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Published: September 24th 2014
Crowds. Fun.
And this is only part of it!Well, time to hit the road again. And it wouldn't be a trip to Asia for me if I didn't have a little snafu. Or in this case, a big one.
Some of you may be wondering if my luggage was lost. Again. While my latest adventure has left me exhausted and swollen for a few days, it has not left me without my things. And for that I am grateful.
After traveling down to Phoenix for some quality, sushi and Mexican food filled time with my cousins, we drove to the airport around 3pm on Thursday. I had a flight at 530 to Chicago, and then after a nice little layover, one to HK, and then onward to KL. It wasn't quite the direct route I would have chosen, but upon further inspection, I realized it not only got me in to KL by noon on Saturday, it also had me riding a really good airline—one that I've always wanted to fly, but could never afford to. Suddenly, my few extra hours of flight time seemed like a small price to pay for comfort and an earlier arrival time. With training starting early Monday,
having extra time to rest, recover, and get on Malaysian time was essential. Without it, I doubt even coffee could help me.
My cousin had decided that she'd park and help me with my bags. I have a bit more luggage than usual (my usual being only one suitcase, not two) and was grateful for the offered help. But when we pulled into Terminal 4 around 315, traffic was backed up. Then we saw the police car. And another. And another. I counted ten. All of the ramps to the parking ramp were blocked. Our first thought was that there was a bomb threat. We were wrong.
We pulled up to the terminal and I asked if I was allowed inside. It reminded me of a day back in my banking days when we'd called the police because of a forger. Even with a parking lot full of police cars, little old ladies kept coming in and asking if it was safe. At the time, my coworkers and I had thought they were nuts. Trust me, I see the irony. Except that those little old ladies could come back later, whereas I only had
one flight!
I was told I could go in, but I needed to go upstairs immediately for my safety. If my cousin hadn't needed to return to work (and stay there) I might have opted not to. But since she needed to, and I saw quite a few other people also going in, I did. I was immediately directed up an escalator to the third floor. It wasn't until I got there that I started to find out what was happening, rumors and all.
All anyone could be sure of was that there was a gunman. Some said two. Some said he was in the airport, some said the parking ramp. There'd been a police chase. A Shell gas station was robbed. They'd come here to hide. (We all agreed that a parking ramp was a terrific hiding place.) After a while, police had released a photo of the suspect and we knew what he looked like. Other people kept coming in, reporting that they'd never seen so many police cars in their life. I noticed the FBI on my wifi options. (Irritatingly, the airport had just gotten rid of their wifi the day
before, changing to a new system, but none of us realized that.)
I made friends with a lovely couple from Ohio who were on their way to Vegas. The woman bought some salted chocolate caramels and water and shared with me, swearing that she'd eat them all if I didn't help her. I said I was happy to help her with this problem. Her husband was on the phone with his friend, who couldn't get back to his car in the parking ramp. He'd opted to buy some beer and wait it out. “Where did he get beer?” she asked. “The Shell station,” I replied. We both laughed.
Flight announcements still said my flight was on time, which I found amusing. Some people who'd just arrived on planes complained about not being able to get their luggage (down on floor1) even though they were free to leave. Some people complained about how it seemed ridiculous that with so many police they were still searching. Weren't the airlines furious about all of this? (Somehow, I doubt that was really a concern for most people.) Some of us cracked jokes about how this would make a
really good movie.. except that if it were really a movie, it would be finished, the credits would have rolled, and we'd be on our way home by now.
They started evacuating people without tickets and those who'd flown in. Those of us waiting for flights could leave if we wanted. (But without the option to reschedule, I couldn't figure out how this was a good option for anyone with tickets.) Mostly we sat and stared at each other, hoping for news.
A bit after five they sent water up the escalators. While relieved to have it, I didn't take it as a good sign.
Around 545 we were let back down to the ticketing counters to check in. My original flight most likely wasn't going at all. I knew I still had a few hours until my flight left for HK, so I was optimistic that maybe it would all work out without too much rebooking and hassle.
The ticket agent first said that I could leave the next day. I said no, I really needed to be in KL by Saturday, so she went to work
while I crossed my fingers. I looked around and realized that the line for Southwest Airlines was as long as the terminal. I was so happy to not be in it.
Finally, after a few attempts and conferring with a colleague, she told me, “I've rebooked you going through London. But the flight leaves soon. You'll need to run to check in with the airline over there and be on time to the gate.” I thanked her and ran as fast as I could dragging my two suitcases behind me.
Run I did. Only to get to the gate with five minutes to spare and then find out that my flight was now delayed for an hour. Knowing I wouldn't be getting a vegetarian meal on the plane, I went in search of food.
Finally we boarded... and sat. And waited. I dozed off, exhausted after all the standing around, ready to go at a moment's notice. I think it was nearly an hour. My two hour wait had turned into five.
We landed in London a bit after 3 local time. I had a seven hour layover
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It actually wasn't that good, but it was pretty wedged between a ten hour flight and a twelve hour flight. (So too short to take a trip into town, and too long to just grab a bit to eat. But I guess it's better than the original nine.) After transferring to the correct terminal, I found food and wifi. But the wifi at Heathrow is limited to 45 minutes. Supposedly. I got it to work longer, but I never could get Facebook to load properly.
My flight was scheduled for 10pm. But they said that the gate wouldn't open until 845. It didn't open till nearly 9pm. It's a lot easier to sit and relax and wait if you know you're somewhere near where you need to be for information.
I didn't sleep much on the second flight, even though I was exhausted. And then the stress of it all made me feel unwell. Luckily, the flight attendants noticed and offered me some ginger ale, which I gratefully accepted. It was pretty cool to watch take off and landing from a camera mounted on the tail wing, though. I'd always wondered what that looked like. It was also pretty great to see palm
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I could get used to this. trees immediately upon landing. As an added bonus, all my luggage arrived, too!
I breezed through the shortest customs line ever and waited patiently for my luggage, slightly fearful that with everything that had happened, they might be … not here. But both my suitcases arrived. I wheeled my bags out of the airport, stopping to buy a taxi ticket for less than the price my boss had said it would be. (In Malaysia, you buy your ticket at the taxi stand inside the airport, and are issued a taxi, rather than taking a taxi with a meter and risking a driver who wants to show you the sights.)
My taxi ride took an hour, the sun setting over more palm trees and my chatty driver (thankfully) keeping me awake. At my hotel, I was greeted by a large, well dressed wedding party, eagerly awaiting a bridal couple. I felt a bit silly getting out of my taxi directly in front of them, as though I was a VIP.
I checked in, was shown to my room, and then grabbed a bite to eat before collapsing for a 12 hour sleep. Sunday I slept late, enjoyed an all I could eat buffet breakfast, read outside, napped, read outside again, and had a free drink with the manager before heading to dinner. He said that one of the high ministers had gotten married yesterday, which explains why there were so many VIPs and such a large wedding party. He gave me his card and said to let him know if I needed anything. I don't think I've ever felt so welcomed as a hotel guest.
Monday, training starts. Early. I'm going to need a lot of coffee, I think. When I'm more rested I'm sure I'll be able to look back on this as an experience and dramatic story to tell. I mean, I did nearly circumnavigate the world! I did the math and I flew for 22 hours, had 12 hours waiting for planes, plus taxi and car time; from my parents' to my hotel that's about 38 hours of travel. I've arrived and I'm excited for everything. But first, coffee.
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Dad
non-member comment
Wow
Quite a saga. Never a dull moment, eh? Glad you arrived safely.