Day 20: Departure - Shanghai

Murder! Mayhem!

Or at least theoretically. Lemme explain...

We all got up at 5:40 a.m. in order to check out of our room and catch the first shuttlebus of the day to the airport, which leaves at 6:30. It was about an hour's ride and we got to Pudong Airport at about 7:30... only to discover that we - Mom, actually - forgot our tickets/passports back at the hotel, stuffed under her pillow for safekeeping last night. Our flight leaves at 10:15, and there's still check-in and security stuff to go through before we get to the gate. So naturally we were worried.

Mom immediately went out to catch a cab back to the hotel, while 'cuz and I stayed behind to watch the luggage. Actually, it was more like 'cuz was there to keep me from climbing the walls or having a nervous breakdown. He is such a solid and comfoting presence to have around. (Note to self: must get him a good present by mail or with the next visit back for thanks.)

As it turned out, Mom was able to nab an obliging old hand at the taxi business, who probably broke every traffic regulation plus a few laws of physics to get to the hotel and back in little over an hour's time. Also, since it was still early and on a Sunday, the traffic was relatively light, and the hotel people hadn't bothered to clean our room yet. So mom was able to get back to us with about an hour to spare. It did cost 300 RMB for the taxi, but that's still much more preferable than having to scrap all our flight plans. (To quote Methos: "The alternative is unthinkable.")

Day 20: Departure - Japan

So my flight plan this time is: Pudong (Shanghai) --> Narita (Tokyo) --> LA --> SF

Interesting enough, I actually arrive at LA slightly "before" I leave Shanghai by crossing the international date line. If everything went on time, I should be home in CA by 3 p.m. the same as I left Shanghai at 10 a.m., despite the fact that I'd certainly have to spend way more than 7 hours in the air.

Anyways, the layouver at Narita was about 4 hours as planned, which means about 3 hours of idle time once all the paperwork/check-in stuff was done. I used this time to check out the gift shops and they let me buy stuff with US dollars at a rate of $1 = 102¥. Not sure if that's a fiar rate, but I bought a few souvenirs anyways - a compact mirror for ¥1000 and a swordset keychain that reminds me of a certain hitokiri for ¥350, for about $13.50 total.

Also, since the flight to LA was pretty full, the nice man who checked us in at Narita bumped Mom and me up to the Business class, with all its superior service and stuff.

The flight itself had an American pilot and mostly American crew. AA once again proved itself the sluggard by being late by about an hour or so. They blamed the weather, as it was foggy with small rain in LA at the time. But still, that was one of the worst plane landings I've sat through. Honestly, it felt like a roller coaster and I actually got *cramps* over it, and I almost never get cramps after the first day of my period.

Day 20: Departure - LA

I hate LA with the burning passion of 1000 suns. First, they kept us waiting on the runway for another extra hour, making our flight late by 2 whopping hours. Then we had to get our luggage from the carrousel and run it through customs again - a process which seems to consist solely of getting the bags from point A (pick up) to point B (recheckin). Why this cannot be done automatically or by airport personnel is beyond me.

It was already 12:10 when we got to the baggage re-check-in. My mom's next flight had already left by then, so she had to reschedule. My flight boards at 12:30 and leaves at 1:00 (or so says my ticket), so I was told to run for it as they processed by baggage. I ran.

Then I discovered that I had to go through the incredibly long line that spanned the length of 2 floors for the security check-in. Since I didn't have 1-2 hours of luxury for waiting, I cut. that is, I ran to the head of the line and worked backwards, asking people if I could cut in front of them and showing them my ticket. Still, it was bare minutes to 1:00 when I finally got past security, who were seriously taking their darn sweet time looking at each item on the track like they didn't know what there were looking for/at.

So then I made another mad dash across the building because of course the gate for my flight would be at the other end of the looong terminal corridor. Then I got there and collapsed against the counter staring dumbly at the screen declaring flight whatever for Denver. Luckily, the lady at the counter got my messages as I huffed incoherently and waved my ticket at her. Then I find out that the departing flight's also been delayed and won't be coming in for boarding until the Denver flight leaves. The new departure time had been changed to 1:45 2:00 2:30.

*stabs LA Airport*

And then, after boarding the plane, there was another delay of another 1.5 freakin' hours for the luggage to be loaded (and sorted, presumably). Compared to the barely hour-long flight time from LA to SF, this 3 hour delay at LA is simply ridiculous.

Home Sweet Home

Well, I'm *finally* home.

Actually, I arrived at the SF Airport at about 5 p.m., courtesy of that 3 hour delay at LA.

Then it took me an hour to meet up with my dad, who was supposed to be picking me up. It seems that he'd wandered off to the international arrivals terminals. Since my last flight was a domestic one, naturally, he couldn't find me there. So while I was wandering around the domestic arrivals terminals, I made a few unanswered calls to my home phone, and a call to cashew, just because I was bored and slightly worried. I fear to look at my credit card statement online to see how much those calls cost me... *shudder*

So, after Dad and I finally met up, we then spent *yet another* hour wandering around the airport trying to find his car. He had parked in the international terminal parking lot, which naturally *had* to be far away from the domestic terminals/parking lot. Add to that the fact that I had all my luggage on a push-cart, which meant we that we had to hunt around for elevators since we couldn't use escalators. Well, it took a while.

But I'm home now. Finally. After all the headaches and delays and pressurized cabins... I'm finally home.

And now I'm gonna go vaguely unpack and then collapse on my bed.