Margarita Island! Here we are!

This year the Scrabble in Spanish World Championship (SWCh) will be in Margarita Island, Venezuela. As usual, around the SWCh are taking place other tourneys, that far the activities here had started today, November 1st. 2009.

In my case, I´ll participate just in 2 tourneys, the SWCh and the Duplicated mode as well. Both of them will take place from Nov. 4th. to 7th. but I decided to come earlier to enjoy the Island itself a bit.

Coming here was an exhausted journey and you should take into account that I already have the custom to have long journeys for going to Guatemala from Madrid, but today it was exhausted.

We took an offer with Santa Barbara airline (Curro is traveling with me for the first time to a SWCh). We had the good luck to find Carlos Puente at the airport in Madrid, by coincidence he was in the same flight as us, but as far as we haven´t preview that, we had separated sits, so no chance to play.

The flight was in general ok, not a great plane, not a great food, but well, I´d traveled in American Airlines just few days ago and it wasn´t exactly much better, so… Maybe the only one point to remark is about people travelling with big bags as hand luggage, it was terrible for the crew to make them fit but actually the worst part was when we were almost landing, this people pretended to have their bags with them “to go out faster of the plane”… :( First they tried to place them at the aisle, then at the place you should put your foot (and they didn´t fit there). I started to be nervous because it was obvious it was dangerous for all of us in case of whatever that could happen while landing. Thanks of God the crew checked it (as usual) and they made them to put all again in the places they were, but they did it trying not to (as a kid when you make them to do something they don´t want) and the crew said we won´t do the landing till they place everything at their place. Finally they kept all!

I liked a lot the view while landing. Very different from other airports I know. The airport was ok, not so nice but not ugly… ok. :) The bags came slowly, but actually it was the normal speed of everything at the airport (I even though several times about that add where they say “you are stressing me!” like in the Malibu add) ;P but the really worst part was to cross the customs… a biggggg line wolking so slow where they were checking with scanners.



We had to go to the national departures part of the airport, a new part so it´s nice, walking for going there we met Juan Carlos Ayala, Serge and Florence, but we all had different flights to Margarita. Being there we had to go out of the airport, to go to our different airlines to do the check in, to pay taxes and to go inside again. Our flight to Margarita was programmed to be 5 hours after our landing from Madrid in Maiquetia and I thought it would be so long waiting… but with all what I mentioned and the slow speed of everything, it was actually the perfect time (thank you Raúl!) :) Btw and just for mention it, was impressive to hear someone of the airport staff to offer us to exchange us money (that supposed to be illegal…).

I was really willing to finally be in Venezuela to try the arepas… so we did at the airport… but the ones I tried in Madrid were much better! :/ and even less expensive! :(

Some of us even had time to play a bit at the airport, just I´m afraid all the pics and videos should wait to appear here, as far as I forgot the cable and I need to see if I found one here! :/ (or another way to read the card!).

To take our flight to Margarita was a bit chaotic. At the desk they told us about a gate, that gate number was at the card. When we went to that gate, the name of the destination at the screen was different. We went to check out at the tvs, but our flight didn´t even appear. There wasn´t an information desk, so we should search at the gates people of the airline… but finally the flight was announced in a different gate before we found out staff of the airline. Ok, we went to the new gate and wait… and wait… and wait… it was already half of hour after the departure time and no one of the airline there neither any information at all. Suddenly they said at the speakers the flight´s gate will be again the first one they gave us… ok, we all going back to that gate… where we wait, and wait and wait with no information at all till finally, an hour later, they called us.

In Porlamar airport everything was ok. Not too much waiting for the bags, no lines, people of the shuttle were there waiting us, everybody so kind (but that was since we touched Venezuelan floor). The problem was when we were at the hotel… they didn´t have my reserve!!! :((( But Yuly, the person from the Venezuelan Scrabble Association in charge of our reception fixed it in less than 3 minutes! :)))

So, here finally we are! At the Hotel Dunes in Margarita Island! Waiting for a week full of emotions! I´ll try to actualize my blog at least once per day and during the Championship, but that part maybe I´ll do just in Spanish.