Saved on Sifnos - a travel story out of the Aegean Sea that includes little harbours, sleeping villages, several tavernas, a ferry onward, a Greek cultures festival and a room with a view, travelogue, trip, travel, Greece, Cyclades, Sifnos, Kythnos, ferry, island-hopping

 
 
 

 





Hotel Copantl, San Pedro Sula


December 23 / 24, 2000
Longest Travel Time Ever... continued

Around 7:30 PM they told us that even if our flight to Guatemala left, we'd never make the connection so we'd have to stay in San Pedro Sula for the night. We were ushered down to the ticket counter where the same lovely woman who had helped us get our seats in the morning awaited. She gave us vouchers for taxi rides to and fro, vouchers for hotel, meals, and phone calls, and allowed me to make a phone call to the US right there from the ticket counter. And she truly became our Christmas angel, when asked nicely, she upgraded us to Clase Ejecutive (that's their version of business class and first class rolled into one) for the entire trip back. We were placed on new flights for the morning, this time routed through El Salvador to LAX.

The hotel was called the Copantl, and was decent, though probably not as nice as the Inter-Continental across the street. We had dinner with a couple of other people we had met in the airport (a peace corps worker and two professional "futurists").

We had been told to be back at the airport at 6 AM for our flight which meant we had to leave the hotel at 5:30 AM. Of course, once we arrived we learned it had been delayed by 1/2 an hour. Finally we left San Pedro Sula and arrived 1/2 hour later in San Salvador International Airport (which, by the way, was much nicer than Guatemala City Airport). When we arrived, everything seemed fine for our connecting flight, so we took a walk down the concourse, had a snack, and found an International Herald Tribune, our favorite newspaper while on the road. When we returned to our gate we found....oh, the horror...the the flight had been delayed by 2 hours! I guess we shouldn't be surprised by now. I suggested to David that since we were in possession of first class tickets we search out the VIP Lounge and see if we couldn't wait in comfort. Success! It was all but deserted and we were able to have complimentary Bloody Marys, watch an NBA game and make a collect call home with ease. Now that's the way to travel!

As for the trip, people ask, "did you have fun?" And I answer "yes....but....". But it wasn't what I expected. Then again, most travel isn't, or it wouldn't be fun.


- KJ, 2001, Los Angeles, USA -

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