aw

Brazil is a country of superlatives and extremes. It is the largest country in South America and the fifth largest one in the world in terms of area and population. In addition, its fast growing economy has catapulted it to the world's eighth largest by GDP while making it one of the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries. Last December I spent 10 days exploring just a minuscule part of this vast and fascinating country. My friends in Sao Paulo invited me over and I suggested to include Ouro Preto in the itinerary being the architectural buff that I am. There is something intriguing about visiting an UNESCO World Heritage site and being armed with my faithful cameras I knew that there would be ample opportunity to "fine tune" my photographic skills.

A couple of months before my trip I decided to reserve my ticket and explore the choices available. Going to Brazil during the Christmas holiday was going to be expensive because it is high season and I couldn't find anything lower than $1,200 round trip. Plan B was to use frequent flyer miles from my AA account and initially I booked a trip using LAN on the outbound and AA on the return. I called periodically to check availability on LA for the return until I ended up with the schedule that I wanted. When it comes to award inventory perseverance and flexibility are imperative. I really wanted to try a new carrier and always prefer foreign airlines over domestic ones when it comes to international travel. For me how to get there is just as exciting as getting there. Besides, I have encountered a number of positive reviews about LAN and in 2008 it was voted best South American carrier.

LAN originally stood for Linea Aerea Nacional de Chile and after a name re-brand in 2004 incorporating its subsidiaries Lan Peru, Lan Ecuador, Lan Dominicana and Lan Express, the name currently stands for Latin American Network Airlines. In 2005 Lan Argentina was incorporated under this umbrella and with its recent purchase of Colombian carrier AIRES, LAN's presence in South America will be significantly strenghtened. It will be interesting to see what kind of entity will be created once LAN merges with TAM. The Latin American aviation landscape just keep evolving at a furious pace. Avianca-Taca is set to joing Star Alliance and Aerolineas Argentinas will go to Skyteam. Will LanTAM choose OneWorld or *A? Perhaps they will operate as separate entities a la AF/KL.



LA 2609 SFO-LIM
Seat 4D (Orig. 3J) 763
Dept. 11:45A Arriv. 12:10A next day


I woke up early on my departure day and did a couple of last minute errands before going to the airport. I arrived at around 10:30A and proceeded directly to the LAN counter at the International Terminal. There was already a sizeable line but fortunately I was traveling in Business class and the line there was empty. I waited patiently to be called when all of a sudden this "intruder" placed himself in front of me and walked towards the agent. The conversation went somehow like this:

Agent: "Sir, are you traveling in Business class? There is that gentleman (pointing at me) who was here before you"
Intruder: "Eh...no, but they told me that I can go directly to the front"
Agent: "Who told you to move to the front? Could you please step aside and wait for your turn?"

The guy moved away and I couldn't hide the smirk on my face. If the agent did not ask him, I would have raised hell right there but she took care of it efficiently. I had 3 carry-ons and was testing whether I could get away with bringing all of them onboard. To my disappointment I was asked to check one piece and the carry-ons were dutifully weighed. Well, it seems that LA is pretty strict when it comes to baggage weight and limits. I was given an invitation to the British Airways Terraces lounge and proceeded to security. One thing that was odd was my seat assignment. I originally requested 3J from SFO all the way to Sao Paulo (GRU) but on my boarding pass it reassigned me to 4D with the continuation from LIM in 3J. I did not notice this until I was in line through security and rather than go back to the counter I decided to take it with the agents at the gate to see if my original seat could be reinstated.

Security was busy and lots of families were traveling with children. Again, I was able to use the shorter line reserved for Business class passengers and it took a good 10 minutes to finish the process. Once inside the terminal, I went to the exchange booth and they were closed for lunch, so I gave up on the idea and decided to change my money once I arrived in Sao Paulo. I looked forward to secluding myself to the confines of the British Airways lounge and spending a few minutes in a civilized way sipping a drink quietly in a corner undisturbed by the noise of the maddening crowd. I rang the bell to the lounge in anticipation and I pushed the door upon hearing the buzzing sound. I found myself in a small room with an elevator and seconds later more passengers came in. We were deposited at a lower floor and the ladies in the reception greeted us. The desk was manned by an agent from Cathay and one from LAN. There was an outbound to Hong Kong that also used the British Airways lounge and once I was inside I saw the presence of a couple of children running around. Fortunately the children were not too mischievous and I had a chance to relax a bit and take some shots.



British Airways Terraces entrance




Welcome sign




Elevator to lounge




Bar area










Internet terminals




Lounge areas






Bathrooms with Elemis toiletries






One neat feature from the BA lounge that I've heard is that you are connected directly to the plane thus eliminating the need to exit the lounge and board the airplane from the gate area. Unfortunately this advantageous arrangement was not provided for my flight since this feature was reserved for the HKG bound passengers on CX. I was escorted to the gate by a LAN representative along with 2 other passengers. At the gate, I inquired about getting my original window seat to no avail. It seemed that the entire J cabin was occupied on today's flight.

I entered the plane and was greeted by the flight attendant at the door. She politely inquired about my seat and pointed to the side of my cabin welcoming me onboard. I settled into my aisle seat and I noticed that an entire Chinese family of 9 was occupying the 2 last rows of the cabin. Thankfully the 2 children were extremely well behaved and made almost no noise during the entire flight. As I later found out, this family was also going to Sao Paulo along with yours truly. One thing that I really like about LA's cabin is the faux wooden panels and dark browns located throughout. It gives a dignified and relaxing ambience that sets it apart from other cabins. The flight attendant introduced herself and asked if I wanted a blanket (duvet in this case). I accepted her offer and she then retrieved it from the overhead bin, opened the plastic bag and handed the duvet to me. The menus were placed in the seat compartments in front and she also handed those to me. I wonder about the purpose of having the menus out there if you are going to hand them to the passengers eventually. Champagne, water or orange juice were offered from real glasses as a pre-departure service and right before closing the door a FA passed with the cart offering newspapers, magazines and amenity kit. The amenity kit said "Bulgari Parfums" and it contained a generous assortment of products such as comb, the standard socks, eye mask, and ear plug, a not so common mirror, shoe bag and pen along with Bulgari creams for the face, hands and a lip balm. US carriers and some European ones can take note about offering luxurious brands in their kits instead of mediocre ones.


LAN plane at the gate




Interior of cabin






Amenity kit









to be continued...

aw

The door was closed and we did not wait for too long to take off on this rainy day. About 10 minutes after the "Fasten Seat Belt" sign was turned off and announcements were kept to a minimum. Thick hot towels were distributed and the FA asked for meal choices. She then inquired about drinks before the meal and I asked for straight pisco. She brought the drink along with a minuscule dish of nuts with raisins.

Here is the menu:

LUNCH

Salad greens with seasonal vegetables

Appetizer

Roast beef with "golden" goat cheese and pesto
Morande/Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 Gran Reserva/Morande Winery/Maipo Valley

Fresh tomato soup


Entrees

Lamb goulash with potato gratin and sauteed vegetables
Montes Folly/Syrah 2006/Montes Winery/Colchagua Valley

Pork loin with Calvados and apple sauce, sauteed vegetables and gnocchi stuffed with ricotta and spinach
Q Zuccardi/Malbec 2007/Zuccardi Winery/Mendoza

light-Smoked salmon salad, sliced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and assorted lettuce
Tamaya/Chardonnay 2008 Reserva/Tamaya Winery/Limari Valley

Special cheese selection


Desserts

Haagen Dazs ice cream
Creme Caramel (Flan)
light-Fresh seasonal fruit


EXPRESS LUNCH

Choose this alternative if you want more time to rest
Select one of the options of appetizers and main entrees
Salad
Cheese Plate
Select your dessert


MORNING SNACK

Gourmet sandwich

Smoked salmon sandwich with cream cheese

Grilled chicken wrap with Parmesan cheese, tomato and cucumber


Dessert

Cheesecake with seasonal berries





WINE LIST

Champagne

Maison Louis Roederer/Champagne Louis Roederer/Brut Premier/Reims, Francia


RED WINES

Vina Mones/Montes Folly 2006/Vinedos de Apalta, Santa Cruz/Valle de Colchagua

Vina Morande/Gran Reserva/Cabernet Sauvignon 2007/Valle del Maipo

Bodega Zuccardi/Q Malbec 2007/ Mendoza


WHITE WINES

Vina Tamaya/Reserva/ Chardonnay 2008/Valle del Limari

Vina Litoral/Ventolera/Sauvignon Blanc 2009/Valle de Leyda


PORT

Croft Oporto/Late bottled vintage 2003/Vila Nova de Gaia/Portugal


ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES

Champage "Louis Roederer Brut Premier"
Vodka Absolut
Gin Bombay Saphire
Whisky Johnnie Walker Black Label
Chivas Regal 12 years old Scotch Whisky
Bailey's Irish Cream
Amaretto di Saronno
Oporto Port Croft
Cognac Courvoisier VSOP
Pisco Acholado Vinas de Oro

Beers


NON ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES

Orange juice
Fruit juice (Pineapple and Peach on my flight)
Tomato juice
Mineral Water
Sparkling Water
Tonic Water
Soft drinks


HOT BEVERAGES

Coffee Musetti
Instant Coffee
Decaffeinated Coffee


Dilmah Tea and Herbal Selection

Ceylan
Earl Grey
Green Tea
Chamomille
Mint


The appetizer along with the cheese plate and salad came together on a tray. There was no choice of salad dressing, only a small bottle of balsamic vinegar with olive oil already on the set up. The salad was fresh and contained slices of pear. I chose the lamb entree and it was tasty although I expected more in terms of quantity. The flight attendant came with a basket offering bread sticks and 2-3 other choices of bread. One thing that really caught my attention was the way that wine was served. Upon requesting your choice, the FA asks you if you want to sample the wine before pouring it in the glass. Each entree was individually brought to the passenger instead of using a cart. The only time that a cart was rolled was during the beverage service. Dessert was fantastic and the flan was creamy and luscious. This was served with a tablet of dark chocolate that ended the meal splendidly.

Overall I found the FA's to be very polite and professional. Several times I caught FA's retrieving the passengers' carry-ons from the overhead bins and returning them back. I also saw FA's put blankets on top of passengers. Call buttons were answered efficiently and almost right away. I personally spoke to the crew in Spanish but I did not see any difference between how Spanish speakers were treated from non Spanish ones. The only minor flaw that I saw was the lack of individual bottles of water after the meal.

The IN program is pretty intuitive and easy to use. The screens are some of the largest ones that I have seen in F or J class and the seats are pretty comfortable. I slept easily on the extended position and the individual lamp is a plus. Selection of movies was decent and there are some classics along with latest Blockbusters and Latin American films. The music selection is varied and offered choices for every taste.


Straight Pisco




Appetizer tray










Lamb entree






Dessert




Cool logo at the bottom of glass




Morning snack




Cheesecake with berries





LA 2609 LIM - GRU
Seat 3J 763
Dept. 01:15A - Arriv. 08:55A


The flight arrived into LIM on time and I followed the "Connecting Flights" sign inside the Terminal. There were also personnel posted by the security line to direct passengers to security for a second screening and back to the terminal. The process is pretty straightforward but it can back up if you are seating in Economy and you are one of the last passengers to get off the flight. TACA runs their connections at about the same time and that can further slow things down.

The inside of LIM airport is modern and there are nice restaurants and good shops. As a matter of fact, LIM is now the best airport in Latin America according to some thanks to the Germans and Fraport administration. LAN also did a strategic move by creating a hub here when Faucett and Aeroperu failed. I stopped by the Sumaq lounge and it was full to the brim, so I decided to walk around the terminal and visit the shops. Pretty soon it was time to board the continuing flight to Sao Paulo and priority was given to connecting passengers from San Francisco.

The flight was fairly empty and the seat next to me was vacant. Service consisted of a light snack which fit well with the schedule, although I would have preferred a light breakfast before arrival instead.

FA's offered pre-departure beverages along with newspapers, magazines and a simplified version of the amenity kit without toiletries. To be honest I was surprised that an amentiy kit was even offered for an intra-South American flight of about 4:30 hrs.


FA distributing newspapers, magazines and "simplified" amenity kit




Pisco Sour with nuts




Snack service




Nice dessert - Apple cake with custard and fresh fruit




Chocolate




to be continued with Sao Paulo...

camsean

Great trip report so far. Nice pics as well. I'm looking forward to reading the rest.

Eastbay1K

A couple of initial observations (after having flown LAN probably close to 200K miles, much of it long haul, and having flown SFO/LIM 3 times since it started) - my last southbound trip didn't have water bottles, and as with the first of the 3 trips, service was hurried (but better than the 1st trip on the route - the 2nd trip was really nice). It is also odd that flying to SCL there's a full breakfast prior to arrival, but the LP flights going to Argentina and Brazil just get the snack plate after take off, similar to the one you just had prior to LIM landing. You are also lucky you received an inquiry for a drink prior to the meal. That is almost unheard of. If you ask, you generally get one. If you don't, they don't offer. By the way, what day was your flight? LP didn't have a license to open liquor on the ground @ SFO on my first 3 trips. This has also been the case @ LAX from time to time. By the way, even when I sound critical, as compared to my AA flights home when LA had a cancellation, LA, even when I'm not thrilled, was better than AA on a typical day.

aw

Thank you camsean and Eastbay1K

Eastbay1K - I flew on Dec. 20 and to be honest I found the service to be a bit slow taking its time. In all my four flights I never got a sense of FA's trying to hurry things up. Perhaps I was lucky to get good crews. On my GRU-LIM flight the FA addressed me by name and both FA's working the J cabin thanked me for flying LA. Then again, the purser personally gave me a survey to fill out so that might have played into it. Another curious thing is that on that flight I thought that the FA serving me had a Chilean accent while the rest had Peruvian ones. Does LA mix crews? I saw about 5 crew members sitting in J in full uniforms (I suppose deadheading.) On LIM-SFO I received an individual bottle of water after the snack service.

ORDnHKG

Bvlgari is usually in F kit not in C, as even asian carriers wouldn't offer that for C pax. They are generous enough to use Bvlgari face cream and hand cream, however the lip balm is a no name brand, I wonder what are they thinking ?

Do you have photos of the second flight amenity kit ?

Thanks for your report !

Eastbay1K

The second kit just has eye shades, a pen, earplugs, and socks. I like that all their kits have pens, so you always have a pen handy for the forms. The cabin is "premium business" as they discontinued F, so the Asian carriers still have a higher cabin to cater to, but LA does not.

Eastbay1K

Not that I am aware of. But maybe there are some LA crews contracted to LP, training LP crews, which they could use, in my completely unbiased and humble opinion. If you're on a 2xxx flight number, you have an LP crew, whether or not your aircraft has a CC- registration. Or maybe a Chilena moved to Peru, at the risk of possibly being disowned by her family

aw

ORDnHKG - Eastbay1K described the contents perfectly. I will try to get you a shot later.

Eastbay1K - the chilena might be disowned by her family if she moved to Peru, but we all know that she will eat better there than in Chile, right?



SAO PAULO


Sao Paulo is massive and likes big titles - Brazil's largest, most ethnically diverse city is also its main financial center ranking as the 10th richest city in the world and expected to occupy 6th place by 2025. However, it is also a place with huge social disparities and challenging urban problems - pollution, crime and traffic congestion being the main ones. Before coming to Sao Paulo, I had my concerns about crime here. When you read that it is common to have most SUV's bulletproof and that cars slow down instead of stopping at red lights at night in certain areas of the city for fear of carjacking, that voice in the back of your head questioning your decision to visit gets harder to ignore. Luckily nothing happened to me during my visit. I stayed with friends in safe neighborhoods and was vigilant whenever I went. There are some places where you should never let your guard down and Brazil is one of them. Crime aside, my experience in this country has been very rewarding and I have found Brazilians in general to be warm, open and helpful.


Arriving into Sao Paulo

When you approach Sao Paulo from the plane, you start to grasp the enormity of this place. Building specks dotting the landscape start to appear and as you descend, you start to see buildings stretching all around underneath. This massive concrete jungle extends for miles upon miles and suddenly you are overwhelmed by its sheer size. Eventually you realize that you are landing into one of the biggest cities in the world - an Alpha World City with an area that covers 588 square miles and with a population of 11,037,593 people.




















Vestige of a giant



Immigration was painless and my checked bag was one of the first ones to come out of the belt. My personal impression of GRU airport was disapponting. I was expecting a modern, spacious and state of the art airport that was up to par with the caliber of the worldly city it served but instead I encountered a crowded, convoluted and ugly airport. Even the distinguished H. Stern jewelry store looked like a trinket neighborhood shop from the outside.


Liberdade is the Japantown of Sao Paulo and it is home to the largest Japanese community outside of Japan in the world. Japanese immigrants started arriving into Brazil back in 1908 and today there are approximately 1.5 million people of Japanese descent living in Brazil.








The old, the ethnic and the modern fused together




Traffic near Liberdade




Street Art is big in Sao Paulo







to be continued with more of Sao Paulo....

olafman

Great report so far!

We're flying 6 segments on LA this spring in business and look forward to it.

cmte_valle

I don't think it is that bad, I'm brazilian but don't live there anymore. anyway I spend a month or two at Sao Paulo every year and never had a problem neither my parents that are moving to Medellin, because of traffic jams, we'd be robbed for the first time at Italy, on vacation. It may be just luck, I don't know.

aw

Thanks olfaman.

cmte_valle: Maybe it is a matter of luck and I don't doubt the validity of your statement, especially coming from a local, but I would rather err on the side of caution. Locals have told me to be careful when getting out of a taxi and checking the surrounding areas, especially when you have luggages and being warned not to roll down the windows while riding in the back of the car in Sao Paulo kind of put me on guard. I am not a paranoid person and have traveled extensively in the past, but it seems that there is a consensus that one needs to be extra careful while visiting Brazil (especially Rio or any big cities). I've heard too many stories of people being mugged and sometimes murdered for refusing to hand over belongings. Despite the crime, I would visit Brazil again because it is an extraordinary place that should not be missed.

aw

Paulista Avenue is one of the most important avenues of Sao Paulo and it is the Brazilian equivalent of New York's Fifth Avenue. During Christmas time it is lavishly decorated with holiday ornaments becoming the most festive avenue in the city with cars lining up its 2.8 km. length to take a peak of this tropical wonderland.

The MASP





















Shopping Mall





During my first couple of days I had the opportunity to try some local food (feijoada, pao de queijo, cocada, bacalhau, etc.) and got spoiled with having fresh squeezed orange juice. I became addicted to eating salgadinhos (small salty snacks that reminded me of Spanish tapas) which did not help my waistline. I also explored the Mercado Municipal and was mesmerized by its sights, smells and tastes.


Feijoada (bean and meat stew)




Typical luncheonettes serving salgadinhos







Pasteis de bacahlau




Coxinha (chicken croquette shaped like a drumstick)




Sauces to accompany your salgadinho




Pao de Queijo (cheese breads that are airy and quite tasty)




Cafe com Leite




Breakfast sandwich




Something sweet

cmte_valle

aw: you are actually right being carefull, a common way foreign people get robbed in Sao Paulo is getting out of taxi's, there seems to be a kind of criminals that are just waiting to rob someone who LOOKS foreign even though some times they pick wrong people. I'm sorry if I sounded a little arrogant, I didn't meant to, it is just that I thought a person reading could be frighted to visit Brazil, which is a place worth visiting,

aw

Mercado Municipal

















One of the highlights of my culinary journey in Brazil was being invited to a local's house for lunch. An experience like this is priceless, especially when you spend it with good company and great food. We started with meat croquettes followed by a "help yourself" feast of pernil (pork), collard greens, fish stew, rice and feijoada.

Meat croquettes




Main dish




Pernil




Fish stew




Sauce for the pernil



After the meal we had a great conversation and then before leaving I thanked my hostess profusely for this highlight in my trip. My friends and I headed towards Bella Paulista - a sort of casual eatery, bakery and ice cream parlor for some ice cream. It was located a couple of blocks from Paulista Avenue and I indulged in a creamy coconut and hazelnut ice cream.

Pastries counter







Ice cream counter from the outside





Nothing beats a lazy afternoon sitting on a bench and having an ice cream




Despite the amount of food pictures above, I did not spent all my time in Sao Paulo eating. As a matter of fact, I partook in some exercise by visiting Parque Ibirapuera, the largest green space in central Sao Paulo. It houses several museums as well as notable buildings designed by the country's most famous architect, Oscar Niemeyer.


Oca do Ibirapuera - dome designed by Oscar Niemeyer paying homage to the Brazilian roundhouse.






Auditorium




Garden




Obelisk




Monumento do Pedro Alvares Cabral honoring the Portuguese explorers who set foot on Brazil in 1500