Just a quick note on Quito...if you go visit Mitad del Mundo to visit the equator, do not fail to visit the very small dirty outdoors museum about 200 yards away from the monument. Believe it or not, it is the real equator. The big monument with the bright yellow line is great for tourists, but the real equator is the only one where they show you the water flowing down a drain in different directions depending on the placement of the sink. It is a dollar for the tour, and was the highlight of all Quito!

BTW, ditto to Texas Yankees message above. He was great company on an incredible trip. If million miles will just be serendipitous. I am sure we will cross paths in the future.

Back in Lima at the City Cafe internet computers. I was absolutely exhausted when I reached Quito. Checked in at the Hilton and passed out for five hours. Fantastic service at the hotel. I ate a fish dinner and salad at the hotel restaurant for about $8.50. Best bargain I have ever had at a Hilton. It was raining and many of the stalls across the park with the locals selling handcrafts were covered in plastic.

Got to the airport two hours before the flight on ACES and the line was all the way across the terminal. Last night´s flight was canceled and we were being told we would not get out because of the overflow. In the panic I met another LatinPass runner from Japan halfway through a million mile journey.

We were in line for an hour and actually did get boarding passes. I got a waiver on the exit tax because I was leaving the same day I arrived. I don't know if I looked especially anxious or what but with just minutes before the flight and a long line at immigration I was feeling pretty good that the trip wasn't going to fall apart. Unlike the FTer above I do not have an extra day built in my schedule. I was thinking I would have to make a third trip down for a flight with Taca Peru. (The Japanese man said he heard Taca Peru began international flights yesterday. Any confirmation?)

So just then a policeman stops me and looks at my passport and wants to know why I have flown to Ecuador twice in 24 hours and I am leaving again to go back to the place I just arrived from this morning. Well I am prepared and I whipped out the LatinPass brochure describing the million mile bonus (in Spanish no less). He wasn't convinced and just then a bilingual woman intercedes on my behalf to explain why I am bouncing back and forth between Ecuador and Peru. He then finally lets me go (everyone else has already disappeared in another corridor because they moved the ACES people up front in immigation to let us board the flight.) Now I am really panicked because it looks like I might miss the flight. I start down the special corridor and the policeman comes back and makes me turn over my passport again and follow him back in the terminal while he converses with his buddy about my motives. They finally let me go and I got in the gate just in time for the flight.

Only one more flight to go for the full ten. Overall I still am having fun. Not looking forward to these next few hours waiting for Cusco. I have a good book though...

Satori - you mentioned that Taca Peru started international flights. Any confirmation? I trust latinpass will honour flight segments from the day of ticketing rather than the day of flights.

Jailer and I just picked up our 6th segment (on VH), CCS-AUA. Fortunately, our trip has been problem-free with the exception of 2 instances where my luggage had to be searched (ninor inconvenience). All our flights have been on time.

FYI, there is a Diners Club lounge here in CCS. There's no mention of it in the DC website. Go to the stairwell between gates 17 and 20 (in front of the Duty-free shop). Make a left at the top of the stairwell and then make another left at the end of the hall. The lounge will be on the right side. It's a big lounge and as you can see, there's free Internet access.

NEED SOME HELP!! Im holding a res for Larcsa PTY-GUA(via SJO)booked in B and M does either of these earn LP pts?? Also SAL-MGA-MIA Taca also one in B & the other M do these earn miles? 3) My Aviateca 961 GUA-SAL booked in Z which a post above says NG for the miles, has anybody been able to book anything other than C or Y? DO APPRECIATE THE FEEDBACK ASAP

Craz:
Distancia told me on phone, only fares in C,Y,H,K,M,Q qualify for miles but I also have received an E-mail that states the V class fare from LAX to Lima is eligable for miles and qualifies for the Latin Pass promotion. I do not know if they meant the one segment LAX-LIM in V class, or all V class flights. I have addressed fare issues several times with Distancia and have also received E-mails that state W and Z class do not accumulate miles. I do know only C and Y class fares accumulate miles on domestic Peru routings. The B class fares were not one of the fares I was told qualified for miles but the M class I was assured did acquire miles. I believe I only paid one hundred dollars for the SAL - GUA flight in Y class and it is a certainty that miles will be accumulated and the flight segment will count. Good luck. I'm leaving June 8th maybe our paths will cross.

[This message has been edited by cy-gone (edited 05-21-2000).]

cy-gone, thanks for the imfo.1) as for GUA-SAL I got a price of $102 but it was 'Z' class I told the agent to change it to one of the ones you listed came back could only price a 'Y' although her screen should a 'H' class for $96 it wouldnt let her book it!I believe the "y" is $310. 2)as per the Larcsa I using them on 2 flights from PTY-GUA so as long as B or M is good no probs. 3)as per Taca SAL-MGA-MIA its 2 flights with coming in 'B' the other 'M' the difference here is a few hundred so if B&M are ok I'd prefer to save the money. Part of the prob is I'm overseas where most of these airlines don't have any offices and Travelocity doesnt give us the fare basis only prices, I FOUND THAT MY REG TRAVEL-AGENT WAS ABLE TO GET THE SAME FARES AS TC,so I figured let them make something. If anyone else can lend a hand do appreciate the feedback. As for meeting up its 90% that I'll be leaving MIA on 6/18, so if you or anyone else will cross on the iten I posted a week ago drop a line.
Turns out the GUA-SAL is $111.60 in Y the $310 were for 2 flights.Still in the past few days fares have gone up 5%.

[This message has been edited by craz (edited 05-21-2000).]

I think that several people mentioned that the miles for their Aces flights have been credited to their Latin Pass accounts. For those of you who've had miles post, which class of service were your Aces flights booked in? Ours are booked in L class, after I confirmed, and had my travel agent reconfirm that L class does acrue miles and will count for the promotion. They are the only flights that we have booked not in Y or K class.

Craz:
As far as I know B class fares do not qualify for promotion. I priced Gua - Sal at ITN.com and they list the fare in business class (C Class) as $128.00 one way.

I just booked a roundtrip for June 4th between SAL and GUA on Aviateca for my last segment in business class for $240. Why risk not getting credit for a few dollars? Enjoy the view in the front. You get off sooner for your next flight and you can always use their lounges if your flights get delayed.

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Anyone have any suggestions on places to stay in San Salvador and how to avoid the departure taxes? I fly into SAL on June 4th and then make a roundtrip on Aviateca to GUA to complete my million run. I will be overnighting in SAL and leaving at noon on Continental back to Detroit. Should I stay in SAL or GUA? Which one has the best sights even though I won't have much time to spend in GUA if I have to catch an early flight in the morning back to SAL. Thanks for any advice.

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Back at City Cafe, Lima airport on Monday morning. Well I didn´t have an extra day built into my schedule, but the weather has forced my hand. I completed my tenth LatinPass member airline yesterday with a flight to Cusco. I flew back three hours later on Lan Peru. There was a tour guide so persistent that I not wait my time in Cusco sitting in the airport and since I hadn´t shaked him off after 20 minutes while I checked in I decided to take his tour. I am really happy I did because I got a crash course in the history of Cusco, touched the famous 12 corner Incan stone, walked through the markets, snapped photos and toured hotels for reference on a future visit. My Japanese acquaintance was on the flight also so I had someone to celebrate with briefly at the end of my final flight. I wish him luck that he has another LatinPass buddy on his last flight of the million mile adventure.
I am convinced that the taxi ride is the most dangerous part of travel. I just closed my eyes at times in Lima because the trucks and cars were so close. My taxi driver played chicken with a bus and the bus backed off when it was within probably an inch of us. I haven´t had a taxi yet with a functional seatbelt. When the taxi driver looks around and then locks his doors you know it is serious. Personally I think Lima has worse infrastructure than Caracas. I thought I might not leave my hotel, but after a nap I wandered through the parks near the Sheraton and had a change of heart. Sunday afternoon with families and couples out relaxing around the fountains and grass and listening to Andean music at a small outdoor arena was really pleasurable. There always seems to be beautiful places to hang out and pleasant people around even if most of the area looks scary.
I went to sleep and when I woke up four hours later to leave for my flight I noticed there were hardly any lights visible outside. Lima was swamped in fog and when I went to checkout I was told the airport had closed. There were large groups of people arriving at the hotel from cancellations. I spent a half hour revising flight plans because I would miss the American connection in Guayaquil. My flight is now scheduled to be delayed until 8 or 9 am and I will be staying in Guayaquil tonight. Now I will have more Ecuador stamps in my passport to be questioned about by the authorities. I will make the best of my delay. (Why couldn´t I have been delayed in Cusco?)

By the way I don´t know if Taca Peru is flying internationally. That is just a rumor I heard.



[This message has been edited by satori (edited 05-26-2000).]

Just got off with a JUAN @LP who said that T.Peru hasNOT started up with its INTL flights , yet he said M fares are good as well as B fares. To be sure I just e-mailed LP so I can have something in writing. The prob with this time of yr is south of the equator its Winter time unlike the US where its Summer time.

NEED SOME HELP W/CUZ-LIM! I would like to do this on an airline travelocity lists as TANS(TJ) theres a flight @10:45am although it lists the price as $80.24 it says one MUST contact the airline directly for a res. Now being overseas cant find a # for them and my TA says her computer says its an airline in the UK! So has anyone out there flown with them where did you get the tickets can I simply go up in LIM or CUZ and buy it for that days flight at those prices??? or must it be an advanced booking.My other choice is $60 more so since the fares have been creeping up as have hotel prices like to save alittle in this case. PLEASE HELP.THANKS.

Craz,
I purchased a ticket on TANS from the United Airlines website. I was a bit surprised to see the ticket was actually issued by Continental Airlines. Booking may also be available at Continentals Web site. Hope this helps.