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Chile - 1945

Feb. 8.  My train was on time in Miami and I took a taxi straight to the Hotel Pittsburger.  When I arrived there was no room ready so I sat down to wait for Loomis.  He appeared shortly and helped me get my baggage to the PAA office for inspection.  All went smoothly since all films and papers had been inspected and sealed by the Washington censor.  My baggage weighed in at 23 kgs. and I left all except an overnight bag.  My ticket was then checked and I was free for the day.
We drove to the Coconut Grove station to spend the day.  I wandered around the station building while Loomis did some paper work and then we drove around the station grounds, stopping to collect a few nitidulids and staphs in a pile of decaying palm seeds.  At noon we had lunch in a small restaurant run for the benefit of the station employees.  In the afternoon Loomis took me to see the plantings of one of the possible sources of natural rubber.  We stopped at several likely looking places to look for snails but everything was too dry.
At about 5 we drove to Loomis' home and with Mrs Loomis and their son we went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant in Miami.  Right after dinner we parted and I went to the hotel and to bed.

Feb. 9.  I was called at 4 AM to go to the airport. For some reason I resent the 85 cent charge for the trip from the PAA office to the airport in the Company bus.

[[image-preprinted flight schedule]]
SuMoWe
[[?symbol?]]Fr Sa 
6:15 ^[[handwritten]] 9.30 [[handwritten]] Lv MIAMI (Pan Am. Fld.), U.S.A. EWT
7:20 Ar CAMAGUEY (Gen. I Agr.), Cuba 75°
7:40 Lv Camaguey (Gen. I. Agr.), Cuba "
9:15 Ar Kingston (Palisadoes F'ld.),Jam. "
9:40 Lv Kingston (Palisadoes F'ld.), Jam."
13:25 Ar Balboa (Albrook F'ld), C.Z. #.."
[[image-preprinted flight schedule]]

At no other airport that I know of is there a charge for such a trip.  Our plane was not ready on time so we sat and started to get acquainted.  One of the passengers was Juan Varleta, a cousin of Raúl Cortés, on his way home to Santiago.  Another was Alice Bennett, a clerk from Ottawa going to take a job in the British Embassy in Santiago. At 9.30 the mechanics released our plane and we started for Camaguey.  The airport there was not at all interesting; it was well away from the city and was not at all attractive.  Then on to Kingston.  Land planes land on the Palisadoes, well down toward Port Royal.  Madelaine Hodge was not on duty so I could get no news of anyone on the island. The system has been changed-if you want a drink you go to a small bar at one side of the waiting room.  We pushed off for the long hop to Balboa and prepared for lunch which was good as always.  Our plane was a four motored Boeing and very comfortable.
Bill Komp was at the Balboa airport and after collect-