July Visit, Part 2 – Getting to Guadalajara

The last time my airline pilot friend offered me use of his travel passes was in 2004. That time, my mother and I were able to fly round-trip to Tokyo with no issues. We went First Class, and paid only around $50 each in taxes and fees.

Wednesday of last week, my friend told me he had some extra passes that were expiring soon. I asked him about possible travel to Guadalajara, and he quickly looked up the flights and told me that the trip should work out fine. He was a little busy that night, taking care of his kids while his wife prepared to check into the hospital for a mastectomy the next day, so he didn’t look as closely as he could have.

On Thursday morning, I contacted Greg to make last minute plans for visiting Paola. Things worked out great on his end – the Jalisco reps were able to talk to Paola’s mother that same day and make arrangements for Monday … except I still didn’t have any actual plane reservations.

My pilot friend was really, really busy, so he gave me his employee log-in info so I could book the flights myself. I called him back in a panic to tell him that the flight he wanted me to take was already overbooked by 30+ seats! “That’s no problem,” he told me. “They oversell like that based on the number of passengers who haven’t shown up in the past. It’s a scientifically calculated risk. You’ll be the only two people on the stand-by list. Since no space has been sold yet in First Class, and the typical traveler who flies to Guadalajara at one in the morning won’t be able to afford the upgrade fee, you’ll be sitting there.”

I dubiously proceeded to plan my itinerary, then immediately called my friend back. “Um, there are already 14 people on the stand-by list for our flight back home … is that okay?”

“No, you’ll never get on that plane,” I was told. “What does the next day look like?”

The situation was not optimistic.

“There’s no point in going if you can’t get home,” he said. “You’d better plan for a different destination.”

“I can’t,” I replied. “There’s a little girl counting on a trip to the zoo.”

My husband HAD to be back for work on Friday, so I heaved a sigh and bought him a ticket to LAX on Mexicana Airlines. I used more of my precious frequent flyer miles to get Mike home from California. As for me, I would have to sit in Guadalajara until space was available on a flight back to the U.S., or until I died of old age, whichever came first.

Next, I found out that fees have gone way up for international travelers using “free” passes. Suddenly, my complimentary trip came with a price tag of nearly $300! That’s still cheap for roundtrip transport to Mexico, but the expense was unexpected (especially considering how we also had to pay for Mike’s ticket + one leg of not-so-free travel). “I had no idea the fees would be so high,” my friend said. “Do you want to cancel the trip NOW?”

“Nope, I still can’t,” I told him sadly. Jalisco Children International was closed for the weekend by this time, so the only way to inform the family of our cancellation would be for a rep to show up at Paola’s house on Monday morning - after the kids were already scrubbed and ready to leave for what was possibly the biggest event of their lives thus far. Not possible!

So … Mike and I arrived at LAX in the middle of the night, all dressed up to sleep on the plane. Again, my friend was wrong about everything! Almost all the ticketed passengers showed up for the flight, which meant that Delta had no choice but to fill up the First Class section with the overflow from Coach. And they weren’t exactly selective about who they upgraded. I looked down at the world’s ugliest dress shoes that I’d bought just so I’d be eligible to sit in First Class, and I really, really wanted my $11 back!

Mike and I barely made it onto the plane, and I think we only got seats because of Delta’s policy that English speakers must sit in the exit rows. I didn’t care one bit about having to fly Coach – my only wish was for a set of comfortable clothes!

The flight was just 4 hours long, which was barely time for a decent nap. Immigration/Customs in Guadalajara was as crowded as an open audition for American Idol. It was the most disorganized entry I’ve ever experienced, and I’ve entered A LOT of countries!

There are three main ways of getting from the airport to Guadalajara City: a taxi for 210 pesos, a nice bus for 10 pesos, and a bumpier bus for 5 pesos. Under normal circumstances, I would take the cheapest option … but we were excessively tired + we didn’t know where the bus would let us off in relation to our hotel. We splurged for a taxi.

We really lucked out with the hotel that I’d blindly selected. With no time to research neighborhoods, I based my decision purely on price – Hotel La Calandria cost only $13 a night for a double room w/private bath. The place was great! The room was simple, of course, but perfectly functional. The hotel was secure, and the owner was friendly and helpful. Best of all, our location was awesome! We were within walking distance of the Cathedral & tourist district … buses to/from the airport left from across the street next to the 24hr convenience store … the nearest MegaBus stop was only a couple blocks away … on the corner right next to Wal-Mart!!!

At around 9am, we collapsed into bed for a much needed nap.

Btw, this was not my first trip to Guadalajara … but things have changed a little since 1976.

Our Hotel

My First Trip to Guadalajara, 1976


Buying Zapatos in Guadalajara

1 comments:

Heather M July 17, 2009 at 6:43 PM  

Awwww! Look at little McKenzie! You still look the same, just taller! LOL!!!

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