Buh-bye Bonaire, Hello Houston!

The Bonaire airport was dressed in its xmas best when we arrived at 6:30AM.

We even took a selfie. It takes a while to get through the boarding pass line here, and they dont allow phone boarding passes, so i was bored. (My mother just saw this as i was posting and said "that looks like your dad!" I guess he is famous on the internets now.)

My dad was singled out for a search of his carry-on as we left, and we both had to go into the special line at immigration, but we made it out just in time for our 12 hour layover, hooray!! 

We have been camped out in the first class lounge for about 8 hours now, and have a few more to go. Then we fly into Portland at 2:41AM, then a three hour drive, then another hour for me. Miles to go before i sleep. We have taken ruthless advantage of the amenities in the first class lounge. I think we are up to about 2 bottles of free wine between the three of us, and my mother discovered bacon bits meant for salad with the food. She has been mixing them with blue cheese dressing at about a 1:1 ratio and eating it with pita chips. (I am not yet ready to eat blue cheese after smelling it for five hours).

We were able to take showers, which is the first hot water we have had since leaving the states. In bonaire the tap water is naturally sort of lukewarm/pool temperature, and we pool more than showering, so a hot shower was a good treat to erase the first flight.

My mother and i were treated to an hours-long spat between a couple sitting behind us. She tried to sleep through most of it, but im sure it felt like being back at work.

I have upped my caffeine consumption. So far 2 diet cokes, some black tea, and a cappucino. I should be awake for daaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyssssssss!

So we went to board, and there was a flight to Lagos, Nigeria at the gate. Turns out our flight was delayed first an hour, now two. We are currently optimistically waiting at the gate. The earlier flight to portland was cancelled, along with a bunch of other flights, so if this one makes it, it will be packed. We are at hour 14 in the Houston airport and counting.

Update: we just had a gate change, and saw the line for customer service which seems endless. Easily 1000 people deep and i couldnt see near the end. People are saying all flights are full for the next 3 days, and hotels are full. If this flight doesnt go, we may be stuck in Houston for days.... Wish for us. 

Update2: well we are sitting on a plane, but a bunch of people on standby are making problems and causing more delays, so we are still not certain of departure.