I woke up a little after 6:30 thinking I would lie in bed awhile playing games or doing crosswords on my phone before getting up, showering and preparing to meet my 8:40 cab to the airport, only to discover that we were experiencing another blackout, the third since my arrival. A glass wall in the bathroom allowed in some morning light but the water pressure in the shower was almost non existent. I splashed water on myself as best I could and used my phone on flashlight mode to ensure everything had been gathered up. I was apprehensive about wearing down the battery as I had almost 19 hours of travel ahead of me, including a 6 hour long layover in Guadalajara. Fortunately the power returned, I refreshed my phone battery and sat in the courtyard writing and listening to the tropical birds carrying on conversations in the trees overhead.
With the misadventures already encountered on this trip I phoned the cab company to verify my driver was enroute. He showed up moments later and I was on my way to the airport. The driver wound through poor neighborhoods like the ones I had encountered on my bike ride. That life that exists in the city under the thin veneer of fun and sun that most tourists experience. New, upscale apartment buildings were being constructed adjacent to some of these areas. The thick foliage is covered in a layer of construction grime. When NIBY minded residents begin to move in to these newly built units I wondered what would become of those who scrambled for a living before they came. Where will they go?
You would think fate, or karma, would be done with me at this point, you would be wrong. Most seasoned travelers know to check their flight status before leaving for the airport. Without internet this was an impossible task.. Add to this that I had preordered a taxi so even had I known what lay before me there would have been little I could do. I got to the airport and discovered that my flight had been delayed one hour. Further to that, the airport is so new that there were few amenities up and running yet. I had budgeted so that I would be out of pesos after the taxi figuring I could use my credit card at the airport, I was wrong. The scant few food and beverage options were cash only.
We always travel with a high energy trail mix so I could keep my hunger sated, thirst was another matter. Again, there was no cart service on the plane so I sat, dehydrating by the minute, longing for the airport at Guadalajara and at least a modicum of civilization.
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