Adios, Mexico; Hello, Tropical Storm Debby!

 Friday, August 2, 2024

Everyone seems to be up even earlier than necessary on departure day. Jan is staring into the darkness where she has seen things - bats? moths?  flitting across the courtyard between our room and Ginger's. Barbara slept in a hammock until the rain (our first) drove her under cover! The plan is to use up the last of our leftovers for a breakfast that looks a lot like my favorite scrambled eggs with vegetables. Someone calls Ginger away and I inherit the spatula.  I've got this, but what in the heck is going on!  Turns out it's nothing...whew!

Cacti on the beach - better than sandspurs!  Easier to spot!

Our last meal and Ginger gives me a perfect lead into our small tribute - three more questions for Herd Mentality! First, Who is the best tour leader and organizer? A chorus of "Ginger!" rings out.  Second, Who's the world's best tour guide? "Juan!" And, third, Who had the best time? "We did!"

Everyone brings out their suitcases and there is time for last group photos before we drive to the aeropuerto international.  Barbara has her phone all set up and she dashes into place as the timer counts down from ten. 

We'll all be flying to Mexico City and then Atlanta where we'll split into the Atlanta, Tampa, and Pittsburg contingents.  The Tampa crowd had been unable to check in on line, despite repeated valiant efforts yesterday, so it is a great relief to find everything goes smoothly at the ticket counter.  And when I present my Delta charge card to pay for our luggage, the thirty-five dollar charge per bag magically disappears!  We don't ask questions!

It's time to say good-bye to Juan and go through security, which entails very little for most of us and we reconvene in the little gate area, easily finding six seats facing each other.  Oh!  It seems someone has found a bottle of one of the cream mezcals and chocolate croissants at the little shop!  And she (okay, it was Karen!) also has a couple of little cups and soon the cups and brown paper bag are making the rounds! That's the way to travel!  Especially since there probably won't be any refreshments on this first flight, and no refreshments as good as these on any flights!

Thanks, Barbara!

Definitely not mezcal and croissants!

The bottle is empty and it's time to walk out to the little hundred-or-so-seater plane, with half of us boarding from the back.  There are no screens, so it's a good thing we're all readers!  We're up and down in no time and explore the Mexico City airport.  We have a long enough layover that our flight isn't on the departures list yet so we search out a restaurant to have a place to sit together and for some of us to eat.

                                       I don't know what he's advertising, but isn't he adorable??

After a while Jan goes off shopping and Barbara and I each independently find our gate number and learn that it's in the other terminal.  Off we go, hoping to encounter Jan who is searching out molé to bring home. We get all the way to the gate without seeing her and after texting with no response I call to make sure she knows where we are.  Turns out Lynette is with her and they show up as the plane is already boarding.

This is a much larger plane, heading to Atlanta.  There is a screen and snacks and a small selection of movies.  I try to watch the new "Ghostbusters, Afterlife" and the most interesting part is the end where the original ghostbusters, Bill Murray and all those guys, return to the action.  Boy, they're old!  How did that happen???

                                                    I thought ginger ale would be a good idea.

In Atlanta we lose the locals right away as they are split off from those of us with connecting flights.  Time for final hugs and good-byes.  Sigh.  Then it's on to passport control for Betsy and Jan, and Global Entry for Barbara and me.  It's so much easier now that they don't need fingerprints!  Just a photo and then on to the passport guy who takes another picture, compares them, and sends us on our way.  Barbara and I go to baggage claim and are able to snag all four bags before Betsy and Jan come down the escalator from passport control!  Then it's just a matter of delivering our bags to another Delta guy who whisks them away on a conveyor belt and we're free again.

Next we go through security again, since we're stateside. Betsy and I have TSA Pre-check, so we go through the quick and easy line, with Barbara close behind us.  Jan goes through another line and we lose sight of her.  Hmmm, Barbara has to go back out?  Turns out that the bottle of cream mezcal that she bought at the duty-free shop in Mexico City didn't come in a duty-free bag and TSA won't let her bring it on the plane! She opts to drink some of it right there and they relent and allow her to keep some of it!  It's probably more than the allowed three ounces;  but less than what she had anticipated bringing home.  If we had been able to find Jan, she could have gone back out with her and shared!  But she went on to Terminal A, a reasonable plan since she didn't see us.  Our next gate is there and we head that way ourselves now that we're together again.

The plane trains are so crowded that we have to let the first two go by before we can force ourselves onto one! And getting off one lady is i such a rush that a nice guy has to keep me from falling!  Barbara's plane leaves from Terminal B so we go with her to make sure she's pointed in the right direction - like she might ever need that from us!!  But it feels right, and then we fight the plane train again and go to Terminal A. Jan isn't at our gate but she texts that she will finish her wine and be right there. 

Our plane is a bit delayed; but we've been so lucky so far.  We look up and see Barbara!  Her flight to Pittsburg is delayed even more AND her new gate is in our terminal! We have a bit more time together but finally our plane is boarding and we have to say good-bye to Barbara, Betsy's daughter and my partner i photography crime!

On to our last plane!!  I think I actually get a bit of sleep and we're finally in Tampa.  Roddy meets us, we claim our luggage, take the elevator up to the car, load up and ride back to Betsy and Roddy's house, where my car sits waiting.  There is no one on the road in the small hours and we're back in the 'hood in no time.  I drop Jan off, make sure she gets inside safely, and finally pull into the garage.  It's just a little after three and I'm fast asleep before three thirty, surrounded by kitty cats who don't seem to have missed me at all!  

P. S.   The last couple of days we've been watching the development of Tropical Storm Debby and hoping that she'll pass us by.  With the advantage of twenty-twenty-hindsight I can happily report that she will become Hurricane Debby and come ashore well to the north of the Tampa Bay Area!  We'll all escape totally unscathed!