Waking Up in Lima

It was a little bit arduous, even stretched over two days of travel, but here we are at the Lima Miraflores Hilton.

In order to reposition to San Francisco for our SFO-MIA-LIM itinerary on AA, we added SEA-SFO on Alaska for 4000 points each way for each of us, a relative bargain.

Oddly enough, our mid-afternoon flight was delayed nearly two hours, first by SFO air traffic control, due to construction on a runway.

Second, the captain informed us the ramp crew couldn’t disconnect the tow bar after pushing us out.

Supervisors were summoned, the tow bar was eventually unhooked, paperwork was completed, and we finally took off.

Our flght itself was fine in Premium Economy, although we’re tired of the snack boxes, even if free to elites.

At SFO we caught one of the contract black vans to the Hilton San Francisco Bayfront (actually in Burlingame), andvwere pleased to learn that Diamonds get a free appetizer and a free drink in the restaurant, in addition to the $30 daily credit for the two of us. It made for a cheap late dinner.

The next morning we were up and showered early enough to catch a 5:30 AM shuttle to the airport, where we spent awhile in an AA Admiraks Club downing Cappuccinos with extra shots of Espresso.

First, we admired the ultra-modern SFO Terminal 1, with a TSA checkpoint that includes pullout European tray conveyors. The taxpayers have presumably spent a lot of money on that, and the results show.

We faced two five-hour flights in domestic First Class on fairly new planes, the first being a 737 MAX that departed on time at 7:50 AM.

Our MIA-LIM leg, on an Airbus A321neo, is described as Business, but it’s a domestic configuration as far as we could tell. Both flights were fine. We noticed the A321neo to be significantly noisier than the MAX, and the flight was bumpier.

The meals on both flights left much to be desired, our favorite dish by far being the ice cream sundaes on the second flight.

The wines were a disgrace, especially on a flight so close to Chile and Argentina. Screw cap Chardonnay and a weak Pinot Noir. Really, AA? You should do better! The AA flight attendants were friendly and attentive - no complaints there.

We landed so early and slipped through Immigration so promptly that our Taxi Datum driver hadn’t arrived. He did, however, arrive before long and drove us through various neighborhoods, some better than others, in a comfortable SUV to the Hilton Miraflores, still a bargain ride at USD $18, even with a generous tip added.

There a friendly desk clerk, Jésus, took note of Kathy’s Diamond status and previous stays here. He combined our two separate reservations, made some phone calls, and secured us a junior suite in a corner of the ninth floor.

Thank you, Jésus!

This morning we opened the drapes on a cloudy day and admired the views before going to breakfast.

The à la carte menu in the hotel’s highly regarded Socials Restaurant should keep us well fed over the next few mornings.

A food tour and a cooking class are on the agenda over the next couple of days, but today is a relaxation day with nothing planned.

It’s great to be back in Lima.