after 40 plus looong hours
of ubers, airports, confusing sweaty shuttle buses, limping painfully, hotels, buffets, spanish translation, delays and uncomfortably interminable hours in cattle class
i was pleased to overfly anatolia
nearly finalmente fucking there!
later after two failed attempts to land ad isty besty
because of 'weather'
we were diverted (non that kind)
to ankara
an hour away
to then sit for 3 excruciating hours parked on the tarmac
awaiting news as to when what would happen next
(or as to what on earth was going on)
as we sat there
in the proverbial dark
tempers started to fray
squabbling, bickering, like children
i played with the balinese pribumi
called over translations to victor
(la mayoria sin novedades)
and tried quietly to not go insane
in this simulacrum of a terrible hostage movie
time dragged as if by an exceedingly expensive chinese dragging device
the nightmarish farce continued
with the stewards calling for a 'medical person '
and passengers swarming around the patient
eventually they calmed the anxious masses
by doling out some odd nutty snacks
only for an announcement reminding us all that smoking is not permitted
as somebody had been at it in the loos
civilisations rose and fell
during which a well dressed bloke in the next row starting chatting on his phone
by assiduously eavesdropping i learned that he worked for the hairline
and that it was the only flight diverted from isty
(the others were all happily atterrando)
because sichuan airlines are only one not to have category 3 capable landing systems!
50 plus hours
door to door
a side trip to ankara?
that was just what i needed!
