Mad Dash to Mexico City

The day began at midnight in the tiny village of Jalcomulco when I purchased an airline ticket online from Mexico City to my next destination. I would have to leave Jalcomulco via local bus at 6am so it was off to my room to pack and get some sleep. At 3am I startled myself awake thinking for a moment that the 3:10pm flight may be 3am! A confirmation email check at 5am set me a bit at ease.

When I had asked various people in Jalcomulco how long it will take to get to Mexico City they all said between 5-6 hours. I would need to take a taxi from the Bus Terminal to the airport. But first I would have to transfer buses in Xalapa, about 1.5 hours away. The bus was ancient and shook violently. It clanked down the dirt roads making noises similar to the ascent of a wooden roller-coaster. Reliable, scary and a true workhorse... I guess this is why they continue to use them - they never die.

Upon arrival in Xalapa I asked the bus staff what the travel time is they said 4 hours. That made sense, the two combined bus times seem to be what I was told. I estimated I could arrive in Mexico City Terminal at about 12:30-12:45... 20 min to the airport would give me approx 2 hours before my flight.
Knowing that Mexico city is one of the largest cities in the world (with a population of about 20,450,000) I became concerned when at 12:30 I saw no city, just fields, mountains, and a volcano. By 1pm we had just cleared a mountain and started to descend into what seemed to be the start of a city. 1:50 we pulled into a large bus station where I scrambled through walkways and corridors to find a taxi.... the timeline is closing on my 3:10pm flight.

The taxi could not move fast enough in my mind, so, to make things clear, I explained the airport terminal I needed, "Terminal 2... terminal número dos... Dos!". The driver acknowledged reassuringly, and I was glad, because I could not see the terminal signs on the road. You can imaging my dismay when I exited the taxi, it sped off, and I came to terms with the fact that he dropped me at Terminal 1.

By the time I had made it to the other terminal and the check-in, my flight had been closed. It was now just before 3pm. The staff member that had informed me of my unfortunate situation must have taken pity... he spent the next 10 min attempting to slip me on another flight... success! (and at no extra charge)... hero of the day award goes to Aeromexico's Juan Carlos!  At 5pm I boarded a plane to Cancun.

Friday Night in Hamburg... and the Aftermath!

Due to an early Saturday morning flight to the UK (London) I decided to spend the evening a little closer to the airport staying with a friend in Hamburg. Sindy and I agreed that I really see should see something of Hamburg even if it was just for a night. The rest of the night was pretty much a blur; crowded streets, Reeperbahn clubs, girls dancing on the bar, shots, vodka, sambuca, orange stuff, black stuff, clear stuff... I recall turning in a mobile phone to the bar that I found in a toilet stall (which in retrospect... maybe, possibly, ya' most likely... definitely was the women's toilet!). Smashed beyond belief and after a couple races to the toilet I literally passed out on a couch at Sindy's flat.

My friend Shelly was expecting my flight to arrive in London at approximately 10am... that is about when I called her from Hamburg and said I just woke up. I bought another ticket online and ran out the door, still in my clothes from the night before I dashed to the bus stop as the bus was approching, hopped on a train to the airport, checked-in at the terminal and got to the gate with 12 minutes to spare! Between drinks and two plane tickets that ended up being quite the costly (but fun - from what I recall) night out.