Starting from the end...

As mentioned previously, Laura and I kept a video journal while traveling through Patagonia and beyond. I'm in the process of uploading and editing those and will post them when I'm finished.

Until then, I've posted my last video journal entry below. It was taken on the fifth night after coming back from waiting for a standby flight at Santiago International airport.



A lot of people wondered how I became "stuck" in Santiago. Before I left for my trip, I bought a buddy pass from a friend who is a flight attendant for Skywest, a United and Delta Airlines affiliate. A buddy pass is simply a heavily discounted ticket that allows me to fly coach, first or business. The catch is since the buddy pass is considered non-revenue, I had to fly standby. Flying standby means I get a seat only if there are seats available and the plane isn't over its weight restriction for passenger and cargo loads. Sounds easy enough, right? It was definitely easy enough flying to South America so I didn't consider the system in which buddy passes operate under until I had problems flying out.

There is a ranking system for non-revenue standby passengers. Non-revenue passengers include those who work for the airlines, retired airline employees and their friends/family who fly with buddy passes. If there are seats available for non-revenue standby passengers, those seats first go to active employees and then to retired employees. Only after these employees are offered a seat are buddy pass passengers offered seats, assuming there are seats left. Furthermore, buddy pass passengers are ranked according to the start date of when their friend or family member began working for the airlines. Basically because I was a buddy pass passenger and my friend's start date was in late 2006, I was always at the bottom of the standby list. Unfortunately for me, because it was summer in Santiago, it was also peak travel time for Chileans meaning passenger and cargo loads were consistently heavy.

Fortunately for me, I have friends and family friends in high places; They are pilots and former airline employees. (Get it? Friends in high places, airline employees?) I was able to get on as a guest traveler for American Airlines. Their non-revenue passenger system works a little differently. Active and unactive employees still get first priority. However, priority of friends and family guest travelers is determined by how long the guest traveler has been waiting for a flight out. It basically became a waiting game for me on American Airlines.

I won't lie. Repeatedly being denied a seat home wore on me a bit. It was depressing because I had put myself in the mind frame of "I'm going home" so I was ready and prepared to do that. It was also frustrating because everything was absolutely out of my control. The only thing I could do was show up every evening at the airport to wait for a seat. (Contrary to popular belief, I wasn't actually living at the airport. I had a hostel bed and took public transportation to the airport.) After the first night, I put my game face on and did well at not worrying about it. I figured it'll happen when it happens and all I could do was make the most of where I was. It was not until the sixth night when after talking with family and friends who were sure I'd get on that evening that I'd set my hopes high.

I can't remember the last time I cried besides while watching a sappy movie. I am either blessed or cursed with rarely feeling sorry for myself, remembering how insignificant my problems are compared to others and knowing how small I am in this massive universe. But on Sunday, my sixth night, I opened the floodgates and it all came pouring out. I was at a loss. It was the first night I seriously considered forking out the two grand to purchase a one-way ticket home. I also looked into flights to Lima, Peru for $700 where I felt more confident about flying out on a buddy pass because the passenger loads appeared less heavy. After mulling it over, I decided to give Santiago International one more try and on my seventh night, I escaped.

Thanks to everyone who helped, sent words of encouragement or said a prayer on my behalf. I am incredibly lucky to have so many friends and family who care about me!

PS For those who are curious, all 3 bottles of wine made it to Sacramento.