Day 7…Wednesday, October 26, 2005…

The battery on this computer died last night before I could finish typing in my journal. This morning early I awoke from a restless sleep with the abrupt return of my migraine. The snoring and the stench continues and now, in addition to becoming sick because of lack of rest and the mold and mildew, we are covered in mosquito bites. I itched all night, slept little and thought over and over again of how I wish I were simply at home instead of here.

Gloria was told by a fellow refugee (which is what we now discover we are “officially”) that the US Embassy and Consulate are staying here and have been given rooms…while we, are kept in the convention halls with hundreds of others. The food is beginning to get worse and people are dealing with upset stomachs from all the weird things we’re now eating. Why would they cook things like huge chafing dishes of onions, another of cabbage, and another of a mixture of green peppers and onions if we weren’t running low on resources? Spirits are at their lowest here, as many of us are exhausted from fighting the situation we are now in.

One of the young couples said the funniest thing last night and we all got a chuckle from it….I meant to remember it and write it here, but have forgotten. We are looking for things to humor us at this point, as this whole situation has become a horrible, explosive and dangerous place to be. We will go to Tulum today where we will try and make phone calls and do emails to let people know we’re all right.

11:55am…

I wish at this moment I had no sense of smell. We are on a bus heading to Tulum, where we will attempt to contact Randy Chambers, who is trying to charter a private jet to fly us out of the Merida airport. If successful, we will have to find transportation to that airport 4-6 hours away and be there early in the AM when the plane comes in. It’s a long shot. Our other option is to wait here for our scheduled flight out on Sat (assuming it doesn’t cancel again). We managed to find someone with a rental car and another couple with a cell phone that works and went into Carma Del Playa again this morning. We called Damon, Randy, Charles, Jeanne, and let the other couple with us call their travel agent. They left for the Cancun airport when we returned to the shelter.

Rumor has it that we may get assigned a room tomorrow. But so many rumors are flying that we don’t know what to believe any more. The bus we are on right now reeks of body odor and mildew. They tell us that the workers were utilizing these buses for transportation to do work on the resorts. I am going to be so physically sick by the time we make the 30-minute drive; I may puke. It is getting hot here and the sky looks clear. People are lying out in the sun, and the cooks are trying to get creative. We’ve also been told that food and supplies are coming in.

My brother, Charles, told me this morning that the FAA sees the Cancun airport as functioning with very limited activity. We know that Charter planes are getting out of the airport, and according to Damon, the official Cancun website shows the airport not taking any commercial passengers until sometime on Friday; only chartered flights. He suggests that we get to Merida airport…that the state department is working with Continental to evacuate Americans.

Gloria just gave me a “wet wipe” to hold over my nose, as the overwhelming odor is nauseating me. We will see what news we can get in Tulum.

2:23pm…Well, we’re on our way back to the shelter. We found an Internet “Café” where we were able to log on to my email and make a phone call to Randy, who is unable to get a charter jet to us because of fuel uncertainties in Mexico for the return flight. She managed to find out that there are two Delta flights that are considered “extra section” flights. She believes we can go to the airport and get onto one of these planes. Gloria wants to go to the airport tomorrow and try. Problem is: 1) We’ve just been told by a group of tourists that they have been told the airport is closed again for “security reasons”, and 2) the line to the delta ticket agents desk is going to be so long that I am afraid we may never get to the desk before both of these flights are either full or gone. Not only that, but if the “Chaza Travel” ground transportation takes us there, they may not be willing to pick us up to get back in the event we’re left at the airport with no flight. We’re running out of cash and the ATM machines are all empty. The banks are taking hours to get cash to people and once our cash is gone, we are in serious trouble. Many businesses are no longer taking anything but cash. So…here we are, facing another dilemma. While in Tulum, we did mange to find cookies, M&M’s and Gatorade. We don’t know what to do. We may have radio contact when we get to the airport, but even that is not for sure. We may still not have any contact until we land in the US. We’re tired, angry and feeling sick to our stomachs. My migraine continues.

5:15pm…

This place broke out in a near riot a little earlier. The resort officials for Palace resorts told us that we are being evacuated to Moon Palace. This came about 30 minutes after our young couple, Bryan and his wife returned from the airport telling us that the shuttle drivers that took them from here tried to drop them at Moon Palace. That resort now turned shelter is reported as being in terrible condition with people getting sick. One man reportedly had a stroke and died there earlier today. They are said to be over crowded and short on resources. Meanwhile, the workers here work frantically to put this resort back together again, marking rooms as “OK” when they have completed repairs and cleaning. One maid spoke out of turn to Gloria telling her that rooms were being prepared for guests. This coincides with rumors we have heard about this place reopening on Monday for new guests. It all seems to add up. They want us out of here so they can resume business, as usual. Palace employees sat down at tables and put folding cards in front of themselves with names of various airlines, attempting to convince guests that they have control over the situation of getting into the airport…as though they are officials of these airlines. Then they told us to sign our names and flight information on sheets, and turn in our wristbands, which allow us into this shelter. From there, they plan to bus us to Moon Palace where they say we can get to the airport easier. On a normal travel day, this might be true. But in this case, we are completely unable to even get into the airport without boarding passes that can only be obtained from the local airline ticket offices in town. From there, we are forced to take a number at the airport and wait in lines that last for hours to see if we can get a seat. It is strictly first come, first served. Tickets, confirmations, seat assignments, medallion memberships, etc. mean NOTHING. We are now considering taking my brother’s advise and going to Merida. We hope we can make it there safely and are told that once we leave the shelter of Palace resorts, we are “on our own”. We are frightened. I am trying to remain strong and calm. One of the young couples, Amy and Garrett are considering going to Moon Palace, as their cash has run out and they fear being caught far from home with no way back. I am tired, my head hurts, my stomach hurts and I am frightened. This reminds me of stories of the Jews in Germany during WWII being lied to and told one thing and then taken somewhere different only to suffer horribly. Brian and his new wife went to the airport this morning, shuttled there by Palace resorts and when they were turned away, taken with about 10 others to Moon Palace. When told to get out, they locked the doors and refused, kicking and screaming, women crying and refusing to go, until the angry driver threw up his arms and yelled out of anger that they would be forced to leave this shelter anyway later today. Yes. I am scared and am so weary of being strong for the others. Gloria is about to have a nervous breakdown and no one knows how close I am, as well. I want to go home. I will never return to this country again.

6:42pm… here we sit. Wondering how to do this. We are out of money, some of us. I have 100 pesos left. This is equal to about 10.00 and I am scared. We have about decided to do this: First, wait until a couple returns from Carmen Del Playa that has gone to try and check the status of the airport in Merida. Then, we will wait for the return of another couple that speaks Spanish. They hopefully have not already left for Mirada. Based on the information we receive from the first couple, we will send a “scout” to Carmen Del Playa to check on the price and schedule of buses going to Mirada. We will have to all share the expense of the cab ride (about 40.00) to the bus station and back, as we are all running out of money. Upon receipt of that information, we will all leave here with bags and go to the bus station where we will buy tickets and go to Mirada together as a group on the same bus. When we get to Merida, we will have to find a hotel to stay at, and a bank to get cash. Then at the airport we will try and find out how to get out of this country and back to the US. We don’t know what else to do. Many have left here and been taken to Moon Palace where the flooding is reported to have been as high as the second floor. There are already 2600 people there and with the addition of these the shelter will be unbearable. What do we do? We could stay here and keep trying to get out, but since we do not have a travel agent that booked our flights, we’re on our own with trying to get out. Delta has not brought a representative here. We are forgotten and not concerned about. The entertainment chairman, David, has just been fired for telling people not to go to Moon Palace. They made him leave the premises. We sit here without help or information from the US Embassy or Consulate. We are told that the Delta office keeps moving it’s location and the only way to get a boarding pass is to go to this office. Only the travel agents are able to find these ticket offices. We are on our own as we have made our own reservations for this trip and are not represented by a travel agent. This has been hell. I’ve had nightmares about this sort of thing happening, but never dreamed it would happen in real life.

The couple that went to check on flights, etc in Merida have returned. They tell us that Merida is NOT an international airport according to this couple (we still believe it is) and that it is about a 5hour drive from here. However, if we can get a rental car and drive south about 3 hours, we can get to the Capital where another airport is and we can get a flight from there to Mexico city where we can finally get back to the US. Again, we’re stuck with yet another decision to make….and if we choose the wrong one, we’re in more trouble than we are now, as we could be stuck somewhere we don’t know without any cash or any way to get any. We are in serious trouble with no one to turn to. My head is pounding. Ah, one last thing….the power came back on. What a coincidence. They try to get us all out of here and to Moon Palace, they’re working like crazy to get the rooms ready and the facility up and running again, the maid tells us they are preparing for new guests, and the lights just happen to come on. I expect the phones will be up again soon, too. I doubt my Internet connection will come up, as my logon and password may have expired by now.

8:31pm…

I have just learned that the buses taking people to the Moon Palace have been turned around and are headed back here due to the fact the Moon Palace has been ordered to disinfect. There is dysentery, and some form of skin rash breaking out there. I fear there will be a riot here before this ends. People are really scared and angry. All we want is the truth. We are told we will be taken to the Delta office tomorrow to get boarding passes, however, I know for a fact, that Delta will not issue a boarding pass more than 24hours prior to a flight. Bryan took this same shuttle this morning with his new wife and they were turned around and taken to Moon Palace. I believe telling us they will take us to Delta’s office is a scam to get us to the Moon Palace instead. We have decided to stay here and sleep on it tonight.

8:28pm…there is a “community meeting” in our hall tonight at 8:30. People here are afraid that they are being forced to the Moon Palace and I fear are planning a riot. Many are angry that our families are being told by Palace resorts that we are in rooms instead of the shelter and that things are far better here than they really are. It’s going to get worse here. We have decided to stay and wait until the weekend and then attempt to get a boarding pass then.

9:23…it’s getting worse here. I am truly afraid of what is going to happen to us if we do not get out of here and back to the US. The refugees here had a meeting that just wrapped up. Discussed were the issues that we face including the fact we are being forced out of this shelter and into the Moon Palace shelter. I always try to remember that when someone tells me a story there are two sides and I never completely believe what I am being told….until tonight. There was a couple in this meeting that managed to get back to this shelter from Moon Palace. They were told 4 days ago that they were being taken to the airport where they would be given boarding passes and boarded on to planes. Once they got to the airport, they were turned away by Mexican Marines and instead of being returned to the Aventura Palace, as they were PROMISED, they were taken to Moon Palace. They told the group that the only way they were able to get back here is because they cried and begged and paid off a driver to bring them back here. They told us that people are sick with dysentery, and an unidentified skin disease. They are being told to wash their hands before entering the shelter there and children and senior citizens are sick. The mold and mildew are horrific, as the first two floors were completely flooded during the storm. There are over 2500 people being kept there and they are removing them 100 at a time, the sickest first. We have decided to remain here as a group until the airport begins to resume normal activities….we don’t know how long we’ll be here. We need help. Our meeting was disrupted by the CNN news broadcast on the TV they still have set up for us. CNN mentioned the tourists trapped in Cancun and then quickly moved on to another story. 30 seconds. That’s all we got. 30 seconds. AMERICANS are here sick and suffering, trapped by a 3^rd world country and we 30 seconds of attention. Our families are being told by Palace resorts that we are in comfortable suites with all the amenities here. The media has no clue what is happening here and we get 30 lousy minutes???!!!!!!! We believe that they will begin to push us and make it more difficult for us to stay here. We will go to a hotel somewhere and rent a car to try and get home, if necessary. We will survive this without the US helping us. I am finally made to be aware of how a refugee of disaster feels when they cannot return to their home or loved ones. I want to go home. Nothing big or selfish, nothing impossible or beyond reason. I simply want to go home.

People all know now that I am keeping this journal. They all want to read it. They all want their families to read it. They want the media to get it, and they insist I should have it published. I may just do that. We are survivors in a third world country trying against all odds to get home. Shouldn’t someone in our government care that we are here?? This isn’t New Orleans, or Hurricane Katrina. This is a much larger, record breaking storm with much more damage and much more suffering and obstacles to overcome. There are more people trapped here. We’re not demanding anything, except that our government care enough to help us get home. The US Embassy and Consulate told us yesterday that they would return today and we have not heard from them at all since. We have been told by travel agencies that at all costs, we should NOT let these people take us to the Moon Palace. It is worse than anything we’ve heard….and we should avoid being taken there at ALL costs. What will tomorrow bring?????