Mission: Get to Buenos Aires...

(Even the beautiful views of Chile couldn't make me feel better...)

not as easy as you might think...

The Original Plan: July 11 - go from Nashville, TN (I was there to attend Steph & Tony's wedding) to Miami and then on to Buenos Aires.

Oh, if only it had gone that smoothly. But where's the travel challenge in that route? Here's what ended up happening...

1. Get a phone call at B&B in Nashville telling me the flight to Miami was delayed from 2PM to 4:45PM. Thanks American Airlines for letting me know. That was very nice of you.

2. 4:00PM - Taryn drops me off at the airport where I'm told that there's no way I'm getting to Miami in time for my connecting flight. They re-direct me to Dallas/Ft.Worth and then to B.A. Thanks American, for lying to me when I talked to the rep on the phone but whatever.

3. Land in Dallas with over an hour before my connecting flight. Unfortunately we sit on the runway because there isn't a gate for us. For the next hour we watch other planes come and go...they have gates. I FINALLY get off the plane and am told by the gate attendant to run to my next flight because they're still boarding.

4. Problem - Dallas is one of the world's largest airports and I have to take a seriously slow monorail thing around 3 terminals. Run to gate. Get laughed at by the gate attendants. Plane is long gone. At this point I'm getting really tired of AA people.

5. Get put on plane to Santiago, Chile and then a flight to B.A. Not before I make a call home where I sob to my father about events #1-4.

(Finally flying over Argentina...only took 24 hours)

6. Emerge in B.A. to find that my huge-full-of-everything-I-need-for-the-next-6-weeks-backpack has been left back in Santiago (I hate you American Airlines!) and after waiting for 40 minutes at a counter am told it will be delivered to my hostel sometime that night. I am doubtful. Very doubtful.

7. Get ripped off in the cab. It was scary. I was threatened by the two drivers...that's all I'll say about that incident.

(Crappy grocery store dinner I had to buy in order to get change. OK, the dulce de leche oreos were damn good.)

8. Make it to the hostel alive. Can't pay with 100 peso bill because Argentina has a shortage of change. Bloody hell. Go to a grocery store. Beg for change. Email home describing my ordeal. Bag magically arrives at hostel. I go to my room (thank god I booked a single) and collapse into bed. Wonder whether this trip was such a good idea...

Next post: I indulge my penchant for bike riding through traffic-filled cities, meet my Dragoman crew and end up in a cemetery. Yeah, I bet you're interested now...