June 22 2003

Woke up at 3:00am and called the taxi. I said goodbye to my husband and a very panicked dog. Arrived at the airport at 3:20am, the check-in counters were not open yet but the queue was already forming. I waited in line for about a half hour, I got my boarding passes and waited in line for another hour for US immigration & customs to open. (In Montreal, you can go through US immigration before leaving Canada…neat eh?)

It is absolutely a good idea to get to the airport early because if I had to wait at the end of that long line…I would have panicked that I would miss my 6:20 am plane.

No problem at US immigration, they waved me through. Arrived at the gate and they began boarding almost immediately…plane was not full, I sat alone. They had to rewind the safety movie and begin again because someone was standing up and fiddling with their bag during the demonstration.

Arrived in Miami, at gate E32, was told that flight to San Juan would be leaving from gate B11. I had a three and a half hour layover (JOY!…not!) Left secure part to go to main hub of airport. I wandered, got some cash, bought a hamburger and some toiletries at the little shop. Then I finally settled in at B concourse but checked the Departure TV screen… aha! The Gate was changed to E8. Had a leisurely walk to the E concourse passed through security, forgot my hat…went back to security. Discovered that the handicapped toilet stalls are large enough to accommodate a luggage trolley!

Got settled in again at E8. Fell asleep to be awakened by the announcement "Gate Change for American Airlines flight XXX to San Juan now departing from gate E31". Okay, time to hustle with only 15 mins until boarding time. E8 is nowhere near E31. You need to take a shuttle bus and clear security again which was a big kerfuffle. I never saw so many complainers. People don’t seem to understand that security is a GOOD thing. They were pushing and shoving and whining about the wait. Women were angry that they needed to remove their shoes. I heard lots of people say "This is ridiculous".

Luckily the security guards were professional and patient. They helped the older people and would not allow people to push through the lineup. American Airlines delayed the flight to San Juan by 45 minutes to allow people a chance to get to the gate. It was a full flight and I arrived in plenty of time but I learned a lot about the impatience and rudeness of some people.

I thanked my lucky stars that I had gotten that hamburger because American Airlines generously offered me a Nutrigrain bar!

It was smart to have not checked my bags because who knows where they would have ended up after that gate change debacle. I ran to my gate in San Juan and immediately boarded the little bus to the turbo-prop plane for Bonaire. I made a mental note to wear earplugs next time. I was very tired but still excited for my trip at this point but more than a little disappointed to be landing after dark. I wanted to see Bonaire from the air and get a sneak preview.

I passed through immigration and customs and was met by Babs and her daughter Babette from the Dive-Inn. Babette was about 9 or 10 years old and very precocious. She was so cute. When I got into the car and automatically reached for the seatbelt she said "Mummy, Lisa does not know about the seatbelts", and then she informed me that I did not have to wear one on Bonaire. Then she told me to be careful about the wild donkeys, I replied that I wouldn’t like to hit one and hurt it. Babette told me " Oh, no! If you hit a donkey, you will wreck your car!" She asked me all kinds of questions about Canada and the animals that we have here. She thought that we had Boa Constrictor snakes here. I said no, mostly squirrels and raccoons.

We pulled up at the hotel and Babs showed me the ChaChaCha pier and beach. I asked her about the conditions for snorkeling and asked in which direction does the current flow. Babs answered… "Current? This a bathtub, there is no current, just stay away from the South pier because it is a working pier, but you can snorkel as far as the airport if you like."

This was very comforting to me and gave me a lot of confidence to enter the water without a guide.

She showed me to my interior room which was absolutely perfect for my needs. One large main air-conditioned area with a kitchenette consisting of a table with two chairs, a fridge, a sink and two stove elements, two twin beds which could be made into a double (which mysteriously happened later in the week) and a generously sized closet with shelves, a hanging rod and a room-safe.

The bathroom was typical Caribbean style, a large tiled room with a shower area in one corner and a basin and toilet. There were plenty of hooks on the walls to hang wet clothes and fresh towels daily. The most important accessory was the bathmat which I used to shuffle around the room like a flying carpet seeing as I was wet about 90% of my visit!

Only the shower was equipped with a hot water faucet, but this was fine. I always boiled a little water for tea and would use the rest to wash dishes after meals. The hotel was immaculately clean and the kitchen was well equipped with dishes and pots & pans. Although I would not consider it a "fancy" place it earned four stars for efficiency in my book and you could not ask for a nicer or more helpful staff. Everyone from Babs the owner to the dive instructors to the handyman and housekeeper were friendly and accomodating.

I went to sleep at 8:30pm exhausted but looking forward to seeing Bonaire in daylight.