And the next adventure starts.

Bright and early Saturday morning we are up and ready to leave on the next adventure. OK maybe not so bright but it is early, 4:00am and after a year of planning we are ready. Six ladies off to explore the wilds of the south Caribbean. I am sure we will survive but the Islands we visit might never be the same.

First stop the Dallas airport with a 3 hour layover, and the beginning of the adventures. Surprisingly enough the airport is quite quiet as we wondered the hallways looking in each store, and stopping for a bite to eat at Champs. Janet thought we should test the knowledge of the waitress on fine Canadian dining and placed an order for poutine. Not something they serve in the US. That was the beginning of our first interesting conversation with a new friend. After explaining what poutine was, the waitress then shared stories of her travels including a forbidden trip to Cuba. We all know that US citizens are not allowed to travel to Cuba, but where there is a will there is a way. You travel to Mexico and then book
your flight to Cuba. Your passport is stamped as a Mexican. Then she told us she got scared and hightailed it back to the US.

As we continued our exploration of the airport a lonely salesman at Ben & Jerry's kept beckoning us over. Free tastes of ice cream kept heading our way. Eventually we were full and thought saw tears in his eyes as we started to move away. Now you need to know that Ulla is a sucker for men with tears and felt it was only right to at least purchase one cone from this very nice, lonely salesman. That brought more tears to his eyes as she ordered a small frozen cookie dough cone. Those tears again affected her so much she dropped her entire wallet in the garbage under the counter. A small $700US cone she had. Luckily the ice cream man was able to retrieve the wallet and the cone only cost $2.00. Too funny!!

The most interesting person was yet to come, our feet were tired and we really, really just wanted to board the plane, when we met the most interesting lady, heading to Haiti to work as a mid wife for a week. Apparently Haiti is experiencing more than 30 deliveries a day and supplies and help are limited. So her mid wifery class was off to provide assistance in makeshift hospitals ( tents). But that is not the best part. She has also been a surrogate mother and is scheduled to do it again in the summer. Now is that an interesting, giving career!! She has three teenage children of her own and a very understanding, supportive husband.

All this before leaving Dallas! Finally 3 hours later we board the plane and are off
to San Juan!