Yulia opened the drapes this morning in time for us to catch the last really perfect sunrise of the week. The whole sky was on fire – clouds are rolling in which is what made it so beautiful, but that also told us that our weather window is ending. We lucked out witht he perfect week of weather here. Warm, sunny. Neither too hot nor dry. But not humid either. Now you could feel the humidity start rolling in and see wisps of clouds across the top of the mountains across the bay from us. We got dressed and took a walk down to the Swing Bar, and from there we headed down to the beach to see how things looked.
We stopped on our way at the Seafood restaurant on the cliff edge and saw that a lot of people were there watching the sun. It was still rising and still beautiful. We got a couple photos of that then worked our way down to the sand and got some photos with the waves crashing across the rocks. This whole area is really gorgeous. It’s also just about a perfect beach and we’re glad we got to enjoy it the week we were here.
We went back up and reserved a few chairs at the upper section of the pool. This time it was super warm in the morning, and we got a little bit of swimming in before anybody else joined us. Donny dropped by, but Kevin was still feeling pretty miserable and his stomach was a bit of a wreck. Sara and Simone joined, and then they went off to smoke a few cigarettes down by the beach again. We had a really short breakfast and spent the rest this morning packing and getting ready. We have a shuttle out to the airport at 1 o’clock and didn’t really want to rush things at the last minute so we got ourselves packed up and then just hung out at the patio off of the front entry of the hotel.
Our driver found us right on time, and that was good as traffic was a bit of a mess out to the airport. On the way we got a travel alert that our plane would depart a few minutes late. The driver went through the middle of town instead of taking the expressway around. probably because you need to pay tolls if you go around – and it was a short drive. He dropped us at the International Terminal, and we checked in. In Cabo, you need a paper ticket even if you have carryon tickets only, but it wasn’t busy so we were able to get in and out of the desk fast.
We made it through security into the airport fairly easily. There wasn’t really anything going on at any of the gates, so we breeze right on through from there. We went right past all the shops and everything, and wanted to get into the lounge before it all filled up. But like everything else, The lounge was pretty empty. We got a great couch, some fantastic empanadas, and a round of drinks. The only downside is our plane is now running about a half hour late so far – it looks like we’ll still get back into Seattle on time but we’re stuck here in the lounge for a while. At least the lounge has been completely remodeled. It’s absolutely fantastic.
This is a giant jump up from the point where Yulia, Sasha and I were here in Cabo and the entire airport was nothing but a giant Quonset Hut, and we stuck our heads into ice cream refrigerators to cool off because there was no air-conditioning in the building. This is probably on par with the lounge that we’ve seen at London staff is great. The food is fantastic and the beers won’t stop flowing. Now we’re just gonna see when we can actually catch our plane.
Boarding finally started after another hour or so. We had all our gear together, so it was a quick wait with no hassles. Right up until Keving got picked for the random inspection. Being good friends, we immediately abandoned him to his fate and walked on. It was a crowded flight, and once we got to our seats – I found someone in my seat. He moved over and his wife handed him their baby.
For the love of Christ I was sitting next to a baby.
We this was going to be just a fantastic event. I got situated and prepared myself mentally for the probability of an incoming vomit storm. Kevin finally caught up and was lucky that there was still space to store his bags overhead. I actually changed to a smaller computer bag as my second carry on. too many people today take two big bags and space runs out. It’s just not worth it anymore. I’d rather take less stuff.
It was a bit of a bumpy takeoff, but not terrible. it did delay the food and drinks – but we had had plenty in the lounge, so I just read my book and stared nervously to my side. The baby was good so far. but it was like having a land mine next to you that had “This Side Towards Enemy” written on the diaper. Never knew when it would go off. It was the Pampers of Damocles.
By the end – the flight was uneventful. We were really too tired to drink more, the captain made up the delay and we got into SeaTac on time. The kid fussed a bit but never exploded. I was amazed. The captain hit the 3-wire on the landing and we made it up to the terminal – then nothing. Apparently, there was a mess at the gate, so we were waiting for new instructions. After about 20 minutes we were given a new gate, taxied over – then found two other planes were in the wrong spots, and had to taxi back to the original gate. It was about a half hour delay and the Capitan was annoyed by it all in his voice.
We got off the plane, then since the rest of the group had check-in luggage (you fools!) Yulia and I waved and ran for Passport Control. If we could hit it before the crowd, we were home free. And we made it right on time. there was almost no one there, so we smiled at the nice man – told him we didn’t bring anything back (you don’t need to declare Liver Damage) the ran to the Rideshare station. We were in a car in minutes and on the way home.
A successful winter vacation. We were tired, and glad to get back to our own beds. Coming home is always the best part of leaving.
Cognitive Dissonance 