About an hour ago, it felt like anything that
could have gone wrong,
had gone
wrong in the first 24 hours of this expedition. After leaving JFK, I
discovered two things: 1) that I had been upgraded to Business Class
(sweet!) and 2) that my connecting flight was (inexplicably) delayed
three hours. This meant I would miss my all-important morning connection
from Santiago to Mendoza. When I arrived in Santiago, I discovered that
the flight I had been rebooked onto--the later Lan Chile flight--was
actually oversold by 30% and that I did not have a seat. I was on
standby for a flight that would already have me arrive 24 hours late for
my expedition. Not good. Then I realized that things could get even
worse. And they did. My bags had only been checked to Santiago, at which
point they had to be transferred from Copa Airlines to Lan Chile. This
switch was apparently difficult for the two airlines, because when I
finally arrived in Mendoza (having managed to snag the last seat on the
plane), I did not have either of my two gear bags.
I drove to the hotel to meet the group in sullen
silence. This was so frustrating. I had finally made it to Mendoza only
to be stuck here because my bags were delayed or--even worse--lost. I
met the group for the first time as they packed into their shuttle bus
to leave for Penitentes. Before they left, the guides warned me that if
my bags did not show up on the 3pm flight (the last flight of the day), I
would have to rent all of my gear in Mendoza in addition to being three
days behind the team. After talking with my parents, we agreed that if
my bags did not show up on the afternoon flight, I would probably
reassess the entire expedition and possibly return home.
An hour after the last flight landed, I still had not received
any word about my bags. In a moment of desperation, I hopped in a taxi
headed to the airport hoping beyond hope that my bags would be there. I
walked quickly up to the (empty) Lan Chile desk and noticed two huge,
orange North Face duffel bags. My bags made it!
 |
| My bags: stuffed to the brim and ready to head into the Andes. |
Thank goodness, because otherwise that would have been one quick (and remarkably unsuccessful) expedition!
