Thursday, March 29, 2007
As we all know delays in air travel in our modern world can be mildly irritating at best and at worst thoroughly obstructive. You may like to consider where on the scale you would view the following story even though the story-teller himself, as you will learn, was far from unhappy about the outcome. It is a story recounted to us this busy holiday season by a Playa Vista visitor. In fact it was his first ever trip to these shores and although his father - a frequent visitor to Boca Chica and Playa Vista who actually had invited him - had versed him in some of the idiosyncrasies of life on arrival, he was not exactly prepared for what happened prior to that.
He left Orlando on a Sunday afternoon and got as far as successfully boarding his second and connecting American Airlines flight from Miami due to arrive directly at Santo Domingo airport a convenient couple of hours later. He had even stowed his hand luggage above his favored aisle seat. Then came the first of several announcements over the intercom that was due to start the ball rolling in another direction and trigger a rather entertaining adventure within his adventure. The announcement was: "We are looking for a volunteer to stay behind because the flight is oversold. We are offering a US$800 transportation voucher, overnight 5 star hotel accommodation, dinner and a $5 breakfast voucher plus another $10 towards lunch the next day, for anybody... with only hand baggage".
It didn't take our traveler long to snatch back his hand luggage, jump towards the exit and offer himself as that volunteer even though his Dad was waiting for him in Boca Chica. The supervisor in charge was so pleased to hear of his willingness that she instantly claimed, "You're gold!" as they whisked him off the plane, although his one self-appointed condition was that he must be able to make a free phone call to that Dad of his to explain what was going on. "No problem." the lady said and added, "You're still gold".
Before getting to the Coral Gables Hotel and indeed before leaving the airport our adventurer had already managed to up the ante... he had agreed to delay his flight to 11.30 the next morning instead of the originally proposed 10.30 in return for being promoted to business class! After all why not travel in style if you are going to meet up with your Dad!
After an uneventful shuttle service back to the airport next morning he was quietly waiting in the departure lounge and struck up a conversation with a fellow passenger and removed his stereo earphones to engage in the conversation better. The subject of conversation soon turned to our friend's unusual journey up to that point and the other passenger immediately alerted him to the fact that they had been making repeated calls for a further 10 volunteers to stay behind because they were still overbooked which our friend had clearly missed while listening to his music. As he rather liked this game, and as it was after all "only" his good old Dad waiting for him, he leapt up to the counter to offer his services again. However, this time his music listening had apparently thwarted him because they said that they had already enlisted the required volunteers.
All was normal again. Or was it, because the flight was now evidently delayed and the 11.30 had become 1.15? Most of the passengers had boarded but his ticket had become rather crumpled and the flight desk attendant could not process it in the machine. She politely asked him if he would mind going to a different counter to get a new ticket issued. He was becoming increasingly sensitive to the immediate travel conditions - you could almost say "intuitive" about delays and their meaning - and at this instance noticed quite a degree of chaos with the boarding process in general and that some of the other passengers were getting quite fractious due to this latest delay. Putting an intuitive two and two together he asked, "By the way, did you really get all your volunteers?" "No, actually we need one more." "I'm your boy then," he enthusiastically offered. The next flight was 4.30 and he was given another US$500 transportation voucher, a $10 lunch voucher and on top of that could keep his business class ranking. While he waited, the departure gate for his latest flight was changed a number of times. Becoming rapidly an expert in this new field of "bumpee" he made a quick check of the seating situation of the plane on his laptop via the internet as he was beginning to sniff another oversold situation. He volunteered again and was told they would let him know. Just 10 minutes before the flight was due they requested another 7 volunteers for the 7 pm flight and he was offered another $500 transportation voucher though it did come with his very first reversal this time around, as he was told he would have to surrender his business class status. He mused, as one does as an experienced hand, while observing a fellow "novice" passenger volunteering himself and his entire Dominican family to fill five of those required slots; and yes that would be five times $500, therefore $2500 in transportation vouchers the novice was proclaiming loudly as if to convince himself if indeed not all his fellow travelers as well that it was true.
By now a full 24 hours had elapsed and the same personnel of the night before were on duty again and the lady who had claimed he was gold confided that the next flight, the last one of the day, was oversold too and that he might like to volunteer yet again and repeat the previous night's offer with the travel vouchers returning to the higher value of $800. He didn't bat an eyelid about what to do but apparently missed the call for a further 10 volunteers while he was maneuvering himself from one side of the airport to the other because of yet another change of gate. The plane was, per the norm, delayed, this time to 7.50 and per the norm he put himself on the waiting list for volunteers should American Airlines require his "services" again. There was to be no turning back now though, no final reprieve as he made his final call to his Boca Chica waiting-Dad just before boarding... "Dad, it looks like I'll be there soon but it has been rather a bumpy ride so far!"
His one personal comment after relating this story over the Playa Vista Bar counter was that he was indeed quite thrilled with the benefits he received, if you couldn't already guess, and he further stated categorically that on top of it all the American Airlines staff treated him fantastically and courteously the entire time!
Posted by Playa Vista @ 03:26 PM CST
Friday, March 16, 2007
Q: How Long Does It Take To Change A Light Bulb In The DomRep?
A: One And A Half Years!
A long time ago (see blogs Feb 5th and March 4th last year) we were writing about a certain non-functioning street lamp immediately outside the Playa Vista main gate, and we are aware we left you all sitting on the edges of your seats - wondering what on earth was happening... though more relevantly, when on earth something would happen with that very reticent lamp number 25 in Calle Abraham Nunez.
Our one-time zeal chasing up the local council in the form of their main maintenance men Ramon number 1 and Ramon number 2 to get the lamp fixed properly was eroded by the pending and then actual change in the town council administration. The reason being, that in the DomRep. it is usually very difficult to get the wheels rolling even during the active time of an administration, and if it comes to handover of power at midterm elections nearly everything just grinds to a halt! In fact, there is a universally recognized gestation period of several months before the wheels get back to the normally very slow forward motion again. Now, one and a half years since the lamp first dimmed and nearly one year after the political change at the council had been completed, Ramon number 2 suddenly appeared again one fine morning this week with his splendid mechanical crane poised under the infamous blacked out lamp number 25.
Notwithstanding the year-long absence of night light for ourselves, our guests and bypassing 'Boca Chiceros', Ramon seemed very proud that he was finally back, not only with a brand spanking new bulb, but also a new photo cell to go with it. Strangely, he claimed neither the bulb nor the photo cell were any good - the old ones that is - "Made in Japan" he said, as if that explained everything. "We have a much better bulb now that has been working well everywhere else we have put it. Much better... from England you know!" he added triumphantly. So now you know even good old solid maxims about manufacturing country of origin can be turned on their head in Boca Chica!
"What about the other Ramon?" we asked, more out of friendly curiosity than anything else. "No, he was moved on. Too many things like bulbs went missing, you know," he answered not being able to hide a castigatingly moral glint in his eye.
"Oh well, at least good for you," we said "that you are still gainfully employed." With the moral glint now long gone he continued, "Yes, but this photo cell didn't come from our stock room, I had to get it from another place, you understand. What about paying me for that?"
Considering we and the general public had waited an exasperating one and a half years for a simple change of light bulb, we declined his cheeky, bordering on annoying, invitation to make a personal contribution... and besides we didn't want to encourage the downfall of Ramon number 2 as a town council employee just like mentioned Ramon number 1, now did we?
Anyway, in spite of the Ramones now being one member short "The Light Show" is well and truly on and has been performing perfectly for three consecutive nights now... certainly very much appreciated by the coming and going Playa Vista audience at the least.
Posted by Playa Vista @ 03:24 PM CST
Thursday, March 1, 2007
On a regular basis we are privy to constantly changing scenes and spectacles here at Playa Vista due, not least, to our south facing aspect which grants us the perfect opportunity to watch the natural daily transition of the sun in entirety from sun-rising east to sun-setting west. It goes without saying that this serves as the ideal backdrop to that other huge natural visual benefit we have: our very own reef protected lagoon… which in itself draws the other main spectacle, namely great numbers of colorful human beings from all walks of life passing by as well as sometimes, thankfully, also hanging around long enough to frequent our humble bar/restaurant on the ‘Terraza’ or enjoy the sun, sea and sand in front.
Here, however, we have decided to update you a little on the animal world at Playa Vista by presenting a small video clip to introduce you to the latest member of our family and at the same time to a recent visitor. The visitor is a nightingale who, incidentally, when not taken up with its own reflection in our one-way office windows, sings quite beautifully from the tree tops around us… and the family member is our previously introduced self-invited cat “Honey”, now very much settled in at the Playa Vista premises (see blog July 11th 2006). Honey, by the way has become such an established part of the Playa Vista scene that guests sometimes are noticeably disappointed when she doesn’t appear from one of her many daily cat naps.
Anyway, on this particular film debut-day Honey was very much in appearance trying frustratedly to haul in the nightingale who seemed to have a touch of our old Woody Woodpecker’s disease… an avid desire to destroy his territory-threatening own reflection in the one-way glass. The spectacle actually went on for several hours, but thanks to the unyielding window the protagonists remained unhurt to the end, so… again thankfully, we are still entertained by the mellifluous singing of the nightingale and Honey is left to stalk other prey, or simply nap!
The video: Click here for - Honey and The Nightingale
The twosome:
Posted by Playa Vista @ 04:07 PM CST
