Better Late than Never

I said my goodbyes, cleared security and boarded my plane Tuesday morning; and before we had even taxied out I had fallen asleep…. Twenty minutes late I was awakened by the voice of the captain explaining that during the engine firing sequence, the left engine had failed to start properly. After returning to the gate and determining that we would need another plane, deboarding, walking to new gate and standing in line for forty minutes, it was determined that I would miss my connecting flight in Atlanta. I decided to stay in Minneapolis and try again tomorrow.

Wednesday morning I boarded the plane for Atlanta, fingers crossed that the plane was functional. Flights went according to schedule and I left for Quito at a little after 7 on Wednesday night. I arrived in Quito around 2300 and after clearing customs, I headed over to the baggage area to get my things.After about an hour of watching them unload everyone's bags but mine, I started to get worried. My bags had gone to Atlanta without me on Tuesday and I was told that they were waiting there for me to board a flight to Quito and they would be on that same flight. So, you can imagine my shock and panic when I couldn't find them and didn't speak enough Spanish to communicate that to the people in the baggage claim area. However, I simply showed my claim ticket to a couple of the ladies working and they pointed me in the direction of my bags which had been pulled off the conveyor and put in a corner. Paul, the intern director was waiting for me outside and we quickly headed to his and his wife's house for the evening.