Kat’s Morocco – Second in a continuing series…
Where we last left this story, I was preparing to leave for my big vacation to Morocco. I was getting some crazy vibes about the flight because of some cryptic messages I had received while trying to check in and then the airline followed up with an equally cryptic e-mail note about a possible upgrade.
The air was cold and crisp, the perfect Los Angeles winter morning. I arrived at the airport at 5:45AM to check in for my flight and to finally get an answer to the weird messages I was receiving. As I looked around the terminal, it seemed unusually crowded for that time of the morning and there was excitement in the air. That’s also unusual for this time of morning.
As I slowly turned from my place in line to gaze at the departures board behind me, I could see the reason for the commotion. I saw red! Not that I was angry, I was literally seeing red as flight after flight to New York was cancelled. Rats, this was not a good sign, but my flight was still clear. I kept my fingers crossed as I inched my way up to the counter, listening to the moans and groans of people as they realized their perfect vacation was about to take a turn toward the unexpected.
It was my turn to go to the counter. I was weighed down by my leopard print suitcase and hand carry bag. All I wanted was to stand in the security line, get my luggage x-rayed and on its way to the giant luggage container that if I was lucky, would be loaded on the plane and arrive with me at my final destination. I felt like I was in a movie where, as I walked toward the agent counter, the counter kept getting farther and farther away. I could see the agent in slow motion waving me over calling, “N-e-x-t!”
I was told the situation when I reached the counter. I am generally an optimist so was relieved to find the news wasn’t really all bad. I kind of like the silver lining to bad news. Sometimes you just have to appreciate it for the fact that it isn’t bad. My flight to New York JFK was cancelled. The good news is the connecting flight to Morocco is confirmed. Well, that’s not so bad. With the city closed due to the worst snowstorm in a thousand years, I just can’t get to New York before my scheduled flight. Beam me up Scotty, we got places to go and people to see! I had to work this out somehow.
The airline offered to fly me to Atlanta and then on to New York LaGuardia (LGA). I could take a bus from there to JFK, hang in the airport for twelve hours and get a Morocco connection on Saturday. This was going to be a nightmare since I’d now have to check my bags again at JFK, but what the heck. At least I had plenty of time and my flight to Morocco was confirmed. What I couldn’t figure out was, if a snowstorm closed JFK why was LGA open? No matter, the airlines have it under control.
Like in cartoons, the big hand on the large wall clock zooms past the hours, counting down my seven hour wait. Finally the magic boarding call for Atlanta is heard and we are soon in the air. Woo whoo, Morocco here I come! I was looking forward to setting foot in Casablanca where my real journey would start. We will overnight in Casa, the local term for Casablanca, then on to Fes for two nights. From there, we travel toward the interior and desert areas of the country, with visits to Erfoud and Ouarzazate for two nights each. Next, we travel through the High Atlas mountains to Marrakesh for three nights. We will make the final night in Casa in preparation of our flight back to the US.
My daydreams about Morocco are put on hold for the moment, as I review the airport guide to figure out where I have to go to get my connecting flight to LGA. Little did I suspect my adventure was just getting started. Did you know an overnight kit from the airline includes a tee shirt along with a comb, toothbrush, paste, and an eye shade? They are kind of fun, unless you really have to spend the night in the airport. But I am jumping ahead.
If not for the snowstorm on the east coast, my 1000PM arrival in Atlanta during the March Madness basketball weekend, would have been nothing but ordinary. New York airports had been closed all day and stranded passengers had been booking accommodations as they were told the news. As I left the plane, I was directed to see the agent at the counter. From the end of the long line where I now stood, I could barely see the counter.
When I got to an agent nearly two hours later, I was advised flights were cancelled and there were no rooms available in the city due to the events of the weekend. I’ve never camped in an airport, so this was something new and exotic! Oh yes, and my confirmed flight to New York was Monday. Wait, that’s two days away and my flight to Morocco, is confirmed for today. I have to get to JFK! No worries the agent says, and confirms me for a Sunday flight to Morocco, just in case I can squeeze in on some standby flight to LGA or JFK before Monday. Uh, what about my checked bag? Again, no worries, it will not travel without you. There was something wrong with that comment I just couldn’t get my brain around. If I didn’t know what flight I would be taking or even what airport I would be going to, how was my bag going to figure it out? Well, with all the AI these days, who knows, maybe my bag could figure it out on its own.
So like the gerbil running on the perpetual wheel, I chased standby flights all day Saturday, from one terminal to another, up one level down to another with my thirty pound carry on in hand. I was not spending another night on the floor of the airport. I was on a mission! In the very last hour to make my Saturday flight to Morocco, I scored one of the last standby seats to LGA and boarded within seconds of the plane taking off. Who knows where my luggage was, because my confirmed flight Monday was going to JFK. Hey, I’m going to an underdeveloped country. Will they really care if I wear the same thing for two weeks?
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