First lesson in traveling solo…managing and navigating a wheelie bag (no not wheelie bin although it is green!) into the toilet. After a few maneuver’s I had it down pat and could wheel and pee in a pretty short time!
The flight out of Adelaide started well. I got the JetStar Manager so when she saw my bags, and had a look of ‘right, (angry boss tone) coming your way lady’…. and I pre-empted by explaining how I had called JetStar and was traveling to the US she let me on no problems. It was a bittersweet moment. Yay for the bags, Boo for saying bye bye to Mum and Dad! Even at 30 it gets tough!!
Sadly didn’t get to spend too much time with my brother in Sydney as the queue was over an hour long. I batted my eyelids and was super friendly to the United Man who from the line looked like he was having a really bad day. He lightened up and apologised for not being able to give me a good seat from Sydney – San Francisco, but was able to do so for San Francisco to New York. So I had my fingers crossed, said my goodbyes to my Brother and then made my way through the massive duty free path and the long walk to the terminal!
Okay, now I admit that I am an airplane snob…and although I landed safely which is the most important part of flying...United where still a bit old school. Movies on a big screen and squishy seats. Alas I sat in my row with three others and had a nightmare of a passenger next to me! Her name was Ida…yes I found out as she continued to poke, prod and ask me dumb questions….I should have realized there was a problem when she was the last to arrive. Fortunately the man to my right had a similar pee schedule to me…not too much and just enough, so when he got up he’d then go for a walk which worked well for me. Ida on my left was not only driving me mad, but the person to her left.
Not only was she slightly overweight she had ants in her pants. So she squeezed in after being late and proceeded to give me a jab to the side. I knew I wasn’t going to win the arm on seat battle... (yeah you know the one, like at the movies when you jockey for position to have your arm on the shared arm rest… see knew you were smiling and agreeing to that one) and for the record I didn’t give in, just wasn’t prepared (at that time) to do battle for 14hrs!
So she jockey’s in, elbows me a bit and in her (no offense intended) but pip squeak Pilipino voice constantly had a “ ‘scuse me...miss, scuse me miss… can I have water please”.
Oh thank you… no wait, I’ll have the bloody Mary like he is having” (pointing to the man to her left). The United hostess says to her… “Uh ahh...that has over 3000mg of Sodium! A Cola has less! In your condition I wouldn’t suggest it”. Ida replies… “Can I have tequila?” Go figure and United flight attendant gives it to her shaking her head!
So part way through the flight after seeing that they put movies on the screen in front and slightly to the side, I put my iPod on and Ida saddles over to the right so she can see between the cracks…and ends up basically sitting in my lap. She looks down, sees my iPod and taps me on the shoulder… “ ‘scuse me..What is that?” I take off my ear phones (bright green for the record...and clearly visible under my blonde holiday cropped short hair) and politely say…”it’s an iPod”. “Ahh” she says “like an iPhone”...pronounced eyepown. I politely say “yes, similar to an iPhone and I copy movies to it to watch.’ And proceed to put my bright green headphones back on my ears. Tap tap tap on the shoulder ‘but how did you get that on it’. I don’t take off my earphones this time and I said “technology is amazing” and then ignored the rest of the tap taps.
A few hours later comes the introduction and the tap tap on the shoulder (despite the fact I can feel her big arm pressing on mine which is nowhere near the arm rest but on my thigh) and says “it’s Bianca (pronounced beunka) right? I noticed that when you were filling in your forms. My name is Ida and I am diabetic. Can I use your tray table to put this on while I get my pills?” to which she has already pulled my tray table down and put her copious amounts of water, ginger ale can’s and other knick knacks and moves her big butt right on to the man on her right who shifts pretty quickly! All in all it only took her 10 minutes to barrage through her bags get out her monstrous pills and then looks to leave all her stuff on my tray table. Naturally I smiled graciously and said her you go, put her table down and put her stuff back!
The rest of the flight wasn’t too bad… I used my home made (not by me, but by the lovely SMD) eye mask and pretended to sleep as much as possible to avoid Ida. Throughout the flight I occasionally did a drastic move pretending to be asleep just to remind her that she was awfully close!!
Landed in San Francisco at 10am on Friday. (Gained a day) and that process was a lot smoother than I expected. Head through customs, (wasn’t quizzed too much although had my return confirmed) and then grab a trolley, pick up bags, roll 200 meters to two big silver machines with men standing next. They get out their little scanner, scan the bags, confirm the destination “JFK Ma’am...start spreading the news?” and off I head with other passengers not really knowing where to go next. After a misguided ascent up the stairs, I come back down the stairs to the domestic terminal and happen to see some other passengers from my plane…figured I’d discreetly follow as they seemed to know what was going on. Get to another scan session where I have to take off my shoes, belt and take out lappy, and then up some other stairs to the domestic. Find a TV, see the screen and off to wait for the next part of the flight!
The domestic flight was better and a bit roomier than the previous flight. In the bulk heads behind business and pretty sorted. Was surprised to see that although it was a connecting from Oz, I had to pay for food, but soft drinks and water free. I was pretty full from the dodgy pasta and meat roll and eggs and tomato so wasn’t too fussed.
The two people next to me where really nice, the guy went up to his bags and then his wife taps me on the shoulder...(I did have a moment of here we go again….) I take off my green ear phones and the guy says “Miss…do you like cookies?” Now I know that mum always told me not to take things from strangers, particularly men offering lollies or biscuits but this looked safe enough. He then offered me a few packets of wafer biscuits and said he had heaps. Yay, meal on this flight sorted!!
Arriving in JFK airport was reminiscent of the silver shed of Adelaide Airport years ago minus the tarmac walk! Grab a trolley (US$5 welcome to USA) and patiently wait for my bright orange bag and small black bag. Orange bag...bingo… waiting waiting… passengers leaving, less bags on carousel…. Heart races… beads of sweat on the forehead…. C’mon… C’mon…. where are you…. Then four young Aussies have no bags! They ask me if I was on the Sydney flight to which I say yes. They had 5 hr stop in LA vs. my 3 hr stop in San Fran…aggh the bags arrived at the same time. I ask a lady if any more bags expected… I didn’t get much more than a shrug of her shoulders. I walked around and went to head to another lady, when I hear a page for a series of passengers… the LA Aussies, and then my name… your bag is in the office. It arrived early! Fewwwww! SIGH OF RELIEF and there was the little black Samsonite with yellow Singapore airline ribbon that I wanted to kiss! I.D issued, and bag delivered.
I walk out with ALL MY BAGS, and see a tall man with a sign and my name on it… and so begins the start of my US adventure….
See guys, the blogs are epic…. More to come I’ll let you digest this first!
Lots of Love Bee
xx
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