Monday January 4th, 2016
This morning finds us back on the boat enjoying a cup of kick ass coffee. We managed to bring in two pounds so the next couple of weeks will be good for coffee.
We flew back yesterday on Air Canada and the flight was great. The direct flight is the way to go for sure if you can get it for a reasonable price. Our Nexus cards allowed us to walk continuously from the door to the gate…perfect.
When we arrived at Georgetown the wheels came off the perfect day. The Delta flight was just unloading their luggage as we deplaned. The ‘terminal’ for arrivals is a joke at best and a nightmare at worst. The passengers from both flights were crowded around the one door where one guy is unloading the luggage and passengers are moving the luggage into a pile in the centre of the mass of people. If you get a glimpse of your bag you have to climb through and over people to get to it then the same triathlon to get into the line for customs.
The officials are adamant that no pictures be taken for obvious tourist promotion reasons. Did I mention that there was no air conditioning on or working? You get your bag and now hot and angry you have to deal with Customs! The customs tables ahead were strewn with open bags and the line had stopped. Finally a senior official came out to help and things started to move along. The interesting thing is that the tourists and guests going to Sandals seem to get preferential treatment… just sayin’.
We made it up to the senior guy and he gave our papers a look and we blew through to even more heat outside into the hands of taxi 1. He is an Exumas lifer and DD told us he was the first taxi here on Exuma. He was a delight and we enjoyed our conversation as he whisked us to the waiting hands of Elvis and AJ at the water taxi stand.
I hate to rant (not really) we are guests here. There were seniors and young children in the mass of humanity baking in that terminal. Cheap solutions are readily available; move luggage pickup outside. Keep arriving flights outside until the luggage from previous flights have cleared.
The disappointing conditions and treatment at the airport is almost forgotten. Elvis is barking orders and AJ grabs our two heavy bags and we are off to the yellow water taxi. A short stop at Chat N Chill to drop and pick up then off to FRACAS.
The boat has done well over the three weeks we were away. The batteries are at 100% and it isn’t outrageously hot below. The foil insulation we cover the ports and hatches with seems to help in that regard.
We scurry about getting things unpacked and stored. I waste amps running the ice maker to get a cold drink of ‘water’. We had removed the dinghy motor and stowed it below, once re-installed we were off to Chat N Chill for beer and food…nothing on FRACAS.
We met up with DD there and we each reported on our holidays. We made it back to the boat just as sunglasses were no longer appropriate…
more later