We are finally in Chennai. Hurray! And it's only Friday.....
Last Tuesday, Charlie and I had a great plan. We'd spend the night in a hotel by LAX. Our flight (the first of three) was at 7:40 in the morning. Since we were going to be gone for close to a month, we didn't want to leave the car in the C lot. So, we decided to drive our cases and us to the airport Hilton, drop Charlie and the cases off. Then, I would drive home, leave the car in the garage, walk to the Gold Line station. Gold line to Union station. Then the Flyaway to the airport. Then the airport shuttle to the hotel. Not a bad plan.
It began like clockwork. With Charlie and luggage at the hotel, I drove home. Easy peasy. I walked to the Gold line and there was a 4 pm train almost as soon as I got to the station. The driver seemed to be wallowing in mud. He kept opening and shutting the doors at every stop. He seemed to crawl from station to station. At Lincoln Cypress station, he just stopped altogether. Gak! After at least 5 minutes, he mentioned that only one track was open and we'd have to wait another 5. It was actually 15. All told it was a 35 minute ride instead of a 15 minute ride. The rest was easy
The next morning at 4:00 AM we hopped the Hilton shuttle to the airport. We took a United flight from LA to Washington Dulles in Washington DC. I had noticed the weather report for Washington looked bleak. Sigh..... The weather was fine when we landed. We had a 3 hour layover which we spent getting a coffee, visiting the Lufthansa lounge and other ways of killing 3 hours in an airport. The flight - a Lufthansa from Washington Dulles to Frankfurt Germany - was supposed to be on time. At 7 or so we boarded the plane. At that moment the skies opened and it really began to pour. It was raining so hard that the jetway at the plane's door was leaking. We boarded anyway. The pilot was a bit slow taxing out of the gate. He told us the weather was slowing take offs. There was a great scrum of planes bunched up waiting to go. The rain poured against the plane. After more time, the pilot announced that the airport had closed take offs for all planes headed north and west. (we were north). The pilot hoped he could get us a south takeoff and figure it out from there. Finally we began to move. OH NO - he announced he was going back to the gate for more fuel. At this moment it was more than two hours after we boarded. Our next flight (the one to Chennai was supposed to leave 2 1/4 hours after our planned arrival. ) We were stalling way past that. At that moment I decided we were going to miss the next leg of our flight. I had brought clothes for hot, tropical India, not cold Frankfurt.
The pilot flew like a mad man once we managed to take off. Miraculously, he made up incredible amounts of time. We were originally supposed to land at 8 (Frankfurt time) We actually made it to the gate by 9:40. The purser was announcing replacement flights for all the people who had clearly missed their flights other places. Chennai wasn't on the list. We ran off the plane, spotted a group of Lufthansa reps. "Chennai?" They pointed down the hall. At every critical junction on our run were more Lufthansa reps with the same question and response. We ran to the gate. An airport security man decided to be officious - but we got on in lots of time despite his poking around. The plane was held on the ground for 15 minutes (at this point who cares) so more late arrivals could make the flight. Lufthansa has only one flight a day to Chennai.
We landed at 12:30 AM - it's a 9 1/2 hour flight from Frankfurt. By the time we got through immigration, customs, and waited for our bags - which miraculously made it from LA, despite our quick plane change - we got back to the hotel at 2:30. In bed by 3 AM or so - but who's counting? By the way, we landed at 12:30 AM on October 30 (Friday). The guys from Cox and Kings picked us up at the airport - but it made discussing what we were going to do on what day very confusing. "Today, Tomorrow" When today starts at 2:30 or 3 in the morning - it gets weird
Day one in Chennai later.
Last Tuesday, Charlie and I had a great plan. We'd spend the night in a hotel by LAX. Our flight (the first of three) was at 7:40 in the morning. Since we were going to be gone for close to a month, we didn't want to leave the car in the C lot. So, we decided to drive our cases and us to the airport Hilton, drop Charlie and the cases off. Then, I would drive home, leave the car in the garage, walk to the Gold Line station. Gold line to Union station. Then the Flyaway to the airport. Then the airport shuttle to the hotel. Not a bad plan.
It began like clockwork. With Charlie and luggage at the hotel, I drove home. Easy peasy. I walked to the Gold line and there was a 4 pm train almost as soon as I got to the station. The driver seemed to be wallowing in mud. He kept opening and shutting the doors at every stop. He seemed to crawl from station to station. At Lincoln Cypress station, he just stopped altogether. Gak! After at least 5 minutes, he mentioned that only one track was open and we'd have to wait another 5. It was actually 15. All told it was a 35 minute ride instead of a 15 minute ride. The rest was easy
The next morning at 4:00 AM we hopped the Hilton shuttle to the airport. We took a United flight from LA to Washington Dulles in Washington DC. I had noticed the weather report for Washington looked bleak. Sigh..... The weather was fine when we landed. We had a 3 hour layover which we spent getting a coffee, visiting the Lufthansa lounge and other ways of killing 3 hours in an airport. The flight - a Lufthansa from Washington Dulles to Frankfurt Germany - was supposed to be on time. At 7 or so we boarded the plane. At that moment the skies opened and it really began to pour. It was raining so hard that the jetway at the plane's door was leaking. We boarded anyway. The pilot was a bit slow taxing out of the gate. He told us the weather was slowing take offs. There was a great scrum of planes bunched up waiting to go. The rain poured against the plane. After more time, the pilot announced that the airport had closed take offs for all planes headed north and west. (we were north). The pilot hoped he could get us a south takeoff and figure it out from there. Finally we began to move. OH NO - he announced he was going back to the gate for more fuel. At this moment it was more than two hours after we boarded. Our next flight (the one to Chennai was supposed to leave 2 1/4 hours after our planned arrival. ) We were stalling way past that. At that moment I decided we were going to miss the next leg of our flight. I had brought clothes for hot, tropical India, not cold Frankfurt.
The pilot flew like a mad man once we managed to take off. Miraculously, he made up incredible amounts of time. We were originally supposed to land at 8 (Frankfurt time) We actually made it to the gate by 9:40. The purser was announcing replacement flights for all the people who had clearly missed their flights other places. Chennai wasn't on the list. We ran off the plane, spotted a group of Lufthansa reps. "Chennai?" They pointed down the hall. At every critical junction on our run were more Lufthansa reps with the same question and response. We ran to the gate. An airport security man decided to be officious - but we got on in lots of time despite his poking around. The plane was held on the ground for 15 minutes (at this point who cares) so more late arrivals could make the flight. Lufthansa has only one flight a day to Chennai.
We landed at 12:30 AM - it's a 9 1/2 hour flight from Frankfurt. By the time we got through immigration, customs, and waited for our bags - which miraculously made it from LA, despite our quick plane change - we got back to the hotel at 2:30. In bed by 3 AM or so - but who's counting? By the way, we landed at 12:30 AM on October 30 (Friday). The guys from Cox and Kings picked us up at the airport - but it made discussing what we were going to do on what day very confusing. "Today, Tomorrow" When today starts at 2:30 or 3 in the morning - it gets weird
Day one in Chennai later.
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