I left Lima late, later than planned. There was a security alert, the departure was delayed, and it was after 11:15 PM when the plane finally departed. With a mere 5 hour flight, I drifted off to sleep as quickly as I could. But even on an airplane, morning comes too early.
It was my body's equivalent of 4:30 AM when we landed at Miami airport. It was pitch black outside as I rode the skytrain through the terminal. What had originally seemed like an interminable 3+ hour layout, turned out to be just about the right amount of time in Miami.
I didn't know until that day that a connecting flight in Miami only saves you the taxi drive to the airport. Otherwise, it is as if you have arrived and departed all in one trip. I had to pick up my checked baggage, and recheck it. I had to go through security screening all over again. Yes, it included a full-body scan, though not a pat-down search, and some unpleasantness with my wallet. Then I had to take an untold number of skytrains and escalators (yes, a two-story escalator! look closely) from my arriving terminal to my departing terminal. When I arrived, I walked up to the ticket counter, showed her my ticket, and asked her "Am I in the right place?" Her response was "Yes," and finally I could relax - for a whole 30 minutes until it was time to board the next leg of my flight.
Miami ranks as my least favorite airport experience.
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