Woke up with that sad sense of inevitability...we're going home today. Most of our stuff was packed last night. Four liquor bottles and a bottle of honey plus a couple of six-packs of mini-bottles all were tightly fit into our two luggage pieces that would be checked. We had to make certain that all were well wrapped and insulated from all the rough handling expected at the airport. Looking out the window at the quiet streets this Sunday morning I saw something I had run across in my research before. Certain avenues in downtown Merida are closed in the early to mid-morning to motor traffic so that pedestrians and families on bicycles could enjoy the roads without contesting the right of way with large vehicles. It's the city's initiative to support more physical activity for the citizens. I had a couple shots left so I "wasted" them shooting the scene below our honeymoon suite. Leaving our bags upstairs, T and I descended to the patio on the first floor to enjoy our last breakfast. It was as yummy as usual. I think I tried to drag it out as long as possible...of course, we didn't want to leave. T waited for me while I returned to get the bags and check and see if we had missed anything. Nope. I settled our account at the front desk and asked if someone could get us a cab. While we waited I located Rodolfo and gave him a well-deserved tip for taking care of us on the first day, showing us to the artisans' shops after his regular work hours. We really appreciated his help and advice. In fact, our whole experience with the Hotel Casa Del Balam was very good. I highly recommend it as a well-updated hotel with a good kitchen near the middle of downtown where all the action is. The staff, of course, was superb with an answer to all our queries. We would return here again if ever we did another holiday in Merida. The little taxi pulled up in front of the hotel and we said our farewells. Quickly we were packed into the vehicle and sped off to the airport. Again, I don't recall any issues with the fare. Got the bags, tipped the cabbie and we rolled into the main terminal. No issues with check-in...we just had to wait about an hour before boarding. I had noticed the escalator to a second level the first time when we arrived at the airport a week before, but here was our chance to explore. Not to mention it appeared the departure gates were on that level as well. There was a bar/restaurant conveniently located on the second level so T and I decided to have a "second breakfast" anticipating we would again be rushed at the airport in Mexico City. It wasn't the best breakfast, more like a snack. Just before they announced boarding for our flight we got up and found our way to the small gate. No issues at all about boarding or finding our seat. Or flight. No issues. None. Our flight was on time, we had enough time after arrival to find the gate for our American Airlines flight to Dallas. Maybe even a little time for a snack. Ahhhhhh...smooth sailing from here. After we touched down at Mexico City, taxied to our gate and then shuffled out of the plane we went to one of the large monitors stationed around the terminal and searched for our connecting flight. There it was, on time and with plenty of minutos to get there...wherever it was. That's right. No gate was assigned yet, so the monitor directed that passengers on that flight assemble in Sala G. At this point I ask everyone to play in their little heads the theme for the Twilight Zone every time Sala G is mentioned. Please don't argue. Sala G...didja do it?...doesn't appear to exist anymore due to very recent renovations to the airport. This was the main waiting area for international departures, or at least the nearest one. Basically, this being such a large and busy airport it frequently occurs that a gate is not open ahead of time waiting for a specific flight, so you were told to wait for your flight...in Sala G. It was a long walk, but we didn't get lost due to the signs posted every few gates. Got to the enormous waiting area and saw the mass of humanity sitting like listless sheep in the generic rows of airport chairs. There was bank of smaller monitors indicating the flight was on time and, oh by the way everyone please continue congregating in...Sala G. T and I didn't want to miss anything, so we went to a small counter set up in the middle of the waiting area for one of the Mexican airlines and stood in line to ask a question. We weren't the only one. Two agents were busy handling a couple dozen peeps in line with issues or concerns. When our turn came, the agent informed us that a gate had not been assigned yet and probably would not be assigned until the flight touched down. The moment a gate was assigned the system would be updated and we would be able to refer to the monitors for the new location. We should then have plenty of time to make it to our gate. Sounds like a plan. Looking around the circumference of the room I spotted a restaurant busy with customers. Wandering over I noticed among other things it served American fare such as hamburgers and fries. For the first time I was hungry for something more familiar and I pursuaded T to join me and share a little something. According to the clock on the wall there we still had plenty of time. We enjoyed our meal and after paying up decided to check on those monitors in...Sala G. It said that our flight had arrived and was parked at gate...such and such. Swell! T and I started walking in that direction at a brisk pace to the next waiting area where our gate surely was. Nope, it wasn't. A hall leaving that area to the left continued on towards an area with some more gates. At this point I started to worry. From here to there was about a quarter mile long walk, and we couldn't be certain that our gate was right there, either. I tried to speed up and got T to hustle, but her leg was pained and she needed to stop every so often. A moving sidewalk was located to one side of us, but before we had the sense to get on it we had already passed the opening to get on it and had to go dozens of feet to the next. Oh, boy. No airport buggies were passing by for us to hitch a ride. No fellows with wheelchairs to sit T on for a quick ride. Nothing. Just us and her tired feet. Over the PA I heard a boarding call for "F" and another passenger, then I really started to panic. What if that was the final boarding call???? I spotted an airport official (well, he had a walkie talkie) and asked him in Spanish to get someone at our gate to wait for us as we were trying to get there as fast as we could. He noticed our situation and spoke into his device, but couldn't tell if he actually reached someone who could do anything. Poor T was groaning and complaining, but kept going. We were cutting it way close. We got to the very last large waiting area at the end of the terminal, surrounded on most sides by gates. Ours was still at the very end, of course. As soon as it appeared we were within earshot T and I started calling out to the officials there to wait for us. They had spotted us ahead of time, because there were no other passengers in the area...they were all already on board. Once there we presented our boarding passes and laid our carry-on on the inspection table. The four or so officials and airline reps looked at us and each other. We were told that the door to the cabin had been closed and per policy (for security reasons) could not be opened back up to admit us. We had missed our flight. There it was: through a window we could see our plane still hooked up to the accordion-like passage from the gate and we couldn't get on. T and I tried to argue and demonstrated there was no way we could have walked this far in time to catch the flight from...Sala G. However, there was no budging on the matter even though perhaps we got some sympathetic looks. I didn't want to elevate this to the point that we would get into trouble, so eventually we turned away and limped slowly back to the hall at the other end of the waiting area. As it happens we spotted two of the airport buggies parked right there, its drivers in discussion. If only we had been able to wave one down during our epic marathon to the gate. We were resolved to find another flight to Dallas as soon as possible, but the only way to do so would be to walk all the way back past...Sala G. During the walk back we noticed a collection of wheelchairs sitting by the hall, but no "drivers". T was definitely hurting. Every step drew a groan from her direction, so we stopped and rested around there. I spotted a door to the hall partially open and a couple of men inside chatting. One of them leaned out and saw us. He motioned to a younger dude to come out and help us. Gratefully, T sat down in one of the wheelchairs and we told the fella we needed to get to the American Airlines counter. I will save all the rest of the excruciating details up to the point where we sat down with an airlines representative who informed us that there were no other flights to Dallas for the rest of the day. Not any other airlines. Not DFW nor Love Field. We had to wait until the following day to find an available seat on the next flight out, and to expect to pay something for it. For now, we had to find a comfortable spot in the main terminal to bunk down until the next day. Our wheelchair dude who had accompanied us all over the Mexico City airport followed me to the nearest food court and let T move to an open table. I thanked him and gave him a decent tip for his service. Soooo...people-watching was to be our activity for the rest of the day. Actually, making some phone calls was a priority. I called the office and left a message I wasn't going to be in the next day. T forgot her office phone, so we had to call the house and instruct my parents where to look for the number and give them a call. As we were helping them with ideas where to find it my cell phone died. It just wasn't our day. We decided to purchase something from the food court...my first experience ordering Chinese fast food from Chinese-Mexicans who spoke nothing but Spanish. Wanted to find a comfortable place to spend the night, moving to a couple different locations before we finally settled back in the food court. We weren't the only ones resigned to sleeping overnight at the airport. Soon after a booming thunderstorm passed overhead every table and chair in the dining area was occupied. There was a hotel nearby...the entrance to which was only 20 yards away. However, T and I didn't want to worry about oversleeping in a comfortable bed, missing the 6:00 a.m. hour when the airline offices reopened. I can't say that I ever slept that night. Perhaps the mass of humanity slumped over all the other tables had better luck. The clock in the food court ticked so slowly...it took about five minutes for the minute hand to move just one minute. It also was getting colder and colder. We had to return to that airline customer service office before I think 6 a.m. to be first in line and pay for a voucher to get on the first available flight to DFW. The guard standing at the door made note of us, so when more peeps were added to the que they were informed that we were first. I explained to one lady in broken Spanish that we had spent the night at the airport and she responded sympathetically, "Pobrecitos!" We were the first ones let into the office and I forgot the sequence of events there (had to stand at the airline check-in counter at least once) before we finally received vouchers for the next flight out. Summary points for the rest of the day: --We ate breakfast in the same airport restaurant where we were when our flight the day before was announced...chancy, but we were hungry. --We made sure that we would make our flight by hailing an airport buggy...in Sala G...20 minutes before our gate was announced and making sure they would leave with us at a moment's notice. --We got to the gate before any of the airline reps did. --We made the flight to DFW. --At customs, we declared everything we brought with us...but when we explained the luggage arrived the day before and we had to go searching for it, the customs official did not hassle us about bringing too much stuff and let us go. So, what else do you want to know??? :lol:
Congratulations on finally posted your final chapter. :clap: Reading about your airport experience took me back to our Cancun trip in August and the horrible experiences we had in Houston and then on the way home in Cancun. I definately feel your pain.
Your reports are always EXCELLENT, mi amigo! Very detailed and informative, I always feel like I'm right there with T and You Now I'm looking forward to your DISNEY report ... :typing:
