I blinked and somehow today is the day I venture to a new continent. This will be lucky number 4/7 (a break from Europe was bound to happen). It was barely an idea in September, but you must strike when the opportunity arises during hockey season.
I PROMISE I will try my best to actually follow through on an entire trip’s blog. Those who have been long time fans know I have yet completed a trip’s blog from start to finish. I suspect the same might happen again, but here’s to hoping 🥂.
5:39am – This was only the beginning of a long day ahead. Given how late I’ve been sleeping in lately, I was a bit nervous I wasn’t going to wake up in time and miss my flight. This, of course, would only prove to my family that I don’t need to be travelling anymore. I couldn’t have that happen and my brain knew this as I woke up before my alarm. All that was left was to put some pants on and pack away my electronics. My grandma got delivered right on time, and off we went!
This trip of many firsts didn’t cease at the Kelowna airport. I finally ate at the White Spot past security. Despite the airport price, the food was well good and passed the time quickly. Due to the full belly and purs and whirs of a tiny plane, I bounced between states of consciousness on our way to Vancouver. So much so, I rawdogged that sucker with no phone nor headphones. Just thoughts… scary. I forgot how loud planes are without noise cancelling headphones.
We landed in Vancouver with plenty of time to spare. As we are Canadians, we had a farewell stop at the Timmie’s and waited. We sat next to some lady and Brad. Brad apparently doesn’t have to pay any of his fare over the 9 flights he’s taken. He just shows up and gets taken care of. Brad is also a dog. I got to hear about this dog’s flight career as if it was her husband’s, whom was on the other side of Brad. Methinks I know who gets priority in Miss Ma’am’s life…
After maybe a 20 minute delay, we were in the air on our way to Dallas. Our flight company this time was American Airlines. WestJet needs to take a page out of their book when it comes to their tomato juice. As you can see by the photo below, they give you a proper can. None of this mini can garbage.
Apparently choosing to order Clamato (fun tomato juice) on a flight is very controversial for you folk. Though, to note, I was met with a blank stare when I asked for Clamato. Instead, I was offered a bloody Mary mix when I clarified I was searching for tomato juice. Unfortunately, it was probably the best drink I’ve had on a flight. Americans win this round 🙁 It was perfectly spicy and went perfect with my cookies (I swear if I hear anyone beak me on my Clamato and cookies mix…).
Another thing that stood out to me this flight was the audacity of someone’s grandma, and it sure ain’t mine. Apparently my hip was a great armrest for a good chunk of the flight. She had the armrest up between us even. Multiple times I had to shuffle around to let her know I was not furniture but she ceased to stop. It wasn’t the end of the world, but giving you an idea of the clientele in row 14.
Fast forward to maybe the highlight of my day (tough competition with the aforementioned granny, of course). We land in Dallas, Texas and were completely shocked at how massive this airport is. They have a multi-stop metro to get you from terminal to terminal. It put Vancouver to shame.
But, that’s not the highlight. It was the place we found in our glorious Terminal D – Texas BBQ. Long story short, yes there is absolutely no place that does barbecued meat like that. Even it being an AIRPORT restaurant, it had the best pulled pork I’ve ever had. Think of what kinds of restaurants we have in our airports…. I can’t imagine what a real smokehouse would be like here. I got to enjoy some of the most tender brisket also. After we finished we walked around and pointed out every cowboy hat we came across. There were so many. It’s true what they say, everything IS bigger in Texas.
We had a small delay due to maintenance (concerning at first, overheard it was a seat) but then we were off to Santiago, Chile! I will always be surprised to see how many people are going to the same place I am at the exact same time… don’t you guys have jobs? Actually, the majority of the passengers were in their retirement age. I won’t bore you with the first 4 hours of the flight, even though we had turbulence almost constantly. Enough even, during supper it bumped someone’s bottle off.
It started off as amazement and appreciation for nature when I watched a lightning show going on over the ocean from my window, while we flew over Guatemala. I could see the actual lines of bolts hit the water. It was a long time since I’ve watched a storm this active. The clouds would light up every few seconds, and it seemed like I was the only one awake and/or aware of the storm. We were still bumping and swaying like nothing I’ve experienced before, but the storm looked so far away I wasn’t too worried. Famous last words.
Next thing I know, the whole sky lit up in white. We were in the lightning. Quickly, it went from a dark, but clear sky, to a visible haze that would get lit up every few seconds, again. Along with the visuals, the plane dipped and bounced side to side. We’re calling it a miracle I didn’t turn into a puddle of anxiety at this point. Still, no one seemed to notice or act phased by nature’s rollercoaster. Of course, it was as I was going to try to sleep. That did NOT happen. What was almost worse was that I swear I felt something hit against the bottom of the plane. Like physically feeling the pressure or whatever causes turbulence. It was a long day, so let’s not quote the source on that one.
At some point, I came across a post that a friend would remind me of later. There’s a record breaking (I think) hurricane hitting Jamaica as we speak. It was on the other side of the coast, so it wasn’t necessarily that storm, but still not what you want to hear. I gave into the sleepiness and folded into a pretzel, trying to get comfy to catch some zzz’s. As per usual, I fell asleep with maybe an hour or so before breakfast started, only to be woken up for said breakfast.
It was a lovely, light breakfast consisting of yogurt and granola. Soon the sun rose and the Andes were in our sights!! Prayers were answered and no planes flew out of the sky that night. I’ll catch up on the actual day in Santiago on the next blog.
Stay tuned: LATAM 2025 – Day 2: The Sleepiest Worms Take on Santiago