Air travel is such a big part of our lives that I have decided I don't like it that much. We make an average of two international trips a year. Traveling across time zones really does your head in. Even as I write I feel the jet lag kicking in for the evening.
Last week for much of the week we had the "suitcase feeling". This is the translation of a Russian phrase "chemodanoye nastroyenie", which roughly refers to the build up of nerves before some big travel. Only a couple weeks earlier we traveled as a whole family by train to a very remote part of Siberia. We felt no nerves at all as we went out on that trip. But as we prepared to take a big trip to Melody's motherland of Canada we felt the nerves build up.
We got away on Saturday night. We got through the Krasnoyarsk International airport with no hassles, and the S7 flight went smoothly too. But when we got to Beijing we could not get to our airport lounge booking. We felt a little stranded without a hotel. We eventually found one, but only checked in three hours after our flight arrived at 5am. Only two hours into Beijing and I was missing Russia already. It made me realise just how well we fit into Russia. Not understanding a system in a different culture can really throw you. At least we will know how to navigate that situation better in the future.
We were glad to get away the next day, but not until after sitting on the runway for 2.5 hours due to delays. Air Canada are by no means a friendly airline. Forty eight hours with only three hours sleep (in the Beijing hotel) is one of the big reasons that I am no fan of air travel.
Last week for much of the week we had the "suitcase feeling". This is the translation of a Russian phrase "chemodanoye nastroyenie", which roughly refers to the build up of nerves before some big travel. Only a couple weeks earlier we traveled as a whole family by train to a very remote part of Siberia. We felt no nerves at all as we went out on that trip. But as we prepared to take a big trip to Melody's motherland of Canada we felt the nerves build up.
We got away on Saturday night. We got through the Krasnoyarsk International airport with no hassles, and the S7 flight went smoothly too. But when we got to Beijing we could not get to our airport lounge booking. We felt a little stranded without a hotel. We eventually found one, but only checked in three hours after our flight arrived at 5am. Only two hours into Beijing and I was missing Russia already. It made me realise just how well we fit into Russia. Not understanding a system in a different culture can really throw you. At least we will know how to navigate that situation better in the future.
Some happier moments in the Beijing airport, waiting for our afternoon flight to Vancouver.
We were glad to get away the next day, but not until after sitting on the runway for 2.5 hours due to delays. Air Canada are by no means a friendly airline. Forty eight hours with only three hours sleep (in the Beijing hotel) is one of the big reasons that I am no fan of air travel.
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