Day 22 “The end of Fun in the Sun”
We awoke to sunshine once again and we were happy to see it was a beautiful day even though it was our last this trip.
We had a leisurely breakfast and finished off the remainder of our breakfast foods. Following breakfast, we cleaned out the refrigerator and cupboards and put together a package for our friends on the island. Then we packed the balance of our things that we had still been using and finished packing our carry-on bags. We wrote out thank-you notes for the condo owner and the maid and left some gifts for both of them and then we were on our way to complete our “TO DO “list.
We checked out at 11:00 P.M. and the first item on our list was to meet Elaine at the Buccaneer Beach Bar for lunch. She had a few unexpected problems she had to attend to, but as a great trooper she arrived around noon to greet us with her friendly smile. The Buccaneer has become a traditional first stop and last stop for us on every trip, and having our last lunch with Bill and Elaine is part of that tradition. Since Bill had to return to the US on business, we missed him this time, but we enjoyed lunch very much with Elaine. Elaine and I had the cheeseburger platters and David had the steak sandwich platter all of which were very good. We had our last BBC of this trip and Wanda put extra rum in it! It was SOOOOOO GOOD!
After saying our goodbyes and hugs from Elaine we were off to complete our list. We stopped at Scarlet to return our computer device, stopped at Sharon’s to return our sim card and then stopped at the service station to fill the car with gas before we returned it.
It was now 1:30 P.M. and time for an early check-in at the airport. We unloaded the car and we both went in to the Westjet counter. There were only a couple of people in line so check-in was easy. We saw Maureen and Larry who were on the same flight and heard about their terrible trip to the airport. Their car broke down near Grand Case and they had to take a cab to the airport and leave their car there. They got caught in traffic and were over two hours trying to get to the airport.
After check-in David returned the car and Larry went with him while Maureen and I had a nice chat at the airport. When they returned we all went through security which was a breeze today. We stopped at the Jumbie Bar and enjoyed a couple of drinks while we watched our plane arrive. It was a relaxing way to end the trip!
We boarded the plane for our 4:25 P.M. departure and got all settled in. We both got aisle sides across from each other so we were happy campers……….so we thought! Well, we sat on the tarmac for about a half hour and then the captain announced that they were having problems getting one engine started. Since there are only two engines, this was not good news! He said they had tried a few things, but to no avail. Then they shut off the A/C while they were trying to solve the problem and they had to call their head centre in Calgary. After a few minutes, they turned the A/C back on and the captain announced that it had been an electrical malfunction and everything was up and running again. We certainly hoped the problem was solved and that the engine would allow the plane to stay in the air for the next four hours! Travelling is so much fun!!!! At least the weather was good and we did not have a repeat of the Sunday flight!
We were soon on our way, but were now leaving more than an hour late so this would affect our connection in Toronto. The flight was very smooth and thankfully uneventful! We originally had a two hour connection, but now only less than an hour. We had to claim our luggage and go through customs and there were miles of walking to do this. In fact we were running at times to try to get through security again, and then find our gate (which was at the very end). When we finally arrived, the gate for our flight had been changed, but luckily it was now the next gate over! Had it been further, we would have definitely missed the flight! They were boarding when we got there and we immediately got settled into our seats and caught our breath!!! We made it, but would our luggage?
It is only less than an hour flight to Ottawa and we took off on time so we would get home at our scheduled time. We were pleasantly surprised when the hostess announced that COMPLIMENTARY beer and wine were being served as well as the usual other complimentary drinks. This was music to our ears and it sounded like just what we needed! We enjoyed the wine and before we knew it the plane had landed in Ottawa. It was raining in both Toronto and Ottawa but nothing like the rain we had experienced on Sunday in St. Maarten. We were accused of bringing it with us, but we denied that totally!
We had smiling faces when we saw our luggage on the carousel! It really did make it. Thanks Westjet!
We picked up our car at the special airport parking lot where we received a great 3 week deal, and we were on our way. Since we had not had any time for food or drink in Toronto as we had planned, we decided to stop at our local 24 hour McDonald’s and get food to take home. This, beyond a doubt was the best McDonald’s food I have ever tasted! Circumstances certainly dictate your opinions and tonight verified that!
We enjoyed our early morning meal since it was now 1: 00 A.M. and then watched the late news since we had not been paying much attention to what had been going on here for the last three weeks. We talked about the many fun times we had and went to bed at 2:00 A.M. with all the happy memories dancing in our heads.
David and I would like to thank all our dear friends and everyone who we met along the way for enhancing our SXM vacation experience. It was certainly a glorious three weeks of “Fun in the Sun”! We hope to return in April and do it all again and until we meet again, God Bless!
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