The next decade....what's in store?

The advantages of travelling lightly, and never take no for an answer

Did I mention in any of the stories over the past 3 days that I had travelled only with hand luggage back to Jamaica? Well I did. My knapsack, my handbag and my laptop was all I had.

It meant, on Saturday, that I was out of Barbados and Jamaica immigration and customs within 10 minutes of landing. It also meant that today, I could chase down a flight.

Lemme explain...

The BWIA flight was to get in to Barbados some time after 5. I was then booked on the lovely airline LIAT at 8:25 to go to Grenada. Three hours hanging around the airport. No problem, cause I've done longer stints.

Once I cleared immigration and customs, I went around to check in. It was now about 5:30. Got checked in, and asked the LIAT guy for schedules between Antigua and St Kitts because I am stopping there on the way back up to Jamaica in July. He was taking a lil while to do that....

In the meantime, I heard them calling a LIAT flight to Grenada, and then I remembered that when I was making the booking, I didn't choose the earlier flight, just in case BWIA was late. I heard "final boarding call, final boarding call for LIAT flight 307 to Grenada, Tobago and Port of Spain, please go now to gate 9". I interrupted the guy who was now calculating the fare that I had enquired about, and asked if I couldn't catch the earlier bus....oh, I mean plane! He went inside to check and said no because the operations agent had already gone out to the ramp. I hurriedly told him thanks, not telling him about the plan I was hatching.

I sped through immigration and the X-ray machine and bustled down to gate 9. Being fit is a bonus. The airport workers who I passed along the way swore that I was on flight 307 so ushered me to the pathway I should take. Reached up to the desk and asked if I could get on that flight. The lady asked the man and the man said no. Not again. He say flight full. I say "you sure?"

I don't take no for an answer. The man came up and I explained that I really don't want to have to hang around for 3 hours. He went and asked somebody who was sitting in a vehicle beside the plane, he told him to go and ask the people on the plane and they said yes.

Yesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss.

When I reached to the top of the stairs, the LIAT flight attendant saw me and said "oh, you...." Know him from when I was at the 'Aliens Hotels' in the latter part of last year.

So, never take no for an answer, cause people will take the easy way out. And always travel lightly....when you can of course.

Oh, so just in case you don't get it...I'm back in Grenada now.

Posted by yamfoot at June 21, 2004 09:36 PM