Day 17 - Out like a fat kid in dodgeball.

Day 17
We awoke in our terrace above Calibishie this morning, the sounds of soca and reggae finally having died. After breakfast we made off to Melleville hall airport to see what was waiting for us today. Nothing too surprising so far. The lady who was really reluctant to come to work on boxing day (another big party day here) to collect our car was not there. I felt really badly for another couple of guys who were looking to pick up their rental. They had been waiting since 8:30, we were there at 9:30. At 11:30 they were still waiting. We left our key with an airport official from Carribean Star airlines, and if he treats it anything like our luggage, Budget will not get their car key back. We are apprehensive to find out what they will charge us for the broken window of the last vehicle. We wished that Perdita (the lady) was there just so we could get a quote in person, but no such luck. Sounds like they will do what they want with our credit card. The dash we were waiting on for our connector through Barbados was inbound from Antigua, and was over an hour late. No surprise. We finally boarded when it rolled in and the flight was quick. We are now waiting in Barbados. The airport here is nice and expanding, but also no surprise, we had to sit on the floor to eat our lunch of processed food. They didn’t bother to put out any tables and chairs for the patrons. You can try not to make it look like an island in the Carribean, but at heart it always will be. Our luggage transferred fine, which is a surprise (so I lied, one surprise). We now wait to board our Air Canada flight and return to the frigid north.
After another delay we are underway. The most fantastic sunset I have ever witnessed blazed as we flew north. For the first time I saw a sunset not cut off by the horizon. It was breathtaking to see the top and bottom of it. Beams of copper and fluorescent orange rays blazed forth from the west, sandwiched between layers of fiery cloud. Puffy little clouds in its path left umbral and penumbral trails of shade behind them, fanning out toward us. The effect looked electronic, unreal. The scene was punctuated by a band of bright blue smeared across the sky above, where the setting sun had not yet spilt its blazing ink. As the sky darkens I sit here, listening to Alan Cross’ ongoing history of new music – part of the in flight entertainment. I don’t know what the topic is yet, but Chris Martin is softly singing Coldplay’s rendition of ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ in my ear. I can’t help but notice the technology I am saturated with here. I can’t help but think of ‘having’ and ‘not having’. It sounds sentimental, and it is – but the last two weeks have been eye opening, as I knew they would be. It is one thing to imagine people who are wanting, but it is another thing to see them. Growing up in a certain place is luck of the draw, one should never make the mistake of feeling superior because of what he or she was born into. Chris at Calibishie lodges told us a story last night. He explained the he had given a small Christmas gift to each of his employees the night before. His staff consists of only locals. The girls were touched. They confided that this was the first Christmas present they had ever received. Merry Christmas.