EN ROUTE TO BOGOTA, COLOMBIA

Years ago I had the pleasure of traveling with Avianca to Colombia. Then came all the drug lords and the terrorist force called the FARC and travel to this lovely South American Country stopped.
Yesterday, I flew to Miami and spent the night at the Miami Airport Hotel which has also been there for many years, and then at 5 AM reported to the Avianca counter at Miami International to my flight to Bogota.
Avianca and Colombia have come a long way. Being one of the few foreigners on the flight, I was surprised by the polite passengers that were on their way home. Checking in was a breeze and the counter agents more than helpful and friendly. Why I mention this is that generally when checking in at Miami….people are less than polite no matter what airline. Avianca is located in the new terminal J which is shiny and bright and even the TSA agents there are more relaxed and pleasant.
Queing up for any airline is usually a mess….but as the Avianca gate agent called the flight, passengers made a nice neat line and boarded only when their row was called….from back to front. I must say that other USA airports, TSA’s and boarding processes of domestic airlines should take a lesson from Avianca.
The flight to Bogota was a mere 3 + hours but in that time, we were served a full breakfast with scrambled eggs , fruit and croissants. Another plus for Avianca. I know I sound like an advertisement for the airline but it was really pleasant.... and it has been a long time since I have been pleased flying anywhere. There was plenty of overhead room as everyone was respectful of their places and didn’t try to stuff the overhead compartments with huge bags. Niether did the people sitting in the back stuff their bags into the front bins leaving no room for those of us sitting up there.
The pleasure continues now that I am in Bogota….a lovely city filled with parks and flowers everywhere. Here the traffic is “killer” like the rest of South America, but weaving in and out of lovely brick buildings, my guide tells me that Bogota is famous for its bricks which are made nearby.For that reason, the entire city is growing bigger with these attractive buildings.
But more on this later….tomorrow I am out and about to see the sights and will include photos as well.