Breakfast and Cocktails

Panama City, 17 January.

Woke up at 7:00, and just had one of those bad feelings about the day. Which, is not exactly what one wants to have when they are about to board an international flight. I shook it off, and summed it up to the fact I realised the night before that during my *brilliant* packing efforts in LA, I had forgotten my driving license..yet had a hire car booked for collection at LAX. Which meant my plan of not inconveniencing my poor sister had fallen through.

Chuck, from Fresno and Richard, from Seattle, had, just in a random act of traveller kindness, given me their phone cards, saying they won't be needing them ( har har snicker snicker), so I rang my sister and all was well for her to come to the airport with my license in hand. sorted.

Our flight was initially delayed a half hour - no problem, still have ages to make the connection in Mexico city. Think will just have a little sleep...awoke to see on the board the flight was now 4 hours delayed. Which of course, meant myself and clearly others would be missing connections and went immediately to join the growing crowd at the desk.

And it was then I met 2 more saviours of this trip - Gianni, born in Panama, living in LA and very recently married to Perry, a set designer on the films (I'll be watching the credits for ya Perry!).

We were given a choice; we could either stay in Panama that night, and have another go at the whole thing in the morning, or, we could wait for this flight, get to Mexico and get to LA the following morning. wanting to be closer rather than further to our destination, the majority of us opted for that choice. And with that off to lunch we went.

And such an *amazing variety* of food choices in the Panama City airport. The one cafe was very crowded, and all of us having done the drill knew to choose at least 4 things on the menu for surely they would be out, and they were. As we sat there we met more people, and all recounted dire tales - prison (read below), illness, hospitals...at which point, I was just like, wow, I have had the best trip EVER. I have NO complaints whatsoever, and I am very very BORING! hah! I mean, seriously...I did not even get mugged or robbed! I did not witness any motorcycle accidents that involved death. I did not even have stomach issues! All I had was a budding cold that disappeared after some vitamin C and a day's rest. what's up with that?

Anyhow. Back to the gate at 3pm. No sign that this flight is going anywhere anytime soon, and finally we found out the reason; the plane was missing something. That is very comforting, really. And they are supposedley working on it. Yeah, right, from where, the secret airline employee cocktail bar? As there was no sign of work being done on the aircraft bearing our luggage out on the tarmac. So now, maybe 7pm. Back to the michelin 5 star restaraunt for round 2. we could all order the one other thing on the menu that we did not have last time. hopefully we wouldnt be stuck here long or this could get old rather quickly!

By this time Perry had gone round to duty free and picked up a bottle of Bacardi (along with very convenient carry/pour hybrid box!), and I would have to say this is the moment at which our airline distress passenger club was formed - original membership being Chuck, Richard, myself, Gianni and Perry. We had quite a laugh actually, doling out the rum into Cuba libres and strawberry daiquiries. which, went quite well with Richard's breakfast (at 5pm, sure, why not?), and thus the name of the title of this entry.

We also came up with such brilliant business ideas, like services for airline distress passengers (which, is a term i picked up from a hotel sign back at the Ramada at JFK, when I was in a similar situation!), which would include of course, a cocktail bar. With annual meetings in none other than Panama City.

Called back round to the gate at 7-ish..by this time a former Mexican Airforce/Military Man started giving us the lo-down on the parts of the plane, saying it wasn't likely going to happen tonight. and only moments later, one of the *wonderfully helpful* representatives appeared, announcing, in Spanish, we will not be flying tonight.

Pandemonium in the Panama Airport.

Maybe tomorrow, maybe the day after that(ie, the day I was meant to be in LA and catching a flight back to Vienna....f*** the duck!). I know this because Gianni, our translator and spokesperson, announced it to Perry, who was holding the fort at base camp (our collectoin of bags and commandeered seats), and he shouted out 'WHAAAT!!!??!', which brought the bickering crowd to a halt. Momentarily. Considering Gianni and Perry had waited 2 weeks to get on this flight, the chances of getting on one in the near future were looking a bit bleak...

And then, the one representative who was actually somewhat in charge and helpful, announced there were 4 seats on another flight, and just took a random group of 4, whose final destination was presumably Mexico, and voila! At this point we had resigned ourselves to staying at least one night there, had more dreams about cocktails, and I began to work out the details of how I would eventually get me...and my luggage (half on the dead plane in Panama, half of it..unpacked..in LA)..back to Vienna, and in time to start work the following monday morning.

but then in a rather clandestine manner, the same helpful man came out and said there were now seats on the COPA flight, leaving immediately. I guess in that moment I was voted most desparate in our distressed airline passenger group since I had the furthest to go, and was told run! run! which I did, and with one of Gianni's cases in tow...in a very dramatic moment arriving at the COPA flight gate, only to realise...I probably had the least spanish out of everyone. Perry and Gianni arrived seconds later, and Perry handed over my passport and boarding pass, said I needed to be on this flight as i had to get to Austria, and I was booked and ready to go....minus my new crew though. We said a quick goodbye with hugs all round and I boarded the flight.

Sitting there on my own, realising; this will get into Mexico City around midnight. and from another horror story Gianni told regarding a friend of hers...I would likely be kicked out from the closing terminal, and highly doubted that the Mexicana service person would be there as promised to take me to the hotel. But lady luck came through just this once, and after some minutes, I first saw Richard board, slowly followed by Chuck, Gianni and Perry, and I tell you after all this drama, this was one of the happiest moments of the trip. we all gave each other thumbs up signs and relaxed all the way to mexico.

Mexico City. Of course owing to the last minute change, our luggage did not join us.

The customs official took issue with this.

'You came here with no luggage?!?!?'

'yeah..[insert non-annotated version of story]'

and of course no one was to be found to give us info on the hotel. After much questioning of security, etc. by Gianni, we were finally transported to Terminal 1 and met by someone who insisted on dealing with each of us individually rather than having our spokesperson, Gianni the superstar, do it. By this time we were joined by Thomas and Gilbert, 2 surfers trying to get back to DC and LA, as well as a confused looking Colombian.

We got to the hotel some time I think around half past one. Airport bus at 5.30. The shower felt like heaven but my 2 hours of sleep were disturbed with dreams of being stranded (can't figure why I would dream that), but in a jungle somewhere annd having all my things stolen.

Back to sort out the fact that a lot of our onward boarding passes had been taken by the staff at Panama, and in the case of Chuck and Richard, luggage tags too. trying to sort all that out, running up and down the terminal. Any worries I had about not getting any exercise were instantly gone. I met up with Thomas, Gilbert, Perry and Gianni at the luggage office, who of course had no idea where our bags were. 'Panama?'. the confused Colombian stayed to sort his stuff out, but we called defeat and said we'd sort it out in LA.

Had some more shenanigans locating our gate, and getting breakfast, which ended up in myself and Gilbert having some more morning airport sport with a little sunrise jog through the terminal. We boarded our flight, hi-fiving each other the whole way and frighteningly ecstatic to see LA through the windows. Some of us were finally home. Some of us...had another 14 hours ahead.

Customs was fun.

'How long you here for?'

'One day'

'you came here just for ONE DAY? oh sure..'

[the most deadpan tone i am capable of] 'was here for christmas, went travelling to central america for 3 weeks and tomorrow must fly back to Austria, where I currently live'

(this I knew was already far too much informatoin to be processed. waited appropriate amount of time for processing).

'so, MONROVIA? what are you going to do there? (very suspicious tone)'

'my sister lives there (wince..expecting same line of interrogation my youngest sister Dana got when she arrived, being accused that Jen, our sister in LA, was living there illegally and Dana was coming to smuggle her back into Canada)'.

thankfully no such accusatoin came.

then of course the issue of no luggage.

'you came here with no luggage?' (minus the latin emphasis of the mexican customs guy)

'yeah...[insert non-annotated version of story]'

'oh, its still with the airline, is it?'

(to thomas and gilbert) 'what were you guys doing down in...PANAMA?'

'a lot of surfing'

Passed Perry and Gianni on the way, already tucking into the cocktails before the next scene from our new film, Terminal: the horror version, and without Tom Hanks. Revisit scene: THE LUGGAGE.

we were informed it was coming at 11pm that evening. But because the delivery service doesn't work past then, maybe we can get it the next morning/afternoon! A bit hard to believe, and Thomas held hard with the case of getting another delivery service, whilst I recalled having some lost luggage delivered to me in Vienna at 1 am one time... a City which is far less the hub LA is and does not at all hinge on good service most of the time. So what was the problem? was this not, after all, the mighty city of Los Angeles?

This was also a problem for me, cos I needed to send the contents in there to Canada, and fill it with the remaining things lying about my sisters floor, for the next in the series of around the world in 80 hours, and be back at the airport for no later than midday. well, i can stop by and pick it up..but even if the airline were wiling to let me check 3 bags...I doubted i could manage this on my own upon arrival in Vienna. Plus for anyone who has any geographical knowledge of the LA area..you don't just 'stop by' from where my sister lives, in Monrovia - the drive can take up to 2 hours in traffic, and one if its a good day. Plus as she graciously offered to tote me around for the 24 hours I was there, I said sod it to the hire car and navigating the LA freeways after all that and certainly didn't need to be having her drive me out there in the middle of the night and again the next morning.

the weight of the bags rivalled my own, and I know I went a bit too heavy on the pancakes, during this trip but I am still not that large a person to be able to handle this. I told them, no, your mistake, send the bag then to Vienna, and to my apartment, as I know from extensive lost luggage experience here, that is standard. I didn't want to see it coming off the belt at VIE!

Thomas and Gilbert had another issue; they had checked the boards under one guy, the luggage under another - so they had no idea whose was whose, but Gilbert was to remain in LA while Thomas went on to DC the following morning. As far as I know, they had to call round back to the airport in the middle of the night to get it.

as for me...sure, call us at this number with your flight details with Lufthansa. Ring number later. no answer. leave message. was not called back. ring again. still no answer. still not called back.

Go check in for Lufthansa flight next day, with 2 bags (one borrowed from my sister for the excess). Then go down to sort this m'larky out. and what to do they do? give me my bag. aaaaeegh. I tell them, no, I have already requested this be sent on to Vienna. This is pretty standard! I have already checked 2 bags with Lufthansa, and they ought to know better than I, that that is the limit.

Well, did I not ask Lufthansa to make an exception?

At least in the end they agreeed to send it. I asked 3 times that they ensure it will be sent according to lost luggage procedure (ie, delivered to my place). Got snark reminder I had said it already, but lets face it, clearly these people had listening issues.

and to put paid any credit to that.. guess what was one of the first pieces on the belt at VIE? without any instruction whatsoever that had been promised? and who carried on the bus, on the street, up all my blasted stairs, all this luggage? Oh, and I have not yet mentioned that it was broken luggage, from the flight on the way in. Guess I ahve also not mentioned that during this debacle, my phone had gone AWOL - even though I had thought to make a distress call to a friend here for help, I didn't have the phone, nor anyone's numbers.

I will not anytime soon (as in like, the next 100 years) fly with Mexicana and certainly don't advise anyone else to either. There were worse stories than mine of course, like how they had no wheelchairs for Gianni's mother on another flight, and had to carry her..and ended up dropping her! and her friend, a single mother with 3 kids, who was kicked out of the terminal late at night (owing to another delay). Or the woman accompanying a nun, who were also enquiring about luggage - cos they lost the Nun's luggage A YEAR ago!

but, the bright side (there's always gotta be one, right?), I ended up meeting some of the most brilliant people on the whole trip! Its really amazing how such circumstances can bring people together, and we all just got on so well, and had no choice most of the time but to laugh about it (in between our rotating meltdowns, of course...but at least we supported each other with those as well), especially over discreetly 'home-made' cocktails in some little airport cafe.

I laughed more than I had in a good long time and heard some great stories to boot, and will hopefully remain in contact for more than just coordinating our very long complaint forms for this trip!

And guys (Perry, Gianni, Chuck, Richard, Thomas, Gilbert), if you've read this, and gotten this far....how'd y'all feel about a big ol' reunion of this club? I hear Panama's a great destination. We'll just get Chuck to sort out the coordinates on his GPS, shall we? ;-) just kidding...

Alls well that ends well....I am back in Vienna, with everything I brought out, and more. I met some fantastic people owing to this. and I have a newfound appreciation of Lufthansa and of the Frankfurt Airport. That flight and transfer was like a dream!

And, as I have just found out, my flights to Morroco for the end of my time here in Vienna were just cancelled...suits me fine, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon!!!

Cheers and until the final entry....