In the previous post, I was headed to my third and final WWOOF location in Mexico. Things were cut short sure, but so was practically everyone’s plans. I was ready to move on. Up until this point I had an idea in my head: to head south to South America, go to a major city and busk.
And this wasn’t just some random idea I had that popped out of the blue. I had bought myself a guitar the previous month and had been diligently practicing so that I can play and sing (well shout) some familiar tunes in the streets. Covid put on hold a lot of plans, and I couldn’t stand the thought of sitting around anymore.
Time to move on, so hastily I booked a reasonably priced ticket from Cancun, Mexico to Santiago, Chile. The problem was that because of all these lockdowns, flights were much more limited. What this meant was that I needed to take a flight back to the US before flying to Chile. Here was the itinerary:
Cancun to Mexico City, Mexico City to Miami, FL, Miami FL to Santiago Chile.
It was going to be a long journey I know, the first leg in Mexico City would require me sleeping in the airport. This wasn’t a problem and I made it to Miami early in the morning without issue. The flight out of Miami would not be until the evening, so me being naturally adventurous I went out to explore. I had never been to Florida before, nor have I ever set foot in the American South, so this was a great opportunity while I waited for the next flight. I proceeded to drag my luggage (guitar and backpack) to the beach to see what was there. I was surprised that the local rail lines were made free because of the effects of the pandemic response and enjoyed every minute of it.
As the day passed, it was time to head back to the airport to catch my flight. Again, fairly uneventful, that is to the point where I was about to check into my flight. At this point it was very late in the evening when I handed my passport over to the attendant to get my boarding pass.
Access Denied
It was here I was denied boarding
They informed me that though I was able to purchase a ticket to Chile, my US passport and lack of residency in Chile prevented me from entering the country. Well then… Here I was, stuck in Miami with neither kith nor kin around the area, and not even a place to stay.
My tired brain tried to rack up a solution to the dilemma. I had a plan, I spun around and walked back to the check in desk and asked the attendant which Latin country was allowing foreigners to enter. Brazil was among the answers and the least restrictive of the shortlisted options.
From there it came down to a late night, last minute decision. I decided to go for it and make the refund disputes on the failed flight of going to Chile later. Of course the flight to Brazil was not going to be until the next morning, so I would be spending another night sleeping in the airport in a different country. This changed my itinerary to:
Cancun, Mexico to Mexico City, Mexico City to Miami, FL, Miami, FL to Houston, TX, Houston, TX to Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Many of my senses as well as family advised against such a sudden, unpredictable move, but I made it anyways. Thankfully this time around I was allowed to board. And from there it would start a new adventure.
Kingston S. Lim 
That’s quite a turnaround, Kingston. I am envious of your opportunity to travel the way you do. You have an amazing list of experiences. Keep letting us all enjoy them with you.
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I am very privileged I know (and grateful for the opportunities I have). Thank you for reading and I’ll keep you all posted
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