Mood:
downTopic: Latin America
It was around 7am Cancun, Mexican Time (equivalent to 9pm same day in Singapore time) on the 5th of January 2007 when I checked out of our little wooden hut overlooking the Caribbean Sea. The day before, the last day of my vacation, I had an exceptionally relaxing day, diving in the cenotes (underground fresh water caves), visiting the Tulum Mayan ruins, swimming in the sea with Ben, having a glorious Argentinean grill dinner together and finally obtaining a good looking Mexican hat as my only souvenir for the trip. I thought I was well prepared for the long journey home, but little did I expect that I will only emerge out of the aircraft onto Singapore Changi airport some 41 hours later, 2pm on the 7th January. It was the longest journey I’ve ever took in my life (not including the 4 days train ride Trans-Siberia, since the train ride was a joy itself). And it was pretty bad.
The original plan was straightforward - 3 flights in total. I was to take a 2 ½ hours flight from Cancun to Mexico City, staying 1 hour in transit then boarding a 4 hours flight into Los Angeles. I was to have 4 ½ hours transit in Los Angeles, plenty of time to deal with the ACOWAHPPMS (American Customs Officers Who All Have Permanent PMS), pick up my bag then re-check in for my 8pm flight from L.A back to Singapore.
What really happened was as follows: the Cancun flight left Cancun 20 minutes late. When we touched down in Mexico City, I had a bad feeling that things are not going to be good, and was hoping to get off the flight ASAP. Unfortunately, the blasted airport couldn’t get their buses together in time, and held half of the passengers on the aircraft for 30 minutes. When I finally got out of the plane, it was already some 50 minutes passed the boarding time. The boarding gate turned out to be half way around the massive terminal, and Mexico City, at 2,200m above sea level is not one place that is conducive for sprinting. Around 8 of us were meant to be on that same flight, and we ran into the boarding gate just in time for the ground staff to tell us that it was too late to board, and we watched with our horror, the aircraft departing without us. We have missed the damn flight because there weren’t enough buses in the airport.
The Mexicans obviously thought all of us fat gringos (the Latin American term for foreigners) needed more exercise, so they sent the few of us on a running regime around the airport for about 20 minutes to get our flights re-booked. We managed to get booked onto the next flight, some 3 hours later, which would have meant I will be missing my connecting flight from Los Angeles to Singapore. And as if that slap in the face wasn’t sufficient, the replacement flight was delayed by nearly 30 minutes.
Upon touch down, all of us take eternity to make our ways through the ACOWAHPPMS and onward to our baggage carousel. When one thinks that things couldn’t get worse, it will. Mexicana lost our luggage. Every single piece of it.
Of course the Singapore Airline flight had taken off Los Angeles without me. I was stupendously lucky enough to get onto a standby ticket for a flight that takes off to Singapore that same evening. The flight that connects in Taipei was suppose to take 18 ½ hours including stopover time. Eventually, due to strong currents and busy airports, it took over 21 hours.
I arrived in Singapore 41 hours later from the start of my journey totally shattered. My back was aching, I hadn’t slept much, my legs were sore from the long hours of flight and I had been marinating in dried sweat for around 35 hours from the free mini-marathon compliments of Mexicana. It was a horrific journey. Around 25 hours into the journey I remember feeling incredibly frustrated, angry and desperate to take it out with on someone close by with my bare teeth and fists, but thankfully I was sane enough to realise that I was on the flight by the sheer goodwill of Singapore Airline, and things could really have been far worse. Anyway, now that I am home, and some 2 days later, my lost backpack appears to have arrived in Changi Airport. Thank goodness the bitter after taste is almost all gone now.
These are the bad bits. Once the pictures are out, I'll write about the good bits on Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.
