Home sweet home.

It was a long flight home around 34.5 hours of travel time. I have few complaints, the flights were pretty well within scheduled times. LAN airways are as good as any airline I have been on, and the DVD entertainment systems seem to while the time away quite quickly.
The scheduled legs involved were:
  • Cusco - Lima
    Wed 26 May Depart 09:30 Arrive 10:45 Duration 1:15
  • Lima - Santiago, Chile
    Wed 26 May Depart 12:30 Arrive 16:55 Duration 3:25
  • Santiago - Auckland
    Here a day is added on arrival due to crossing the international date line. Also 6 hour lay-over waiting for this flight.
    Wed 26-May Depart 23:10 Arrive 04:20 (28 May) Duration 13:10
  • Auckland - Melbourne
    Depart 28-May 06:05 Arrive 08:15 Duration 4:10

Waiting in Santiago airport was long, but I had a nice meal and a drinks at a restaurant directly opposite the gate and started reading a book I bought at Lima airport - "Uncommon Grounds - The history of coffee and how it transformed our world by Mark Prendergast." This book is a good read and provides interesting insights to how coffee as influenced world economies, social structure and environments.
Another book I bought might prove to provide some memory jogging if I cannot get back my photos - "Discovering Machu Picchu - The Inca trail and Choquequirau" by Jose Miguel Helfer Arguedas. It has heaps of pictures and brief explanations. It brought back many pleasant moments as I reflected on my trip.
  • Hassle - Lost bag scene 1:
    I was told to pick up my bag in Santiago airport, as there was no facility to transfer to the next flight. So I went through the process of customs declaration, metal scanning and stripping to almost nothing and waited for ages for my bag which did not arrive. All sorts of thoughts raced through my mind about my bag's location and personal effects I have lost - my photo memory card and diary notes in particular. Nobody around for ages to seek assistance from, then finally a LAN staff member walked in for the next incoming flight: she informed me that my bag was actually checked in all the way to Melbourne - uneasy relief.
  • Hassle - Lost bag scene 2:
    At Melbourne the bags were unloaded on carousel 1. No bag and about 6 others in same predicament. I am tired and my bags are they in Rio somewhere ? An eon of waiting. Help! - Sirs, madams, you need to go to Carousel 5 which is hidden round the corner. Whew !
  • Hassle - booze breakage :
    I bought a litre of Grand Marnier from duty free and dropped it on the pavement waiting for Europcar parking shuttled bus. Oh well, it was not meant to be.
  • Medical Expenses:
    Called in to the dentist on the way home to check on that sore tooth. Root canal x 3 on back upper molar ~ $3400 AUD or remove tooth ~ $450AUD. I will need to go to endodontist as I have particularly deep nerves and some complexity on either option involved.  (the total cost ended up being $5350 – ouch)
Home sweet home, Caroline and the kids glad to see me. Love is passed on  to all.

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