Friday, December 17:
My flight from Chengdu to Beijing went off easily, without a hitch.
I lugged my bags to the check-in lines in BJ, only to find that my original flight to D.C. had been canceled, and I had missed the last flight to America. No chance of getting out of BJ until tomorrow.
United kindly put me up at the Crowne Plaza for the night. I made the most of it by ordering a huge pizza and relaxing into the pillow-topped and feathered bed.
Saturday, December 18:
At 10:30 I got on a plane bound for San Francisco. After about an hour on the plane, the flight attendant announced that the visual media program was not working, and gave apologies that there would be no movies for the 12 hour flight. Greeaatt.
Praise the Lord, though, because I made a new friend, with whom I spent most of the flight talking and doing crossword puzzles. It turned out to be the most enjoyable and fastest international flight I've ever been on!
When we arrived in San Fran, I waited for my luggage...which never came. The United person at the baggage claim waived us through customs and instructed us in how to fill out a claim at our final destination. Though I was a little nervous I'd never see my stuff again, I do have to admit it was quite convenient because I didn't have to haul my luggage around through customs, in Chicago when I switched airlines, or even out to the car--they delivered it straight to my house the next day!
Lessons learned--
1. Buying your tickets 5 months in advance does not guarantee problem-free.
2. Snaffoos are much easier to handle when you keep a good attitude.
3. Snaffoos sometimes have silver linings.
4. There are no accidents.
If you read this whole post and thought this was long, you should have seen my original draft!
:heart:
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