Round The World and other travels
A frequent flyer's collection of trip diaries
This is: South America 2009
Home again to cloudy Scotland
(Link to flight log in side panel)
It was an absolutely glorious day in Frankfurt, with clear skies and a strong sun. The temperature was already 23C and I felt a little sticky as I made the long walk from the C wing to the now familiar territory of the First Class Lounge. But what a delight to be told on arrival that I would be driven to the plane! I had time to relax for a while and sip a cooling apple juice, before presenting myself at the front desk at the appointed time of 1150. I was directed down to a further security check via a small lift in the lounge vestibule, following which my driver showed me into an exceptionally smart, silver Mercedes limousine. Oh wow, this was going to be good! She expertly negotiated the airside maze, avoiding trucks, buses, baggage carts, taxiing aircraft, and all the other potential hazards. There was a very short pause on arrival at the remotely-parked aircraft while the driver verified that the crew were ready to accept passengers, and then, in a very nice touch, the Purser came down to escort me to my assigned seat. I couldn't help thinking to myself : "Ah, this really is the life!"
(Link to flight log in side panel)
After two excellent flights, interspersed with
slick organisation and first class treatment in Frankfurt,
everything abruptly went pear-shaped when I entered the terminal
building at Edinburgh. The UK Border post had massive,
slow-moving queues packed into a barely adequate area, which had a
stifling, non-air conditioned atmosphere. What a welcome home!
To try being positive, at least my suitcase was circling on the
carousel by the time I got through.
Thankfully that was the only hitch, and it was then an easy job to
collect the car and drive home,
picking up some essential provisions on the way.
And so yet another highly successful and enjoyable
trip was at an end. After all those years, I'd finally made it to
South America and lived to tell the tale!
I suppose my overall reaction would have to be split up according to
country and destination. Buenos Aires brought to mind the words
'faded glory', but I really enjoyed it and would go back without
hesitation. Iguassu was, without a doubt, one of the greatest natural sights
in the world. My impressions of Uruguay were confined to Colonia,
but it seemed, if anything, even more civilised than Argentina. And
finally, Sao Paulo brought me face to face with some of the demons
that had hitherto haunted my thoughts about the great southern
continent of the Americas. It had also helped to - at least
partially - lay them to rest, as I found that for any reasonably
savvy, streetwise, seasoned traveller such as myself, it really
wasn't such a difficult destination.