Leaving home

If you are from Los Angeles, you know that it's not exactly cheap to park at the Airport from the "deluxe parking" that runs about the price of a hotel, to the standard Airport Parking lot B price of $8 a day, that means you are paying $56 to $150 a week just to park your car. Most shuttle services charge $60 round trip (to most of LA), which is better, but frugal traveler that I am, I could not part with that money so easily....soooooo...

I got my roommate to drive me to the local Metrorail system at 4am and my total charge for getting to the airport was $2.50 round trip.

Actually the Green Line train stops short of the airport, but it was only another 10 minute ride in an airport bus to get to the American Airlines terminal.

I checked on pretty quickly today and my trademark way of passing time was listening to a new CD I burned yesterday with all my current favorite dance and electronica mixes to accompany me on my journey.

The first leg was to Dallas, which was fairly crowded, and after a 3 hour layover, and lunch at an off-airport Blimpie's sandwich shop (which was not that good I might add), the 2nd leg from Dallas to Caracas was underway.

I was kind of surprised to see that the Dallas-Caracas route actually flies due east over Orlando and then south along the Florida coast and the island chains, nearly identical to flying via Miami first. Anyway, the flight was only about 25% full and so there was ample time to stretch and rest during this 5 hour jaunt.

I arrived in Caracas about 9:30 at night and my friend Alice was waiting for me as I picked up my bags, the visa line was short and everything went smoothly on the first night of my trip.