On my scale 1 - 10, reality and realisation always happen to end up on a 2. USA totally hit me while I was on the flight from OR Tambo International to Atlanta, Georgia...
Adrenaline has this amazing way of taking control - until you are out of the situation, and then wham! As if a melon hit the front screen of your car. Reality hits home.
Not really knowing the actual seating arrangements on board the DL201 flight on Saturday, the evening. To my dismay... bang in the very middle of the aircraft, in between, a very irate woman that could not get into business class, and a mexican person on my right, who, for the life of me, had a death rattle rasping snore...... so lets' get the visuals going..this is ongoing, and the best of all....my chair would not budge into the reclining position either. I felt I was in the middle of a joke...wishing someone would pop out and just make it all better. The problem was, it didn't happen.
Other than that - suddenly realising how comfortable, home was. How good food tasted.. Who I had actually left behind, and when I was going to actually see them again. I promised to only feel sorry for myself for one hour, then it should be over.
I never saw USA before now, But I shall come, and I shall conquer.
The flight had been delayed due to the German vs Spain World Cup Soccer Game, some of the crew had watched, and just decided that they had to keep us in suspense, therefore the maintenance and safety check had not been carried out.. and the rewiring of the system was not finished..we were later told this, they rebooted the system, well all the controls in the cabin, about 3 times...the entire flight. That was reassuring. Somehow, grateful, I wasn't privy to all the complications. Clenching my teeth most of the way....19hrs is long!!
Food was average, however, rather bland, beef was a mixture of a textured woolen carpet, and possibly the lanolin, could have added some flavour ..but then again, that could also just have been my hormones..(later finding out I am pregnant)...I would chose Cathay Pacific any day, anytime, anywhere again and again...when it comes to perfection, they are the precise element of it. Somehow most of the passengers were also skipped when it came to meals. Most of us had to call attendants, to return to provide the meals-and also water, which they ran out of 4 hours before we reached Atlanta.
Needless to say, I was pleased and thankful to be out of that cabin, finally in Atlanta, safe and sound, a bit dehydrated and darn hungry. Only to notice the connecting flight to Tampa International....was delayed as well.
But as they say here: Yes, we can, everything is yes we can...don't matter how long it takes..yes we can...
