My flight out of Anchorage went as smooth as pie. I was out before take off and the four hours to Seattle went by like a breeze. Its amazing how much you can sleep just from sheer boredom. I was dreading the nine hour layover that the George Bush International Airport in Houston had in store for me, but the long flight to Buenos Aires after that would push the hours of travel to the max. I stopped by a bus kiosk to check out prices to downtown Houston but I was surprised to hear the employee tell me that Houston wasn't worth seeing and that I should save my 30 dollars. Maybe I would have gone anyway, but I had already wasted some hours getting a coffee and winding down in the airport.
On the walkway to board the plane a couple of people were trying to calm down a big guy who was loosing his cool and ranting in spanish, but I passed by him and took my seat. Everyone was on and we started take-off when the same big guy, who had taken his seat in a row behind me lost it again, but this time it was clear that he may have been either mentally challenged or on some sort of drug. His rantings were getting a little violent and it took a good 20 minutes for the attendants to escort him off the plane. I was kind of looking forward to the amusement he could have provided if he had stayed on, but instead I slept almost entirely through the flight.
Once I got to Buenos Aires, it took an hour to get through security and the baggage claim. I had only one more flight left until I was at the final destination! whoo hoo! Unfortunately the next flight was located in the domestic airport, not the international airport. It was a 20 minute bus ride away. My broken spanish came in handy here. I found myself on a bus, hoping I had purchased the right ticket to the right place. The bus made one stop before continuing on to the domestic airport called Aeroparque. We had winded through the center of Buenos Aires, obviously not where an airport would be, but then continued on to the right place. whoo hoo!
I rushed into the terminal to check in. The time had whittled down to only 30 minutes left till the flight boarded. Luckly I saw the rest of my team there and was relieved to not be the only one in a slight rush. I was golden! And another 3 hours of sleep on the plane from Buenos Aires to Barriloche. Once there we got some rental vans and headed out on the road to San Martin de los Andes. I was stuck in the middle seat the whole way and this time couldnt sleep, but I was just happy to be finally on the last leg of travel.
So that brings us here to a sweet little town in the heart of the Andes! whoo hoo! A total of around 40 hours of travel, more or less smooth.
