I don't like getting patted down and taking off my shoes at the airport...or standing in a line for an hour...or taking out my computer and makeup bag....or......
Very sad to be leaving all the wonderful people who have contributed to this being a really wonderful vacation. So happy I finally met all of you. Brad is a super special friend as well as a great tour guide and all around fun to hang out with. He showed amazing patience and grace with my lack of ability to climb up and down "mountains" and endured my death grip on him when doing so. Even "let" me sneak a photo or two. Miss you lots already... Bobbi....true Sister in all ways. Have known her in many lifetimes. Made all easy and wonderful for me. Let me see and hear Bajan Music and experience Crop Over event,s and much more as no tourist could.. Wayne for sharing her, and his knowledge of Calypso and Soca and answering my unending questions..Zak and Holly for inviting me to your wedding, and letting me be part of that very special day..
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| Bobbi, Ownway, Ann, Dawn |
....Margaret and Ann....much fun and laughter with both of you. Meeting Dawn and Ownway on my last night was a gift. Need to spend more time with you....Rude, Liming with you and Wayne with Bobbi was so much fun. Thank you for introducing me to Garry's RumPunch, especially the coconut version. Terry, Wayne (Mojo's will be my hangout next trip!), Bentley, Natasha, Gail, Sue and Sue, William, Ian for the LIME sim card.... the list seems unending.To those of you I couldn't see this time...We will stay in touch and plan better for my next one..To all of you I need to say huge, Thank You! I can hear Rude now..."We are Bajan. That is how we are".
There is some discussion of going to airport, dropping luggage and going back to Foul Bay enjoy the beach for a few more hours. Seems like away to get stressed, so no...Turns out it would have been impossible. Bobbi picked me up at my hotel about 2.5 hours before flight time. Got to the airport (BGI) in a few minutes. So much faster it seemed than when I arrived. Was met by check-in at American Airline. No AC its hot and humid and lots of body heat too. Even though there is automated check-in machines, one has to wait and be invited to do use them. There was one attendant and so many machines were not used for minutes at a time. Line lasts for over an hour. After I get to a machine(time using machine- less than 1 minute), then another line for the counter to get the tag for suitcase. That takes another 45 minutes. Time at counter less than 2 minutes. So in summary- in order to get my boarding pass and suitcase tagged I ( and everyone else)stood on lines for 1 hour and 45 minutes. In NY it took me 3..OK maybe 4 minutes for same.
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| Roti |
Now have 25 minutes till boarding and still need to go through security. There is some happiness though...find a Cheffette...get a chicken and potato Roti to take on plane with me! Another line...but it goes much faster than the previous 2. Maybe Cheffette can give the airport some pointers?
Too soon, saying good bye to Bobbi, She is my wonderful Big Sister, feel so sad to be leaving her. Bobbi was the very first Bajan friend I met as she picked me up almost 3 weeks ago at this same airport and will be the last I see as I leave.
Security check is the usual taking off shoes and putting computer in separate bin. Lines are normal and chaotic as in every airport. But, boarding and takeoff go smoothly. Informed we will land about a half hour early. Nearer to 7 than 7:30 in Miami. Smooth flight, read, nap, and listen to music. There is some movie being shown, but not interested.
Landing is again smooth. To gate. Then had to walk for about 20 minutes to get to immigration. Walked through 2 different buildings, up and then down escalators. Steered from several lines to a huge hall where hundreds of people were in many lines....waiting. The one (1!) for US citizens was by far the longest. 20 minutes tick by. Eventually we were told to stand in any line.
Don't know why that wasn't said in the beginning. Anyway....went to the line that said Diplomats as there was no one there! Then a family came and said they were diplomats and literally walked in front of me.....don't know why they knew I wasn't?
It took about 10 more minutes and it was my turn." Hello"...."Welcome home". Thank you. Free and back in the USA! So 30 minutes have passed.
Now for some silliness. I have to go to another area and get my checked suitcase...so I can check it in again...at another place. Find the area and the carousel. Look for my bag...its now about 40 minutes since landing. No suitcase...for anyone. Hasn't been started yet. Its about 7:30pm. My next flight to JFK is scheduled to take off at 8:40. I wait. Meet a lovely lady who lives in Barbados, who is traveling to Canada. We chat and pass the time.....more than 25 minutes later the carousel starts to move and that buzzer that everyone understands sounds.
I am almost trampled to death by a man who believed his luggage would be the first piece of luggage on the carousel. If he were an experienced traveler, he would know that the first piece of luggage belongs to no one. It’s just a dummy suitcase to give everyone hope.
Five more minutes and I have my suitcase. Now for customs! "Follow the yellow dots on the floor".....To an elevator....where we all crowd in and go up....to an escalator where we all go back down. To a ....Surprise!...line. There I am given the privilege of handing my customs declaration to a bored looking woman and my suitcase to an equally bored looking man. Literally less than a minute to do. But it is now 8pm and I am supposedly at my gate. NOT! Have to go through security again!. This line is longer than any of the previous ones. We inch forward for 30 minutes. Hurrah! all done.
Need gate 43. Not so simple. I am in a building several miles away from the one I need to be in. Now I take the airtrain...which is two escalator rides up and 1 down to a train 1 stop. There I get out go down 1 escalator...walk a bit and then go up and then down again. Now I am back in the American Airlines terminal. It is 8:35pm. Technically my plane should have hatch closed and be ready to taxi. It is not....Go to counter. Nice lady says at least 20 minutes to boarding. There is "weather" in the area. Don't know or care what that meant other than I did not miss my flight!. Go in search of Bathroom and then food in that order.
Take off a little after 9pm. During flight it dawns on me that I have not seen the keys to my home since day one in Barbados. When I took them out of my purse and put them....???? Oh dear! Nothing to do now. Will certainly find them at JFK.
Landed about 1am. Again went through the up and down escalators and an airtrain to another down and then up escalator circus to the luggage retrieval area. 20 minutes later bags arrived. No key case found. Too tired to think. Just know I can't get into my apartment tonight. Doorman off duty till 8am. Not going to spend the night at the airport.....so.....call and get a room at the Best Western. Get there.....search suitcases again....Same result. I face the fact that I left my keys in Barbados.!! So if anyone out there has found them....please let me know. Fall asleep from exhaustion. Morning comes....a $65 car ride and I am home. Almost...the doorman can't find my extra set of keys. I feel a meltdown coming on. Tears actually fill my eyes. He looks at me in panic and calls another person who goes and gets the keys from an area not usually used for same. I fleetingly wonder why....but not really...A short elevator ride....and I am in! Home Sweet Home.
I need a vacation!
P.S. - Thank you Facebook! Everyone mentioned here was a virtual stranger, and now a real friend.
Five more minutes and I have my suitcase. Now for customs! "Follow the yellow dots on the floor".....To an elevator....where we all crowd in and go up....to an escalator where we all go back down. To a ....Surprise!...line. There I am given the privilege of handing my customs declaration to a bored looking woman and my suitcase to an equally bored looking man. Literally less than a minute to do. But it is now 8pm and I am supposedly at my gate. NOT! Have to go through security again!. This line is longer than any of the previous ones. We inch forward for 30 minutes. Hurrah! all done.
Need gate 43. Not so simple. I am in a building several miles away from the one I need to be in. Now I take the airtrain...which is two escalator rides up and 1 down to a train 1 stop. There I get out go down 1 escalator...walk a bit and then go up and then down again. Now I am back in the American Airlines terminal. It is 8:35pm. Technically my plane should have hatch closed and be ready to taxi. It is not....Go to counter. Nice lady says at least 20 minutes to boarding. There is "weather" in the area. Don't know or care what that meant other than I did not miss my flight!. Go in search of Bathroom and then food in that order.
Take off a little after 9pm. During flight it dawns on me that I have not seen the keys to my home since day one in Barbados. When I took them out of my purse and put them....???? Oh dear! Nothing to do now. Will certainly find them at JFK.
Landed about 1am. Again went through the up and down escalators and an airtrain to another down and then up escalator circus to the luggage retrieval area. 20 minutes later bags arrived. No key case found. Too tired to think. Just know I can't get into my apartment tonight. Doorman off duty till 8am. Not going to spend the night at the airport.....so.....call and get a room at the Best Western. Get there.....search suitcases again....Same result. I face the fact that I left my keys in Barbados.!! So if anyone out there has found them....please let me know. Fall asleep from exhaustion. Morning comes....a $65 car ride and I am home. Almost...the doorman can't find my extra set of keys. I feel a meltdown coming on. Tears actually fill my eyes. He looks at me in panic and calls another person who goes and gets the keys from an area not usually used for same. I fleetingly wonder why....but not really...A short elevator ride....and I am in! Home Sweet Home.
Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey............
I need a vacation!
P.S. - Thank you Facebook! Everyone mentioned here was a virtual stranger, and now a real friend.
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