First there is no transit lounge…so you have to go through customs and immigration as if you were actually going into the US. That seemed odd to me since it meant that EVERYONE was basically forced into the US! I came to a point where I could have just walked out the doors onto the streets of the airport and on into Miami! I may be wrong, but I don’t see how a person who was going from Quito to London could have AVOIDED that. Which of course means that so far as I could see, even a person who was not allowed a US visa, could NOT have been kept out of the country! Seems odd. Maybe they would have not been allowed on the plane in Quito…but it’s hardly the job of the Ecuadoran government to keep illegals out of our country. I asked the immigration officer why I had to go through customs and immigration and he said it was only temporary. But when I was talking to him I assumed there would be some further barrier keeping me from the street. I have no idea where someone would have been sent had they not had permission to enter the US. Wow…it annoys me I can’t figure this out! I’d sure love to hear an explanation of this. I hope I’m missing something. 
That delay going out then back in was only part of what took so much time….my suitcase broke. It happened as I boarded in Quito. Pull handle on one side just “pulled out” (sic!) I figured I’d be in transit in Miami for 3 hours and could buy one in the transit area. Well after being dumped unceremoniously into the US, I made my way back through security assuming there’d be luggage for sale on the concourse. No luck! So I made my way a second time back out to the USA…public part of the airport. I found a Brookstone store and the clerk was very understanding. She said, “Go ahead and try to fit your things into the one you chose and she actually helped me unpack one and pack another! As we went through my dirty clothes together I wondered if we were having fun yet! Well fortunately, it fit in the first one I chose, and although I paid more than I wanted, at least now I had a pulling handle that worked….and BTW for any of you contemplating a new roller bag…I heartily recommend the type with FOUR wheels. It makes long walks through the airport looking for Tylenol PM MUCH easier!
I made my way to the Admirals Club using my son’s Platinum AMEX card (What’s wrong with THAT picture!) and grew frustrated again that although my wireless service was free in the Lima airport and in my economy hotel in Quito, it would have cost me another $10 for 2 hours in the fancy Admiral’s Club! Talk about “nickel and diming.” So instead I did my email with my thumbs on my phone using my normal ATT&T cell phone web connection! I told Tickey and Richard I’d be with them over Sunday in Sydney. I told Yohan Park I’d stick to my Plan B schedule for Korea, using the KTX bullet train instead of a flight down from Seoul to Cheonan and on to Daegu and Pohan. I confirmed with Susheila her offer to let CSI College buy a later flight from Coimbatore to Delhi in order for me to have more than 6 hours there, and asked Karoline to make sure my onward itinerary would not be cancelled and the Radisson in Delhi knew I’d arrive late. I wanted to call Jame Kurasha to tell him how sorry I was his wife was denied a visa again in Harare, and wanted to call the kids to say hi while I was back in good old USA. But alas the time flew….thumbing is slow!....so I managed 15 minutes with Kit but even that only AFTER I boarded the plane. Priority access helped this time!
Tho I had also used some time in Miami to check one more time about an upgrade for business class overnight tonight (no luck…believe it or not it’s25,000 miles, + $400 + $100 fee!!!! CRAZY) I did manage to get a window seat on a “twoside” (you travelers know what I mean) and shortly before we took off my seat mate moved! So I will soon lay myself down in two seats to sleep! I’m sure all this is thrilling to read, but heh… sometimes it’s boring even at 36,000 feet! And even at 500+mph 4221 miles takes a while….nearly 8 hours.
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