March 27: Atlanta

After paying a relatively hefty airport departure tax of $31.25, I dozed off at the gate until my flight left at 12:40am. Fortunately, I slept most of the way into Houston, arriving early enough in the morning to avoid any long lines at immigration and customs. Based on my previous experience, coming back from Costa Rica in 2003 and missing my next flight due to a mixture of human incompetence and construction in the international terminal, this was quite a surprise. What was even more amazing than this was the fact that my Inca Trail walking stick had somehow managed to survive the flight unharmed. The icing on the cake, however, was being given a first class seat for my connection to Atlanta. I had originally volunteered my coach seat (somewhere in the back with all them less civilized folk), but was upgraded when they found out, just before departure, that they didn't actually need my seat for this overbooked flight. So, that was nice. Additionally, unlike my return from Thailand just six months earlier, all of my luggage arrived safely in Atlanta. Not a bad finish to a spectacular trip. (photo: www.spsu.edu)

Peru Home & Sidebar
Previous Day -- Packing List