After our last big vacation in Spain in February, Vicki said to me 'I love going on these European trips, but for our next vacation I want to do nothing but lay in the sun by a beach. So we started planning our next trip - Somewhere near a beach.
We decided to go for Vicki's birthday, in June. We left on the 20th to do four days at an all-inclusive resort in Cabo San Lucas. We picked Cabo for two reasons: 1) It's a short two hour direct flight from Phoenix, and 2) US Airways had four flights a day between the two cities. When flying standby, that's something you have to look for. Lots of options. Though it also indicates that lots of people fly between the cities, which we'll get back to later...
As I said, we left on Thursday and took the first flight down. We were at the resort by just after 2pm. We were too early as it turned it, and had to wait about a half hour for the room to be ready. But with free drinks and a view like the one below we had nothing but time.
So we spent most of the next three days doing things that people do at an all-inclusive resort: Eating, drinking, and soaking up the sun. Cabo doesn't have the best beaches and the water is too rough to swim, so we spent most of our days in the resort pools. But we did spend time each day on the beach just watching the waves roll in. Staring out at the ocean watching the waves is one of my favorite things on earth to do.
We did take one small side trip, over to see the most famous landmark in Cabo, the Arch and Lover's Beach. It was a short water taxi ride over, and we spent a couple hours exploring the area. I'll post pictures a little later.
Finally Monday came, and it was time to come home. We left the resort about 9:30am, hoping to get on the 12:40 flight back to Phoenix. There ended up being only seat open on that flight, so as we have always done in 4 years of flying standby, we said we would not split up. Then the 2:10 flight rolled around. There was once again only 1 seat open, and Vicki and I made a decision we have never made before: We split up.
There were still two flights Monday, but they were tight, and we spoke to some standby passengers who had been waiting for 2 or 3 days to get home. Because of our priority level, we were first on the list to go. But if Vicki went without me, my priority level drops since she is the employee. And right now all of you are thinking 'Holy crap he got on a plane and left his wife in Mexico'.
Yes, yes I did.
I even sat first class on that plane while my wife waited in the airport in Mexico for the next flight two hours later.
In fact, I am writing this post from that first clsss seat on the plane. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do. Had we split up on the first flight, I would be in Phoenix already and Vicki would be in this very same seat. As it stands, I'm on the plane, and we're hoping she gets on the next flight. It looked positive, but was going to be close again. I wont know if she got on it till after I land, maybe not even until she lands and calls me.
Its a funny thing this flying standby. It does afford you amazing opportunities to see the country and the world. But it also leaves you at times with some hard decisions to make. Today was the hardest. I am hoping we made the right decision, and it will all work out in the end.
