Travel Day(s)

Flight 1 of 4: Wichita to Chicago (Wednesday, 12/04/2013)

This flight was largely uneventful other than sitting next to delightful pro hockey player from Vancouver whom I chatted with the entire way. 

Flight 2 of 4: Chicago to Newark

This flight was completely uneventful.  The best part was getting Sushi, which I normally shy away from, at O’Hare during our layover.  It was seriously phenomenal; grilled teriyaki chicken with avocado and asparagus wrapped in a super thin sesame paper instead of the typical seaweed wrap (the reason I normally don’t care for Sushi, that and I’m allergic to shellfish).

Flight 3 of 4: Newark to Mumbai (Entering Thursday, 12/05/2013)

Now, this was supposed to be a 15 hour flight during which I would almost completely miss the entire day of Thursday; no big loss as I didn’t have particularly high expectations for the day.  I could never have anticipated the luck, however, that a consistent and terrifying mechanical sound issuing next to me on the back of the huge Boeing 747 would issue on such a Thursday.  I have no idea how long we’d been on the plane when the noise started.  We got to cruising altitude and had dinner, shortly after which I put in earplugs, popped a Xanax, and settled in for the next God-awful number of hours.  The flight was relentlessly bumpy and the earplugs somewhat ineffective, so sleep did not come easy.  It wasn’t long before the noise started.  I kept my eyes closed and didn’t rouse but remember thinking ‘if this is what it sounds like with earplugs in, that sound must be really loud.’  I poked my head out for a peak and sure enough everyone was exchanging extremely nervous glances between each other and to the area from which the sounds was coming.  After a while the captain came on to assure us that they were aware of the issue, there was nothing wrong with the plane and we were safe, and that we’d be continuing on to Mumbai and returning to the States.  Well, for the next few hours the noise stopped and started in about thirty minute intervals.  I awoke from my weird ‘I’m resting but not really sleeping’ state with an extremely bruised ass and an urge to pee, so I got up to walk around and chat up the Stewardesses, which is when I found out we were being diverted to Heathrow airport where a mechanical crew was going to inspect the issue causing the noise.  Because the extra fuel that would take us to Mumbai made the plane too heavy to land, we had to dump it.  This seemed like such a horrible waste, but it was necessary and looked pretty cool too.  The stewardesses didn’t expect us to even pull up to a gate at Heathrow, stating that we’d sit on the tarmac while the crew did their inspection, then we’d take off again; turning our 15 hour flight into a much longer one.  This thought didn’t make me happy, but I was at their mercy and resigned to my sour-ass’s fate.  Regardless, I thought it was awesome that I was at least stopping in the UK for the first time.  We landed and were told to hold-tight until the inspection was done. 

After surprisingly little time, we were informed that the flight had been cancelled, but that we’d be shuttled to a hotel, given lunch, dinner and breakfast the next morning, and free internet at the hotel; but I was most excited that I’d be sleeping in a real bed, able to exercise and, duh, I WAS IN F@!$#ing LONDON!  Are you kidding me?! I wasn’t going to let this opportunity go to waste!  After a quick lunch and shower, my boss and our co-worker and I headed to Heathrow Terminal 1 and the underground Piccadilly Line to downtown.  The sights and sounds were so beautifully unfamiliar, the people so dazzling to watch.  Since we had limited daylight time, as it gets dark around 3:45pm, we did to the biggies: Buckingham Palace on the Thames and Big Ben (my personal pick).  We walked along the river through a gorgeous park between the two destinations; there were still colorful leaves falling from the trees and the grass was a brilliant green.  It was so phenomenal I felt like crying; to be in London, the one place I’ve always wanted to go, I simply can’t explain how blessed and grateful I felt.  After getting caught in the cold London rain (in clothes that were intended for the 90F temperatures of India), we headed to a pub around Trafalgar square name The Clarence where I partook of the most delicious hot spiced red wine and a ‘Proper Sandwich’ of roasted butternut squash, malted brie, and sweet beet relish. PHENOMENAL! How could I have known that this seemingly uneventful Thursday would become one of the most memorable days of my life.

[Link to Pictures]

After our brief, yet sublime, outing we took the hour-long train and bus route back to the hotel.  Despite my extreme fatigue, I took a relaxing brisk walk on the treadmill to finish off the night and prepare for the long flight ahead; I slept like the dead.  I’m now comfortably seated in the United Star Alliance lounge waiting for the plane part to be installed so that we can continue to Mumbai where I’ll spend the night before flying to Vizag on Saturday morning.

On a more general note, this was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had for a couple of different reasons: 1) United handled the situation wonderfully and spared no expense to make the unfortunate situation as comfortable and convenient for the passengers as possible, and 2) I now have about 200 new Indian friends.  Seriously, I can’t get over how friendly everyone is! They don’t shy away from asking questions, or striking up conversations.  Most people even shared personal information regarding how the cancellation impacted their personal plans, and spared no details; it was extremely endearing.  Interestingly, I met a great couple from Toronto who once owned a hotel in Gananoque, Ontario right across the St. Lawrence from where I grew up. It truly is a small, and magnificent, world!