Jun 102014
 

I’d ordered a car from the hotel the night before, and it was maybe $10 more than the going taxi rate if I remember right, but could be charged to the room and would be ready…so was more than worth it.  Checkout was nice and easy, and soon we were on the way to the airport.  Contrary to the trip to the hotel, the roads were absolutely empty, and my driver decided he was auditioning for a formula one race.  Ran one right light and FLASH…he started cursing up a storm.  Who knew that Quito had red light cameras?!  Did this stop him though…no, about 15 minutes later, he decided to run another red light…and FLASH…another red light camera ticket.  Some people just don’t learn their lesson.

Got to the airport in plenty of time, but unfortunately the agent was only able to print out my boarding passes as far as Cancun.  Since US Airways had left Star Alliance, they said they were unable to check me in for their flights, and with only 1:42 to connect, change terminals, clear immigration and security, and check-in in Cancun, I knew my chances weren’t very good of making the connection.

Immigration and security in Quito were a breeze, and I had about 30 minutes to kill in the business lounge.  Nothing special, but had a decent coffee machine and lots of bottled beverages as well as adequate outlets, so it more than met my needs.  Soon, it was time to head to the gate to board.

This is where I saw my very first…what I can only assume was local, complete with headdress and military surplus jacket complaining about his seat assignment.  Note in the background of the (sorry blurry) pic a few African guys also waiting for the flight.  They were from DR Congo, didn’t speak a word of Spanish or English, and were a group of 9 who were “in Ecuador looking for houses to buy” based on the translation I tried to help the gate agent with.  She was holding their passports as well so I’m not sure of the full story, but by the looks of them when they boarded they’d never been on a plane before.  They couldn’t understand, for example, that 22F meant 22 rows back…no matter how many times it was explained to them.  The concept of numbered places was completely foreign.  How they got to Ecuador in the first place was beyond me….

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Boarding was pretty quick, and we pulled back from the gate right on time.

COPA Airlines flight 210
Quito, Ecuador (UIO) to Panama City, Panama (PTY)
Depart 6:08, Arrive 8:04, Flight Time 1:56
Boeing 737-800, Registration HP-1539CMP, Manufactured 2010, Seat 2B

Although the flight was only booked to 8 of 16 in business class when I checked in, we ended up leaving completely full.  The breakfast choices were “eggs” or french toast, so decided to go with the eggs, which came scrambled in some sort of a pastry shell that was completely unnecessary.  Definitely one of the less amusing and tasty meals I’d had on COPA.

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Not too much else to say about this short flight, as I slept most of the rest of it.  We arrived in Panama right on time, and I had a little time to spend in the absolutely packed COPA club.  I tried again to check in for my US Airways flights here, but there was once again nothing the agent could do.  I also Skyped US Airways Chairmans Preferred line, but try as they might, the best they could do was note my record that I was on a tight connection.  Something to do with the COPA flight not leaving yet was preventing them from checking me in either.  I would just be trying my luck once I got to Cancun.

The lounge was packed, so I used the rest of my short connection to walk around the airport a bit and just people watch, until it was time to board. At least we boarded on time, and pushed back from the gate 10 minutes early.

COPA Airlines flight 324
Panama City, Panama (PTY) to Cancun, Mexico (CUN)
Depart 9:45, Arrive 12:28, Flight Time 2:43
Boeing 737-800, Registration HP-1536CMP, Manufactured 2009, Seat 4A

Luckily, there were only 8 of 16 seats taken on this flight, so I was able to move back to row 4 and have the entire row to myself.  Made for a nice, quiet flight up to Cancun.  So, why Cancun, Panama, etc?  When I booked with miles, this was the only routing available.  After booking it, I actually sort of was amused at the strange, but not all-that-out-of-the-way routing that would take me back.  Then, US Airways upgraded Cancun-Philly to an A330 and I was actually excited for it.  That is, until I saw that changing planes in Cancun is not straightforward.  Oh well, at least it would be an adventure.

View on takeoff from Panama:

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Jun 032014
 

After Judd and his wife dropped me at the airport, they were also kind enough to wait while I checked in to made sure there was no drama…which of course there was. A “VIP” decided they wanted my pre-selected seat, so it had been given away. I was having absolutely none of this, and made it known…and did get my seats back. Said our goodbyes, I changed a little bit of leftover security, and headed for the gate area.

I had been warned there was no lounge in the international terminal, so made a point not to arrive too early to the airport. By the time I’d cleared immigration and the painfully slow security checkpoint it was only about 30 minutes until boarding. There was a fairly nice waiting area filled with outlets for charging phones/etc so that was nice. There was also a small, but decent variety of places to eat and shop. Overall not bad for a smaller airport. We boarded about 20 minutes late, and only about 15 minutes before scheduled departure which was worrisome, since I had barely 40 minutes to connect in Panama.

COPA Airlines flight 646 operated by COPA Airlines Colombia aka Aero Republica
Medellin, Colombia (MDE) to Panama City, Panama (PTY)
Depart 13:22, Arrive 14:38, Flight Time 1:16
Embraer ERJ-190, Registration HP-1562CMP, Manufactured 2007, Seat 2A

Even more shocking for a short flight once we were airborn, there was not just a meal on this flight with a flight time of 52 minutes, there was a choice of meals! I went with the chicken.  It was decently tasty.  One thing I remembered on this flight, COPA always makes a point to turn the glasses to face you when they serve, so you can read the writing.  Small touch, but adds a tiny bit of class!

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I asked for a second glass of wine after the meal, but it was too close to landing…but that wasn’t a problem.  They just served it United-style!

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Landed in Panama right on time, and of course with a short-ish connection the flight was clear across the airport, about a 15 minute walk away.  Wouldn’t have been too much of a problem, except even with the air conditioning it was hot.  And with the humidex it felt downright nasty:

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We boarded right at scheduled departure time, so there was really no reason I had to rush. I was only slightly concerned, because in my experience COPA is incredibly punctual, and even though it’s a small airport I figured they would almost certainly be on time.

COPA Airlines flight 159
Panama City, Panama (PTY) to Quito, Ecuador (UIO)
Depart 15:24, Arrive 17:20, Flight Time 1:56
Boeing 737-800, Registration HP-1531CMP, Manufactured 2006, Seat 2B

Boarding took…forever. Business was supposed to be full, but it appeared there were only 4 seats taken in total. How odd. Boarding was delayed because there was a group of 50+ American teenagers and their chaperones going to do some sort of missionary work in Ecuador. Packing away their giant backpacks, guitars, combined with the typical inefficiency of boarding planes for Americans, meant we finally left the gate about 30 minutes late. Would have only been 20, except we waited another 10 for the remaining six business class passengers who were all connecting from the same delayed flight. Turned out I really didn’t need to worry!

First things, up in the air, immigration forms were handed out.  Straightforward, but I wasn’t sure what the “date of bird” was?  Is this like a Chinese Zodiac thing?  😉

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Once again, there were two choices. I don’t remember the other one, but it sounded unappetizing, so I went with the generic “salmon” which turned out to be a salmon bagel. It was quite mediocre:

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Once again, however, the glasses were turned properly!

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Landed in Quito just over 30 minutes late, and had a relatively short walk to immigration.  The line was nearly an hour long, and I ended up chatting up a mid-50s Canadian couple from Regina (who made sure to inform me how to pronounce the city…yes, yes, I’m not an ignorant American) who were on their second trip to Ecuador.  They’d gotten bad altitude sickness the first time, and had to abandon the trip and head home rather than go to the Galapagos.  Up until this point, I hadn’t realized that Quito is still at approximately 10,000 feet above sea level.  Coming from Bolivia it felt absolutely wonderful to be able to breathe easily again!

Rather chatting immigration agent, but soon I was through and in a taxi to the hotel in a torrential downpour….which took nearly two hours since it was rush hour.  Oh well, that’s one way to get a brief preview of the city I suppose!

Mar 262013
 

Fortunately our train out of Aguas Calientes was in the afternoon, so we had a chance to sleep in and take it easy in Aguas Calientes before we had to be at the train station for the ride back. We grabbed a casual lunch near the train station as I mentioned in another post, and then it was back to Cuzco first by train, then by shuttle bus, and finally a taxi to our hotel. We’d decided to stay at the Hotel Monasterio again, and they had our driver waiting at the train/shuttle station and our stored bags already in our new room. Absolutely perfect.

One last dinner in Cuzco, and it was up early for our series of flights back home. One last breakfast at the hotel, and they arranged a taxi for us to the airport. Once again, everything at this hotel was flawless, and geared towards people visiting Cuzco and/or Machu Picchu. A very early breakfast before our taxi, taxi to the airport arranged and on time…it was excellent.

The Cuzco airport is relatively small, and the business class/Star Alliance Gold line had a 15-20 minute line before we could check in. However, when we did, we were surprised to hear the agent say “I am adding your name to the list, you can ask about an upgrade at the gate.” I didn’t question her, but why was this? Are Star Alliance Gold members (and companions!) automatically upgraded space available at the gate on TACA?!

Immigration and security were maybe a 10 minute affair, and soon we were in the very congested departures area for our flight.

TACA Peru flight 830
Cuzco, Peru (CUZ) to Lima, Peru (LIM)
Depart 8:05, Arrive 9:30, Flight Time 1:25
Airbus A320, Registration N498TA, Manufactured 2008, Seat 2K

About two minutes before boarding, the gate agent called our names, and wrote new seat numbers on our boarding passes…upgrade confirmed!  I still don’t know why, since coach was only about 75% full, and we were two of four in business, but I’m not complaining at all!

It was a pretty routine flight, with a small meal offered.  Seats were typical US-style up-front seats, so nothing special, but it was nice having all sorts of extra room!  A shot of the meal:

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Mar 052013
 

Last fall when I was working in Senegal there were posts on Flyertalk about a great fare on COPA in Business Class from JFK to Lima, Peru for around $800. I mentioned it to a few friends, not really expecting anyone to bite, and I was prepared to book and do the trip alone when a friend of mine got really excited about joining me. We booked, and soon added a US Airways Shuttle ticket to New York, and we were all set!

The plan was to spend a few days each in Lima, Cuzco, and finally Machu Picchu before heading home.  Time flew by, and soon it was time to leave.  The trip started in DC from the airport I still refuse to call Ronald Reagan National Airport – it shall always be just National Airport to me.  US Airways was asking well over $300 for these flights when we booked, but the same flights purchased at united.com were under $150.  The only complication was that because we had the United codeshare flight numbers US Airways wouldn’t offer complimentary upgrades with my platinum status.  However, at 24 hours before the flight when we checked in, it let me choose seats in first.  Who knows if this is supposed to be how it works, but it did….

Check-in was simple with maybe a five minute wait, we dropped of a couple bags with the TSA, and headed to the US Airways Club to get some water before boarding.  It was pretty empty mid-morning, and soon it was time to board.

US Airways Shuttle flight 2164
Washington DC, National (DCA) to New York, Laguardia (LGA)
Depart 9:00, Arrive 10:17, Flight Time 1:17
Airbus A319, Registration N732US, Manufactured 2000, Seats 2D and 2F

The flight was pretty uneventful.  Economy looked to be about 75% full, and every seat in first was taken.  Pre-departure drinks were offered, and in-flight there was one round of drinks along with the typical US Airways snack basket full of munchies.  Nothing special, but completely solid for a 45 minute flight.  Of course, there was time for a morning wake-up…after all, this was the start of a big adventure!

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Dec 132011
 

As I mentioned earlier, I’m going to split this trip report up in a more thematic fashion instead of doing it chronologically.  It was a long trip, so I suspect the day by day could put some people to sleep of boredom!  Right, on to the flights!

I’d initially booked United non-stop in both directions to Buenos Aires, but when the travel folks came up with an option that was 1/3 the fare on COPA…I couldn’t say no out of corporate responsibility.  Plus, it still earned miles/EQM with United Continental so I couldn’t really complain.  Best part of all, but splitting things wisely I could completely avoid redeyes which I attempt to avoid whenever possible.  I sleep well on planes…but why should you if you don’t have to!

Once I agreed to the COPA fare, travel attempted to wisely book me with a 10-11 hour layover on the outbound in Panama and a 737 redeye to Buenos Aires.  Oh H-to-the-E-L-L no!  If I’m taking the low-cost option to save money, I’m going to at least overnight in Panama and take two back-to-back daytime flights that I can work on and be well-rested when I arrive.  The approving authorities on-board, it was booked, and off we go.

Arrived at Dulles, and this is where mild trouble began.  Checked in and checked bags no worries, and then asked which lounge they used since they’re in the A/B terminal where United/Continental isn’t.  “um, the only lounge is United in the other terminal – you can’t have everything when you get a free upgrade!”  Excuse me, this is a paid business fare…”Oh, well, you can go to the other terminal if you want a lounge.  I’m sure United will let you in.”  Major customer service fail, but felt like the United I know.  Assume all your passengers are upgraders so you don’t have to provide much service.  Bummer.  I killed time at my second home (aka Starbucks) instead, and boarded more or less on time.

COPA Airlines flight 357
Washington Dulles (IAD) to Panama City, Panama (PTY)
Depart 9:32, Arrive 14:22, Flight Time 4:50
Seat 3E
Registration HP-1713CMP, Manufactured 2010

This was a completely full flight, and boarding was completely surprisingly quickly.  My expectations were low (remember, low cost option involving 6,000 miles one-way on 737s) and thus I was pleasantly surprised.  I don’t really remember much of the lunch on this flight – which is to say it was neither good nor bad.  Entertained myself by doing prep work on the laptop, and everything was pretty solid if unremarkable.  Sometimes, that’s the best kind of flight….until you get to baggage claim and only one of your two bags arrives.  Of course, the other one shows that it arrived…but no sign of it.  Someone else likely walked off with it.  Grrrrrrreat!

COPA Airlines flight 279
Panama City, Panama (PTY) to Buenos Aires, Argentina (EZE)
Depart 11:06, Arrive 20:16, Flight Time 7:10
Seat 2E
Registration HP-1713CMP, Manufactured 2010

After a good lay-in it was time to head back to PTY for the onward flight to Argentina.  Check-in was pretty swift, bags re-checked, and PTY security was quick as usual.  Only note – they don’t permit scissors with small blades like the TSA does.  Just an FYI…  we boarded the flight…and then waited.  Seemed the volcano in Chile was acting up, and since this flight was at the very very edge of the 737 range they opted to wait to ensure we wouldn’t divert somewhere embarrassing.  Then, they took 6 folks off for weight limitations.  Then another 12.  Then another 14….then 22.  All in all, they removed nearly 50 passengers (and most luggage) from the flight and we eventually left two hours late.  Not the best start to this trip!

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Dec 112011
 

It’s been a while since my last post, and that’s been due to quite a bit of travel. All-too-quick trip to Minnesota over Thanksgiving, and then just got back from possibly the worst (yeah…right) business trip ever – two weeks in Buenos Aires. Nobody really wants to be traveling between Thanksgiving and Christmas. There’s just too much to get done with shopping, holiday parties, and end of the year tasks in the office. But, if you have to get sent somewhere in December I’m pretty sure there’s no place better than Buenos Aires. Sunny, warm, great food, great people…yeah, it was definitely a hardship trip!

I’m also in the midst of planning an epic new years trip that will – if all goes well – even top the last two new years in Iraq and Afghanistan. It should be if all goes well a whirlwind two week trip that manages to get another 7 countries visited and should bring my total count up to 107. My goal is 125 by the end of 2012 so hopefully I can get there! This will put a good dent in things.

Since the Argentina trip was nearly two weeks, I think it would be better to break the posts up by theme. Nobody really wants to hear the day-to-day of going to the office and doing work, so I think I’ll skip that part. I’ll break things up into four sections:

I. Roundtrip flights Washington Dulles to Buenos Aires via Panama City on COPA Airlines
II. Hotel Reviews – Le Meridian Panama City and Park Tower Buenos Aires – SPG Luxury Collection
III. Restaurant Reviews
IV. Touring and Sightseeing

One quick teaser pic – the Casa Rosada in Buenos Aires

Sep 132011
 

After checking in, we grabbed a quick coffee in the Sheraton lounge before meeting the driver we had arranged to take us on a day-long trip around the highlights of Bogotá.  He showed up on time, wearing a suit, and the car was clean despite not having functional seatbelts.  His English was excellent, however, which added to how much we got out of the tour.  The first stop was the nearly one hour drive north of Bogotá to see the town of Zipaquira and the salt cathedral that was built there.

Zipaquira is a functioning salt mine, and the miners had built this cathedral underground as a place to pray for their safety and such.  There were some quite obtuse “stations of the cross” at the beginning, and the actual cathedral further in.  We had paid for the mine entrance plus the “Miners Route” tour.  One word of advice – skip the miners route.  All it is is fumbling around in the dark and pretending you’re a miner – pretty lame and a waste of 30 minutes.  The cathedral was awesome to see, however.

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