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Escape from Punta Cana
5 years ago
TL:DR I'm back, situation normal.
So yeah, I finally, FINALLY get to go on a vacation. Six months of seriously hard work, best shape of my life, going to go enjoy it on a white sand island beach paradise ...
NOPE.
Fuck you Panic.
Note what I did NOT say. (and if I have to make it explicit, bless your heart.)
The day after I extended my vacation to ride out this apparent global spate of unalloyed insanity, the president of the Dominican Republic closed the borders and all the hotels. Having just changed my flights and reservations (which unbeknownst to me in the beginning were all canceled without sending me any kind of update) I was left high and dry.
At one point I actually called the American Embassy and asked them what the visa requirements were for DR, because I didn't see a way home. (The lovely young woman I spoke to did the over the phone equivalent of pat my head, turn me around, and send me stumbling off toward the airlines that WERE still moving people out of the country as she reminded me not to suck my thumb in public. I was suitably chastened.)
So I booked with Delta. REALLY friendly folks on the phone, got my reservation squared away, I'm all set. This is the 20th. On the 21st, I get a notification that the second leg of my flight, from Atlanta to home, was canceled. While trying to use the app to rebook, it was trying to force me to rebook the 1st leg as well. Given that I wouldn't have a room at the hotel for the extra day, this was a non-starter. Wound up having to call Delta's reservation service again, and again they sorted me out, different airport some forty minutes from my original. No problems.
So I get out of DR. Land in Atlanta. Got a few hours to kill. I go through customs, get my gate information, chill at a restaurant having a beer as I lament the dieting I'm going to have to do to drop this 'all-inclusive' chunk on my guts. Get to my gate ... I'm a little early but it's suspiciously empty.
I was tired by this point though, and didn't really notice anything amiss until I got an email from AMERICAN AIRLINES.
Do what now? I checked my ticket. It said what I thought it said. DELTA.
So what does AA have to say to me?
"Your flight departure is delayed."
...
Fuckin' what.
I go up to the lady at the counter, who helpfully tells me in a Georgia Peach sort of accent that I thought was kinda cute, "Oh yeah sweety, that Delta flight was canceled. I bet they tried swappin' your ticket."
So the AA flight is delayed, good news right? Not so much. It's delayed a mere ten minutes, was supposed to have left five minutes ago, is thirty gates away, and I've got this chunk of all-inclusive plus beer weighing me down.
I made it anyway, because let's face it, I'm a boss.
At the counter there I presented my delta ticket to the American Airlines attendant and showed her the email as well, trying very hard NOT to look like a complete dipstick. I was aided in this endeavor by a lovely young woman who happened to be in exactly the same situation, but though the attendants were sympathetic, neither of us was allowed to board the plane, as Delta had failed utterly to properly transfer the tickets.
So we both got to watch that flight take off from our front row seats inside the terminal.
So that's 3, count em, flights home that I was NOT on.
Now though, I have a charming companion in distress. I will refrain from giving her name here because let's face it, not important to the story. It is however, now 9:30 at night, and after going back to a Delta customer service counter, we're told the next available flight to EITHER of the airports we both tried to get to is at 0600 tomorrow morning.
So we booked that, and both of us went to a restaurant for, in my case, another beer, and for her just her first as far as I know. We'd been offered lodging but declined to take it because neither of us wanted to get up at 0400 in the morning to see to the delightful task of going back through airport security.
As we were drinking, commiserating, etc, she gets an email from Delta (Why I wasn't on this list I still don't understand) saying that the 0600 flight was ... say it with me now:
CANCELED.
Fuck's sake.
Back to the Delta we go, and now the flight they're booking us on is at 10:30 am the next day. I took the reservation but knew a pattern when I saw one, and had enough.
I pulled up hotwire, reserved a car from National, (no, I'm not being paid to reference these companies but I will take endorsement money if offered) and offered to split the driving with my erstwhile companion, who I should probably mention at this point is a doctoral student of 28 years. I did this because by then I was pretty tired, and knew if I didn't have someone to switch off with I'd have to nap somewhere and it'd take longer to get home.
Said doctoral student of 28 years did something which left me absolutely baffled ... and before I tell you this I need to make sure y'all understand: I would have been perfectly fine with her saying something along the lines of, "No offense, but I just met you, stranger danger, this is how horror movies start."
She'd have been absolutely correct. I know I'm a decent sort, she does not and I'm totally fine with that. That is NOT what she did.
You ready for this? Sure?
She said she was completely down to ride with me, but needed to call mommy and daddy and ask for permission.
She did that, and her parents renewed my faith in humanity somewhat by saying, and I'm paraphrasing here, "What? NO! You just met him! Stranger Danger! This is how horror movies start!"
Bear in mind by the time *I* was 28 I'd already done my stint in the service and was a contractor for the telcos, had been out of the house since 20, and owned my own home.
So yeah, a 28 year old calling mommy and daddy to ask for permission to ride with the strange man set me back a bit.
Backing up, we had NOT been offered complimentary overnight stays this time, but got a 'discount' of 80 dollars a night. Since that was essentially what the one-way car rental was costing me, I call it a wash.
Doctoral student of 28 years and I parted ways, I got my bag (two more hours of waiting for that) went to National, got in the fucking car, and drove my happy ass back to Texas.
The 10:30 am flight was canceled by the way. As was the later flight at 2:10 pm. As far as I know, doctoral student of 28 years is still sitting at ATL, though I'm sure that, given she was getting her doctorate in logistics (not a lie), she eventually caught on and found other means to get home.
I spent all of yesterday working on some minor edits to MKS1 and turned it over to my editor, who I am hoping gets it back to me by the end of the week. I will then go through her edits, finalize things, format, and get the book ready to put up on Zon.
So that was the latter half of my vacation in however many words. The first half was great, but no one wants to hear me talk about an awesome, not at all troubled vacation, so I'll just say it was nice and leave it at that.
So yeah, I finally, FINALLY get to go on a vacation. Six months of seriously hard work, best shape of my life, going to go enjoy it on a white sand island beach paradise ...
NOPE.
Fuck you Panic.
Note what I did NOT say. (and if I have to make it explicit, bless your heart.)
The day after I extended my vacation to ride out this apparent global spate of unalloyed insanity, the president of the Dominican Republic closed the borders and all the hotels. Having just changed my flights and reservations (which unbeknownst to me in the beginning were all canceled without sending me any kind of update) I was left high and dry.
At one point I actually called the American Embassy and asked them what the visa requirements were for DR, because I didn't see a way home. (The lovely young woman I spoke to did the over the phone equivalent of pat my head, turn me around, and send me stumbling off toward the airlines that WERE still moving people out of the country as she reminded me not to suck my thumb in public. I was suitably chastened.)
So I booked with Delta. REALLY friendly folks on the phone, got my reservation squared away, I'm all set. This is the 20th. On the 21st, I get a notification that the second leg of my flight, from Atlanta to home, was canceled. While trying to use the app to rebook, it was trying to force me to rebook the 1st leg as well. Given that I wouldn't have a room at the hotel for the extra day, this was a non-starter. Wound up having to call Delta's reservation service again, and again they sorted me out, different airport some forty minutes from my original. No problems.
So I get out of DR. Land in Atlanta. Got a few hours to kill. I go through customs, get my gate information, chill at a restaurant having a beer as I lament the dieting I'm going to have to do to drop this 'all-inclusive' chunk on my guts. Get to my gate ... I'm a little early but it's suspiciously empty.
I was tired by this point though, and didn't really notice anything amiss until I got an email from AMERICAN AIRLINES.
Do what now? I checked my ticket. It said what I thought it said. DELTA.
So what does AA have to say to me?
"Your flight departure is delayed."
...
Fuckin' what.
I go up to the lady at the counter, who helpfully tells me in a Georgia Peach sort of accent that I thought was kinda cute, "Oh yeah sweety, that Delta flight was canceled. I bet they tried swappin' your ticket."
So the AA flight is delayed, good news right? Not so much. It's delayed a mere ten minutes, was supposed to have left five minutes ago, is thirty gates away, and I've got this chunk of all-inclusive plus beer weighing me down.
I made it anyway, because let's face it, I'm a boss.
At the counter there I presented my delta ticket to the American Airlines attendant and showed her the email as well, trying very hard NOT to look like a complete dipstick. I was aided in this endeavor by a lovely young woman who happened to be in exactly the same situation, but though the attendants were sympathetic, neither of us was allowed to board the plane, as Delta had failed utterly to properly transfer the tickets.
So we both got to watch that flight take off from our front row seats inside the terminal.
So that's 3, count em, flights home that I was NOT on.
Now though, I have a charming companion in distress. I will refrain from giving her name here because let's face it, not important to the story. It is however, now 9:30 at night, and after going back to a Delta customer service counter, we're told the next available flight to EITHER of the airports we both tried to get to is at 0600 tomorrow morning.
So we booked that, and both of us went to a restaurant for, in my case, another beer, and for her just her first as far as I know. We'd been offered lodging but declined to take it because neither of us wanted to get up at 0400 in the morning to see to the delightful task of going back through airport security.
As we were drinking, commiserating, etc, she gets an email from Delta (Why I wasn't on this list I still don't understand) saying that the 0600 flight was ... say it with me now:
CANCELED.
Fuck's sake.
Back to the Delta we go, and now the flight they're booking us on is at 10:30 am the next day. I took the reservation but knew a pattern when I saw one, and had enough.
I pulled up hotwire, reserved a car from National, (no, I'm not being paid to reference these companies but I will take endorsement money if offered) and offered to split the driving with my erstwhile companion, who I should probably mention at this point is a doctoral student of 28 years. I did this because by then I was pretty tired, and knew if I didn't have someone to switch off with I'd have to nap somewhere and it'd take longer to get home.
Said doctoral student of 28 years did something which left me absolutely baffled ... and before I tell you this I need to make sure y'all understand: I would have been perfectly fine with her saying something along the lines of, "No offense, but I just met you, stranger danger, this is how horror movies start."
She'd have been absolutely correct. I know I'm a decent sort, she does not and I'm totally fine with that. That is NOT what she did.
You ready for this? Sure?
She said she was completely down to ride with me, but needed to call mommy and daddy and ask for permission.
She did that, and her parents renewed my faith in humanity somewhat by saying, and I'm paraphrasing here, "What? NO! You just met him! Stranger Danger! This is how horror movies start!"
Bear in mind by the time *I* was 28 I'd already done my stint in the service and was a contractor for the telcos, had been out of the house since 20, and owned my own home.
So yeah, a 28 year old calling mommy and daddy to ask for permission to ride with the strange man set me back a bit.
Backing up, we had NOT been offered complimentary overnight stays this time, but got a 'discount' of 80 dollars a night. Since that was essentially what the one-way car rental was costing me, I call it a wash.
Doctoral student of 28 years and I parted ways, I got my bag (two more hours of waiting for that) went to National, got in the fucking car, and drove my happy ass back to Texas.
The 10:30 am flight was canceled by the way. As was the later flight at 2:10 pm. As far as I know, doctoral student of 28 years is still sitting at ATL, though I'm sure that, given she was getting her doctorate in logistics (not a lie), she eventually caught on and found other means to get home.
I spent all of yesterday working on some minor edits to MKS1 and turned it over to my editor, who I am hoping gets it back to me by the end of the week. I will then go through her edits, finalize things, format, and get the book ready to put up on Zon.
So that was the latter half of my vacation in however many words. The first half was great, but no one wants to hear me talk about an awesome, not at all troubled vacation, so I'll just say it was nice and leave it at that.
if I had the wherewithall I'd come get you...
but at this time, I can't even get across town, let alone back home after I got there
Glad you got home safe.
Good on you for just driving your happy ass home man, maybe this will blow over in a few weeks and it won't look like Mad Max out there. But I'm NOT feeling hopeful right now. I don't even want to go into all the shit I'm having to deal with. Just glad you made it back in one piece. On one hand, the Q posts suggest Trump is rounding up deep state agents, and on the other hand, maybe its all a farce. Fuck, I don't know, but this whole thing is stupid weird and I just don't want to deal with it right now. Peace.