BootsnAll Travel Network



Welcome to Miami!

Weīve read about the OTT procedures recently adopted by US immigration and can vouch for their complete lack of organisation. They also publish a list of pledges, including one about being corteous to passengers, but weīre not sure if they know the meaning of the word.

We landed 55 minutes before our connecting flight to Lima, and down to a Peruvian called Alex, we managed to get a fast track through the immigration people. He basically spoke Spanish to the right person, while our pleas that time was of the essence just got frowned upon. Alex was to become a temporary companion from here ownwards.

We literally legged it to the baggage hall and played skittles with other passengers as we found our bags and headed off to customs, still thinking we might make it. We were directed to leave our bags at a special place and sent off to go through security all over again. Lttle did we know that this would be the last time we would see our bags for a long time……

But then we hit another wall of officialdom at security, and after taking off our boots for what seemed like the enth time, we sprinted all the way to the very last gate (always the way, isnīt it?!), just to see them closing the doors. Damn!!

What do we do now? We have more connecting flights from Lima down to Bolivia and onwards booked for first thing in the morning, and it isnīt looking pretty right now.

Over to the Continental Airlines desk (other end of Houston airport, again!!) where we find out weīll now have to fly to Miami (isnīt this back tracking rather than back packing?), and then catch a Lan Peru flight from Miami to Lima. Yep, you guessed it – it lands 45 minutes before our connection to Bolivia takes off. Damn again!!

So we sat and had a beer and a burger in Houston before catching our new flight to Miami, arriving there just 19 hours after we left Gatwick. And the best is to come – this flight is delayed for five hours and wonīt be taking off until 4.50 in the morning. Can anything else go wrong so early in our trip of a life time???

While we are at Miami, doing nothing at all because it closes down after midnight (I thought it was in the States and international, but there you go!), we had a walk around the airport to keep our recent exewrcise regime up. It was amazing how many people were kipped down for the night, and in some cases they looked as if they were contortionists attempting to blend chairs with body to produce strange public art forms.

After sitting down for a while Alex came past (heīd been put on a different flight from Houston to Miami, but was scheduled to pick up the same flight to Lima as we were). What he told us we simply couldnīt believe.

Heīd arrived at Miami and gone to check in, only to be told he wouldnīt be able to get a seat on the flight to Lima – and the next flight was in 24 hours. Why were his arrangements entirely different to ours, even though weīd all been in the same situation and made the re-arrangements at Continentalīs desk at the same time?? And what was worse, he didnīt have any of his luggage with him, just the clothes he was standing in and a small piece of cabin luggage. We felt really sorry for him, but at the same time began to wonder if our luggage would make it to Lima for when (eventually) got there…….



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6 Responses to “Welcome to Miami!”

  1. Geoff Says:

    And then folk complain about BW!!

    Hope that all goes well from now on.

    all good wishes,

    Geoff

  2. Geoff Says:

    And then folk complain about BW!!

    Hope that all goes well from now on.

    all good wishes,

    Geoff

  3. Mum & Dad Says:

    Hope things are going better now!Life is never straight forward when decorated wioth red tape!

    We are off now to try the same excercise at East Midalnds Airport.

    Take care
    Much Love

    Watch this space
    P&C xxxx

  4. Liz Waddington Says:

    Hola!

    Having read that I’m exhausted! And I don’t know if you’re in Miami or made it to Lima and with or without your jim jams!? Cliffhanger or what?? Can’t wait for next instalment, this is better than Eastenders!

    love Liz

  5. Fiona Says:

    What’s all this about jimjams, Liz? He doesn’t wear them!

    Love as ever

    Guess who?
    XXX

  6. Liz Waddington Says:

    Definitely better than ‘Enders then!