Last night I went to bed at 10:30, quickly fell asleep, and was awakened by Teresa at 7:15.
Some surprises ahead!
Today is Punta Cana check-out day and return to Medellin.
Change of plans: We left the room by 8am and had the buffet
breakfast in Miramar. I exchanged the towels poolside for the cards we
need to return at check-out.
We returned to the room to find we had no power
(electricity) so not just no lights but no air conditioning. I got Teresa set up
outside in the sun for her final tanning session. By then the electricity had
come back on and I took my final shower then started working on my blog notes.
My mouse was acting a little crazy, perhaps portending the
soon demise of the battery? Luckily, I have a spare tucked away in my backpack.
Check-out is at noon, our COPA flight is 3:05pm, we have an
hour and 45-minute layover in Panama before returning to Medellin at 8pm.
Teresa came in at 10:30 for her shower and final packing.
We left the room with our suitcases and my backpack and
walked to the 2nd floor lobby. I got in a medium size line that
moved fairly quickly. Check-out was fast and outside we got in a van to take us
to the airport for $30. Our driver first turned in to Terminal A and I told him
we’re flying COPA and I thought it was Terminal B. He asked a man on the ground
who directed him to Terminal B.
Inside we were surprised there was no line at the COPA counter
for our 3:05pm flight. We checked our bags, 19kg for Teresa’s and 16kg for mine
and I gave her my paper itinerary and our passports. We weren’t asked for the
DR e-ticket QR code on Teresa’s cellphone nor the boarding passes I downloaded
to my cellphone. The rep printed out boarding passes for both our return flights.
We walked down the hall to a long immigration line but passed through
uneventfully. Next was TSA and we were surprised we had to take off our shoes.
But I didn’t remove my laptop from my backpack and nothing was said. They still
haven’t found the foldable scissors in my fanny pack. 😊
We found our gate an hour before boarding so we stopped in Wendy’s
and bought a 10-piece chicken nugget combo for $11. We shared that then went to
our gate and they were soon boarding. Teresa had the window seat in 22F and I had
the middle seat next to her in 22E. We discussed where to eat when we arrive in
Rionegro. Google searches weren’t promising as most restaurants seem to close
at 9:30 or 10pm. A flight attendant made an announcement that lithium batteries
shouldn’t be stored in the overhead compartments but kept with the person.
Uh-oh, I have a single AA battery in my backpack as an emergency backup for my
mouse. The flight was about 2 ½ hours and they served us drinks plus packages
of cookies and Platanitos chips.
We arrived in Tocumen airport about 4:45 and had to go through
immigration again but at least we didn’t have to reclaim our suitcases.
On our way to our next gate I ran into this stand selling
original Fritos chips so I had to buy them even though they were $2.98. Teresa
picked up a bag of Lays classic potato chips for the same price and I charged
so as to keep the few dollars I still have.
We had a 30-minute wait to board our next flight and then we
sat there another half hour while people meandered in. We had seats on the
aisle across from each other in row 24. This time we were served drinks and a package
of cookies and we kept ours and ate our chips instead. Teresa liked the Fritos,
which are similar to, but taste better than, Colombia’s Maizitos.
Entering Colombia’s airspace we had about 30 seconds of some
scary turbulence but it calmed down after. As we landed I asked the girl in the
next seat if she was visiting Medellin. First time, she’s staying at an Airbnb but
wasn’t sure exactly where, probably Laureles when I suggested it. She was from
Venezuela and spoke perfect English.
When we deplaned, we were surprised we weren’t at a gate but
took stairs down to the tarmac. We walked 100 yards or so to enter the building
and we were at immigration. They had the regular line plus the preferred line
for Colombians, families with children, infirm, and seniors. I got in the
latter with Teresa and there were only a few people there compared to the
regular line that stretched, Disney World like, to the back of the room. They’re
looking at a 2-3 hour wait. ☹
We got through immigration with no problem and then arrived
at the baggage carousel. We had a wait of a few minutes before both our bags
arrived. We took them and were surprised to find a line at customs. But it soon
moved past the single person next to the customs/DIAN sign.
As we exited arrivals, there was a large half-circle of
people waiting for family and friends. I stopped and looked at the crowd and raised
my arms in appreciation and half of them cheered. I threw a kiss and all of
them cheered. 😊 Nothing like breaking
their monotony. I gave them the thumbs up and we continued on our way for a
restroom pit stop.
We found a bar and grill open upstairs and Teresa ordered
their salmon and I a Club sandwich and we shared a bottle of water for 156,569
pesos ($43).
Outside we quickly had an airport taxi to Envigado for
130,000 pesos. Traffic was heavy for a while through Poblado. When we pulled in
to Palo de Rosa, Tanya came out and slid my package through the window. (I was
planning on coming back down after we had moved all our suitcases upstairs.)
I opened the box and it was everything I had ordered from Amazon:
a large container of 200 Creatine Monohydrate capsules (manufactured by Optimum
Nutrition in Downers Grove, IL), 4 bottles of Swanson Calendula Flower capsules,
and a 40oz. box of Bisquick. I also received envelopes with my two new
debit cards, some useless information about Medicare, and end of year
statements for one of my pensions. No Christmas presents my daughter sent me so
I’m going to have to pursue that.
When I went to open Teresa’s suitcase I found the locks were
no longer there, obviously TSA opened it but didn’t find anything as nothing
was missing. But they kept the locks?
I unpacked the minimum of things, took my sleeping pills and
went to bed. It took a while to fall asleep, interestingly, only happening once
I put on my sleep mask.
RELEASE ALL THE
EPSTEIN FILES NOW!
FUNNY
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