TOURING IS NOT FOR SISSIES--PART TWO

Our first stop of the four day tour.

I learned a long time ago when traveling, that most of the time when choosing public transportation you are never in control of anything.  The only way to get through the processes is to take a deep breath, be patient, and learn to enjoy people watching while standing in line, as it can be a great form of entertainment.

The trip started out great.  My lady friends and I were picked up by a limo and taken right to the airport.  Boarding the plane was timely and was seen as a great omen for the start of this wonderful adventure.  The plane started to taxi out on time and head out to the runway for takeoff.  We began to notice some animated conversation taking place between the airline stewards and a young women seated in front of us.  We could not make out what was going on but as the plane stood in the line readying for takeoff, the Captain got on the PA system and announced that we were returning to the gate to enable a passenger to leave the plane.  He apologized and said it would take a while until they located her luggage but we would soon leave the gate again for takeoff.  We sat.  And sat.  And waited.  

Soon the Captain came on again with another apology that we now have a problem with the air system and we were now waiting for a maintenance person to board the plane to fix the problem.  As the cabin heated up, people began to rumble and it became obvious that some on the plane were going to miss their connections.

An hour later we were able to take off.  Connections were definitely going to be missed but a promise to do all they could to help these passengers was made and the rest of us just hoped we too would not miss ours.  All this because someone got radical about being on the plane. Seems to me that this could of been thought out a bit more before she boarded the plane.

Joining a tour, set up by a sadist must also come with the recognition that you are not in control.  (Before I proceed any further, I must say, if I had a choice in the schedule, I would of done the bus tour before the cruise as I would have had more energy..I think) 

Just one view from our tour bus window.

The tour promotor prints out these nice brochures to inform you that your trip will include the opportunity to visit, see, and experience the wonders of the places they plan to take you.  Opportunity is the key word here.  To take advantage of the opportunity one must be in good shape, be able to walk fast in order to get to the places mentioned, and be able to experience the moments in fast forward motion.  Strolling is out of the question…no time.  Minutes count!  After awhile I guessed the purpose to all of this was to get our blood flowing so as not to get blood clots from sitting long spells on the bus.  By the time we got back to the bus, our hearts were pumping and beads of sweat were pouring down our faces.  

A day on the bus tour would start with a 6:00 a.m. wakeup call…hopefully.  Some complained they did not get the call.  You had just enough time to dress, put your large luggage outside your door, hopefully get breakfast (some hotel restaurants made this a challenge by their slow service) and be on the bus by 7:45 to 8:00 a.m.  

The days plans were drive two hours, stop, visit the site, drive again for 2 hours, stop, visit a site…until we reached the town we would be staying, at which point we would be given a driving tour of the town (in case we wanted to explore) and finally around 6:00 p.m. we would arrive at the hotel.  At this point exhaustion was setting in, so washing up and finding a place to eat became priority.  Touring the town did not because most of the time that meant hiring a cab to take you there and in the end that only added expense to the meal you were going to eat.  Shopping was the only other thing available and I am no shopper.  I hate shopping at home, I sure as heck am not going to spend big money for a trip to just shop somewhere else.  I want to feel the area by exploring the streets and get a glimpse of how the locals live.

After dinner, we found ourselves heading back to our rooms to shower, set up our clothes for the next day, and crash into a deep sleep until the next 6:00 a.m. wakeup call…starting the day all over again. By the fourth day of bus touring all 45 of us were getting a bit slap happy in our attitudes.  Couples were beginning to nip at each other, impatience was showing in attitudes of some, and since the crowd was mostly from Philadelphia and New Jersey, their Philly and New Jersey attitudes came through loud and strong!

My roommate, Joan and I just got silly.  (I must point out here that for me Joan was a perfect roommate.  She never complained, and when things got a bit crazy she laughed right along with me…perfect!) We were so exhausted by the fourth day, that when we were given our wake up call at 4:00 a.m. we worried that we may not get the call like some others had experienced.  So Joan tried to set the clock, and I set my iPhone alarm.  We repacked our bags to ready for home and the customs crossing, ate, showered and stretched out in bed early.  Both of us falling asleep, and managing to turn off the TV and lights.

Still in the dark, I awoke to laughter in the hallway, and noise outside our first floor window.  Thinking that we may have missed our wake up call and that we may be late, I jumped up to check the time.  Joan woke up at this time also.  “What time is it,” she asked.

“The room clock says 1:30 a.m.,” I respond.  

“Oh don’t pay attention to that,” she says.  “I tried to set the alarm and screwed the whole thing up.”  

Panicking at this point I checked  my phone.  It indicated it was 10:30 p.m.  “Oh no” I said, “something is wrong.” 

We turned on the TV and could not figure out from it what time it was so we called Room Service.  

“Excuse me,” I said, “but could you please tell me the time?”

“10:30 p.m.” she said.

Joan and I started laughing at ourselves and although we had a hard time settling back down we both were glad that we still had some sleeping time ahead of us.  

I remembered something my husband’s Uncle Bob would say to us long ago. “If you have never been somewhere, a good way to see it the first time is by a tour, then if you see something you really like, come back next time on your own.”  Yes, it takes stamina to take a bus tour in this way, but we did see some magnificent sites.  And yes, I would go back in a flash…on my own to really explore the area.

More tomorrow…..