We're Here... Where's the luggage?

wo de bao diule (my bag is lost)
ni shuo ying yu ma? (do you speak english?)

Uh yeah. So we're at the Ritz Carlton in Shanghai. I'm in my own bed sans pajamas. Pretty much all I had covering my back and backside will be all I'll have until the bags ever arrive. We presumed the bags never made it on to the new flight (despite the assurances of our favorite accommodating ticket agent from SFO). We were assured with confidence that our bags would be transferred... to no avail. I'm pleased to have chosen quick dry pants and underwear for the journey. The Business Class couple we met in the search for solutions actually checked their baggage (after 2 hours of tracking it down at SFO) and only one of their bags arrived... The other ended up in Mumbai! The same situation occurred with few other folks who got onto the Jet Airways flight. I think I'd rather my bags "safe and sound" (who knows?!) in San Francisco rather than traveling another mighty distance to the Southern region of India. All that matters right now is that I'm in a crazy comfortable bed, the bathroom came equipped toothbrushes and all the necessities, and we're off on our first tour adventure in the morning!

Ahhhh Jet Airways India

Fresh warm towels and kind customer service immediately greeted us after boarding our flight 209 to Shanghai at 8:50pm, 11 hours after we left for for LAX. Surrounded by individuals on their way to Mumbai, this was only the beginning of a long journey back to India. Our own television screens full of movies, games, news, and even texting options (in case you bump into some cute guy from row 25B on your way to the bathroom) left little room for all of the reading I intended on doing. There were so many incredible movies from which to choose! I watched the highly entertaining and greatly recommended, "Be Kind Rewind"- of the Hollywood menu, "CJ7"- a delightful Chinese film about a private school attending, poor precocious child who finds an unlikely friend, and "Bienvenue Chez Les Ch'Tiz-, a hilarious film about the far Northern part of France from the European menu. It's a little silly to realize you're laughing aloud and you're the only person watching the film that's so deeply entertaining you. Mike gave me a few looks.

The bathroom came equipped with eau de cologne and lotion- cheap smelling and widely used, but preferred to the usual 12 hr stink. We were handed menus with a series of courses at the beginning of the flight from which to choose our meals. The vegetarian option was delicious accompanied by a lovely glass of vino and followed by a Ghirardelli mint chocolate and a hot cup of black tea. The service is the best I've ever experienced of any other airline. They regularly brought us water and were immediately there as soon as we needed anything. I'm not looking forward to returning to "the care" of United. I can't imagine their seats are as comfortable as this brand-new airline or their service as gracious. United employees are constantly laid off and their hours cut* (source: bitter complaining ticket agent at LAX).

We're about to land in Shanghai and we've been transported forward in time. We completely missed Saturday, August 9th!

SFO: Same Flight Number, Offboarded!

Ah United, how I haven't missed flying on the "Friendly Skies"! A mad dash from our plane that arrived from LAX to the one bound for Shanghai left us three minutes too late and an hour and a half boiling with frustration. "You've all been off-boarded", claimed the woman at the International Terminal bus gate. It was a a pretty tough place for her to be in with 20+ people seething in desperation and anger. There is only one flight per day which would leave us either having to find a place to sleep, sleeping in the airport, or scrambling for other options. I decided to put my best foot forward and actually phoned our travel company for assistance before we even left from LAX. Mike was obviously using all of his wherewithal not to punch the seat in front of him. I immediately phoned CARTAN again, after receiving the disconcerting news, to act as our advocates outside of the situation while we fought our way through the inside. Due to the excuse of weather related and SFO traffic controller delays, United would never absorb the blame and offer anything more than food vouchers for the serious inconvenience. I couldn't get over the fact that the connecting flight had the same flippin' flight number but wouldn't wait for its connector. It didn't make sense. I reached "Lisa" at CARTAN who assured us she was doing everything she could to find a solution. Instead of scrambling our way to baggage claim, I directed Mike to find Plan B first. We made our way to the very front of a very frustrated line of missed connections just in time for a change in the ticket agent guard that left only one official agent who could make the ruling all of these desperate individuals needed to resume their holiday time excitement. Lisa phoned back informing us of a reserved flight on Jet Airways India. Through some airline to airline rule, United needed to grant us the option of jumping ship. We got REALLY lucky and earned ourselves Eddie, wonder agent, who seemed to be able to do ANYTHING and EVERYTHING we needed. In running into fellow travelers who got onto the same flight, they had to pay.

First Step: LAX

wo men qu pao bu ba (phonetically: "let's go for a jog")

The day started with an early morning alarm clock reminding me of an early morning dedication to a three mile run. Anticipating an extremely lengthy flight, I never hesitated in my approval of a 6:50am run time. We headed over to the track with incredible (based upon their physiques and speed around the track) athletes were already concluding their sprints for the day. Mike ran into a friend from Jamaica (a friend of Olympic sprinter, Usain Bolt, apparently) with whom he trains regularly.

The run was so satisfying. So many times on my runs in Seattle, I've said "hello" to fellow runners without ever a nod of acknowledgment. Everyone said hello including _________ (this very recognizable Black actor who's been in a lot of movies and is currently on a popular hit TV series) who was joined by his trainer.

We showered quickly and were on our way with parents in tow. The line to check our bags through United was ridiculous and once we got to the counter, none of the electronic kiosks worked. Attempting to flag down any of the aloof bag handlers for assistance was futile. They ignored every request for help or made demands that we (the customers) refer to them by their unknown names. Security was a breeze but the anxiety created by an hour and a half delayed flight to our connecting plane in San Francisco is a bit debilitating. We're about to land, let's see how fast these flip flopped clad feed will fly!

The Air Up There

The flight from Seattle to Los Angeles is rather lengthy. A solid hour and forty minutes makes me realize how long the West Coast really is with enough time for a substantial nap and every article read in my Sept/Oct issue of GOOD. I opted for the aisle seat, indifferent as today's flight is a mere cakewalk compared to the 12.5 hour journey to Shanghai. I was engrossed in GOOD's, "Some Children Left Behind", encouraging parents "of the people" to speak out against the damaging scares the No Child Left Behind Act has cast upon a flailing public educational system. So engrossed was I that only when ominous back aches caused me to take notice of my surroundings. It wasn't until the 1:15 mark of the flight that I finally noticed the thick rouge of the horizon. The fires. The colors, albeit rich and almost beautiful, lost their luster in the almost visible odor of the air. I looked around for an empty window seat and a kind passenger understanding of my need to document the thick haze in the sky. Just as though my thoughts were heard, my row- non-conversational individual travelers- decided to head to the toilet. I quickly attached my camera lens and slid in closer to improve my view.

The thickness, looming above the preoccupied world below, seems stationary in time with no present plan to disperse. The forests, neighborhoods, threatened lives were all sitting in the heavy atmosphere, just beyond the tip of the wing. I thought of the Santa Barbara fire and how close it got to my aunt and uncle's house (they were a block away from being evacuated) and my sister in law's family 8 hours drive North where they were forced to evacuate. I'm so grateful for their safety. I thought of China and all of the people who through the rapid developments to the major cities are forced to breathe air full of asthma causing, allergy inducing particulates. I wondered how different the quality of air really was in Beijing. It's possible I read too many depressing articles about China's weather modification and disastrous environmental impacts to make this a more positive first entry. Despite the tone, I'm thrilled to be on the first leg of my journey East and look forward to sharing my story at various points along the way.