Filed under: Stories, North America, South America, United States, Chile, Airlines, Transportation, Airports
Ahh... travel. It can be such a magnificent, wonderful thing. Exploring other cultures, visiting beautiful destinations, and sampling local cuisines are all magically sublime experiences. But when things don't quite go as planned, it can be an extremely frustrating affair. One that makes us wonder why we ever left home in the first place.
I received a sobering reminder of this little fact just this past week while preparing to head out of the country on yet another travel adventure. My destination was suppose to be San Pedro de Atacama, a quaint little village located in a mountainous desert region of northern Chile. Little did I know however, that I would spend all day in airports and on airplanes, just to eventually arrive back where I began the day. What could possibly have kept me from reaching my destination you ask? Why the very lovely Mother Nature of course!
My travel day began innocuously enough. I boarded a plane bound for Dallas, Texas from my hometown of Austin. The weather was a bit overcast, but didn't appear particularly threatening. After all, Austin is in the middle of a bad drought, and we haven't had any significant rainfall in weeks. That pattern held up, and soon I was on a short, 35-minute flight to the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. The flight is so short in fact, that the airline doesn't even bother to roll out the drink cart.
After arriving safely at DFW, I quickly scanned the departures board and found the gate for my flight to Miami, where I would eventually catch an over-nighter to Santiago. With two hours to spare, I casually strolled over to the gate, grabbing some lunch en route, and settled in to get some work done while I waited the start of the next leg of my journey. Those couple of hours passed rather quickly, and before I knew it, I was walking down the jetway to board the plane. It was only then that the forces of nature began to conspire against me, plotting to send me spiraling down into a ring of Hell that even Dante hadn't imagined.Continue reading The weather delay bluesThe weather delay blues originally appeared on Gadling on Sun, 15 May 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
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