Day 4 (March 13, 2017): From A to B... via C and D

You Today was supposed to be a full third day of beach in Curaçao.  We were booked on the 10PM nonstop flight to Georgetown, Guyana, with Insel Air, a long-established carrier serving 22 destinations in the Caribbean and South America. A few days before leaving Canada, however, I stumbled across a news item indicating that some of Insel's flights had been grounded. As our departure date neared, the airline revealed a shutdown of 18 of its 22 routes, including Curacao to Guyana. I couldn't get a clear story either online or upon arrival in Curaçao, but a mixture of safety and financial issues seems to be behind it all. 

Getting to Georgetown via another carrier is not easy, especially at the last minute. Our Toronto-based travel agent for the booking wasn't much help, so I was left to concoct a band-aid means of getting to Guyana today. Flying to Miami on American Airlines and connecting with Caribbean Airlines (with a stop in Trinidad) was the only apparent option after much research. So what was supposed to be a sit-under-the-palms day with an evening nonstop hop to South America turned into an up-at-4AM 16-hour ordeal. 

We arrived at Curacao's airport just past 5:30AM, parked our Kia Picanto rental car, endured tedious check-in, security and customs processes, and immediately boarded our flight to Miami.

[ Boarding American Airlines Boeing 737 to Miami at daybreak ]

[ These Fokker turbo-props, which puddle hop to a couple of nearby islands, are all that is left of poor ole' Insel Air ]

[ The cactus-covered nature of Curacao is even evident as one taxis out to the runway! ]

It was a smooth flight, arriving 10:30AM. We collected our bags and were shuttled from terminal D to terminal J via a kind, elderly woman from Sherbrooke, Quebec who volunteers driving a courtesy cart at Miami Airport.  Caribbean Airlines' check-in opened at noon, so we had a bit of a wait. But before long, we were checked in, through security, and sitting in the Avianca Airlines VIP Lounge, enjoying a hot lunch. 

[ Admittedly, this is blog filler! We enjoyed the Avianca Lounge ]

Caribbean Airlines left Miami 20 minutes early.  We had a row to ourselves, watched a heart-warming movie called "Mr. Church", and enjoyed a tasty meal that was nicely presented. 

[ Our first-ever Caribbean Airlines flight: Boeing 737 from Miami to Guyana via Trinidad ]

[ The meal on Caribbean was simple but well-presented ]

[ A view of South Miami ]

[ The stunning colours of Bahamas' reefs ]

[ Another view of Bahamas' many islands ]

We stopped in Port of Spain, Trinidad for a painful two-hour layover but were prohibited from disembarking. Then it was a quick hop over to Guyana, arriving abit late, at 10:15PM.  

[ Our first view of Trinidad - we'll be back here in Thursday to peel the layers off this place! ]

Georgetown has a nasty reputation for armed hold-ups and car-jackings, especially between the airport and the city at night, so we had pre-arranged a secure ride through the hotel. The representative met us with a sign as we exited, and the ride to the Marriott was without incident. 

So no palm trees, sand and snorkelling today. But at least the trip went according to schedule, and we were able to get from A to B in one day. Tomorrow is our Guyana highlight: a trip to Kaieteur Falls in the Amazon - the sole reason for this South American leg of the vacation.  

And with that, we bid you good night from Georgetown, Guyana.