Arby said I have to have an article for each place I want filled in on the map so here’s the story of my very short trip (less than a day) in Houston, Texas.
I was off on a backpacking trip to South America. I was flying from London and meeting up with my school friend in Ecuador because she was flying from where she lived in Italy. We had almost 4 weeks to explore Ecuador and Colombia and get from Quito to Bogota.
Well I almost failed at the first hurdle and missed the plane because I didn’t check everything properly. I had tried to check in online the night before but it said there was a problem and I should check in at the airport. Fine I’ll get there early. Well my lift let me down and ran out of petrol before getting to mine.
When I eventually got there I still couldn’t check in. A helpful worker let me know it’s because I was connecting in USA and therefore needed a visa, an ESTA and they can take 48 hours to approve or deny! Luckily she let me apply on her computer at departures and my application was immediately approved! I’m so glad I’ve got no record as I hadn’t even considered the flight connection since the flights were changed automatically from another layover destination.
Off I go to Texas and since I had the hassle of paying for a dumb visa, I got my stubborn head on and decided I was definitely leaving the airport. I had to queue quite a bit and have my finger print taken. I also got interrogated (well, stopped and questioned) by a TSA officer who wanted to know who paid for my trip, rude!
I eventually made it outside and smoked a cigarette before running back in to join the enormous queue. It’s not just the drinks that are supersized in the USA. That was the extent of my visit to the states. Hopefully I’ll get back to properly visit one of the amazing national parks someday 🤞🏼
