Planes, Trains and Donkey Carts

When traveling to and from Salt Cay on AirTAC, one has to be flexible, resourceful and firm.

I myself experienced the less than easy trip home. The only mode of transportation I did NOT take was a donkey cart or train.

I was all cleaned up and ready to go at 9:30 when I discovered I couldn't find my house keys. The original keys that open everything.

Positive in my senility, I even opened up the bolted and screwed closed garage to check in there. I knew I'd seen them but where? I'd only been up since 5 am cleaning, closing..you know, all those fun things one does before locking the door and leaving for months. I was totally sweat soaked again, another shower helped a little. My mood was swinging south...

Then Zoltan, the Hungarian Divemaster, calls on the radio to say he's coming to get me as I am "taking boat to Grand Turk" No details. Candy shows up in her cart to take me somewhere thinking airport--Zoltan finds us midway in the truck and I go to the dock.

It seems I am going to GDT on Splash, a V-hull dive boat. No Air Turks and Caicos as all they hav, supposedly, is the King Air and that can't land on Salt Cay...I'm stuck. I'm getting my grandson Dallas and cannot miss this plane.

They can't be bothered to come to Salt Cay to pick up a reserved, confirmed, reconfirmed passenger. Deb says they're holding the plane in Grand Turk for me—right, and donkey's will fly me to GDT too right?

A 45 minute boat ride later, AirTAC is waiting on the dock for me...nice lady...plane isn't even there yet and it is 45 minutes late.

I go inside to check in and they want me to pay overage on my luggage as I have my washing machine motor with me (everyone travels with a spare, right?)
I was polite, but firm, that I wasn't paying money when I just rode in an open boat to GDT and not a plane, etc.. Then she says "Well you may not get to Provo any time soon". I was about to loose it when the SkyCap says the plane is 5 minutes out..and it was. Gate agent/Skycap/Gate agent/Skycap....who do you believe now?

I got to Provo in time to check in, change my salt encrusted shirt, run a brush through the fright wig on my head and go to the gate...only to be paged to security. They don't see many washing machine motors taped down to the bottom of ice chests I guess. Had to go through security again since no one was there to watch my bags for me.

We finally got to Miami and of course the lines were long and slow...and no luggage carts as there are so many people. So I am dragging my ice chest on the floor, got my camera gear back pack, the roller bag carryon, and my checked bag with rollers and that rat bastard at Ag points for me to go through that long line for inspection...like I don't have enough problems, he needs to send me on an errand with no luggage cart. I say nothing as I do not have 45 minutes to explain my bad attitude, nasty disposition and bad humor to some even more humorless Customs supervisor in a little room off the Ag station.

So no time for a shower in Miami and I really, really needed it...I didn't even have time for a drink, which I really, really needed, of anything! I had to get to the next gate, through Security again. Everything ran like a clock until the last flight in Dallas/Ft. Worth where we had to wait for the flight attendant to arrive. By then, I didn't want a drink, or a shower in any Admiral's Club, I just wanted my own shower, my own bed.

I did learn though that no amount of internal effort can make a boat go faster than it can, make AirTAC show up as they should or anything else out of my control. You'd think at 54 I'd learn that once and for all...maybe this time it will set better.

The moral of the story is remain flexible at all times, be ready an hour before it's time to go to the SLX airport and try not to lose your sense of humor.
I will write AirTAC and let them know of my wonderful experience on their scheduled airline. I’ll send them a reminder of the other adventures created not by planes that cough, go through fences or tails hitting runways. But, by promises made and broken...planes that do not show up because they don't feel like coming to Salt Cay for one person. If they want to do cost cutting, I am going to do revenue cutting.

I think from now on, I'm going to bite the bullet when traveling loaded with dog, luggage and husband and go Global charter. And I'll take any strays that want to pay me a little share for a seat if there's room...just to take the business from AirTAC.

Ultimately though, whether it is a smooth trip home, or like this one, a side trip through Hell, the time on Salt Cay is worth every minute of inconvenience going or coming. I met people on the island I'd never met; talked for hours with Ned and Lillian Kennedy; heard Miss Mabel sing a song for my camera; and Sammy and Ma Lucy talk like I've never heard them talk before. And a couple tunes from Sammy too.

So much richness, so little time.