It first started with an announcement, "We apologize that flight 2888 will have a short delay."
6 hours later, we were still in the airport waiting.
Yet, Edwin and I were still in good spirits. We had just come off from an extremely busy month, and 6 hours in the airport was actually a good time for rest, reflection time. Finally, by the 6th hour of waiting, we got a call to all board the plane to go home.
Unfortunately, the story doesn't end there.
One hour into the flight, I suddenly sensed that the plane is descending. How odd, I thought. Maybe I lost track of time. I know the flight is supposed to take at least 3 hours! The cabin light turned on and the next thing I know, there was an announcement that said, "Due to the fog in our city the plane cannot land. Must land at another airport in a small town." We are only halfway there.
By this time, it's close to 11pm. People are not happy. Voices are raised, "Why on earth did we take off in the first place, if we know we can't land?" We got no answer.
After some turbulence, we landed in what seemed like a deserted runway. It turns out to be part of a very tiny airport, that seems to be in the middle of nowhere. It's dark. Crowded. And the airport looks more like a bus terminal with lots of construction workers who are angry chain-smokers. Apparently there is no rule about smoking in the this airport. Almost every single person was lighting up. There seemed to be a cloud of smoke just hanging in the air, shading everything with a tint of white-gray. There is no ventilation, so the cloud of smoke does not move. All the while, angry people from the plane look as if they wanted to riot.
Edwin and I figured, well, if we must spend the night at this place, we hope we can at least breathe. After circling the jail-like terminal, we finally found a locked-door with a crack that lead to the outside world. We took turns sticking our noses through the crack to inhale fresh air. Ahh, it was a relief to be able to fully inhale! By this time, it was midnight.
Around 1am, (I forget now, as I feel I must have been inhaling too much second hand-smoke or just simply exhausted), we finally got herded out of the airport. They told us to wait for buses, as we will then be taken to hotels. (We were happy about this good bit of news that we didn't have to spend the whole night in the airport!) It took an hour to load everyone on the bus, as there was somewhat of a fight to see who would get on first. And of course, the concept of "getting in a line" simply is just out of the question.
An hour later, we arrive at a hotel. Again, a mob is crowded at the reception. Because it's in the middle of the night, there were only 2 hotel workers. Again, there were no lines. Only a mob of people trying to squeeze their way to the front...all at the same time.
By this time, I started to recognize faces of people on our flights. And angry people started to make friends as they were told they needed to choose roommates. Luckily, Edwin and I were together, so we could stay together. And as the night wore on, people became more tired than angry. And the need for sleep was higher than the need for explanations. So, we all went to our rooms for a few hours of sleep before waking up at the crack of dawn (to return to the airport).
The next morning (a few hours later), we are back at the airport. At 12:30pm, we boarded the plane and was in eager hopes of returning home.
An hour later, we were still circling the runway. It was then announced, "Everyone, please exit the plane and have a rest." Apparently, we still could not go home. We were then herded off the plane once again, and returned to the smoky airport.
By this time, we were no longer in good spirits. It looked like there is no hope of returning as the fog continued to cause problems. We started to wonder if we should have taken the train instead. Sure, it's like a 16 hour train ride, but we sure to at least get home...
But because we couldn't retrieve our luggage, we had to wait.
And finally, 7pm that night, 28 hours later (in what was supposed to be a 3 hour flight)....we finally landed in our city.
Some things I learned...
- Always pack enough stuff in your carry-ons that will sustain you for twenty something hours or more...
- Always carry a good book with you, as it is a great tool to past time. I finished Jane Austen's Emma during this crazy adventure!
- Never take smoke-free airports for granted again!!
When things don't go our way, it is a chance for us to build character.
Sigh. Why do lessons always have to be learned the hard way??
