Day 22 - Trip Home

Day 22 - Trip Home

We awake early, and after a shower and packing, go down for breakfast where Tim and Mike join us shortly afterwards.

At breakfast they want us to sign for it, which we do, but it is upsetting as we have paid 280 bucks and they are not including breakfast?  When we were here before it was included and also the rooms were cheaper at 220 per night.

Prior to returning to our rooms we stop to see about the charge for breakfast. It looks like it will take a while, so Bob stays in the lobby to clear it up and I go up to finish my packing.

Bob gets it cleared up and we check out, leaving our bags in a room until we return in the afternoon.

All 4 of us once again head down to the waterfront for some last minute shopping and sightseeing before our long journey home.

We have a nice lunch down at the waterfront and get our photos taken by a very outgoing young lady who showed us our table. We wander about some more, killing time now, and end up at a small place overlooking the crowds and have a last drink on the waterfront before heading back to our hotel.

Tim has a taxi provided because he flew business class so he leaves us waiting for our van, which does not show up. There is another taxi there so we hire him to take us to the airport.

Once at the airport, it is thru customs again and there we meet up with Tim.  Too late, Bob and I discover that the VAT we have paid on our purchases and were supposed to be refunded are to be done BEFORE you go thru customs and cannot be done now.  It is a bit of a bother, as Bob has about 200 bucks coming back to him.  There is an option to fill out forms and have customs in Canada fill out a form and we can mail it back for a refund..... Tim has done that in the past and is still waiting for him money some 10 years after the fact.

Mike has an option to upgrade to business class for 1000 bucks, which he does..... Bob and I, meanwhile, in economy, finally get to board about 15 minutes after they have. lol

I take the window seat this time and our long trip home begins.

Cape Town - Dubai = 9 hours

We arrive in Dubai at 530 AM and it is 31 C outside and VERY VERY humid.  They load us onto a bus, which takes a good 20 minutes and finally we get into the airport.

There is a 4 hour layover here, but we waste no time in going thru customs to get to our boarding gate where we wait for our flight.

Dubai - Seattle = 15 hours

This is a long, long flight, but Air Emirates is a very good airline with excellent service. Bob manages to sleep quite a bit, and I watch a number of movies in between small fits of restless sleep.

Seattle - Vancouver = 1 hour

We say Good-bye to Tim and Mike as they have their luggage before ours arrives.  My suitcase arrives and then we wait, and wait, and wait for Bob's luggage..... it is the last suitcase off this plane, and the plane holds 350 passengers!  We are now rushing a bit as we don't want to miss our connection to Vancouver.  We have to take to tram to another terminal and finally get to Air Canada kiosks where we get our boarding passes.  We had to do our Check-in during our layover in Dubai and the internet connection was not that great there. lol.

I get my boarding pass first, but there is no seat assignment. We are told they will do that at the gate before we board.

When we get to the boarding gate, we find out they have overbooked the plane and are looking for volunteers to take another flight. Obviously neither of us is interested.  We sit down and after awhile they call Bob up to ask if he would be interested in a delay..... no..... Then they call me up and give me a seat assignment.  Bob is not called up and there are a couple of announcements where they are offering 400 bucks on another flight if you will give up your seat.  There are no takers.... Finally we board, and Bob is left behind.

My flight to Vancouver is short, and going thru the customs is relatively quick and automated to a large extent. I have to go thru a second set of customs and this is the Air Canada part and it is packed and I don't know if I will make my connection to Edmonton.  Finally I get thru and rush to my gate as the last people are boarding.  This is the last leg and I feel exhaustion washing over me as there are no more connections, no more flights, no more hotels, no more worrying,.... 

Darlene and TJ are waiting for me and it is good to be back home.  It has taken me 35 hours to get here from the time I arrived at the airport in Cape Town.  That is now so far away ......