Which one is it again?

( Part 44 )

 

As I mentioned in my previous post, an offer from Anguilla showed up on the horizon. Once the contract was signed, the visas arrangements needed to be done. It was a waiting time, which at the same time was very active, as we had to pack and get the house in order before moving out, while coping with the responsibilities of everyday life.

 

Anguilla from a bird’s eye view

It turned out that the move would not be as colourful as it was with the Marriott. A very poor connection to the island complicated everything. We discovered that there would be a very high cost for such a move. We also found out that everyone who moves there only takes suitcases of clothes with them. We, unfortunately, were moving to Puerto Rico with all our belongings, so we wanted to take them with us too. I can’t hide the fact that it was a bit much, especially as I had still bought a lot of stuff in Ireland before moving to Puerto Rico. After finding a company that would transport it for us, we found out that the cost was twice as much as moving from Ireland to Puerto Rico. We were shocked. We decided to rent a container ourselves, which we also had to pack ourselves. Fortunately, Marcus, who worked with my husband at the hotel, came to our aid. We also started looking for some accommodation in Anguilla. We got the phone number of an agent from that island who found a house for us. However, we had to pay a deposit, so we wouldn’t lose it, but luckily the hotel settled it for us. The house turned out to be very big, with a huge garden. I think about, 3000m2. We were happy because we have a big dog and in our imagination we could immediately see him running around the yard.

 

Anguilla

Unfortunately, we also had to arrange permission to bring the dog. There was a bit of paperwork to fill in, but no major problems. After we had sorted out most of the things to do with the trip, time began to drag on. At the beginning of December, we received an email that our visa was already verbally confirmed, and they were planning a flight for us on 13th December. It was getting close to departure time, and we didn’t have tickets yet. Neither did we have a visa 😉. Everything was going crazy. Departure time came and still no tickets. In fact, only on the evening of 13th December we got the news that we will fly in the morning the next day. Everything on the run had to be packed, the flat had to be cleaned, because we had to get up at 4am. Honestly, we slept only 3 hours. The landlords came to settle up with us in the evening (nice of them). At 6:00am we locked the door, left the key under a stone and headed for the airport.

In the airport it turned out that we were flying on a private plane. An amazing feeling. Not only were we treated like VIPs at the airport, but we had the whole plane to ourselves. It couldn’t have been more different as there are six of us with a big dog, and we took up the full plane 😉. The complete flight lasted 30 minutes. It was the first time we were able to see the pilots and the entire cockpit for the entire flight, as everything was open. On board, we had various snacks and even champagne at our disposal 🍾😁. Quick moment and we were there.

 

Closer than ever 😁. Our private pilots 😁.

Landing, we got a bit of a shock seeing what the airport looked like. We wondered if there would be enough landing strip at all. The airport looked like a piece of field with poured tarmac. The shock held us for a long while. First we had to fill in the forms for the 30-day tourist visas, and then we went to our luggage, which was thoroughly checked.

In Anguilla, anything new you bring into the island is taxed 33%, or taken away. We were a bit scared because it was the festive season time, and we had presents for our children in one of the suitcases and in the boxes. When the customs lady was looking through the suitcase with these presents, I, with my heart on my shoulder, told her quietly, as the children were standing next to us, that these were kids presents for Christmas. Fortunately, the lady was very kind, smiled and closed the suitcase. It was a miracle as far as I was concerned, because they always make you pay, for anything they think is new. Even if there is no box or tag. After a stressful border crossing, we went to the car park, where a big black limousine was waiting for us. HR director Ludvig, who had come to the airport to help us somehow get through this smoothly, took my husband and dog with him, and the rest of us with our luggages went with the limousine.

 

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