how long does it take to get from puerto plata to austin?

posted by sharla, who has traveled more than the average osa.

about a week and a half ago i left the DR for austin. I have done this many times - about 50 times, in fact. this was the worst and longest trip i have ever taken. here are the highlights/lowlights:

saturday, 12pm: flight is delayed out of puerto plata. i find this out before i leave for the airport and plan accordingly.

1:30pm: taxi runs out of gas on the way to the puerto plata airport.

2:00pm: i get to the airport an hour and a half before the new scheduled time, but no delta workers are at the desk. other airline workers tell me they have closed the flight.

2:10pm: i track down another worker who tells me that most of the people had already checked in for the flight (they didn't know it had been delayed) so they closed check in.

2:30pm: i finally find someone from delta and get him to allow me to check in. i start composing my letter to delta headquarters in my head.

4:30pm: the flight leaves 2 hours late, giving me less time with my friend kate in altanta. the original itinerary had me arriving into atlanta around 5:30pm on saturday and flying out sunday morning at 10am.

7:00pm: i arrive in atlanta, and go through the weirdest customs set up i've ever seen. i won't bother explaining, but it took forever and involved a non-english speaker telling me to get my luggage from the "sous" terminal. "south?" i said? "no, sous." he said.

8:00pm: after getting my luggage from the south, yes, south terminal, i finally meet up with kate. we go out for dessert in downtown roswell. it was lovely.

sunday, 8:30am: kate drops me off atl.

8:45am: the kiosk computer doesn't recognize me as having been on an international flight and only wants me to check 1 bag (you can check 2 for international fligths). the delta lady instructs me to get in the back of a long line.

9:20am: i get to the front of the line, a little concerned that i'm going to miss the 45 minute cut off. but i get called up just in time. or so i think. the flight is at 10:04 and it's 9:20, so i've missed it by a minute. it's a computer controlled thing so they can't override it. they put me on a flight at 11am.

10:45am: we're boarding the plane and a thunderstorm rolls in. they're still going to try to take off before it gets bad. they need 2 volunteers to take a 1pm flight and get a $200 voucher. i volunteer as i don't think that plane was going anywhere anytime soon.

11:30am: the plane i had been on takes off for austin and makes it there with my luggage.

12:30-3:30pm: i watch the computer screen as my flight keeps getting delayed because of storms. soon all the monitors fill up with "cancelled" and mine follows suit. i am number 13 on standby for a 5:45pm flight and have a seat for sure on a 7:30pm flight.

5:45pm: the flight is delayed until 6:30pm. though i am number 13 on standby, they call 16 names and mine was not among them.

7:30pm: my flight has been delayed for an hour and i am no longer in what one might consider "a good mood."

10pm: after many delays, my flight is cancelled because there are no pilots. all of this because of thunderstorms.

10:15pm: i get on the train to take up to kate's neighborhood. i make two phone calls to delta, and both people tell me there are no seats on flights to austin the next day. i call a third time and get booked on an 11am flight for the next morning.

10:30pm: 30some hours of travel and 14 hours in the airport bring me to the point of tears while i try to listen to some uplifting music on my ipod. people on the train look at me funny and/or pretend they don't see me crying. americans are so nice.

11:15pm: kate and scott pick me up at the train station. i go to their place and go straight to bed. thank God for friends that live nearby.

monday, 9:30am: i arrive at the airport and the computer has no record of me on any flights that day. the nice delta lady let me get in the business class line as it's shorter. they find that i am, in fact, scheduled to fly at 11am. i am on my way.

11am: the flight is delayed a half an hour and i start getting nervous.

11:30am: the flight leaves and i arrive safe and sound in austin, more than 48 hours after i left the mak house in the DR. i am tired.

moral of the story? don't leave the DR? don't take a voucher? don't fly delta? atlanta is trying to trap me? you tell me.