and our flight went quickly.
We said goodbye to all of our new travel friends because from now on we will all go our separate ways. The LAN flight was on time but we stood in the Immigration line for a long time. Customs was a wave and a smile as we had bought very little while we were away.
Our flight landed in the International South Terminal and our connecting flight was in the North Terminal. We went through Security without any problems.
We continue to be amazed at travelers who go through the metal detectors with change in their pockets, huge belt buckles, and other metallic items that set off the alarms.
Following the signs to Gate E23, we took the People Mover to the E Concourse. We were greeted by the familiar smell of Pizza Hut and stopped for lunch.
Our flight to Denver was not scheduled to board until 4:45 giving us lots of time to catch up on the journal and read. Don and Marilyn are also going back to Denver on our same flight. We have truly enjoyed their company on this trip!
Because of a delay in Chicago, our flight crew did not arrive until almost 6:30. We would have had time to go to the beach here in Miami!
We finally took off at 7:20 and landed in Denver at 8:45 Mountain Time. We said goodbye to Don & Marilyn who will drive back to Bozeman, Montana in the morning.
The shuttle to Pikes Peak Parking was an easy transition; and wonder of wonders, our little Honda CRV started right up after sitting out in the elements and -18° temperatures while we were gone!
We arrived home to beautiful moonlit snow and our Christmas lights welcoming us. It is always wonderful to travel but there is no place like home for the holidays!
One final note, this is the first trip we traveled with a new Acer Aspire One laptop computer. It weighs only 2.2 pounds, runs XP and has a 8.9” screen. Really a back saver in the backpack. We were able to video conference with our son many times during the trip using its built in video camera and Google Video/Chat. Great travel computer.
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A CD OF EACH TRIP IS AVAILABLE.
These CDs are compilations of slide presentations of each day (pictures of the events during the day) accompanied by music reflective of the nation and day.
On most CDs there are presentations on the people of the country, people traveling with the group, flowers, and panoramas.
On more recent trips, short videos have been included on the web pages and these videos are also available in the CD.
The CD is available for $20 US. Shipping and handling is included for US addresses. Slightly higher for overseas shipping.
To view an example of the presentations Click Here
As it is an 8:13 presentation, give yourself time to see it in its entirety.
Please contact garciatrips@gmail.com for more specific information and a screen capture of the CD menu.
Comments
Post a Comment!I went through Denver last Monday on my way to California and it was really cold. We even had snow on the hill tops here in Northern California. Thanks for your wonderful trip description.
Map of Flight
Waiting for Our Flight
LAN Aircraft
Snowy Welcome
Happy Holidays to All!
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