December 2nd, 2014

Saying goodbye at Toronto Pearson 😦

3pm

Load bags and self into car. April’s dad drives us to Toronto Pearson airport. She relishes the last moments with her family.

Trying to not be sick. A combination of the anticipation of flying plus knowledge that this is the very last chance I have to turn around and go back to a familiar place. I could always buy another car, rent another apartment and find a new job… 

4:30pm

The nightmare begins. Despite the website claims about baggage limits on American Airlines, they are now demanding nearly $200 to check a second bag each. I brought loads of extra stuff knowing we that we have a semi-permanent base in Guatemala for the next 6 months. It was cheating a bit and now I am paying the price. Now I find myself ripping my bags apart in an attempt to amalgamate them… in the middle of the airport check in area. Normally, I am a self described packing genius, but there was no sense in throwing away a lot of the clothes and bath products leftover from the roadtrip when they could be used in Guate.

5:30pm

With a lot help from Lianne and the other sleuths at A.A. I repacked our bags and brought the extra bag through security as a carry on and then checked the second bag at the gate, for free!

Thanks to all the drama, I don’t get another chance to let my flight anxiety set in.

7pm

We are ninth in line to have our plane de-iced before take off. I am sincerely hoping this is the last time I have to hear words like snow and temperatures below zero for a long time. It is a whole 35 degrees Celcius warmer at our layover destination: Miami, Florida.

8-9:45pm

Most of the flight went by so quickly. Watched a cute movie about food and acculturation called 100 Steps Down

Budget Travel Tip:

Bring all your own snacks as well as an empty water bottle. You can save a lot of money just avoiding the purchase of food and drinks at airports and on planes. Normally the water fountains are safe to drink from in most Western countries, but be sure to double check for your health.

11:15pm

Land in Miami. It’s 25 glorious degrees in the middle of the night, but we will never get to experience it. The air conditioning inside the terminal is blasting near the wintry temperatures we just left behind. Why?!!

Major bonus though, we stumble upon a launching party for a new route American Airlines just unveiled. They are serving delicious Brazilian appetizers and desserts plus juices and water. They may not serve food on the planes anymore but April and I just scored dinner for free 🙂

Midnight, December 03rd, 2014

We wandered around the seemingly endless terminal D. Almost everything is shut down or about to be. There are hardly any people aside from cleaning crew. We scout for a good sleeping area at the far east end.

 For April, there is nothing that could stop her from getting the rest we both so desperately need. Not the cold, hard floor. Not the bright, bright lights. Not even the ceaseless loudspeaker announcements and the sounds of industrial vacuums around us.

2am

Finally I give into the exhaustion, cuddling in between my bags and    April for warmth and comfort that would never come.

~ An Extraordinary Post by Karina Noriega ~

Part II is now published, just follow the link below 🙂

The First 24 Hours: Arriving in Guatemala

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