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Crackers Caracas (AKA - C.P.F.A.B.O.B )
Entry 30 of 88 | show all | print this entry |
Imagine if you can the following events - It was 2.00pm as our flight lifted off the tarmac in Merida to take us through to Caracas, and then onto Lima. Santa Barbara Airlines was to take us on the first leg, with 2 stops along the way to pick up and drop off passengers. The flight went without a hitch and we arrived safe and sound at Caracas International airport around 5.00pm. Our next flight was due to leave at 9.00pm, from the International Departures terminal, and after a couple of minutes trying to find how to get there, we wandered outside the terminal passing the newly constructed internal walkway which was meant to connect the 2 terminals, but which still isn´t complete, some 4 years after it was originally started - Go Chavez !
Anyway, we found the check in desk for Aeropostal Airlines, the biggest airline in Venezuela and most of South America. There was a small queue, but no one behind the desk. It was only 5.45 by this time, so we thought with over 3 hours before the flight left, they were just relaxed, like the rest of South America. We look at the board, and the flight is showing, Kev pops off to find a cash machine as we realise we need some 50 quid (equivilent) to pay for our departure tax!
6.30pm arrives and goes, proceeded by 7.00pm. People in the queue are begining to get restless, one man is pacing . All of a sudden 2 women appear with Aeropostal uniforms on and wander right by the check in desk, they are pounced upon for information. A heated exchange begins, but it is in rapid spanish and nothing is making sense to either of us. We wait some more, 7.30 arrives and passes when slowly we begin to understand that our flight has been cancelled, although the board is showing that the flight is now boarding ??!
Kev approached the desk, where a woman is under attack from numerous thoroughly annoyed passengers. Kev passes over our e-ticket to the woman, apologies for his lack of spanish and asks what the hell is going on. "Your flight has been cancelled sir".... Sorry What ? "Your flight has been cancelled sir, we hope it will leave tomorrow". What do you mean, cancelled, what do you mean ´hope it will leave tomorrow´ ?? What the Hell do you expect us to do until then?? The woman wanders off with our e-ticket. We are both boiling, all the passengers are boiling.. WILL SOMEONE PLEASE TELL US WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!!. The woman returns after a couple of minutes and approaches kev. "We are going to put you up in a hotel for the evening, but you will have to get your own way there and back tomorrow"? What? Rachel is ready to kill someone, the woman wanders off again, she comes back and this time explains that this man will take us to our hotel, and collect us tomorrow evening at 6.30pm to bring us back for our flight. The company will pay for it all. Before we could ask about Free Food and Drink we are whisked away in a taxi. The hotel is about 15 minutes from the airport. The room is clean, but the security on the hotel is worryingly high. We drop our bags and head into the bar/restaurant for some food, we are told that dinner, breakfast and lunch are on the company - Great. We look at the menu and order some calamari - "Sorry we don´t have that", okay how about some pasta? "Sorry we don´t have that", how about some prawns? "No Sorry....." Well what the hell have you got??
We have meat and chicken, with rice or chips ! We order a mixed grill... 4lbs of meat with a couple of chips in the middle come out.. Some of the cuts seem a little dubious, but we are too hungry to care. We invite one of the other passengers over to join us, who seems to be on his own. His name is Andrew, he is Irish, but living in France now. We have some beers (not on the company) whine and whinge about the situation we find ourselves in, drink some more beer and try and relax. We get our heads down and prepare for the following day.
We wake up and on exiting the room see that the hotel is right next to the sea, and right under the flight path!!. We eat breakfast, meet up with Andrew again and all decide to go for a wander around the local neighbourhood - safety in numbers and all that!
It feels like Beirut! Busy commercial streets, filthy streets, nothing much to do. We grab a drink and decide to try and find the beach. We see a stretch of waste ground, with the sea in the distance. We wander down, through the rubbish and half completed buildings, past the open drains, until we reach what looks to be sand. Before we proceed any further we are passed by 2 policemen on motorbikes. One of them stops and says something in spanish to us which we don´t understand. He then says "Playa" ? Yes we are looking for the beach. "Playa peligroso" (as he says this he makes a gun shape with one hand and holds it to his head).. Peligroso.. Peligroso.. Ah Dangerous!! We turn around, and quick march back to the hotel, thanking the officer as he speeds off. It is lunchtime now. We can´t leave the hotel as it is not really safe, there is nothing on TV, and there is a long queue for the internet. Time to pray that the flight tonight goes without a problem.. Stay tuned !!
(AKA - C.P.F.A.B.O.B ) - If you have Facebook (questions section) you know what we mean.
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