Trips are wonderful things. Wherever you may be going, there is always a sense of anticipation and wonder. It doesn't matter if you're going somewhere new or returning home for the billionth time. Everywhere you go will hold new experiences.
At least, this is how I felt before I actually left. Whoever said, "It's not about the destination, it's about the journey," clearly wasn't from Texas. because on Dec. 26 this was what my "journey" looked like.
Hour 0: 12:00 p.m. After months of planning I'm FINALLY leaving for Singapore soon! I've become bedridden with excitement and can no longer function. I notice small flakes of snow falling outside of my bedroom. I think nothing of it since I’m from the part of Texas that's as desert as desert can be.
Realization: No matter how much you plan something, you can't control everything.
Hour 1: 11:00 p.m. Flight canceled due to snowfall. Crap.
NO CHILL, TEXAS, COME ON.
There's a reason travel bloggers and all those "wanderlust" people aren't posting pictures in airports: they're not fun. So naturally, I'm going to tell you all about my 48+ hours spent in airports and planes on my way from El Paso, Texas to Singapore, Singapore and the realizations I had along the way.
12.27.15
Hour 5: 4:00 a.m. Drive to the airport to witness super-long lines. After about an hour of waiting, I have to rebook my flights to leave on two days later.
Hour 7: 6:00 a.m. Throw finger at sky, which is still dropping snow.
12.28.15
Hour 1 (again): 8:00 a.m. Mom wakes me up. We decide to try to fly out of El Paso to Dallas today instead of tomorrow to avoid the risk of missing my international flight to Hong Kong.
8:25 a.m. Arrive at airport. Power is out. Naturally.
Realization: There are no lines in the world like Airport lines.
Hour 2: 10:45 a.m. After waiting in line for almost two hours, we find out we were in the wrong line and wait in a second line. I'm starting to feel like I'm on "Survivor." Amongst the things I overhear are:
"How will I feed my children?"
"HOW WILL I FEED MYSELF?"
"I'M NEVER GOING TO MAKE IT OUT OF HERE!"
"This is it, Sharon. I'm done."
Which leads me to:
Realization: Delayed flights make people dramatic.
SPOILER: Despite the very intense worries of my fellow delayed lines-people, no one died.
By this point I finally have a seat on a flight that leaves at 4:50 p.m.
Hour 5: 1:00 p.m. Realize I read the ticket wrong and that my flight actually leaves at 2:00 p.m. Rush to airport. Begin to sympathize with the dramatic "Survivor: Airport Edition" people as I, too, begin to say "I'm not going to make it."
1:30 p.m. The plane has arrived but the crew is missing. Cool.
Hour 6: 2:00 p.m. Flight is delayed indefinitely.
Realization: Delayed flights can bring out the worst in people.
People can get downright mean when their flights are delayed.
I walk up to a set of two couches that generously seat four people. As I’m about to sit on the smaller of the two couches, a man in his '50s throws his iPad onto the small couch and makes eye contact with me. He glares at me without moving. I look behind him and notice all of his stuff is taking up the other couch.
“Mind if I sit here, sir?,” I ask like the nice person I am.
“I’m waiting for my wife.” He says as a woman, obviously his wife, walks behind him tapping him gently on the shoulder before sitting on the other couch. “Go find somewhere else to sit.”
At this point, I'm running on four hours of sleep and while normally I let people be, I really want a comfortable place to sit. I look at the man, to his wife (who is now playing Candy Crush on her iPhone), and back to him and ask again, “Are you sure?”
“Yes, go find somewhere else,” he barks.
Hour 9: 5:00 p.m. Board plane and finally leave to Dallas. The flight crew was supposed to sleep in El Paso but instead decided to do one more flight and sleep in Dallas. #therealMVPs.
Hour 11: 7:00 p.m. Check into hotel and spend the night.
12.29.15
Hour 22: Wake up at 6:30 a.m. to go check into my flight. After waiting in line, the employee at the check-in desk tells me, “Oh no! They didn’t book your flights for today!” She looks up from her desk and sees my visibly upset face. “Wait, I should phrase that differently. They rebooked you but your information didn’t transfer, you’ll be fine. Also you’re in the wrong line.”
Hello darkness, my old friend...
Hour 24: Wait in the correct line, and finally check in my bag.
Hour 26: Pass through security, and get on the plane to Hong Kong
Realization: All of this waiting is worth it.
12.30.15
Hour 41: Fifteen hours down, one hour to go before touchdown. Have you ever seen those plane scenes on TV where someone has to yell, "Is there a doctor on board?" I got to experience that in real life.
Realization: Flights can bring out the best in people.
My Filipino neighbor, sitting right next to me, gets chest pain and shooting pains down her left arm. She flags down a flight attendant who then pages over the intercom "If there is a physician onboard, please make yourself known to the flight attendants."
Within minutes, there are three doctors surrounding my aisle, and a woman who has offered herself as a translator. It was incredible to see everyone on the same page, working to make sure my neighbor was all right (which she was in the end). Sure, air travel can can bring out the worst in people, but it can also bring out the best.
Hour 42: The crazy parts of my long transit have finally passed as I land in Hong Kong.
Note: Hong Kong smog is so real.
Hour 50: Land in Singapore after an additional four-hour flight.
Hour 51: Pass through security, drive to where I'm staying, and finally, FINALLY, lay in bed.
Travel can be rough but in the end, it really is worth it. I'll be sure to remind myself when I have to do this all over again in three weeks.
