Wednesday December 26

** note: pics are now posted from previous days!! **
Paul and Kevin - going diving Saturday :)

Luggage Day

Via the latest technology available on the island (Jill’s cell phone), we received word early in the day that Jill’s luggage had been transferred from Barbados to Bequia and was waiting at the airport. We had committed to be at Da Reef at noon for beach day fun and thought that we had plenty of time to get to the airport and back and then go to the beach by noon. We hopped in the moke and headed to the other end of the island to the airport and were greeted by the same friendly crew from the last time….. Sitting on the sidewalk outside the airport (mind you, there is no wall to the airport, its just an open area the size of my house) were our friends the immigration officer, the customs officer and the security guard/poet/singer. No one at the airline counters. Jill approached the 3 people and explained she was there to get her luggage and the immigration officer told her “Uh, you’ll need to talk to the customs officer”. Even though the customs officer was sitting right next to him, she repeated her story to him and he said “Uh, the airline people will be ‘back in a moment’, you need to wait”. OK, what to you think the over/under is on how long a “moment” is in Bequia? I decided on 15 minutes. The security guard/poet/singer helped us pass those 15 minutes by singing to us and reading poems. Turns out she had written a new Christmas song that she would sing later that night under the almond tree for the all-church Christmas Carol event. Side note: The almond tree is the central meeting place on the island. Come here and you will understand…

15 minutes passed….. no airline people. But then our new friend told us that they were just in the house “over there with the green roof” (imagine me pointing to the house across the hill) and that perhaps they were having lunch. She wanted to call them for us but was directed otherwise by the airport mafia. After many hand signals, covert actions and maybe a phone call, we saw some action occur on the porch of the house with the green roof and shortly thereafter the phone at the airport rang. Jill was then waved over by the most serious wave by a customs officer I have ever seen, she was provided with her luggage, and we were free to go. We both cheered and ran the hell out of there.

We did eventually make it to Da Reef, only less then an hour late. It was another gorgeous day at the beach but we grabbed seats at the bar rather then sitting on the beach. We enjoyed the best tuna melt sandwiches that have ever been made on this earth. Spectacular. Will definitely be back for those. Other than hanging out at the beach, that was kind of it for the day, no crazy night out. We were too exhausted from the airport stress.