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Yeesh! It’s been so long since I have traveled, I actually had anxiety today! I wasn’t really packed & I always like to be organized the night before… so I don’t have to stress the day of! There is a method to my madness! Even if it means staying up until 0300!
I had just hopped out of the shower when I heard the dogs barking like crazy. I thought it was the UPS man coming to pick up a package. It was. But then the barking continued! It was Dave! Dave is my neighbor – whom I regrettably NEVER go to see! He only lives about a 20 minute walk the way the crow flies. Granted, he tells me of bear, cougar & wolf tracks along the way of the crow! Dave was a Conservation Officer these past few summers I helped out at EVIC & now he works at the Easter Seals Children’s Camp just down the highway. It was fantastic to have a visit & catch up. He’s grown quite the beard over the course of the winter. Naturally I forgot to take a photo. I’ll have to visit him again, as he has a girlfriend I have yet to meet!
Next up was a call to Dr. Daly. I took my last neupogen shot last night & the bone pain was in full force today. I was worried that it wouldn’t go away, as I didn’t have a round of chemo to take it away this time! I didn’t want to be in Havana unable to walk due to the excruciating pain! I paged Dr. Daly & he called me back shortly thereafter. He told me the pain would dissipate & yup! You guessed it! Take a Tylenol. I also informed him that I would have to receive my scan results over the phone. (My scan was booked for 17th February & I leave for the ship on the 21st) He told me he didn’t like to do that. He said we’d have to wait until I was back. He then asked when I would be back. I told him, ‘July’. ‘JULY!?!’ he exclaimed. I told him he was lucky to have had me for the past 6 months. I was going to travel & see my husband now. He then informed me that we would have to bump up the scan & do it the week after Cuba. My heart sank when I heard that, as I was really hoping to have the three weeks at Hippocrates to clean up the system. Boo. I immediately started to stress about the scan & then I immediately started to try & calm myself down about the scan! Then I remembered! Flight! Cuba! Vamanos!
I packed up the rest of the car & the girls & headed into the city. I went to Mom & Dad 2’s & said my farewells to the girls & Mom2 & I headed for the airport. A quick hug & a kiss goodbye & she left me for a week.
My first flight was to Fort McMurray. Yeah, I know. Why? I have no idea. Probably because I booked it on points. I had a quick flight to Fort Mac, a 4 hour wait. A quick flight to Toronto, a 4 hour wait, and then finally, the flight to Havana with Kim.
I boarded the small aircraft & the Hostess immediately gave me hassle about my bag. I reassured her that it would fit under the seat & the backpack would zip off & fit overhead. She told me she should really check the bag & if she had to pull any bags off the plane for more space mine would be first! What gives with that? How rude & unfair?!? Just because my bag is black… Nevermind…
I got settled on the plane & found myself surrounded by Newfies. A Cleaning Supervisor on a rig, another rig fellow, a girl who wants to work in the oilpatch & several others also working on the oilpatch. I might as well have been in Newfoundland – although I’ve never been there! They carried on in their amusing accents talking about the people they now from neighbourhoods. The fellow behind me looked like a Fisherman/Trucker – tattoos, gold rings, denim clothing, hat, I think he had sideburns or a mullet or both… He was quite chatty & wondered why I was going to Fort Mac by myself, why I had no hair, etc, etc.
We were delayed leaving & the gentleman was not impressed. He had tried 4x to get to Fort Mac today & had been turned around for weather, mechanical problems & so on. The Hostess finally announced that there was one extra person on the plane & she would need to see all of our boarding passes. Turns out an old fellow in a wheelchair, whom an Air Canada Attendant checked in & wheeled onto the plane herself, checked him in for the wrong flight! We just got him off the plane, when the Hostess realized the overhead bin at the back of the plane wouldn’t stay closed. I got it to latch, but that wasn’t good enough. She had to call maintenance – more delay. Maintenance shows up & get this – DUCT TAPES the bin shut!
We finally taxi & take off. As we’re taking off, I feel water dripping on me. Yes, water is dripping from somewhere between the overhead bin & the lighting controls. Comforting feeling. A plane shouldn’t really be leaking, should it? The Newfies & I joke about the water, duct tape & Hostess, when the Newfie behind me says something I can’t really understand. He then explains that if we were in Newfoundland, I’d have to get a ‘Cark bye’ to fix the leaking roof. A what? A ‘Cark bye’. Go ahead, say it out loud – ‘CARK BYE’. That’s ‘cork’ in Newfie speak. Oh this is going to be a trip to remember!
I arrive in Fort Mac. We have to deplane & walk across hoses & an icy tarmack. I get inside the airport. I look right & see the luggage carousel. I look left & see the check-in counters. That’s the airport. Thanks for coming! Okay, fine, they had a Christmas tree & a little souvenir stand in the middle. Thank goodness there was a Subway still open! I enjoyed a veggie sub & a chai latté before venturing outside for a few snowy photos. There was about 8” of fresh snow on everything! Yuck!
I didn’t really see Fort Mac, but I saw enough. Bring on the sunshine & heat!
Some town in Alberta
Pretty wing
Because duct tape fixes everything!
Lovely icy tarmack to walk across!
It's c-c-c-cold!
Don't you want a massive CAT Dump Truck on your wall?!
Check-in Counters to your left (straight ahead)
Luggage carousel to your right (straight ahead)
Brrrr...
Yuck
More brr & more yuck!
Been there, done that...
DIDN'T buy the t-shirt! (nor did Kingston or Easton)
Souvenir photo
They didn't like the snow. They're already full of fluffy stuff! :oP
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