Not yet on the island, but in Hondras
Aug. 6th, 2010 07:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wispfoxUp at 6am, to airport at 6:30, check bag, through security, plane. Wait over two hours in miami. Get gate changed because the previous flight at the gate was about 2 hours late. Chat with random friendly people whose father was from Honduras, but they now live in JP (near Boston, for non-locals). Have this flight be 30 minutes late. Fret a lot, since the lateness meant that there was _NO WAY_ I was making the 1 hour pre-board check-in time, since we landed after that time, and might mean I can't make the flight (especially since I have this sense that times for things are... variable). Land. Wait for_ever_ to get off the fight (seat 29, doncha know). Wait far too long to get through immigration, as one of the people handling us all just up and left two people before me. Fret even more, because I have less than 30 minutes while I'm waiting there for the immigration people. Finally get through immigration. Grab my bag from the pile of bags that have already been pulled off the baggage cart. Go through customs. Try to not go insane, as I now have less than 15 minutes. Find information desk, have them point me to the appropriate place. Have immense sense of foreboding when the person at the appropriate place is shaking his head at me as I approach. Show him my printout of my pre-paid ticket. Get told that boarding was at 2:10, and he waited an extra 5 minutes for me, but they let 5 minutes ago.
Ask if there are any other options, trying very hard to keep cool. Get told that there's a taxi or a bus, to get to the city on the shore, which still leaves me to figure out how to get _to_ the island. Also, they were both absurdly expensive, and would take two hours, which is bad enough without remaining uncertainty at the other end. Start to lose battle with tears, although possibly not yet visibly. Get told that there is also a hotel nearby and I could take tomorrow's flight. Entirely lose battle with tears, even though that _is_ a sane option, but I was just unable to take any more 'gah, your plans blew up, now make a decision RIGHT NOW after having been in transit since 6am'. Get told to calm down (*wry* Because that always works), explain that it's horribly difficult (I meant complicated, but I couldn't find that word in Spanish right then) and expensive with what was probably not even vaguely a calm tone, pause, then explain that I just need a moment to collect myself (keep in mind this was half in Spanish and half in English). Finish collecting myself, ask how I would get to said hotel. Taxi is available, but the poor man at the deck who had to handle this crazy randomly bursting into tears American lady also noted that he could bring me for half the cost if I could wait 20 minutes. I absolutely could, and he seemed like he would be willing to help me figure out the right place to go and such (which he could, and did).
Now, I would just like to remind the audience that I'm face blind.
So he went back to finish up closing the desk, and headed over probably 10 minutes, at most, later. He said that someone he eventually managed to point out to me would help, as he had to go get his car (because, as always, nearby parking is far more expensive in airports). I could barely _see_ the person he was pointing out as waving, let alone recognizing him (and shirt color was _NOT_ helpful, since I think it was a uniform). I packed everything back up, and went to where the guy had been pointed out. Thankfully, he came over to me pretty much immediately, and re-explained that the friendly ticket agent guy was getting his car (I had gotten that much from the first guy, but he spoke _FAST_ spanish), and that he'd be over in a bit. And the guy I was waiting with would help me to the ticket agent guy's car when he got in.
So he did, and I got into the car. I've heard Honduras driving is crazy, but I think he may have been trying to not scare me, because it wasn't that much worse than Boston. Regardless, he randomly made small talk (including a question of "pretty, or ugly?". I thought for a moment, and decided that it was pretty; it's very green here!), and among other things tried to explain where things were in relation to each other. I didn't think it was worth explaining that I would have _no_ idea what he was talking about later, much like I didn't bother explaining faceblindness.
We got to the gated hotel (he did, indeed, pick me a good hotel. I read online earlier, and apparently that's pretty much mandatory in San Pedro Sula, for safety), went in, and he explained to the guy at the desk that I needed a room for the night. The guy at the desk had very clear English, and seemed to not mind me speaking at him in Spanish when I kept forgetting or simply not knowing the term, and kept losing my grammar. Turned out that they have a shuttle to the airport, for free, and the 1p one will allow me to be there in time for the 1:30 check in and the 2:30 flight. The ticket agent guy, after I gave him his money for being my taxi, said he'd see me tomorrow. He's apparently always the ticket agent! I suspect he won't know I don't recognize him, since he'll be pretty obviously the guy behind the counter. :) Also, apparently American Airlines is always slow, and the flight tomorrow may be direct to Utila, instead of having a stop at Le Ceilba (sp?).
So now I have a room for the night, with free wired internet (I thought I heard them telling another guest that it was $1/hour, in a special room, so I'm not sure what's up with that), absurd amounts of space, need to be out by noon, with shuttle at 1. Just had a very tasty dinner (I suspect that it was a _VERY_ fancy place, actually), and have some leftovers for tomorrow. I may have some for breakfast, and more for lunch. Lots of leftovers. :) There's a kitchen, a small fridge, a small sitting room, two bedrooms, one with a single bed and one with two beds (fulls, I think? Not sure). Enormous room. The guy who led me to it and checked what was here turned on the A/C when we came in (did not expect that, either).
Need to remember to call 5 min before checkout. No idea why, but the signs in the room say so.
Got a bottle of water, and then got some limpuras (sp?) in exchange for my dollar bill and the water, since I did not have local money and they all take USD. Just wanted to be sure I had water, since I can't drink the tap water here without serious digestive unhappy.
Only up right now because I don't want to go to bed absurdly early for the time zone, and I did just have dinner. So I stay awake a bit longer for food to digest a little, then bed. And probably up early, since it's two hours earlier than I think it is.
Ask if there are any other options, trying very hard to keep cool. Get told that there's a taxi or a bus, to get to the city on the shore, which still leaves me to figure out how to get _to_ the island. Also, they were both absurdly expensive, and would take two hours, which is bad enough without remaining uncertainty at the other end. Start to lose battle with tears, although possibly not yet visibly. Get told that there is also a hotel nearby and I could take tomorrow's flight. Entirely lose battle with tears, even though that _is_ a sane option, but I was just unable to take any more 'gah, your plans blew up, now make a decision RIGHT NOW after having been in transit since 6am'. Get told to calm down (*wry* Because that always works), explain that it's horribly difficult (I meant complicated, but I couldn't find that word in Spanish right then) and expensive with what was probably not even vaguely a calm tone, pause, then explain that I just need a moment to collect myself (keep in mind this was half in Spanish and half in English). Finish collecting myself, ask how I would get to said hotel. Taxi is available, but the poor man at the deck who had to handle this crazy randomly bursting into tears American lady also noted that he could bring me for half the cost if I could wait 20 minutes. I absolutely could, and he seemed like he would be willing to help me figure out the right place to go and such (which he could, and did).
Now, I would just like to remind the audience that I'm face blind.
So he went back to finish up closing the desk, and headed over probably 10 minutes, at most, later. He said that someone he eventually managed to point out to me would help, as he had to go get his car (because, as always, nearby parking is far more expensive in airports). I could barely _see_ the person he was pointing out as waving, let alone recognizing him (and shirt color was _NOT_ helpful, since I think it was a uniform). I packed everything back up, and went to where the guy had been pointed out. Thankfully, he came over to me pretty much immediately, and re-explained that the friendly ticket agent guy was getting his car (I had gotten that much from the first guy, but he spoke _FAST_ spanish), and that he'd be over in a bit. And the guy I was waiting with would help me to the ticket agent guy's car when he got in.
So he did, and I got into the car. I've heard Honduras driving is crazy, but I think he may have been trying to not scare me, because it wasn't that much worse than Boston. Regardless, he randomly made small talk (including a question of "pretty, or ugly?". I thought for a moment, and decided that it was pretty; it's very green here!), and among other things tried to explain where things were in relation to each other. I didn't think it was worth explaining that I would have _no_ idea what he was talking about later, much like I didn't bother explaining faceblindness.
We got to the gated hotel (he did, indeed, pick me a good hotel. I read online earlier, and apparently that's pretty much mandatory in San Pedro Sula, for safety), went in, and he explained to the guy at the desk that I needed a room for the night. The guy at the desk had very clear English, and seemed to not mind me speaking at him in Spanish when I kept forgetting or simply not knowing the term, and kept losing my grammar. Turned out that they have a shuttle to the airport, for free, and the 1p one will allow me to be there in time for the 1:30 check in and the 2:30 flight. The ticket agent guy, after I gave him his money for being my taxi, said he'd see me tomorrow. He's apparently always the ticket agent! I suspect he won't know I don't recognize him, since he'll be pretty obviously the guy behind the counter. :) Also, apparently American Airlines is always slow, and the flight tomorrow may be direct to Utila, instead of having a stop at Le Ceilba (sp?).
So now I have a room for the night, with free wired internet (I thought I heard them telling another guest that it was $1/hour, in a special room, so I'm not sure what's up with that), absurd amounts of space, need to be out by noon, with shuttle at 1. Just had a very tasty dinner (I suspect that it was a _VERY_ fancy place, actually), and have some leftovers for tomorrow. I may have some for breakfast, and more for lunch. Lots of leftovers. :) There's a kitchen, a small fridge, a small sitting room, two bedrooms, one with a single bed and one with two beds (fulls, I think? Not sure). Enormous room. The guy who led me to it and checked what was here turned on the A/C when we came in (did not expect that, either).
Need to remember to call 5 min before checkout. No idea why, but the signs in the room say so.
Got a bottle of water, and then got some limpuras (sp?) in exchange for my dollar bill and the water, since I did not have local money and they all take USD. Just wanted to be sure I had water, since I can't drink the tap water here without serious digestive unhappy.
Only up right now because I don't want to go to bed absurdly early for the time zone, and I did just have dinner. So I stay awake a bit longer for food to digest a little, then bed. And probably up early, since it's two hours earlier than I think it is.
