El Cochinito
Oct 11, 02, 6:40 pm
I had a conference to attend in Miami on October 7th so I started hunting around for a way to maximize United mileage on the cheap to requalify for Premier Exec status. Was able to book a run to Buenos Aires for about $150 more than what the company was paying for just Miami (I used some vouchers along with the Entertainment book discount for the EZE run). Then a friend told me about how much he enjoyed Santiago and my wife said she’d be more comfortable with my going there instead of Buenos Aires. Found a r/t on Varig between EZE and SCL for under $150, so I booked that too.
So here’s the story of my first trip to South America and how I ended up as an illegal alien in Brazil.
Wednesday, October 2
UX 6427 – SMF (Sacramento) to SFO (San Francisco)
EMB-120 (500 MP miles)
I got to the Sacramento airport a couple of hours before my scheduled noon Embraer flight to SFO. There was only one other person in the First Class/Star Gold line. I asked the friendly UA agent if there would be any problem checking my bags all the way to Santiago with an interline transfer at Buenos Aires. She did some checking of this-n-that on the computer, said it would be no problem, and soon the appropriate tags spit out of the printer. However she said that she couldn’t issue me a boarding pass on Varig from EZE to SCL and I would have to take care of that at the Buenos Aires airport. She then asked if I wanted to leave on the 11:00a flight to SFO instead of waiting until noon and I said sure. The agent then deducted my electronic 500 mile certificates for the upgraded SFO-MIA leg of the trip and I was good to go.
Boarding passes in hand I went upstairs and quickly cleared security. Terminal B at Sacramento still has the “old” inspectors; I understand that Terminal “A” just started using the TSA crew.
Our flight to SFO was delayed some twenty minutes and the aircraft was full. A couple of newbies rushed the gate to be first to board and, sure enough, they were “randomly” selected for the rubber glove treatment.
I was stuck in seat 2A as my favorite row 9B/C seats were already taken. The short flight to SFO is one of my favorites on a clear day as we only climb up to 7,000 to 9,000 feet so it is easy to pick out landmarks. After landing at SFO’s remote UX terminal, Skywest had a brand new bus waiting to take us over to the main terminal. We rode past the row of 747s getting ready for their early afternoon departures to Asia as we made our way over to gate 87A.
Wednesday, October 2
UA 873 – SFO to MIA (Miami)
B-777 (2585 MP miles)
I had a little over an hour to kill before boarding commenced on the next leg of the trip. Since I was on an international itinerary with *G status, I decided to check out the domestic Red Carpet Club after visiting the ATM. After showing my MIA-EZE boarding pass to the receptionist, she asked if I “planned on drinking” this afternoon and I said Absolutely! So she gave me two drink chits and pointed me in the direction of the bar. Ivan the bartender quickly set me up with a pair of draft Anchor steam beers and offered my choice of Fritos, ubiquitous snack mix, or almonds. I passed on the snacks and wandered over to the “food” area of the RCC to see if there was something else to eat. Hmmm...Fritos, ubiquitous snack mix, almonds, and some tired looking apples. Not much better. I found a place to sit, drank my beers, and watched part of the SF Giants baseball playoff game.
Shortly after 1:00p I went over to the gate. Boarding had already commenced and there was a long line of people waiting. I got into the line and we inched our way to the gate. The folks ahead of me were pulled for Super Special Secondary Screening (SSSS). I headed for my upgraded seat in Business class (11C) and settled in. It looked as if F was full, C was full, and Y was fairly full.
Even though I boarded 20 minutes before departure I wasn’t offered a pre-departure beverage. This service seemed hit-and-miss, some passengers that boarded after me got drinks while others were skipped like me. Noise enhancing headsets (the old style) were passed out along with a menu. The cabin crew got the passengers settled in and we pulled away from the gate for an on time departure from runway 28L.
The 777 is my favorite airplane and I looked forward to monitoring our flight using airshow and channel 9. After takeoff we turned south and followed the California coast to Santa Barbara where we turned inland and headed towards Palmdale. Turns out we were on a southerly flight path, as our route eventually took us between Phoenix & Tuscon, southern New Mexico, El Paso, the Mississippi delta near New Orleans, and almost to Tallahassee before we turned south towards St. Petersburg and then into Miami.
Our lunch was served in separate courses following a drink service (including mixed nuts) and hot towels. I see that United now has fancy plastic knives in Business class, along with the real fork and spoon. I elected the double cheeseburger for my main dish and it turned out to be pretty good. It was certainly big enough! We had cheesecake for dessert and a round of after dinner cordials. I got caught up in the kid’s basketball movie “I Like Mike”; it was funny to see some big NBA stars (including Chris Webber of the hometown Kings) in cameo roles. Our cabin crew was attentive, coming by periodically to offer water and drink refills.
After a two hour nap I woke up on our approach into MIA where we arrived slightly ahead of schedule.
Wednesday, October 2
UA 855 – MIA to EZE (Buenos Aires)
B-777 (4405 MP miles)
With 90 minutes left before the scheduled 11:55 pm departure, I decided to check out Miami’s Red Carpet Club. What a difference as compared to SFO. At MIA there was an open bar plus a variety of food including spinach dip, rolls, cold cuts, cheeses, crackers, and fruit. I grabbed an icy Corona cerveza, made myself a couple of sandwiches, and called home. The RCC was fairly crowded with passengers waiting for the late night South American departures, but the food supply was kept refreshed and staff kept the tables clean.
At 11:15 I headed downstairs to the gate area. The terminal was crowded as there are several UA and a couple of Iberian Airlines flights departing that time of night. Turns out my aircraft was the exact same one I took from SFO. Boarding for my Buenos Aires/Montevideo flight was announced for First & Business Class, plus 1Ks, 1Ps, and Star Alliance Gold & Silver. A crowd of people, the majority of which held blue boarding passes, rushed the poor agent at the gate. The boarding instructions were repeated again in Spanish and English; some folks sat down but it was still a mob scene. There was no line, there was no order. I wriggled my way through the crowd; the agent as he took my boarding pass apologized for the confusion. The rubber glove gang eyeballed me as I walked past but they turned their attention to the attractive lady behind me in the line.
I sadly walked past my 11C seat from the previous leg and sat down in 17C. If you have to sit in economy, 17C is a good seat for tall people as you can stretch your legs past the bulkhead into business. However the tradeoff is the armrest is fixed in place. It looked like the flight was full; although 17D had been blocked due to my 1P status, it was taken by a gentleman who had obviously partaken of the open bar in the RCC. He passed out after we took off and didn’t wake up until we arrived in Buenos Aires the next morning.
Our plane pushed back right on time and we quickly taxied out to the eastern departure runway. After takeoff we had a drink service and dinner was offered. I skipped dinner since I ate in the RCC; I could be wrong but I think the choices were beef or chicken. I inflated my pillow, popped a couple of Tylenol PM, and settled in for a long night. The flying time to EZE was 8 hours and change.
According to airshow, we turned south over the Florida Straits and crossed over Cuba and Jamaica then winged our way towards Columbia where I finally fell asleep. I woke up somewhere over southern Bolivia just before we crossed into northwestern Argentina. On channel 9 it was interesting to hear us getting handed off from Miami to Havana Center, Kingston, Barranquila, Bogota, etc. Some of the controllers were difficult to understand and in a couple of cases the radio transmission was full of static. As we reported in to each new ATC center, we gave our ETA to the next checkpoint and we were often asked to report on the current weather.
Our arrival into Buenos Aires airport was scheduled for 9:35am. An hour before arrival we were served a “light continental breakfast” (this term seems redundant to me but that’s what they called it) consisting of some fruit, a croissant, and slice of cheese and ham. Our approach into EZE was uneventful under partly cloudy skies. While over the perimeter of the airport we flew over what looked like a prison then shortly thereafter we landed and pulled into our gate. I was in South America!
Thursday, October 4
Varig 640 – EZE to SCL (Santiago de Chile)
MD-11 (710 MP Miles)
All passengers had to get off the plane in Buenos Aires, including those passengers continuing on to Montevideo, Uruguay. Those of us in transit were directed to a security station where our carry on bags were x-rayed and we walked through a metal detector. After this perfunctory security check I was airside at EZE where the departure board showed my 11:30am Varig flight to Santiago as on time. And, even better, it was departing at the gate right next to the one where I arrived.
I still needed to get my Varig boarding pass but there was nobody at the gate podium yet. I found a pay phone that took my VISA card and called home to Sacramento and my pregnant sister-in-law in Mexico City who was scheduled to deliver my niece via c-section later that day. After walking through the airport to see what there was to see (not much), I made my way over to the Red Carpet Club. The receptionist welcomed me to the RCC and showed me around. It was maybe a quarter full, with most folks relaxing over newspapers and breakfast. There was a decent selection of fresh fruit, pastries, rolls, and cereal available along with an open bar and refreshments. I grabbed a plate of fruit and a roll plus a Coke Light then made myself at home. The RCC had one internet terminal available so I checked e-mail and read the news before heading back over to the Varig gate to watch our inbound flight arrive.
Finally at 11:00 a.m. a Varig agent showed up at the gate and I stepped up to ask about my boarding pass. The agent said that Varig had been looking for me since they had a baggage record for me but no passenger. She said the flight was going to be fairly empty and gave me a window seat about halfway back in economy. We started to board at 11:10 and, sure enough, there weren’t very many traveling today. We pushed back on time and took off towards Santiago.
Seat pitch on the Varig MD-11 was tight and the cushions were of the space-saving thin variety. An airshow map was displayed between the video presentations on the cabin screens. There were a dozen or so music channels available.
A hot lunch was offered (pasta or chicken) and I chose the pasta which wasn’t a good choice. Sodas were poured from bottles into small cups, but you could easily get refills from the friendly flight attendants.
I eagerly waited for my first look at the Andes Mountains and wasn’t disappointed, even though the skies were partly cloudy. What a sight...I have never seen mountains like these before. Not only were they much higher than California’s Sierra Nevada, they were much more rugged and rose right up without any of the foothills I’m used to seeing. Our approach into Santiago’s airport was spectacular as we flew through the mountains.
We pulled up to the gate right on time; while taxiing I saw the UA, AA, and DL planes parked off on the tarmac awaiting their evening return flight to the USA. We arrived at the far end of the international terminal and as I walked over towards immigration I noticed that the indoor lights were mostly turned off. I wonder if it was an energy saving measure? After coming down the escalator into the immigration hall, there is a big sign directing US passengers to the Reciprocity Tax payment counter. Chile charges US citizens US$65 (you get a receipt stapled to your passport which is good for the life of the passport) because Chileans are charged a similar fee to obtain a US visa. There was one couple from the US at the booth complaining in a loud voice to the clerk inside about having to pay this “disgraceful admittance fee that nobody told us about”. What an absolute embarrassment. After about five minutes of listening to this guy rant, I stepped up and politely said, “Excuse me, but this fee is because our country charges Chileans $65 to apply for a US visa. If you don’t wish to pay it, you will not be admitted into Chile and likely be put on the next plane out of here. It isn’t this lady’s fault that you weren’t aware of this fee.”
The man muttered something under his breath and coughed up the $130 for him and his wife. As they left the wife told me thank you for explaining it but Mr. Obnoxious said nothing. I stepped up to the counter with my cash in hand and a big smile on my face. The tax lady thanked me for saying something to the idiot and welcomed me to Chile.
Immigration was quick, passport and tourist card were stamped, and I decided to change some money into Chilean pesos to pay for the airport transport. The rate was approximately 710 pesos for one dollar at the airport booth which isn’t the best rate, but it was convenient. There are plenty of ATMs in Santiago but I don’t recall seeing one in the arrival hall at the airport.
After picking up my luggage, which was already doing laps on the carousel, I walked over to the Tourist Board desk to get some literature and maps. There is a ground transportation desk nearby so I made arrangements to go to the Bed & Breakfast which I had found on the Internet. From the airport to Providencia the fare was 3100 pesos.
Chilean Customs was next, where all bags are x-rayed. My carry-on bag was selected for additional inspection by the customs officer. He rummaged around for awhile, finding nothing of interest, and I was free to go. I had made it to Chile!
Part 2 at: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum81/HTML/003142.html
Part 3 at:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum81/HTML/003144.html
Part 4 at: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum81/HTML/003146.html
Part 5 at: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum81/HTML/003147.html
[This message has been edited by El Cochinito (edited 10-14-2002).]
So here’s the story of my first trip to South America and how I ended up as an illegal alien in Brazil.
Wednesday, October 2
UX 6427 – SMF (Sacramento) to SFO (San Francisco)
EMB-120 (500 MP miles)
I got to the Sacramento airport a couple of hours before my scheduled noon Embraer flight to SFO. There was only one other person in the First Class/Star Gold line. I asked the friendly UA agent if there would be any problem checking my bags all the way to Santiago with an interline transfer at Buenos Aires. She did some checking of this-n-that on the computer, said it would be no problem, and soon the appropriate tags spit out of the printer. However she said that she couldn’t issue me a boarding pass on Varig from EZE to SCL and I would have to take care of that at the Buenos Aires airport. She then asked if I wanted to leave on the 11:00a flight to SFO instead of waiting until noon and I said sure. The agent then deducted my electronic 500 mile certificates for the upgraded SFO-MIA leg of the trip and I was good to go.
Boarding passes in hand I went upstairs and quickly cleared security. Terminal B at Sacramento still has the “old” inspectors; I understand that Terminal “A” just started using the TSA crew.
Our flight to SFO was delayed some twenty minutes and the aircraft was full. A couple of newbies rushed the gate to be first to board and, sure enough, they were “randomly” selected for the rubber glove treatment.
I was stuck in seat 2A as my favorite row 9B/C seats were already taken. The short flight to SFO is one of my favorites on a clear day as we only climb up to 7,000 to 9,000 feet so it is easy to pick out landmarks. After landing at SFO’s remote UX terminal, Skywest had a brand new bus waiting to take us over to the main terminal. We rode past the row of 747s getting ready for their early afternoon departures to Asia as we made our way over to gate 87A.
Wednesday, October 2
UA 873 – SFO to MIA (Miami)
B-777 (2585 MP miles)
I had a little over an hour to kill before boarding commenced on the next leg of the trip. Since I was on an international itinerary with *G status, I decided to check out the domestic Red Carpet Club after visiting the ATM. After showing my MIA-EZE boarding pass to the receptionist, she asked if I “planned on drinking” this afternoon and I said Absolutely! So she gave me two drink chits and pointed me in the direction of the bar. Ivan the bartender quickly set me up with a pair of draft Anchor steam beers and offered my choice of Fritos, ubiquitous snack mix, or almonds. I passed on the snacks and wandered over to the “food” area of the RCC to see if there was something else to eat. Hmmm...Fritos, ubiquitous snack mix, almonds, and some tired looking apples. Not much better. I found a place to sit, drank my beers, and watched part of the SF Giants baseball playoff game.
Shortly after 1:00p I went over to the gate. Boarding had already commenced and there was a long line of people waiting. I got into the line and we inched our way to the gate. The folks ahead of me were pulled for Super Special Secondary Screening (SSSS). I headed for my upgraded seat in Business class (11C) and settled in. It looked as if F was full, C was full, and Y was fairly full.
Even though I boarded 20 minutes before departure I wasn’t offered a pre-departure beverage. This service seemed hit-and-miss, some passengers that boarded after me got drinks while others were skipped like me. Noise enhancing headsets (the old style) were passed out along with a menu. The cabin crew got the passengers settled in and we pulled away from the gate for an on time departure from runway 28L.
The 777 is my favorite airplane and I looked forward to monitoring our flight using airshow and channel 9. After takeoff we turned south and followed the California coast to Santa Barbara where we turned inland and headed towards Palmdale. Turns out we were on a southerly flight path, as our route eventually took us between Phoenix & Tuscon, southern New Mexico, El Paso, the Mississippi delta near New Orleans, and almost to Tallahassee before we turned south towards St. Petersburg and then into Miami.
Our lunch was served in separate courses following a drink service (including mixed nuts) and hot towels. I see that United now has fancy plastic knives in Business class, along with the real fork and spoon. I elected the double cheeseburger for my main dish and it turned out to be pretty good. It was certainly big enough! We had cheesecake for dessert and a round of after dinner cordials. I got caught up in the kid’s basketball movie “I Like Mike”; it was funny to see some big NBA stars (including Chris Webber of the hometown Kings) in cameo roles. Our cabin crew was attentive, coming by periodically to offer water and drink refills.
After a two hour nap I woke up on our approach into MIA where we arrived slightly ahead of schedule.
Wednesday, October 2
UA 855 – MIA to EZE (Buenos Aires)
B-777 (4405 MP miles)
With 90 minutes left before the scheduled 11:55 pm departure, I decided to check out Miami’s Red Carpet Club. What a difference as compared to SFO. At MIA there was an open bar plus a variety of food including spinach dip, rolls, cold cuts, cheeses, crackers, and fruit. I grabbed an icy Corona cerveza, made myself a couple of sandwiches, and called home. The RCC was fairly crowded with passengers waiting for the late night South American departures, but the food supply was kept refreshed and staff kept the tables clean.
At 11:15 I headed downstairs to the gate area. The terminal was crowded as there are several UA and a couple of Iberian Airlines flights departing that time of night. Turns out my aircraft was the exact same one I took from SFO. Boarding for my Buenos Aires/Montevideo flight was announced for First & Business Class, plus 1Ks, 1Ps, and Star Alliance Gold & Silver. A crowd of people, the majority of which held blue boarding passes, rushed the poor agent at the gate. The boarding instructions were repeated again in Spanish and English; some folks sat down but it was still a mob scene. There was no line, there was no order. I wriggled my way through the crowd; the agent as he took my boarding pass apologized for the confusion. The rubber glove gang eyeballed me as I walked past but they turned their attention to the attractive lady behind me in the line.
I sadly walked past my 11C seat from the previous leg and sat down in 17C. If you have to sit in economy, 17C is a good seat for tall people as you can stretch your legs past the bulkhead into business. However the tradeoff is the armrest is fixed in place. It looked like the flight was full; although 17D had been blocked due to my 1P status, it was taken by a gentleman who had obviously partaken of the open bar in the RCC. He passed out after we took off and didn’t wake up until we arrived in Buenos Aires the next morning.
Our plane pushed back right on time and we quickly taxied out to the eastern departure runway. After takeoff we had a drink service and dinner was offered. I skipped dinner since I ate in the RCC; I could be wrong but I think the choices were beef or chicken. I inflated my pillow, popped a couple of Tylenol PM, and settled in for a long night. The flying time to EZE was 8 hours and change.
According to airshow, we turned south over the Florida Straits and crossed over Cuba and Jamaica then winged our way towards Columbia where I finally fell asleep. I woke up somewhere over southern Bolivia just before we crossed into northwestern Argentina. On channel 9 it was interesting to hear us getting handed off from Miami to Havana Center, Kingston, Barranquila, Bogota, etc. Some of the controllers were difficult to understand and in a couple of cases the radio transmission was full of static. As we reported in to each new ATC center, we gave our ETA to the next checkpoint and we were often asked to report on the current weather.
Our arrival into Buenos Aires airport was scheduled for 9:35am. An hour before arrival we were served a “light continental breakfast” (this term seems redundant to me but that’s what they called it) consisting of some fruit, a croissant, and slice of cheese and ham. Our approach into EZE was uneventful under partly cloudy skies. While over the perimeter of the airport we flew over what looked like a prison then shortly thereafter we landed and pulled into our gate. I was in South America!
Thursday, October 4
Varig 640 – EZE to SCL (Santiago de Chile)
MD-11 (710 MP Miles)
All passengers had to get off the plane in Buenos Aires, including those passengers continuing on to Montevideo, Uruguay. Those of us in transit were directed to a security station where our carry on bags were x-rayed and we walked through a metal detector. After this perfunctory security check I was airside at EZE where the departure board showed my 11:30am Varig flight to Santiago as on time. And, even better, it was departing at the gate right next to the one where I arrived.
I still needed to get my Varig boarding pass but there was nobody at the gate podium yet. I found a pay phone that took my VISA card and called home to Sacramento and my pregnant sister-in-law in Mexico City who was scheduled to deliver my niece via c-section later that day. After walking through the airport to see what there was to see (not much), I made my way over to the Red Carpet Club. The receptionist welcomed me to the RCC and showed me around. It was maybe a quarter full, with most folks relaxing over newspapers and breakfast. There was a decent selection of fresh fruit, pastries, rolls, and cereal available along with an open bar and refreshments. I grabbed a plate of fruit and a roll plus a Coke Light then made myself at home. The RCC had one internet terminal available so I checked e-mail and read the news before heading back over to the Varig gate to watch our inbound flight arrive.
Finally at 11:00 a.m. a Varig agent showed up at the gate and I stepped up to ask about my boarding pass. The agent said that Varig had been looking for me since they had a baggage record for me but no passenger. She said the flight was going to be fairly empty and gave me a window seat about halfway back in economy. We started to board at 11:10 and, sure enough, there weren’t very many traveling today. We pushed back on time and took off towards Santiago.
Seat pitch on the Varig MD-11 was tight and the cushions were of the space-saving thin variety. An airshow map was displayed between the video presentations on the cabin screens. There were a dozen or so music channels available.
A hot lunch was offered (pasta or chicken) and I chose the pasta which wasn’t a good choice. Sodas were poured from bottles into small cups, but you could easily get refills from the friendly flight attendants.
I eagerly waited for my first look at the Andes Mountains and wasn’t disappointed, even though the skies were partly cloudy. What a sight...I have never seen mountains like these before. Not only were they much higher than California’s Sierra Nevada, they were much more rugged and rose right up without any of the foothills I’m used to seeing. Our approach into Santiago’s airport was spectacular as we flew through the mountains.
We pulled up to the gate right on time; while taxiing I saw the UA, AA, and DL planes parked off on the tarmac awaiting their evening return flight to the USA. We arrived at the far end of the international terminal and as I walked over towards immigration I noticed that the indoor lights were mostly turned off. I wonder if it was an energy saving measure? After coming down the escalator into the immigration hall, there is a big sign directing US passengers to the Reciprocity Tax payment counter. Chile charges US citizens US$65 (you get a receipt stapled to your passport which is good for the life of the passport) because Chileans are charged a similar fee to obtain a US visa. There was one couple from the US at the booth complaining in a loud voice to the clerk inside about having to pay this “disgraceful admittance fee that nobody told us about”. What an absolute embarrassment. After about five minutes of listening to this guy rant, I stepped up and politely said, “Excuse me, but this fee is because our country charges Chileans $65 to apply for a US visa. If you don’t wish to pay it, you will not be admitted into Chile and likely be put on the next plane out of here. It isn’t this lady’s fault that you weren’t aware of this fee.”
The man muttered something under his breath and coughed up the $130 for him and his wife. As they left the wife told me thank you for explaining it but Mr. Obnoxious said nothing. I stepped up to the counter with my cash in hand and a big smile on my face. The tax lady thanked me for saying something to the idiot and welcomed me to Chile.
Immigration was quick, passport and tourist card were stamped, and I decided to change some money into Chilean pesos to pay for the airport transport. The rate was approximately 710 pesos for one dollar at the airport booth which isn’t the best rate, but it was convenient. There are plenty of ATMs in Santiago but I don’t recall seeing one in the arrival hall at the airport.
After picking up my luggage, which was already doing laps on the carousel, I walked over to the Tourist Board desk to get some literature and maps. There is a ground transportation desk nearby so I made arrangements to go to the Bed & Breakfast which I had found on the Internet. From the airport to Providencia the fare was 3100 pesos.
Chilean Customs was next, where all bags are x-rayed. My carry-on bag was selected for additional inspection by the customs officer. He rummaged around for awhile, finding nothing of interest, and I was free to go. I had made it to Chile!
Part 2 at: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum81/HTML/003142.html
Part 3 at:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum81/HTML/003144.html
Part 4 at: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum81/HTML/003146.html
Part 5 at: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum81/HTML/003147.html
[This message has been edited by El Cochinito (edited 10-14-2002).]