Travel Update #10

Sunday, Feb. 25

4 short hours later I woke up a few minutes before the wake up call. Finished the last little bits of packing and got our stuff down. We left the hotel just after 6am, got checked in and now I’m writing during the flight to Miami. Keith is two rows ahead of me. Think he’s probably going through the accounts making sure we kept on budget.

Some other funny/memorable things to remember from the week:
- Teasing Brad about his girlfriend whom apparently he doesn’t want to go out with anymore.
- Teasing Jessica and Julia about Bradley, which one of them he’s into. I’m convinced it’s Jessica as there seem to be an inordinate number of pictures of her on his camera …
- The expression on Jessica’s face when she found out how old I am after relating Keith’s story of Brad inquiring of Keith for Julia’s age and then my own. Keith told him he wasn’t my father and Brad should ask me himself. Apparently Brad got quite embarrassed at that and went all quiet. Later, when Keith told me this story we laughed when imagining Brad’s reaction if I told him I was old enough to be his mother!
- Spilling Sprite on Julia by accident when we had pizza on the roof at the hotel. Laughing hysterically at this for no particular reason.
- Playing/singing Ring-Around-A-Rosy with some of the kids one evening before leaving. Little Esther loved this and wanted me to play that with her every night.
- The fact that it took Julia and I at least one full day to realise there was a TV in our room.
- When Julia was trying to find the outlet to recharge her camera battery, she accidentally unplugged the lamp, thus leaving us in the dark in our room. She tripped over her luggage attempting to turn the main light back on. Only then did I notice a switch over the night stand and we found out it was another switch for the main light.
- Finding out that I really am as crabby as my mother says I am. Particularly at breakfast when people are all chatty and stuff. Yeesh.

Hopefully things will move quickly in Miami, particularly as I don’t have any bags. Just hope customs isn’t a problem. We land at 11:10 and my flight out to Grand Cayman is at 12:30. Fingers crossed. Looking forward to seeing Steph. Hope she’ll recognize me!

11pm – Phew! What a relief. It all worked out great.

Arrived early in Miami but the gate was still occupied … by the time we did get into our gate, I was 5 minutes behind schedule (my own personal, highly stressed one, that is).

Passport control was fast and painless. Customs was fine except for the part where I apparently misunderstood the guard when he said straight ahead and ended up standing in line with a bunch of drug lords waiting to get their bags searched. Finally, one of these guards came up to me and after asking a couple of questions realised that I was in the wrong line and had just wasted about 20 minutes of my life. From there I pretty much ran up to the proper concourse only to get stuck at security because my sunscreen bottle was too big (by 15ml). I swear – I thought I was going to lose it. It took me 5 minutes for this woman to understand that I was happy to let her go through my items but that she needed to identify for me precisely which items were too big. In the end (and after some explaining about doctor recommended soaps and creams) there was just a half empty bottle of sunscreen that had to go. Thanks for wasting my time, you stupid cow!

Then I had to practically race down the concourse, stopping for a pee break but skipping any last minute purchases for water or lunch. I made the plane. I was probably one of the last people to get on the plane. Talk about a stressful start to my vacation.

Flight left on time and we arrived a few minutes early. Steph was there waiting for me from the top of the lookout area. After some quick questions at customs there, I was out of there we were on our way!

Quick drive home to drop off my bags, change and then off to pick up Zac and head out for a late lunch. Started things off on the right foot with a Cayman Colada (rather like a pina colada, not quite sure what the difference was) and lunch at Rackam’s. From there heading to Calico Jack’s for another drink and stick my feet in the ocean! Hung out there until the sun set. Wow …

Quick drive (literally about 30 seconds) home for a dip in the pool, before a hot (yes, hot water!) and then for a sushi dinner. Very yummy. Home for more chatting and now to bed.

Lunch at a pub, drinks on the beach, swim in the pool, sushi, catching up with a good friend. This vacation is off to a good start. Feeling tired, happy and suddenly relaxed. Something I haven’t felt in a long time.