Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

We have to go home this afternoon. We get picked up at 1:50 from the hotel for a 4:20 flight home. We were granted late checkout until 1:00 PM, yeah! That means that we have more than half a day to play in the sun. After our breakfast, Gabi heads back up to pack, I head to the beach to play with my fish. I stuff 3 bananas in my suit and off I go. The water is calm, and the temperature is perfect. Just a little below air temp so that it is slightly refreshing without being a shock to the system. Once out a little way, I peel my banana and squish the flesh. The fish love this. If you hold the peeled banana at arm’s length they will come and peck at the flesh. Once I finish my play time and get back to shore, I sigh knowing that I also have to shower and get packed.

Once showered, dressed for the flight home, and packed, we take one more look around the room. Check all the drawers and safe twice. Make sure all our documentation is within reach for the airport. Then we head down and check out. We still have time for some lunch. I packed a couple of sandwiches and cookies to eat on the plane.

All to soon our car for the airport arrives. Curacao has a small airport, so it is not too difficult to check in and then head to security. The security line is a mad rush of someone yelling to take off your watch, laptops in the bin, take off your shoes, etc. I hate the whole cattle herd system. Come on people, read the signs, and come prepared. Have your liquids bag at hand, have your shoes untied, whatever. I’m sure that this is not the first rodeo for 90% of the people here.

Once through, Gabi decides to get some duty-free shopping done. Unfortunately, this means a few extra bags of stuff to carry. We headed up to the lounge for some peace and quiet and a little bit of wine and food. About ½ hour before we head down to the terminal for boarding. This is where you see the people at their finest. We have 4- and 5-year-olds running around screaming. I assume the parents think this will tucker them out. I think it winds them up. Then you have the other people thinking that the floor is their personal garbage can. Really? If you drop it, pick it up, don’t just push it under your seat and think it disappears.

We get on board, stow our carry-on, and prepare for takeoff. We have booked aisle seats to make it easier to get up and stretch or go to the bathroom. Unfortunately, in front of Gabi is a family of 4. The little girl looks to be around 4 and the baby is maybe 7 months. As suspected the baby starts to cry from the get-go. I feel bad for the child because the pressure from the accent plays havoc with their ears. If the mother had given the child a bottle during takeoff, this would have equalized their ears. The crying did continue for a couple of hours, with the mother trying to bounce the child in the aisle and comfort the child. The 4-year-old thought that she could also play in the aisle. These people were from the Montreal area, so they must have travelled down on a plane. Didn’t learn anything? Needless to say, the flight home was not as enjoyable as the flight there. We didn’t land until about 9:30 pm and this family had to catch a connecting flight to Montreal. That would mean that these kids had another 4 hours of travel. Maybe an earlier flight where the kids’ schedules were considered would have been better?

Once we land, we have to do the customs, immigration gauntlet that is as convoluted as trying to put together a desk from Ikea. Lots of pictures and instructions just complicate the process. Hey Customs bring back real people instead of having computers. Most people who enter an international airport either can’t read English or can’t use a computer! Okay rant done.

Our car is ready to take us back home. It is a nice quiet ride back; the roads are not that busy this late at night and I am home by 11:00 PM. The weather was a mix of snow and rain in Toronto, but Hamilton had none. Gabi said that Grimsby had snow and rain when she was dropped off.

The final comments are that Curacao does not disappoint. The weather is great, the resort is great, and the company was great. A nice relaxing week prior to the Christmas rush. We will indeed be back next year.Read more