Bugs and body scanners
02 December 2010 | San Carlos
Time for Rebecca and I to tear ourselves away from work, snowboarding, family (very difficult) and snow shoveling (not too difficult to leave that). It's time for Leg Two of Liberte's Bellingham-to-Cuba voyage to commence. We flew out between snowstorms from Spokane to Phoenix, and battled cold bugs and body scanners, passing de time with our own version of an in-flight movie, "Girl Who Played With Fire" on the iPad - note the splitter for his-and-hers audio.
Incredible dinner out with Manu Kai owners Tom and Debbie Davidson in Phoenix, then we woke each other up with miserable coughing at various times in the night at our little Best Western room (where they take dogs). Next morning we shuffled gear from one bag to another to "make weight" for our international flight to Guaymas, Mexico.
The landing was an abrupt descent over the mountains, but the landing was smooth and the air was warm when we walked down the airplane steps. Immigration and customs went without a sweat - David always gets the cold palms going up to the officials - as a little guy he and his family were stopped at customs in Turkey and "detained" for a few days. They did ask for dog papers and we were fortunate to have gotten Sammie's from Alpine Animal Hospital the day before leaving - regs say the dog must have a Health Certificate signed by a vet 48 hours earlier, plus be up on all the requisite vaccines.
It's good to have a familiar and comfortable place to wait out the disorientation that happens from whizzing at 600 mph to a strange land. For us in San Carlos, that place is Hotel Marinaterra, looking out at the twin peaks of Terrekawa, also known locally as Tetas de Cabras, or goat udders. We crashed here until "our souls caught up to our bodies" as the Austrialian aborigines used to put it.
Rebecca and Sammie are especially happy to be back in the southern sunshine. We're downshifting - and it feels good.