Travel to Puerto Rico

Giovanni and I just got back from a 1-week visit to Puerto Rico via a military cargo C-130 plane.

The plane was green with huge propellers and the military works: fabric jump seats, super loud jets, smell of fumes, and super hot. We didn't even enter through a door; instead the entire belly of the plane opened, like a driveway from the back, and we went running in, against the heat and fumes being blown by the screaming propellers. This was an adventurous journey from beginning to end with not one dull minute.

The flight was only 2 hours long, but from the time I left my house, to the time I was picked up in Puerto Rico, lapsed a total of 8 hours. This included several hours of waiting at the terminal in Cuba and a long process to get off the plane in PR.

That is how my adventurous flight began, and only continued to get more interesting...

Giovanni's in his seat with ear plugs

The back of the plane where we came in through. The luggage crate loading before the back door closed.

The view of the inside from our seat. We're in the middle of the plane.

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How Many Obstacles to Leave Guantanamo?

My Load: I was traveling with all of the following in my hands: a stroller, a car seat, portable crib, his backpack, my purse, a 50-pound suitcase, and 24 pounds of fussy, squirmy Gio.

In heat, and fumes; Without a cell phone, husband, or food.

First: To get to the air terminal, we needed to cross the bay on a 30 minute ferry. Henry went to take us. When we arrived, he realized he left our passports back at his office on the other side! He had to get BACK on a 30 minute ferry, to get the passports, and then jump BACK on another 30 min ferry to meet us again and HOPE that the plane hadn't decided to leave yet.

Next: I go to check in while Henry is getting the passports, to discover they supposedly did not receive my reservation paperwork by fax. Even though I arrived with a copy of the fax transmittal proving it was sent through correctly. Who makes reservations via fax nowadays anyway? Just GITMO. We had to wait and request special permissions to get on the flight afterall. But we were lucky they went ahead and scheduled us (Good thing, since it was their fault in the first place).

Then: Henry finally arrived with the passports, but then realized he left Giovanni's car seat in our car at the ferry landing. Another 15 minute scramble to race back and forth hoping we were still there and that his ferry ride back hadn't left either. He literally dropped the car seat on the floor and vanished without blinking or saying bye.

And Still: 10 minutes before boarding, they decided to tell me they did not advise me and Gio to get on because the sound of the jets would be too loud and dangerous for Gio. I said, "you worry about getting us out of here, and I'll worry about my son". By this time, I had enough obstacles to get through and was just determined to get on the plane. They seemed to be on a mission to keep me.
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It took Several Men
Clearly, I was short many, many hands for all that I was bringing. But thankfully, I was on a plane full of Latino Puerto Rican men - the most helpful, courteous type. And they did not hesitate to grab everything I had with me and carry it every step of the way from the terminal to the plane, and from the plane to the bus and then to our final drop-off point.

I jokingly said I borrowed a few husbands to make this trip possible. 3 to 4 to be exact. But I truly couldn't have done it without all of them looking out for me. They treated me like their own sister or daughter and made sure I was safe and taken care of all the way. Thank goodness.

If I had been going anywhere else (i.e., Orange County) people would have just stood back and watched to see how I would manage by myself. I can say that because it's happened to me before. But luckily this was not the case on this trip. And even with all those men and help, this trip was nearly impossible. Out of 8 the trips I've taken in the past year and half, this has been by far the most adventurous, nightmare of them all (but still worth it).

I would do it again, but probably only with Henry flying with me. Or I might have a heart attack along the way. lol. To think this was all for a 2 hour flight! Had it been any longer, Giovanni would have jumped out of the plane himself.
In all honesty, this flight is a great benefit of being military, Because the flight did not cost us one cent. It was free. But of course, like everything, you get what you pay for. And I had to pay a lot in the form of stress and anxiety. But other than that, I really can't complain. Were else could I get the opportunity to fly on a green full-fledged military plane? It was pretty cool because the experience was so different. And that is the purpose of all this- to get the adventures we don't have every day :)
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The Surprise
Arriving in Puerto Rico
So Henry and I had this grand idea that we would surprise all his family and keep my trip a secret. Well, the surprise ended up being on me since I arrived at the terminal and no one was there to pick me up. Great. It was me and Gio, all our luggage, a bunch of hungry mosquitoes out in a parking lot, and the loaner husbands who were kindly waiting with me to make sure I was safe. Ricky (Henry's brother) had planned on picking me up. But there was no sign of him anywhere. Since the plane was delayed 2 hours, all plans were out the window. The challenge was I had no cell phone, and no one else to call! Yet another challenge on my over loaded hands.

Luckily, my Puerto Rican loaner husbands were to the rescue again. They all waited and let me use their phones to make calls. Finally, Nitza (Henry's mom) arrived about 30 minutes later. The men loaded our car, and I was finally at ease!I let out the biggest scream of relief. It was 7pm and I was starving, exhausted and my brain was boggled. But I just laugh to think this was actually possible. hahaha. Good times :)

The surprise ended up being worth it. We surprised Marie (Henry's sister) and her reaction was worth a million. Watch the video on Youtube (click here).