Pat and I decided not to order breakfast delivered because we wanted to enjoy the breakfast buffet and fill ourselves up before our return trip. We had rescheduled our massages from yesterday - Pat having a massage at 9 AM and I had one at 9:40 AM.
Gerry and Nadine joined us for breakfast and there was a lot of "crying" because we were leaving and they were staying and would be missing us! There were hugs and promises to keep in touch, and possibly meeting again for another trip.
I asked the waiter to adopt me so I could stay - I said I was very experienced at wine pouring! But no luck, so then I asked Vincent and the Concierge, Mary Anne - neither wanting to "adopt" me … oh well, I guess I will have to try harder when we visit Le Sport again.
We ate enormous breakfasts and Pat left to travel up the 79 steps for the last time for a full body massage and I went back to the room to pack all of our bags. It is such a sad thing to pack your bags and leave when you are just starting to feel like you should be living here! I finished up this dreaded task and sat on the balcony to soak up the marvelous view and peacefulness of the area.
I made my way back up the 79 steps as Pat was coming back down. He said he would relax and wait for me to return. The full massage was wonderful, and lucky for Renee he was not the one that had to give me my last massage - he was probably hiding from me!
After being totally relaxed and massaged, I made my way down the 79 steps and back to the room. Pat and I decided to stop by the gift shop in Le Sport and buy a few items that we could not get on our power shopping yesterday. We just walked around and had a few drinks before calling the bell captain to get our luggage. With our sad faces we went to the lobby and checked out - owing zero on our bill - that was such a extraordinary feeling!
We went to the gazebo at 11:30 and waited for our van to take us to the airport. Many of the people and staff members we had met during our stay stopped by to say goodbye. The van arrived and luggage loaded, we drove off to the airport and our trip back to Philadelphia.
When we arrived at the St. Lucia airport our luggage was placed on the sidewalk and we were told to stand in this long line. They said not to worry about our luggage because the baggage handler would move the luggage up as we progressed toward the ticket counter. We were in line about an hour, in the hot and humid air … this was all outside and no fans or air-conditioning to be found. I lost about 5 pounds just getting to the ticket counter. The baggage handler kept moving bags up a few inches and I thought if they would install a moving ramp, it would have been a lot more efficient.
Finally we arrived at the counter and were told we had to pay $40.00 each in EC money for Airport Service Charges - this worked out to be $16.00 each. Our bags were ticketed and we were informed that we had to retrieve them when we arrived in San Juan. Pat and I walked into the small building and I discovered a tiny room that was a restaurant and it was air-conditioned! We got some fruit juice and sat at a table with a woman from Guadeloupe. Her son, Brent was travelling to Philadelphia to meet a tennis coach, apparently Brent is highly ranked in this sport and will be famous one day. She asked us to keep an eye on him since he was only 16 and travelling alone. Our plane was finally announced and we left the nice air-conditioned room for the waiting room and a walk outside on the runway to our plane. All went well and we were off and away in a matter of moments.
When we arrived at San Juan, a couple of buses were waiting on the runway. No one spoke, just pointed to the bus and we got on. Having no idea what we were suppose to do - it almost felt like we were being rounded up to be taken to lord knows where - but it turned out we were driven to the terminal and the luggage area. We all stood around the carousel and stared at the same bags going round and round - no one recognized anything belonging to our plane for at least a half-hour. Finally a cheer went up and our bags started coming up the conveyor belt and with great joy we retrieved our bags and headed for customs.
The man that handled our paper work in customs asked if Pat [full name Pasquale] was Italian and he responded yes … the man said "then go right on through" … I presume the man was either Italian or liked Italians … this is a good thing! We were running late for our plane and had to find the gate where our plane would be. When we got to the gate [which of course was on the other side of the airport!] we were told there was going to be a delay. Our plane was to leave at 5:55 PM and it was now schedule to leave around 8 PM - a 2 hour wait!! We saw Brent and introduced ourselves, telling him if he needed any help to please let us know and to make sure he told his Mom that we were looking out for him - he smiled a wonderful smile and thanked us.
Pat and I decided to explore the airport and when we smelled hot dogs, we got this overwhelming urge to have one. We stopped in a restaurant, which we thought was serving the hot dogs, but they only had hamburgers and sandwiches. The restaurant was air-conditioned and served beer so we decided to "waste" some time in comfort. We attempted to make this the longest meal possible because we did not just want to sit in the waiting area for a plane that was going to be very late.
After eating and touring the airport [we must have roamed from one end to the other at least 7 times] we returned to the gate to find out the plane was going to be later still! Apparently the plane was coming from Dallas and broke down and a replacement plane had to be put in service. Then on the way from Dallas to San Juan there was a medical emergency and some one died on the plane. So I sat and read, while Pat roamed the airport. Finally we took off around 9:20 and headed for Philadelphia. The meal was served very quickly and then the lights were turned off in the plane so the passengers could sleep - or be quiet. At this point I didn't care if Pat snored or not, I just closed me eyes and thought of the wonderful vacation we had just experienced.
We arrived at the Philadelphia International Airport and again stood by a carousel for at least 20 minutes before our bags arrived. We got them outside and I started looking for my receipt for the parking service that was holding our car. At this point I had so many ticket stubs and things in my travel folder, I could not find the proper "form" and was getting very tired and just wanted to get some sleep. Finally I found the slip and phone number buried in a compartment inside my travel folder and asked Pat to call the parking service.
He came back a short time later and said we would be picked up in 10 to 15 minutes. After 20 minutes watching everyone else being picked up and no van coming to pick us up, I asked Pat to call again. So back inside he went as the last passengers were picked up and I was standing alone in the pickup area with luggage surrounding me. There was a van from Colonial coming by, waiting for someone and no one flagged the van so it left coming back again in 5 or 10 minutes and going through the same thing over and over again. The exhaust fumes were really bothering me, plus I was very tired. Pat said he called again and he seemed very upset because the number he called said they did not have our car.
I was about to call the police or go in and call the parking service myself when I asked if he dialed the 800 number on the ticket. Pat said no, he used the courtesy phone … well to make a long story short, our parking service did not have a listing on the courtesy phone and so he never really called them. And that Colonial van that kept coming back … it was because Pat kept calling them and they kept sending a van to pick us up!
Pat went back in and used a real phone and requested that someone come get us immediately. Finally after waiting in the pickup area for over 45 minutes, the correct parking service van arrived. The driver told us that the clerk wrote down the wrong date for our scheduled arrival and our car wasn't washed [which is part of the service] .. at this point I just wanted a car, any car, dirty or clean so I could get into a bed and go to sleep. We arrived back at the house at 2:30 AM … tossed the bags on the floor and went to sleep dreaming of the wonderful time and beautiful sites we had seen.
It was a return trip from hell, but a vacation from heaven … yes I would do it all again!
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After being totally relaxed and massaged, I made my way down the 79 steps and back to the room. Pat and I decided to stop by the gift shop in Le Sport and buy a few items that we could not get on our power shopping yesterday. We just walked around and had a few drinks before calling the bell captain to get our luggage. With our sad faces we went to the lobby and checked out - owing zero on our bill - that was such a extraordinary feeling!
When we arrived at the St. Lucia airport our luggage was placed on the sidewalk and we were told to stand in this long line. They said not to worry about our luggage because the baggage handler would move the luggage up as we progressed toward the ticket counter. We were in line about an hour, in the hot and humid air … this was all outside and no fans or air-conditioning to be found. I lost about 5 pounds just getting to the ticket counter. The baggage handler kept moving bags up a few inches and I thought if they would install a moving ramp, it would have been a lot more efficient.
The driver told us that the clerk wrote down the wrong date for our scheduled arrival and our car wasn't washed [which is part of the service] .. at this point I just wanted a car, any car, dirty or clean so I could get into a bed and go to sleep. We arrived back at the house at 2:30 AM … tossed the bags on the floor and went to sleep dreaming of the wonderful time and beautiful sites we had seen.
Take me back to St. Lucia Part 4
Return to St. Lucia - from the Beginning
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