Trip Reports - LP Treasure Hunt

I’m awaiting a 0600 ride to LAX to start the LP quest, and I’m doing a last minute FT check. All systems go. I will meet up with AusTXHiker at 2231 tonight in Caracas with an itinerary that has been previously posted. We have an extra day in Aruba at the end for R&R, but not much sightseeing otherwise.

I rooted thru a bag destined for Goodwill in search of clothes that I can wear and toss along the way. No laundry for this Pilgrim!

My wife (who has been enticed with visions of future trips to the Inca Trail and the Galapagos Islands to take on extra parenting duties while I’m gone) wished me a hearty good luck at 0500. Actually, she must of lapsed into Chinese. “okbyeandyoureanidiot”.

So in quixotic zeal, much like Chris Columbus but without the scurvy; Edmund Hillary without the Sherpa; Captain J.T. Kirk without priceline.com….the adventure begins. I hope to do a joint posting with AusTxHiker on return to report a successful expedition.

Good luck and safe journey to you both! May all your connections be on time!

I'm sitting here in DL's Business Elite longe in ATL waiting for my CCS flight at 1600. Wish us luck- neither of us speak a lick of Espanol.

Mark,

I just happened to check Jailer's nonstop flight to MIA on ual.com, and it was diverted to PHX for mechanicals. As of ten minutes ago, United's people on the phone had no clues.

Craig

Hey Craig, thanks for the update. I checked the UA website and called the UA Premier Executive desk. They have NO updates. Barry left a message on my home phone about 10 minutes ago. He MIGHT make it on the connection. He is protected on an AA flight for tomorrow morning though. I hope this is not a sign of things to come. Back to my Spanish phrasebook.

Mark,

I just talked to UA at 1:20pdt. Apparently the MIA-CCS flight tonight is cancelled anyway, for some mysterious reason. Since the plane in PHX just left the gate at 1:14pdt, suspect Jailer will be on AA in the morning.

Auspicious start. Everything will probably run like clockwork from now on. Good luck.

Craig

Fool's Gold?--Or the itin. takes a hit from an unexpected souce: United.

Day 2: Up this morning at 0500 with a strong urge to post. Found myself in an unexpected and somewhat grim place, the Miami Best Western. After less than 3 hours sleep, my contact lens feel like the moon in the poem, THE HIGHWAYMAN: Ghostly galleons tossed upon stormy seas.

I shared an airport shuttle with a United pilot who smiled knowingly when I told him of the AIRBUS mechanical problems.

One hour out of LAX, thinking back, there was a decidedly non-S.O.P. pop that turned out to be a fitting breaking on a pump, causing a loss of hydrolic and requiring an unplanned landing at Phoenix (site of last year's birthday FT dinner, memories). First time that I've been met by emergency vehicles, and it was just like the movies, the yellow fire engine chases the plane on the side of the runway.

Reflecting that I expected to see the South Atlantic, not South Mountain, a planned hour repair turns into 3 and a half awaiting a part.

Re-seated in first class so I could dash for my Miami connection to Caracas, I'm secure that I can hit my Bogota connection next morning by my confirmed AA FIMM. But, as my United crew in going to Caracas as well, I'm hopeful that the next segment is delayed, not cancelled.

Cancelled it is, so going with plan B. Call Mark at the Caracas Hilton to let him know that I'll meet him Thursday morning at our first flight.

If AA blows, I've also plan C, let Mark carry the FT banner, and direct to Aruba for a week of diving and drinking. Maybe a few days in Quito, too?

So, an hour and a half to my AA flight, and I ponder that Frequent Flyer classic written about our Mercury 7 ancestors....Do I have the Right Stuff?

...and some people were dubious about the potential maintenance practices of those Central American LP airlines http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif <LOL>


___________________________
What is "FIMM"?






[This message has been edited by Craig6z (edited 05-18-2000).]

Think he meant FIM Flight Interupt Mmanifest http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif and good luck on the trip guys. Hope no plan C has to go into effect for you.

Re "FIMM" I dont type well standing up when the clocks running ($12 as it was), so mistype, one of many, many of the trip. Also, the keyboard here is Colombian standard.......


Day 2 continues--The Meeting--AustinTXHiker I presume? Mark, looking well rested, caught me coming off my AA from MIA, which was late but not worryingly so. It was a relief to see Mark, who I hung with at PIP. No customs to clear in Caracas, so with 90 minutes until Avianca to Bogota, went to the Avianca VIP for snacks and drinks. Gave away "The Green Mile" to a Scotsman in the lounge.

Avianca business class very comfortable. Could only get my toe on the seat in front of me, until moved to 1A to accommodate a married couple. Food good and good conversation with a banker from Costa Rica who thinks Caracas is just as dangerous as Bogota.

Mark and I have determined that it can be counter-productive to speak Spanish, because then they are off and running, and you have to revert to English anyway. We will save our Spanish for dire emergencies.

Howdy/Buenos tardes from the ACES Lounge in Bogota!

It was quite a journey just trying to find where to go for our connection. Since our flight to UIO is not until 2000, we don´t have our boarding passes yet. The attendant here in the lounge was gracious enough to offer to radio for our boarding passes at 1700.

I´ve kept notes so expect a detailed trip report after we get back. This might save some FlyerTalkers some time if and when they go through a similar mileage run. ¡Hasta luego!

Howdy/Buenos tardes from the ACES Lounge in Bogota!
It was quite a journey just trying to find where to go for our connection. Since our flight to UIO is not until 2000, we don´t have our boarding passes yet. The attendant here in the lounge was gracious enough to offer to radio for our boarding passes at 1700.


Hola, AusTXHiker! That's a nice place to be. If you're still at the lounge, please send greetings to Sonia.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum81/HTML/000737.html

The only thing to fear is fear itself. With half the LP flights completed, it's been smooth. Was pleasantly surprised by the ACES lounge in Bogota with its free internet. Mark and I were the only ones in the lounge, and as we were flying Coach (no options on ACES) Mark was prepared to use a Continental Partner Pass, but it wasn't required. We had no idea why were able to use the VIP on our ticket.

As day two closed out I ventured out of a Latin airport for the first time. Landed in Quito at 2130. Weather very refreshing and not a hint of altitude though over 9000 feet. We were quickly taken by free shuttle to the Four Points, where we were greeted with snacks and drinks. Had the impressions that the hotel was half empty and staff was very, very eager.

By about 2300 we jumped into a cab for an hour tour of the old Colonial town (estimated cost $3). It is clear why Quito is a world heritage city. The plazas and cathedrals are magnificent. However, these weren't Italian or Spanish plazas in the sense that there were no people about, no night life at all. It was almost like the Twilight Zone and even buildings appeared abandoned as there were no lights in what appeared to be flats. Quito deserves another look in the daylights.

But is was back to the airport at 0500 for Copa to Panama. For the first time someone (the reservation agent) looked at the itinerary and raised an eyebrow in surprise. As warned, was told that Copa was not a Latin Pass partner, but the LP number printed on the boarding pass. Check in, departure tax exeption, passport control and boarding contined to be completely carefree. The Copa lounge is well appointed (but no internet) and has a private exit to the planes.

Took three hours to get to Panama, with one stop. For the first time the food was a disappointment. The Miramar Intercontinental estimated that it would take us 45 minutes to get to the hotel from the airport, but we paid an extra $2 and used a toll road and made it in 20 minutes.

Jailer and I just got back from our LatinPass mileage run (17-23 MAY 2000). First of all, I would like to thank SAPMAN for all his helpful postings. It made our trip easier. Let me just add a few things to SAPMAN's travel tips. I will also be posting my review of the different carriers we took and some of the hotels we stayed in. I will post them separately from this trip report at a future time.

Caracas, Venezuela: 17-18 MAY 2000
I arrived CCS on 17 MAY 2000. Due to mechanical problems, Jailer's UA flight had to be diverted to PHX. He made it to MIA and had to stay there for one night before catching the first AA flight to CCS the next day.

Upon arrival at CCS, I walked straight to Immigration (follow big green signs). I didn't have any checked luggage nor did I have anything to declare so it took me about 5 minutes to go through Immigration and Customs. There is a taxi stand right outside baggage claim. Most of the taxis are old and have no airconditioning. The standard fare to downtown CCS is VEB20,000. I asked the driver to take me to my hotel, the CCS Hilton. The trip took about 30 minutes.

Beware of taxi drivers who approach you in the terminal. They are likely operating unlicensed taxis ("piratas"). The person I sat next to told me that a friend of his got robbed by a "pirata" taxi. If someone approaches you, a polite "No, gracias" should do the trick.

The CCS Hilton has a 24-hour taxi service. They charge a flat fee of VEB19,000 to the airport. The Hilton taxis are newer model cars and airconditioned. I used the service the next day for my trip to the airport.

At the airport, I had to go through a semi-secured area to reach the Avianca check-in counter. I was stopped by Venezuelan police and was asked a few questions pertaining to drug use and drug possession. My luggage was also searched. It was over in a few minutes. I went to the Avianca business class counter (Clase Ejecutiva) and got my boarding pass for the CCS-BOG flight. Unlike the other Latin Americans we visited, you don't get an exemption on the departure tax even if you've stayed in the country less than 24 hours. Look for the counters to pay the departure tax of VEB14,000.

Since I had some time to kill, I went to Avianca's business class lounge located on the second level. Take the stairway between gates 17 and 20. The lounge is directly across the top of the stairway. The lounge had very basic amenities. There was 1 TV. Drinks and some snacks were also served. However, there were no telephones. The chairs were red and blue, reflecting Avianca's colors. There was a minimal selection of newspapers and magazines, most of which were in Spanish. I left my Business Traveler International magazine (May 2000 issue) for other English speakers who might visit the lounge.

There are 2 other lounges that I know of. There is a joint lounge by Diners Club and Priority Pass on the second level. I think they share this lounge with CO and CM Business Class passengers as well. From the top of the stairway, make a left. At the end of the hallway, make another left. The lounge will be on the right side at the end of this hallway. This lounge is larger and offers more amenities than Avianca's lounge. There is a wider variety of drinks and snacks. Numerous telephones, which can be used for both for domestic and international calls, a printer, and a computer (for Internet access) were also found in the lounge. If you are flying DL's Business Elite, you can go to the Lounge Venezuela on the first level, adjacent to gate 22.

I stayed in Avianca's lounge until a few minutes before the arrival of Jailer's flight. Be advised that there are no arrival monitors in the gate area. If you are just connecting in CCS, several airlines ( Aeropostal, Avianca, ALM, Avensa, and Servivensa) have connection counters (transito/connexiones) on the first level between gates 17 and 20. I met Jailer upon his arrival and proceeded to Avianca's connection counter to get his boarding pass. On our way to BOG (in-flight), we filled out our Immigration-Customs form (Declaracion de Equipaje y Dinero de Viajeros-Ingreso). The form is in Spanish (no English translation). We filled out the form as best as we could and decided not to sign it since there were some questions we could not understand.


Bogota, Colombia: 18 MAY 2000
Even if you are just in transit (like us), you still have to go to immigration. If you are flying Aces, go to the rightmost lane. Inform the immigration officer that you are in transit (transito). Your ticket will be stamped. Proceed to baggage claim on the right and go to the tax-exempt booth. You will be given a receipt that will exempt you from paying the departure tax. Go through customs and inform the customs officer that you are in transit. Follow signs to the terminal and look for your connecting airline's counter.

Our flight to UIO was several hours away. We decided to look for an airline lounge. We went to the second level and walked to the door marked "passengers only." The guard checked our passports and tickets. To get to the lounges, go to the line marked "Waiting room." Follow signs to the "Waiting room," which is essentially the same way to security and the departure gates. Immediately before security and X-ray, there will be a hallway on the right, which would lead you the lounges. The first lounge on the right belongs to Aces. The second lounge belongs to Avianca. We went to the Aces lounge, which is shared with CO.

The Aces lounge offered drinks which the attendant will be happy to get for you. The lounge is simple and decorated in Aces' livery (bright red orange). There's a TV and several telephones. Newspaper and magazine selection, mostly in Spanish, is scant. We were pleasantly surprised to find a computer with Internet access ("dgolds was here"). We checked our e-mail and checked out new postings on FT. We eventually left the lounge about 40 minutes before our scheduled departure for UIO. We went through security where we were both frisked and our luggage searched.


Quito, Ecuador: 18-19 MAY 2000
We arrived UIO and took SAPMAN's advise to dash out of the plane. We went through Immigration, which was a slow process. Your personal and arrival information had to be manually entered in the computer. After going through immigration, there was practically no customs area. We were just waved on through. The Four Points Sheraton shuttle (complimentary) was waiting for us at the arrival area. We arrived the hotel in less than 10 minutes. As previously mentioned by Jailer, we took a cab at around 2300 to see some of UIO's historical areas (La Iglesia de San Francisco, Plaza de la Independencia, Palacio de Gobierno, Palacio de Archbispo, La Catedral, etc.). The entire trip cost us around US$4.00.

The next morning, we took the hotel shuttle back to the airport. We found SAPMAN's account to be accurate- you have to make your way through the crowd to reach the airline check-in counters. We quickly checked in our Copa flight to PTY, stopped by the tax booth (to get out departure tax exemption since we stayed less than 24 hours), and then went through immigration. We went to Copa's Business Class lounge on the first level. The entrance is not well-marked. Look for the wooden door across from the stairs leading to the departure gates. We were served coffee, croissants, and muffins in the lounge. There were TVs and telephones in the lounge.
*****TO BE CONTINUED*****

Panama City, Panama: 19-20 MAY 2000
We arrived Panama before lunch. We had to leave our passports with the Immigration officer because we didn't have tourist cards. We were able to purchase the tourist cards (US$5.00) from the Copa counter in baggage claim. The Copa counters are located at the far end of baggage claim.

Cabs are readily available outside baggage claim. The driver took us the hotel via a freeway. The trip took about 15 minutes. We decided to have Panamanian food for lunch. Our criterion was to find a place where the locals dine (without the tourists). We found a restaurant called "El Trapiche." The service was good and the food was excellent. We had fried plantains, empanadas, arroz con pollo, and grilled shrimp in garlic sauce. Since our lunch experience was good, we decided to have Panamanian food for dinner as well. The concierge desk suggested "Tinajas," a restaurant within a few blocks of the hotel. The food was excellent. We were also treated to a show featuring traditional Panamanian music, dance, and costumes. It is certainly worth visiting "Tinajas" should you venture into Panama City.

Our trip the next day was unremarkable with the exception of a brief luggage search prior to departure.


San Jose, Costa Rica: 20 MAY 2000
We had a four and a half layover at the airport. There are no airline lounges to be found so you have to be creative in amusing yourself. We were ill-prepared for this layover. No lounges, no books, no card games. We bought Costa Rican coffee (Café Britt). I later learned from a Costa Rican friend that this is one of their best brands.

Jailer bought a USA Today which featured the adventures of fellow LatinPass mileage runners. We joked about how our trip has not been newsworthy so far because we haven't run into any problems (knock on wood).

In an effort to avoid the curse of just sitting on our behinds in an airport, we decided to clear Immigration and Customs to see what the outside of the airport looked like. They are adding a newer, more modern terminal to the existing airport. Other than that, there was not much going on. We did notice a billboard for a hotel with a casino (8 miles away). That might be a good place to hang out if you have a long layover at the airport. Going back to through Immigration would set you back US$2.00.


Caracas, Venezuela: 20-21 MAY 2000
Upon arrival at the Caracas Hilton, we decided to check out the different museums in the area. We visited the Parque Central (where they were having some kind of festive tribute for moms), Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Sofia Imber, and the Galeria de Arte Nacional. These places are all worth visiting especially the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Sofia Imber.

Keeping to our goal of experiencing the culture as much as possible, we decided to have dinner at a Venezuelan restaurant called "Tarzilandia." This restaurant is located Northeast of Caracas in Altamira. The staff knows very little English and the menu is completely in Spanish (no translations). The dining area is surrounded by lush tropical vegetation, parrots, and other tropical animals.


Aruba: 21-22 MAY 2000
We were looking forward to this day. The entire trip has been problem-free and today, we get our 6th segment for 500,000 miles. We checked in for our flight only to find out that the computers were down. We were given hand-written boarding passes with the flight numbers. No name, no date, no LatinPass number. We were told to provide our LatinPass numbers when we check-in for our return flight. I asked the agent to write my name and the date on the boarding pass.

We easily cleared Customs and Immigration in Aruba. We checked in the Marriott and headed straight for the beach then the bar located in the pool area. After a little break, we went on a sunset cruise (on a catamaran) where alcohol was complimentary. We had several Pina coladas, toasting auh20 each time we finished a drink.

We went to an Aruban restaurant called "The Old Cunucu House" for dinner. The restaurant is in a restored Aruban homestead built over 80 years ago. The food and the service were excellent.

The next day, we decided to drive around the island instead of snorkeling (due to time constraints). We hiked on Arikok National Park and found several hiking trails. We also visited Ayo Rock Formations and Indian Drawings, the Bushiribana Ruins, and the Natural Bridge.

I have wanted to close out my LP Treasure Hunt thread, but with such a problem free trip, it’s hard to find an entertaining angle. Also, A.T. Hiker (AKA Mark) has done such a comprehensive job posting on LP airlines and hotels, there’s not much left of substance to add. But, as the ending date for the promotion looms, and wanting closure, here are a few points:

1. I would have never found, let along attempted, this without this Board, not to mention meeting a travel partner at PIP. This confirms my suspicion that the people who really benefit from the Boards are not the hard-core travelers who know most the tricks of the trade, but more medium-level travelers that get to hitch their wagons to those with more experience.

2. Look for problems where least expected. UAL was the only problematic airline on the entire trip. Miami was about the most third-world stop. (I admit I was only at the Best Western on a UAL voucher, so don’t flame me out on this).

3. Latin America is very easy to travel in with sensible precautions, same as New York or Rome. For someone who has mostly traveled in Europe and Asia, this opens up a whole new world of jet lag-free travel.

4. Middle-aged conservative looking white guys generally don’t get hassled by customs in Latin America. I have never had problems coming back in the U.S., including from places like Thailand and Turkey.

5. The American dollar is almost universally accepted. And, unless your Spanish is pretty good, speaking limited Spanish just gets you in a muddle. In the few instances where no English was spoken, broken Spanish helps. But, generally, the good English spoken in Latin America puts me, a mono-linguist, to shame. Maybe Spanish will be next year's New Year's resolution.

6. While one’s wife (or S.O.) might raise an eyebrow to a week’s boondoggle, the something for nothing mileage bonus smoothes over sticking someone with extra parenting (or other) duties.

7. Traveling with someone you barely know for a week solid is a pretty good way to get to know him or her (A.T.Hiker was a blast to travel with). In terms of relationships, if you are serious about someone you should travel them for a while in a non-first world country and see how they hold up. My wife, for example, is very resourceful and organized to travel with. We traveled together even before we dated.

And, most importantly,

8. Drinking + sailboat + bald guy whose hats flies off can = trouble.

reprised, revived, resuscitated, and resurrected