Paraguay, Part XI

We woke up insanely early on Sunday morning, took a final group photo at the hotel, and headed for the Asuncion airport, where we said goodbye to our new friends. Once through security, we did some last-minute shopping, which was quite an experience. I have never bartered in an airport before. I managed to get a store clerk to reduce the price of a hat by a third of its price, which astounded me.

To get to Santiago de Chile, we flew over the Andes mountains. Wow, even seen from the air one cannot help but appreciate the majesty of these snow-capped peaks. I actually enjoyed this flight, thanks to the great scenery.

Then, in Santiago, we had an 8-hour layover. We made the most of it, shopping (again), having a nice long lunch, and watching movies projected on the wall (since we had so many projectors along anyway). Doing that actually attracted the attention of passersby, and we had a few Australians and a New Yorker join us, probably grateful to hear anything in English at that point.

I was irritated at the Chilean airport security, who took my water as I got onto the plane. Another long flight with almost no water, grr. It wasn't as bad this time because I was actually tired enough to sleep, thank goodness.

In LA, after fixing my customs form, I was so delighted to be back in the USA that I accidentally took the custom agent's pen. Quite a way for me to start my time back in the States, don't you think? It was nice to have a Starbucks, some San Francisco bread, and some LA water before boarding the plane that took us to our home airport. We got home around noon without problems.

I finished the school day, immediately plunging into the thousands of things to do, even attending Pathfinders that night. It's kind of ironic that it took me longer to get this update out here than it did in a foreign country; there's just too much to do here. Thank you for all your support; it has been a good trip, and the lack of damage to people (as opposed to electronics) has been largely due to your prayers, I believe. I look forward to seeing many of you soon.