BVI Trip Report, part 1.

Boy, where to begin. Let’s try this, but it won’t really convey how the trip started. You just had to be there….

Wednesday night, arrive Sacramento airport about 10:30pm for our red eye at 12:30. Find out by 11pm that our American Airlines DFW to MIA flight is cancelled due to weather. Thunderstorms for days on end backing up DFW. Old news now but not so much that night. Go home, sleep (sort of) until 7 or so, get up, go back to airport for 10:30 flight.

Thursday: Frontier to Denver, 5 hour layover, tons o’ fun. Denver to MIA on Ted, arrive 1am or so due to lightning in Denver keeping ramp workers off the ramp. Try to sleep in MIA but it’s cold, noisy (“Welcome to Miami, the mayor and council hope you enjoy your stay…The local time is…” ) Argh!!! Karen and I don’t sleep much at all, kids do ok, they were absolutely the best traveling kids we’ve ever seen, throughout the trip. Hard to imagine that they were the same two who were killing each other in the weeks before we left. We got two good ones, they earned more trips in the future. And they didn’t get to sit with us on these flights, were solo but one row over most of the time. Outstanding kids.

Friday: 4am Miami, struggle to get to the ticket counter, we’re tired. Get in line to talk to a human rather than the automated, because we already know it’s going to make us get in line due to our crazy rescheduling. But wait…the counter guys don’t come on until 4:30. Which meant 4:45 or so. Karen’s starting to steam.

Get to counter and, surprise!!! “You are on standby MIA – SJU – STT”. "But our tickets…" the nice lady in Sacramento didn’t cancel the previous day’s other connection so we got standby. Slow, quiet and slow guy in Miami actually fixes it while I’m off tracking down luggage that I should have got the night before, but it’s at the United baggage claim. Get lucky and they are nice and help out. 3 bags are now booked with us!!!! Yay!

Hah! Suckers…Walk to end of D terminal. Remember that…END OF D TERMINAL. Got it? Good, nice big plane. Full of folks going to San Juan. Nice guys for flight attendants. But… mechanical difficulties…attendant says “Call NOW and get on the 11:30 or 12:30 flight to STT. Me and 12 others start dialing and then are shuffled off the plane to get in line. Plane’s not going anywhere soon. Get lucky and while on hold get to front of line. Nice lady rebooks on 12:35 flight straight to STT. Bags will be pulled and moved. Here’s a $20 food voucher. Nice. But….next flight is….you guessed it, at the END OF A TERMINAL. 20 minutes later, we arrive at end of A terminal and we walk fast. 1.5 miles I bet.

So…sit around some more, spend almost 12 hours in the Miami airport (remember the 5-6 in Denver too? It's adding up) 4 minutes of that was outside when we woke up in the morning and went outdoors to warm up. In a thunderstorm. Anyway, I digress. This is quite painful to re-tell, actually. Let me find that Red Stripe that I carried all the way back from Virgin Gorda…which BTW just arrived from the airport in my checked bag, 12 hours after we got home.

Ok, I’m back. Flight to STT goes well. I’ve arranged for a taxi through Smiths Ferry so that I don’t have to hassle with that. We meet up with Jonesy as we come out of the terminal. And…bags don’t come off the plane. Jonesey’s buddy, “Lovecat” (I’m not making this stuff up) says he’ll get the bags, we’re going to miss the ferry if we stay longer. I’m new and tired and say “OK” while saying a prayer to every diety I can think of, to cover my bases. What have I done????

No matter, we’re on the ferry!!!!! Great ride over to West End, hop skip and jump through customs and grab a taxi to Cane Garden Bay. Check in to Elm. Ok place but we’ve got only one day of clothing and not much else with us. Eat at Stanleys and we’re in bed by 7pm. I think Quito played somewhere that night, we didn’t hear a thing.

Saturday, June 30th, big party today!!! I get up, meet with Captain Monk from Sea Trek to tell him that we won’t be hiking to Sage Mtn today, we’re beat. Nice guy, I hope to send my kids out with him some day while Karen and I hang out in JVD or VG. J Get up, get some food, find a comb down the road because we forgot that in our carry on. Call “Lovecat” around 10, he hasn’t gone out to the airport yet, bags didn’t come in on Friday. Ok, fine. I’m starting to sweat though, because we leave for VG tomorrow, not sure how the bags will find us after we go. Karen and kids still have 1% faith that I’ll figure it out but it’s not going to last.

Noon, party starting, I’ve met Saildoggie, Rex/Laura, Tricia/Tommy, Malcom/Candace and a few others. Malcom gives me a ride to ferry to meet the 1:30 because “Lovecat” said he got one bag on for us. Great, but it’s apparently our snorkel gear.

Hah! Fooled again…no bag on the ferry. Malcom gives me a ride back. I am very thankful for his help but getting very worried. Call “Lovecat” again, he says “Oh, John!! I thought you were someone else. I’ve got all three of your bags on the 3:30 ferry, tagged to be pulled off in Road Town.” AHHHHHH!!!!!! No, dude, I said West End all along. Too late, the ferry has left and I need to catch it in West End and intercept the bags. Malcom to the rescue again. He’s got to go back home, can drop me off but I’ll need to get a taxi. Not a problem, that’s for sure. Good thing I’ve already bought him a beer. Oh, party? What party? What hula dancing girl? Saildoggie was napping? I’ve seen more of Malcom and Candace than my own family today. Not a bad thing but not why I’m on vacation. Great conversations in the Ting, lots of fun hanging with Malcom. Even got to meet Cuz Robin.

Ok, arrive 4pm to wait for the ferry. Talk to the Smiths folks, they will walk me through the back door of customs to help out. Customs folks are super helpful too, after they hear the story. Ferry finally arrives 4:45. Ilon time…wearing me out. Sweet Nibblets! (as Hannah Montana would say) I’ve got the bags…I’m a hero! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Banana.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Banana.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Joy.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Joy.gif" alt="" /> Will my family remember me though? I haven’t seen them in a while, but perhaps the luggage will help them to remember me. Taxi of course waits for a full vehicle, I get to see Nanny Cay and then take the mountain road over to CGB. All that for only $10 and a tip.

That’s the end of part one. In the next installment, we jump on Jeannius and sail off to Virgin Gorda. I can't do all of this in one. Wow, just going over it again wore me out. I need a nap. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/snore.gif" alt="" />