Leaving on a Jet Plane
So what have we been doing in November? One word sums it up BUSY. We made a trip to Delray Beach, Florida for a writer’s conference and then a quick trip to see my daughter and her husband on the Florida coast. Followed by going to our favorite place to hang out which is Fort Lauderdale. Then and a quick trip back to DFW! Trips back to the States are all about fine dining and shopping until we drop!
Oh, the food! Now I know this section is boring but not for us. While in Delray Beach we dined at Cut 432 for steak twice. Stopped in at Ben and Jerry’s for ice cream but not to compare to the wonderful ice cream we have in Ecuador. Once we arrived in Fort Lauderdale we went to Capital Grill for steak and my favorite Oyster Rockefeller at least four times. We stopped in at Truluck’s just for Oyster’s Rockefeller for me. Every morning we ate breakfast at Primanti Bros diner. Then we made a new discovery of the Mexican Cantina within walking distance of the Premier Hotel. Wow was this great Mexican Food which is our new favorite in Fort Lauderdale. Once we arrived in DFW we had steak at H3 in the stockyards, stopped by Chuy’s, and had great BBQ at Rudy’s they even had our favorite Green Chili Stew and of course a What A Burger for me! Yes, we ate our way across Florida and Fort Worth. I gained 10 pounds and now that I am in the land of the Andes I have thankfully lost!
Our quick trip back to DFW for a few days was a surprise for our granddaughter. The trip was so short we did not tell anyone except one close friend. Our granddaughter was so surprised and we tried to make the most of the short time we were there. So, I did the Gran thing and we made a pie crust and pie and of course, I let her use a whole can of spray whipped cream.
In the stockyards, our little granddaughter even got to sit on a longhorn for a photo op.
Bill helped her get ready for a party that consisted of face painting. We planned games and got to know our little grandson better. Our seven-year-old granddaughter told her mom “Gran & PaPa as so adventuresome”. Humm, yes we are at least in her eyes.
Highlights of our trip.
While in Justin, Texas we had to stop at Justin Boot Company, and yes I got some new kickin cowgirl boots to take back to Ecuador.
Flying is just not any fun anymore especially packing and repacking our duffel bags and weighing to make sure they were not over 50 pounds. We ended up with 1 suitcase and 6 duffel bags.
I always take all the tags and packing off of our purchase and bubble wrap nearly everything. The American Airline flight from DFW to Miami was not a problem. The problem started when we were taking a connecting flight on LAN Airlines to Quito. Bill was having back problems and could not lift anything so all the heavy lifting was left to me. Now, this would not have been a problem if a skycap was available to help me with our bags from DFW. The terminal was like a ghost town and this was around noon. Not like it was in the middle of the night. Not one skycap in sight in the arrivals area. Someone paged a skycap but no one ever showed up. So I went upstairs to American Airlines departures I ended up talking to a supervisor that explained that due to union rules the departure skycaps could not go downstairs to arrivals. He finally agreed to help me and went with me downstairs. He loaded all our bags on a huge cart. But I guess he misunderstood me that our flight was on LAN, not American Airlines. He was so sorry but the rules would not allow him to leave the American Airlines area. So he helped us load all our bags on 2 push carts. I really do not know what we would have done without his help. The Miami Airport is huge and the LAN check-in was at the opposite side of the airport from American Airlines. It took us a good 30 minutes to make the walk. The carts worked well and were not difficult to push it was just such a long way.
Finally, we arrived at the LAN check-in. The check-in clerk said firmly ” you can only have 6 bags”. Remember we had 6 duffles and 1 suitcase. We were flying business class and I said “we would be glad to pay”. The check-in clerk was firm and matter of fact saying “no you can only have 6 bags”. Bill said, “so what are we to do with the other bag give it to you”? The non-smiling clerk gave no comment and frankly, did not care. So I said, ” okay we will be back”. Other passengers waiting in line helped us move our bags to the side. Then I proceeded to move the contents of one of the duffel bags to another duffel and the suitcase. Then we went back to Miss Personality LAN check-in clerk. I said ” okay I now have 6 bags” she replied you have to pay the overweight charge and I responded ” fine”. She checked our bags but said, ” you have to pay the extra charge before your boarding passes will be issued”. Then sent us to the wrong line to pay but luckily Bill figured it out and we went to the correct line. After that ordeal, everything was looking up. Breezed through security and turned out our gate was direct across from a margarita bar. So 2 margaritas later the knots in my neck and back were starting to unwind. Bill was drinking a beer and turned out his glass had a chip in it. He “said it was not a problem”. But the manager insisted on giving him a new glass and beer. My second margarita was on the house and the bartender even put it in a paper coke cup for me to take on board the flight. Now do not misunderstand we really do like LAN Airlines, especially business class. But as the old adage “it only takes one employee to tarnish the image of a company”.
We arrived in Quito without incident and breezed through customs. Our wonderful driver was waiting for us and life was good again. Once we made it home I started unpacking our bags. USA TSA Miami certainly was busy since they unwrapped every package that I had bubbled wrapped. I have never had this happen before It was a miracle that nothing was broken. We had glass jars of green chili and hot sauce. The bags were a mess not only do I bubble wrap but I place them in zip lock bags that I can use later. Well, that is if they had not sliced the zip lock bags open. All I have to say is we will never fly into the Miami Airport if at all possible. In my opinion, the Fort Lauderdale Airport is easier to navigate. Plus making the trip to Florida and then to DFW was just too much for me. So I am not eager to return to the stress of the States. Glad to be back home in the land of tranquility!
You might wonder if Thanksgiving is celebrated in Ecuador. Well yes, it is especially for the Gringo’s. Thanksgiving we were invited to a friend’s Pre-American Style Thanksgiving which was wonderful and then we attended an Ecuadorian Style Thanksgiving at La Mirage.
Hugs to Family and Friends
