Nagoya Flashback
Despite the kid's concerns that Santa wouldn't be able to find them, we brought them to Virginia for Christmas again. The trip yesterday was long, but as holiday travel goes, not too bad.
We missed the storm window by a few hours and managed to fly out. We left early, early for a 9:40 flight. It was a dark, cold and really windy morning. We checked in at the curb because the line inside was insane. I like curbside check in except for the bitter wind.
We made it through security in a "special" line for families with little kids. We made it through the stripping, unpacking, scanning, security check ritual without incident. In truth, I was a little disappointed. It was all going to easy what would there be to blog about? No one wants to hear how everyone stood quietly in the security line, made it through the metal detector and boarded the plane without incident. Boring!
But luckily the pilot, obviously knowing of my overwhelming need to blog, was able to add a little spice to the trip. As we begin to take taxi back from the gate, the pilot came on with his welcome to the flight speech. He mentions that they expect it to be a little bumpy as we leave Salt Lake. Um, a little bumpy? It was three minutes of total Nagoya flying.
Not catching the Nagoya allusion - well let me illuminate. About 13-14 years ago, during my early, early college days, I was flying back from a summer in Okinawa with my family. I made the little puddle jumper flight from Okinawa to the main land without problem. Nagoya is a good size airport and you have to take a shuttle in between terminals. I had made this hop from Nagoya to San Fransisco before, so I was able to navigate the Nagoya airport without problems and even let three lost, young Marines follow me around baby ducks.
Once in Nagoya though, my luck ran out. I was delayed by an impending typhoon. Typhoon AKA hurricane. I know there is a techincal difference between the two, but I've been through both and I'll tell you what - they seem pretty similar to me.
After 6 hours of waiting, as the weather only got worse, officials realized the airport is going to be closing. So rather than keep a huge plane full of people in the airport or try to set them up somewhere in the city to wait out the storm, they had the best idea... let's let them fly out! Cool. Couldn't come up with that plan 6 hours ago, when we just had the threat a storm, not the actually wind and rain of one?
So across the tarmack we walk and climb aboard our waiting plane. As I leaned forward to try and brace myself against the strong wind, I thought "Yep, feels like a typhoon to me." It was a huge plane and I was in the center section of five seats across, on the aisle. As people boarded the plane no one sat by me, but one of the last folks on the plane turned out to be my seat. Down the aisle comes a thin woman, dressed in a faux fur coat with leopard print stretch pants and big boots, a dark black bob and lots of makeup. Through lengthy conversations I would eventually learn that her name was Sheena. She was an exotic dancer who had been working in Japan that year and was on her way home. She was quite a character.
Now Sheena alone would have been an interesting seatmate, but it was what she was carrying that made it a real...experience. She had a little animal carriar and in it? A fluffy, white, very ticked off cat. (Editorial Note: I'm severly allergic to cats.) Of course.
So let's recap...cat, Sheena the exotic dancer, typhoon.
As the plane took off, it was the only time in my life I've ever actually thought I was going to die. The wings literally dipped all the way to the right and then all the way to the left. Back and forth, back and forth. The plane jumped over the great gusts of wind like it was riding the track of a roller coaster. It was truly frightening. I gripped the armrests of my seat and prayed. I wasn't even praying that I would be protected. I was praying that they would find my body in the ocean after the plane crashed. For some reason the thought of my body lost in the ocean is really distrubing to me, so FYI - if anything happens to me, don't bury me at sea.
Apparently, the terrifying winds of the Typhoon were also bothering Sheena's cat. In the midst of the dipping and plunging, big white fluffy fur balls were flying out of that kennel. That cat was hissing and carrying on. And I'm thinking "great...if the typhoon doesn't kill me the hives will."
We made it through the storm and lived to tell the tale. The rest of the flight must have been uneventful, because the only other thing I remember is that the cat kennel kept sliding down the row toward me. When Sheena was asleep I would use my foot to push that little furball as far down the row in the other direction as I could. She'd wake up and wonder how it got so far down the row and I'd blame it on turbulence. :)
So anyway, flying out of Salt Lake yesterday. 3 mins of Nagoya and while I'm white knuckling my armrests, the girls are laughing and giggling. Having the time of their lives. Once we hit smooth air Brynn said "Boy, I hope we get to do that again." Oh yeah ... me too.
We missed the storm window by a few hours and managed to fly out. We left early, early for a 9:40 flight. It was a dark, cold and really windy morning. We checked in at the curb because the line inside was insane. I like curbside check in except for the bitter wind.
We made it through security in a "special" line for families with little kids. We made it through the stripping, unpacking, scanning, security check ritual without incident. In truth, I was a little disappointed. It was all going to easy what would there be to blog about? No one wants to hear how everyone stood quietly in the security line, made it through the metal detector and boarded the plane without incident. Boring!
But luckily the pilot, obviously knowing of my overwhelming need to blog, was able to add a little spice to the trip. As we begin to take taxi back from the gate, the pilot came on with his welcome to the flight speech. He mentions that they expect it to be a little bumpy as we leave Salt Lake. Um, a little bumpy? It was three minutes of total Nagoya flying.
Not catching the Nagoya allusion - well let me illuminate. About 13-14 years ago, during my early, early college days, I was flying back from a summer in Okinawa with my family. I made the little puddle jumper flight from Okinawa to the main land without problem. Nagoya is a good size airport and you have to take a shuttle in between terminals. I had made this hop from Nagoya to San Fransisco before, so I was able to navigate the Nagoya airport without problems and even let three lost, young Marines follow me around baby ducks.
Once in Nagoya though, my luck ran out. I was delayed by an impending typhoon. Typhoon AKA hurricane. I know there is a techincal difference between the two, but I've been through both and I'll tell you what - they seem pretty similar to me.
After 6 hours of waiting, as the weather only got worse, officials realized the airport is going to be closing. So rather than keep a huge plane full of people in the airport or try to set them up somewhere in the city to wait out the storm, they had the best idea... let's let them fly out! Cool. Couldn't come up with that plan 6 hours ago, when we just had the threat a storm, not the actually wind and rain of one?
So across the tarmack we walk and climb aboard our waiting plane. As I leaned forward to try and brace myself against the strong wind, I thought "Yep, feels like a typhoon to me." It was a huge plane and I was in the center section of five seats across, on the aisle. As people boarded the plane no one sat by me, but one of the last folks on the plane turned out to be my seat. Down the aisle comes a thin woman, dressed in a faux fur coat with leopard print stretch pants and big boots, a dark black bob and lots of makeup. Through lengthy conversations I would eventually learn that her name was Sheena. She was an exotic dancer who had been working in Japan that year and was on her way home. She was quite a character.
Now Sheena alone would have been an interesting seatmate, but it was what she was carrying that made it a real...experience. She had a little animal carriar and in it? A fluffy, white, very ticked off cat. (Editorial Note: I'm severly allergic to cats.) Of course.
So let's recap...cat, Sheena the exotic dancer, typhoon.
As the plane took off, it was the only time in my life I've ever actually thought I was going to die. The wings literally dipped all the way to the right and then all the way to the left. Back and forth, back and forth. The plane jumped over the great gusts of wind like it was riding the track of a roller coaster. It was truly frightening. I gripped the armrests of my seat and prayed. I wasn't even praying that I would be protected. I was praying that they would find my body in the ocean after the plane crashed. For some reason the thought of my body lost in the ocean is really distrubing to me, so FYI - if anything happens to me, don't bury me at sea.
Apparently, the terrifying winds of the Typhoon were also bothering Sheena's cat. In the midst of the dipping and plunging, big white fluffy fur balls were flying out of that kennel. That cat was hissing and carrying on. And I'm thinking "great...if the typhoon doesn't kill me the hives will."
We made it through the storm and lived to tell the tale. The rest of the flight must have been uneventful, because the only other thing I remember is that the cat kennel kept sliding down the row toward me. When Sheena was asleep I would use my foot to push that little furball as far down the row in the other direction as I could. She'd wake up and wonder how it got so far down the row and I'd blame it on turbulence. :)
So anyway, flying out of Salt Lake yesterday. 3 mins of Nagoya and while I'm white knuckling my armrests, the girls are laughing and giggling. Having the time of their lives. Once we hit smooth air Brynn said "Boy, I hope we get to do that again." Oh yeah ... me too.
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