I'm Back!!!

I let you down on “the blog” this summer. Diana and I were busy people. First, a trip to San Diego by Diana, the expectant grandmother, to help prepare the nest. Baby arrives, two weeks later I’m on scene (no I didn’t get lost). Out to Palm Desert to see the rest of the family for a week; back to San Diego. Assist the new mom a couple of weeks then off to Asheville, North Carolina for a two week stint with my brother, Dave, and his wife, Cathy. Back to San Diego to recharge with a baby “fix”. Off to Chicago for four days with our Yelapa friends Erin and Patrick. Back to San Diego, out to Palm Desert to pick up Nikki, return to San Diego. Fly to Puerto Vallarta, snag a van at the airport, board the water taxi to Yelapa. Last leg: grab Cipriano at the town pier to assist with our bags, say “hola” to half the village (give hugs to the other half) and collapse on the couch. You’re not buying this I can tell. While I was not writing the blog, two significant milestones were crossed: 1) the blog-Yelapa Memo-reached it’s one year anniversary; 2) this same blog enjoyed over 4000 visits during that first year. I am humbled. Thank you.

A travel anecdote demands addressing. We boarded our flight in San Diego with one dog crate, one large tote, two backpacks and one laptop case. We exited the plane in Puerto Vallarta with two backpacks, proceeded through Mexican Customs, and managed to walk half-way down a football length corridor before it occurred to me that—yep, you guessed it—I did not have my laptop case. I sprinted to the Immigration Area. Now there is no way in hell that you can retrace your steps backward through immigration. I hailed a woman in the office and told her my woeful tale. Over the ensuing moments, she attempted numerous times to reach Alaska Airlines via telephone. Realizing my desperation and the timing realities of a departure of the same aircraft, she grabbed a maintenance worker with a radio and asked that he contact the airlines. Neither approach worked. Bear in mind that none of this activity was part of her normal duties. She dedicated massive energy to assist me. Those of you who travel internationally know full well that Immigration Officers like Customs Officials are not generally known for their customer service talents. I found an exception, perhaps my former assessment was overly harsh. 

There should be airline personnel in the baggage claim area. Diana journeyed ahead to retrieve our luggage plus Nikki within her crate. By the time I arrived, she had engaged an individual and communicated our/my plight. Following massive amounts of radio chatter and several brief absences from the area, the representative returned to alert us that the case was located and would be at the ticket counter in the front of the airport. Problem solved, right?????? NO!!! Inside the case was a folder containing Nikki’s documents for re-entry into Mexico. Without those documents we could not clear customs. Back to the Alaska Air Rep who stated that the case could be brought downstairs but it would take “some time” to do so. We smiled, thanked her and agreed that we had no choice. Ten minutes later, she returned sporting a large toothy grin and the case. Nikki cleared customs, including a thorough pat down plus crate inspection. We received the coveted green light from the Customs Agent and off we headed free at last.

     

The closing moments of our Yelapa return could have been disastrous. But for two wonderful women who empathized with our plight, we would have been doomed. No doubt, we will never see either of these individuals again. IF any of you reading this commentary experience some type of travel flub, rest assured there are angels out there. Treat them well.

P.S. Did I say how fabulous it is to be home with my wife and our Nikki?

Kayak update and Yelapa news this Sunday, that’s a promise. memo