The Silent "I"

South America: From Argentina to Easter Island

February 4, 2004

On February 4, 2004, we left the swanky Marriott Plaza Hotel in Buenos Aires for for another all-day travel excursion to our next destination: Easter Island.  This was the place we had originally planned to visit, and Iguazu Falls and Buenos Aires were merely "side trips" in the World According to Frank.

We took a Lan Chile flight to Santiago, where we caught another flight to Easter Island.  In Santiago, we had to pay a $200 "Reciprocity Fee," which was charged to all Americans landing in Chile due to the US Customs charging $200 for Chileans coming into the US, so it was their way of saying, "Right back atch, George W. Bush."  If I recall correctly, this was a cash-only transaction, so be sure to carry sufficient funds to cover this if you go to Chile. $600 later, we were able to board our flight onward to Easter Island. 

Other than the reciprocity fee, Santiago Airport was well laid-out and easy to transfer through.   Near our gate was a small play area with a playhouse, and Alexander had a great time playing there, especially when other kids showed up and wanted to play with him.  

Our flight was comfortable and took about three hours from Santiago to Easter Island (or Isla de Pascua in Spanish, called Rapa Nui in the island's native language).  The flight was completely full, but many of the people on the flight were going on to Tahiti, so we were among the few deplaning at the tiny airport in Easter Island.

It was dark when we arrived, but the folks from the Taha Tai Hotel were there to pick us up.  We boarded a large van with a family from Japan.  The Japanese family didn't speak English, but seemed to speak Spanish fluently.  That didn't deter Alexander from trying to speak to them in English, tossing in a "konichiwa" and "gracias" here and there.  They smiled and nodded.  As we exited the airport, Alexander noticed one of the famous stone statues we had come to see and exclaimed, "A moai! Look! A moai!"

This seemed to charm the guide from the hotel, and she seemed to be a little astonished that a three year old knew the correct name for the statues.  All the prep work we had done before the trip and reading to him about the moai and Easter Island really paid off. She then told the group that we would see many moai during out stay on Easter Island, and to always keep our eyes open for more moai sightings. 

We checked in to the Taha Tai, to a small, clean room in what looked like a nice version of a Best Western, nothing terribly fancy, but comfortable and welcoming. The young staff members were friendly, and taught us to say "irolana" which is an all purpose greeting, similar to "aloha" in Hawaiian.  Unfortunately, the airconditioning in our room conked out about an hour after we arrived, so we settled in for a somewhat sweaty night in the balmy, tropical night.

We had arrived at last at our dream destination:  Easter Island.

Argentina: Iguazu Falls or Bust

This is a retrospective series on our trip to South America in 2004. In this episode, we spend a restless night traveling, and finally make it to Iguazu Falls, Argentina.

January 29-30, 2004

On the first leg of our southbound journey, we boarded an American Airlines plane in San Jose for a non-stop flight to Dallas, Texas.  American had only recently added a Dallas to Buenos Aires flight, and we took advantage of that convenient route.  Our San Jose flight was delayed forty-five minutes on the runway when someone noticed a "smokey smell" in the cabin, which caused maintenance crew to come out to inspect.  Being plagued by unknown noxious fumes doesn't bode well for the start of a trip. Fortunately, they didn't find anything, but the delay made us nervous about our connection in Dallas.

We made it in time for our flight to Argentina, with a little time to spare. Alexander was very well-behaved on both flights, something I attribute to his bringing along a little traveling companion named Charlie. Charlie is a little stuffed bear (one of many in his collection) that was his designated buddy for this trip. On a trip to Japan the year before, we lost his beloved baby blanket "Becky" and noticed that traveling with him was something of a nightmare without a little bit of home along for the ride.  So, we picked out Charlie the Bear as his travel companion, and it worked like a charm.  Charlie didn't exactly replace Becky in Alexander's affections, but he was close enough to get Alexander to sleep for six hours straight on the flight from Dallas to Buenos Aires.

Great Northern Adventure: Polar Bears in Churchill

This post is part of a series of posts on our trip to Churchill, Manitoba to see the annual polar bear migration.  In this post, we finally get to see some actual bears, and Alexander declares war on his snowsuit.

November 10, 2002

I grew up in Ohio, where winters were cold and snowy.  I lived in Chicago for three years, where I thought I'd freeze to death in the two block walk from my dorm room to my law school classes, when the howling winds off Lake Michigan whipped up in a frenzy of ice, wind, and snow.  I thought I knew cold.

Despite that, I was not prepared for how cold it would be in Churchill.  I can honestly say that this was the coldest cold I'd ever experienced in my life. Both Frank and I are Midwestern refugees who gladly traded in the snow and ice for the temperate climate of California, and hotter than West Hell summers in Austin.  Maybe that made us wimps, or maybe it's just too damn cold in Churchill.  Probably both.

On our first morning in Churchill, we suited up with layer upon layer of long underwear, t-shirts, flannel shirts, sweaters, fleece, then polar jackets, scarves, gloves, and boots.  It took 20 minutes to get dressed just to go thirty yards to breakfast next door at Churchill Motel.

Alexander was content to put on the layers, but drew a firm line in the sand when it came to the one-piece snowsuit.  He went on an all-out toddler rampage when the evil contraption brought forth, as though he were being dragged to the dungeon to be put into a modern equivalent of an Iron Maiden.  He put up quite a fight, and it took four adults, two cookies, and a promise of something shiny to get him suited up for the day.

After breakfast, we joined our tour group for a helicopter tour that took us over the town and out over the Hudson Bay to look for polar bears.  The Bay was sufficiently frozen so most of the bears had moved out onto the ice to hunt for seals.  If all else failed over the next few days, we hoped to at least get a glimpse of a few from the air.

We went out to the helicopter landing site, and found out that Alexander was not allowed to go up (nor did he particularly want to), so he and I stayed in the cozy station while Frank goes up with the first group, along with Chris, Ruth, and Ralph.  Alex and I drank hot cocoa in the station and watched the helicopters take off and land. He still hated his snowsuit, and stared pensively out the window.  His expression is either "Wish I could go on one of those big whirly contraptions" or "I wonder why my parents hate me so much to make me wear this damn snowsuit."

Family-Friendly Airport Report: Pittsburgh (PGH)

Last weekend, I traveled to Pittsburgh for a conference, and noticed that the Pittsburgh Airport (PGH) had several family-friendly features that would make travel a bit easier for families traveling with small children. 

First, at the security entrance, there is a separate line marked "family friendly" specifically for families traveling with youngsters.  For anyone traveling with an infant and toddler, getting all the gear through security can be a daunting task.  If you have a stroller or car seat, getting everything up on the security belt to go through screening can take additional time and be met with anything from glares to outright tantrums from other passengers (not to mention your own kids).  Having a family-friendly line allows those with little gear who want to get to the gate faster a chance to avoid avoid the Baby on Board set.

Inside security, I discovered a play area called "Kidsport" at the entrance to Terminal C.  This was a large, open play area, equipped with a TV.  The play area was surrounded by a low wall, so the kids are contained, but have some freedom to run around. It seemed to be geared for the 5 and under set, with a few small rocking airplanes facing out the windows so that kids could watch the real airplanes take off and land.  One feature of this play area that I thought was terrific were two adjacent bathrooms marked "boys" and "girls", so you didn't have to traipse off in search of a bathroom in case of an emergency.  Next to the play area was a family restroom that could be used for anyone needing assistance, regardless of age.

From Beijing to Tianjin

We arrive in Beijing at 2:00 in the afternoon, the first leg of our solar eclipse ’09 journey.  We made our way by car to the port city of Tianjin.  The Beijing airport has changed a great deal since we were there in 2004, and everything looked sparkling and new.  Beijing had to put on a happy face for the hoards of foreign tourists invading for the 2008 Olympics, and the airport improvements were evidently part of the package. 

I was most impressed with how shiny and clean the floors were.  There seemed to be numerous maintenance people, all wearing surgical masks, methodically cleaning the floors throughout the airport.  Someone in China must have perfected the formula for floor wax, because at times I was convinced it was wet, but it was just so shiny you could see your pores in it.

We had been concerned that we might not make it through quarantine, since the Chinese government has cracked down on North American flights into the country due to concerns over the Swine Flu.  We had heard horror stories of people going into Beijing and being quarantined for a week in a hotel.  We had heard that not only the people who had the virus, but anyone with a fever, or anyone within 3 rows of anyone with a fever, would be quarantined.  We were told on the flight to remain seated when we landed, and wait for a Chinese health official to board and take everyone’s temperature.  I expected this to be a long and tedious affair, if it were anything like my attempts to wrestle a thermometer into Alex’s mouth.

The Chinese, however, have perfected the art of auto-temperature taking, and before we knew it, a young Chinese man in a crisp white uniform jogged up one aisle waving a wand, and jogged back down the other and headed out the door.  We were warned, in English, to stay seated until the plane was cleared.  The next announcement was in Chinese, and this time, all the Chinese passengers all got up in unison and started wrangling their bags from the overhead bins.  We waited a beat for an English announcement, which never came, so we followed suit.  When in Rome, so to speak.

We had pass through two more health inspection aisles on the way to baggage claim, which of course, made me sweat profusely.  It wasn’t the fear of being quarantined or Swine Flu or any other illness, real or imagined; it was the 97 degree temperatures with 98% humidity that did me in.  Luckily, perspiration doesn’t show up on the infrared monitors, so we walked through without incident.

Frank had also read that the Chinese customs officials checked for people bringing contraband cheese into the country, so we made sure to avoid the cheese-sniffing dogs.  I referred to this as the Policy of Lactose Intolerance and really wanted to start shouting “Free the Brie!” but I managed to control myself through Customs.  

Beijing Bound

We’ve taken off on another whirlwind trip, this time a cruise from Tianjin, China, to Cheju Island, Korea, and back out to sea to view a total solar eclipse.  At six minutes long, this is set to be the longest eclipse of the century, according to Frank.  Our last eclipse tour, also a cruise, took us to Europe and North Africa, with the main event landing us in the Sahara Desert, in Libya.  I can’t say that my life has lacked in adventure since I married Frank.

Alex was disappointed that we couldn’t sit in First Class, but the price in coach was right (free).  We managed to score some Economy Plus seats on United, which is a step above Sardine Class.  Our seats for the 12 hour flight were comfortable enough, and we had enough electronic gear along for the ride to keep us occupied, including  multiple cameras, laptops, an iPod, a Nintendo DS,  a Google Smartphone and in-seat movies.  I wonder how the early settlers endured months of riding across the plains on wagon trains without the wonders of video solitaire to pass the time.

We flew the Great Circle route, going north out of San Francisco and up over Alaska.  We waved down at Sarah Palin, who no doubt is spending time keeping a watchful eye on the skies for Soviet attacks, now that she is gainfully unemployed.

Alex made friends in the airport with two sweet kids who, as luck would have it, were sitting one row in front of us.  Alex and the boy shared DS games and talked Yugioh shop in between movies.  The rest of the time, he rocked out with my iPod, occasionally singing “Eye of the Tiger” at the top of his lungs.
I have a hard time sleeping on long flights, so I watched a couple of movies, and saw the end of “He’s Just Not that Into You” about 3 times. It was a sweet movie, with just about every young actress in Hollywood taking part in it.  The flight was pretty uneventful, and the eleven hours passed quickly with the help of Drew Barrymore and Jennifer Aniston. 

My only complaint was that the food on this flight was probably one step below prison fare. The highlight was a small cup of dehydrated ramen noodles with what looked like chunks of spam floating around in it.  I think United Airlines must have found some treasure trove of WWII c-rations that they decided to serve us on the flight to save on costs.  Next time, I’ll know to bring my own ramen.

New TSA Rules Include DVD Players

The new rules issued by the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) that took effect on August 4, now require that larger electronics, including portable DVD players and gaming consoles, be removed from carry-on luggage for separate screening.  Under the old rules, only laptop computers needed to be put in separate bins. 

Now, the following items need to be removed from your luggage and placed in a separate bin for screening:

• Laptops
• Full-size video game consoles
• Full-size DVD players
• Video cameras that use video cassettes
• CPAP breathing machines

Small electronics, such as iPods, cell phones, and cameras, do not have to be removed and can remain inside the luggage--for now.  These rules seem to be evolving every day.

For some parents, the portable DVD is a must-have for travel with kids.  If you are taking one along on your next trip, be sure to pack it in an accessible place to avoid hold-ups at the security checkpoint. 

Got (Breast) Milk?

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently announced that the restrictions on bringing breast milk onto a plane have been modified.  Previously, the only way a mom would be allowed to bring breast milk onto a plane would be if the child was traveling with her.  Effective August 4, 2007, so long as the milk is declared at security, mom is permitted to take more than 3 ounces onboard, even if the child is not present.  The reason for the change is that breast milk is now considered a "medical necessity" and should be treated as such.

According to the TSA Press Release,

"The procedural adjustments were developed based on process and effectiveness studies, feedback from the workforce and regular consultation with airports, airlines and other security partners. This marks the third modification to security procedures within the last year. On August 10, 2006, a complete ban on liquids, gels and aerosols was implemented immediately following the thwarted terror plot in the United Kingdom, and the update to those measures permitting travel-size amounts of liquids went into effect in September of 2006."

This is good news for moms who have to travel for business or family emergencies without their babies.  You no longer have to resort to "pumping and dumping" to keep up your milk supply, or expensive Fed Ex shipping.  The TSA does not mention whether frozen ice packs to keep the milk cool during the flight will be permitted.  I hope they will show some common sense on this, but you might want to pack some plastic bags in your carry-on, just in case.  If they won't allow the freezer gel-pack with the breast milk, use the bags to get ice from a concession stand inside the airport terminal and try to keep the milk cool that way.

After 9/11, there were reports that women with infants were forced by overzealous TSA officers to chug bottles of breast milk to prove that it was what they said it was.  According to the TSA FAQ on this topic, no traveler will be asked to taste test it under the new regulations. 

Just think, it only took a year, and some really bad press for them to figure this out.  I wrote some tips for traveling without baby while breastfeeding in a previous post. 

Greenland by Air

After the lovely day we had at Hvalsey Church, I was a little sad to be leaving Qaqortoq on July 7.  We were now rounding the bend of our vacation, and traveling to our last stop before heading home, the capital city of Nuuk.  We had a long travel day ahead of us by helicopter and boat. 

Air Greenland's fleet features a number of Sikorsky helicopters that are used in the smaller, more remote areas. Frank was excited because part of our trip to Nuuk would take us over parts of the polar ice cap.  We would be flying at a fairly low altitude, so Frank was hoping to get some good pictures of the interior landscape.

The first leg of our journey was by helicopter. The helicopter was fairly roomy inside, and I think may have been a repurposed military helicopter.  It was refurbished inside to look like a passenger plane, with two seats on one side of the aisle, and one seat on the the other.  There was a flight attendendent onboard who served us hard candy during the short trip. There were no seat assignments, so I ended up sitting on one side of the helicopter several rows up from Frank and Alex. I was particularly amused by the fact that there was a "Duty-Free Shopping" brochure in the seatpocket.  It's comforting to know that you can purchase cheap Chanel No. 5 even on a 10 minute flight.

The helicopter ride was smooth and pleasant, though a little noisy.  After about ten minutes in the air, we set down in Narsaq en route to Narsarsuaq.  Narsaq looked much larger and more impressive coming in by air than it did on our accidental visit there two days before.  The ice in the bay seemed to have thinned out a bit since we last saw it.  That might have been just an illusion, because seeing it from the air was much less threatening that driving right through it on a boat.   We stayed on the helicopter while some of the passengers deboarded and others got on.

Taking off in this type of helicopter is a little disconcerting.  First, you go straight up and then,  in order to go forward, the nose goes down.  The helipad was right next to the water, so it looked as if we would zoom right into the icy bay.  Despite the scary take-off, we had a smooth and uneventful ten minute ride to Narsarsuaq.   We had gorgeous views out the window of pink granite mountains studded with green plants and moss, and the crystal blue glacial waters.

Traveling with Infants: Navigating the Airport

Traveling with Infants, Part 3

At the Airport

If you are traveling solo with baby, you may be able to get an Escort Pass for your spouse or other helper to help you take things to the gate.  Airlines vary in their rules about this, and post 9/11 there are many that no longer allow this.  Some only allow it for people helping disabled individuals, or for unaccompanied minors.  Call ahead to find out if your air carrier will issue an Escort Pass or has staff to  help you if you need it.  Sometimes, other sympathetic passengers and flight attendants will help out, but don’t count on it.  Instead, do a dry-run at home before you leave to make sure you can manage everything by yourself if worse comes to worse.  Pack up the baby and the luggage and walk around the block to see how you will manage the luggage and the gear.

Getting Through Security

It seems as though every airport is different when it comes to how to checking families with children.  We’ve experienced everything from fairly intrusive pat-down searches to just walking on through without even so much as a glance beneath our stroller.  Usually, it is somewhere in the middle.  To be safe, plan to be at the airport early to be prepared for delays getting through security.  If your baby is in a sling or back-pack type carrier, you may have to remove him or her and hold the child out in front of you as you walk through.  The stroller will usually have to be emptied and screened manually by a checker.  Some airports do not require that you remove the child from a front or back-carrier, but you will have to send a car seat carrier and folding stroller through the X-ray machine.  Be prepared for either event.

The current regulations restrict liquids to 3 oz containers or less, but baby food, formula, and breast milk are exempted if you are traveling with a child who needs them.  Right after 9/11, one mom on the news reported having to chug breast milk out of her baby’s bottle to prove that it was, in fact, breast milk and not something else.  Thankfully, they seem to have abandoned this breast-milk testing practice.  Be sure to pack things in see-through plastic bags, so that the security personnel don’t have to rummage through everything and contaminate pacifiers, nipples, and teethers when searching your bag.

Try to wear comfortable, slip-on shoes when traveling, since you are now required to remove your shoes when you go through screening.  If you're carrying a baby, it can be difficult to bend down and lace up your sneakers when you come out, so that's one less thing you have to juggle.