Tower Of Babel

Ok peeps, am back from the conference. Only just getting around to the blog as I am exhausted……The pic above is the view from the conference centre. Lovely eeh?

Where to start? Not so sure as there is plenty to share. Probably will make sense telling it in chronological order….So….getting there. Have no bad name to give BEEWEE Small Island Girl ….they did what they were supposed to do and got me into Bim just about ten minutes after scheduled arrival….which was fine as I wasn’t connecting until about two hours time.

Well…..the odda likkle airline…LIAT…..I won’t even bodda start. Late flight outta Barbados. Some two hours behind schedule. In addition to that, when dem put we into the likkle plane, have we sitting down inside it for almost an hour and the AC naw work! So, pon top o man getting annoyed by the lateness, everybody dripping inna sweat. The steward yute on this flight was ok though. I say on this flight, because as dem shut plane door so, he announces that passengers going to St. Vincent, you were not previously told, but we will be flying you first to GRENADA, for you to connect with another LIAT flight!
Seh wah?! Well, I suppose there was nutten he could do, as is not him mek de decision. So, the trip to our final destination seems even longer now……We make it to Grenada….disembark and are told to walk on the tarmac to the other flight which is waiting on our arrival. Fine. Is about seven of us, so hopefully in another five minutes we gone…….Heh haaaay…..There is a lot of backward and forward going on. Captain in and out of the plane. Again, we inside de likkle aircraft a boil….no AC. Nobody not saying anything to us. Eventually we learn that there is a problem with baggage….the flight is heavy…..it is POSSIBLE we learn that random bags may be removed! That is what the steward, who introduces himself as ‘Ryan from Barbados’ said. Yute face is as blank as ever. Eventually, almost another forty minutes later, we get going. We did hear some movement in the luggage compartment, but ask us whose bag was removed? We nuh know nutten. So, one of our colleagues who is up front within earshot of Ryan says…”I bet you that none of our bags have made it on the flight.” Ryan retorts……”That’s not true…..all the bags are on the flight!” (Said with much attitude….) He sits up front with him sour face. (He needs to take a leaf outta the yute book who was the first flight attendant on the leg from Barbados to Grenada. If LIAT staff do a course in Customer Service…clearly Ryan fail dat rahtid!) Anyhow, we land in our destination some three plus hours behind schedule. Plane stop and Captain turns off seat belt sign. Someone in the rear of the aircraft says he is just dying to get out the plane and go home. Ryan up front replies with much more attitude than before…….”You know y’all can’t get out until I open the door!” He then has managed to piss off even the most quiet amongst our bunch. And one of our females takes him on about his lack of knowledge about speaking with people. He replies….”Hospitality is all secondary for me….what comes first is passenger safety!” Well trus me, when passing that feisty likkle blurdcleat I told him, “Quite frankly, you know nothing about hospitality, and I think that you really are fulla shyte!” He had nutten to say to that and I disembarked that cursed airline wannabe.

Reach inside the airport to find that four of our party have baggage that did not arrive….including myself. Which one did they not transport?…My carry on luggage…which they took from me when I was boarding in Barbados, saying it too large. What was in it? My camera, the two CDs with my talks, all the documents for the meeting (I am the Secretary of the association.) Packed those things in carry on to ensure that they would not be taken away from me! Is there anyone to speak with? No…LIAT counter is closed……after all…it is late now!

Anyway, let me stop the rant. That was the most annoying part of the trip. We managed to get our bags the following afternoon at about 4 PM. And all was still inside of it. All in all it was a good experience.

ST. V is a very hilly country…not much flat land around green and lush, nuff nuff rainfall. Strangely, it pours for five minutes then stops. But I tell you, de place well humid and hot.

I did meet up with Kami but due to circumstances beyond my control, it wasn’t as nice a link as I had planned…too short because of conference activities. Photos were taken and have been sent to Kami to decide if I have posting rights. Somehow, I think she will say say yes…right Kami!? Again, let me apologize for being so late and then not being able to spend much time. You were very gracious to wait so long.

There is plenty more to share and more pics, including the ones taken on the day trip to Bequia (pronounced Beckway)…nice island to chill out, relax and do whatever it is that floats your boat! As I said before, more to share, but right now I tiyad. Though it was an enjoyable experience, it was plenty to do in such a short time. Luckily, I not going back to work ’till Thursday. In addition, I gave my car in last evening…hopefully I will have it back this evening. I notice not much bloggage went on in my absence……whappen to onoo? Jus cool. I am back, have catching up to do. Lata.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 8th, 2005 at 12:02 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.