I flew for business with a major Canadian airline. This was my first trip with them and unfortunately not likely the last. I was moving away from Vancouver British Columbia to a small town up north. Since I was moving, I had shipped most of my stuff to where I was going with a moving company and kept some stuff to bring up with me, and my cat. I called the airline multiple times to register the cat, inquire about luggage, prices for overweight and over sized and other travel information such as "how overweight can luggage be" and "maximum oversize" etc etc . I was assured that you can bring as many luggage as you want, oversize them to a certain maximum and basically overweight them as much as you want since after a certain weight, you pay by the pound. I registered the cat over the phone for check in (he is extremely noisy, so no cabin for him since I don't want to disturb other people). I was told it's 100$ for his ticket. No problem. How's the temperature? Same as cabin. Perfect.
A few weeks later, I showed up at 6am for the 8am flight and got to the check in luggage booth after waiting for what seemed like forever. When I got there, I gave my name and all the info that I was asked and was about to check the cat and the 4 luggage before I was told that the cat wasn't registered and the ticket would be 200$. I said, "woaaa, ok, that's not what I was told on the phone when I registered the cat". Nothing I can do now. So she said she needs to inquire about the temperature of the cargo hold. I told her I was told twice on the phone that the temperature was same as cabin. Before I could check in my luggage, she said she needed to inquire anyways. So I patiently waited, looking at my watch every so often, wondering what was taking so long. She came back almost an hour later. Time is running out greatly now. I have 40 minutes left before the plane leaves and nothing is checked, I'm not even through security. GREAT.
She tells me I have to sign a waiver as the temperature would be around 0 degrees in cargo, if not, I need to purchase a soft carrier for cabin carry. I said, I was told twice on the phone, the temperature was going to be fine for an animal... Nothing. So I was about to do just that, buy a soft carrier because there is no way I can let the cat at 0 degrees for a 2 hour flight. Right before I left to go purchase just that, she asked me if my cat had received his international vaccination and I said "international vaccine? Why does he need that, I'm flying within British Columbia?". No she says, you're flying to Munich. I said "Excuse me, I think I know where I'm going, and we are certainly NOT going to Munich". She then says "Is your name ------?". I say "No. I'm not"
"Oh I'm sorry, I got the wrong file". So I have 35 minutes left before the plane is leaving, boarding starts in 15 minutes and I have the cat and all my luggage to check. I get to the scale, and I'm told that anything over 32kg cannot be loaded on the small bi-engine plane. There is no "air cargo" options on those planes. Gotta make the cut or get rid of the luggage. GREAT! Scrambling like crazy, I cannot miss the flight. I have a car rental to get to, a new apartment to go sign for, a moving company to meet in the afternoon. So I scramble to get rid of some stuff in the boxes so they meet the all-of-a-sudden new criteria that nobody told me over the phone, or over the internet. I sign this, name the cat, repack that, tape this, cut that... check everything and literally start running to the gate where I need to board. And of course, the gate is #31 which is the last one and the end of the farther gate A I think.
I get there at 7:58. I obviously see the baggage handler unloading the cat, and all my luggage onto a cart. The girl at the desk asks me if I am the missing person. She says they are done unloading my stuff from the plane and they will most likely leave without me. I tried to explain the story and she would have none of it. She goes out and the all-not-smiling baggage handler just starts throwing all my stuff back into the plane. And I mean throwing..., a computer and a cat with a "live animal" sticker on it. Thrown. I barely make the flight and I'm asked if I purchased a last-minute ticket...
In any case. I asked around at work and was told many many horror stories with this airline, stuff you wouldn't believe. But believe me, as soon as those "other" airlines are offering business there, I'm on. Never was treated that way with any other company. And I should have known, I was told how arrogant and unprofessional this specific airline was. I never learn.
At least the service in the plane was OK got a handful of peanuts and a few coffees. Nothing more. The flight attendant were very nice and got to chat with some people on the plane, I was asked if I purchased a last minute ticket. I said no, I lost almost 2 hours because, apparently, I was flying to Munich with a cat.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Sunday, November 21, 2010
How I almost died... today.
The Rockies are a force you don't mess with. I've heard that so many times. But I'm a risk taker. I always take risks I can get out of alive, but I can't live my life wrapped in bubbles. I messed up before, fingertips fall here, concussions there: most of my life I spent working hard, playing hard. Who cares.
Today we are driving up to the Cheam and Lady Peak mountains. To get to a parking that will put us very close to a snowy summit, we need to go up a road, so we can put our snowshoes on and go up, and down, in a little less than 6 hours. Starting that mountain from the bottom in snowshoes would be long and hard but since the option of a parking is there, why not.
The first thing we see at the first fork is the name of the two roads. Take a right. Second fork, Take another right. But there's a sign. "Deactivated Road".
Deactivated road? Sure, hell, why not. A thing to note is that a "deactivated road" there meant a snake-like road along a mountain that has the mountain on one side and the cliff on the other, and all of that with an inclination of 35-40 degrees up.
Driving a pretty big SUV, we headed up the road in dry or muddy patches with confidence; good tires, good driver, good attitude. The whole time we have to slow down at those trenches that were dug to let the water flow out of the inside of the road to the cliff on the other side. The thing I didn't understand is where they dug the trenches in the road, there was a bump right before it as if the earth they removed from that hole had to create some kind of a one and a half feet high speed bump, followed by a one feet and a half deep hole. After climbing a few meters in altitude, the road started to be covered in snow. One inch, two inches, six inches, a feet.... No big deal, we still have good tires, and a good driver.
The road looks like this from the side: ====/\__r=======
We got to as far and as high as we could, the road became so steep, so snowed in and so slippery that we had to ditch the truck and put the snowshoes on to get to that parking.
After our uneventful snowshoe trip, for which we spent more time hiking up to the parking than on the mountain itself, filled with beautiful trees and shy foggy mountain views, we came down the mountain and met with some quad bikes. They were spinning and grinding through the mountain, at times almost unable to budge. Not long after we passed them going up, they were going down.
When we finally got to the truck, looking down at the road was an obvious awe and woe. The problem was obvious after we met with 4 more quards and other bikes going up: Those bikes, spinning up their whole way, were compressing the snow into a nice.... mess. While the driver was talking to us about how great the weight of the car is good for going up but a real danger going down, we all felt the truck starting to slide down.
It didn't take 3 seconds we were going at around 30km and hour, on a steep logging, deactivated road, in a 2100kg (4700lbs) vehicle, with the driver trying to compress, break, release, break, release. All those things you do on a flat road ain't working here.
While the front passenger started to hold onto the ceiling handle on top of the door, I was trying to get a hand on my camera: A youtube video in HD of my death, sounds like a good monetized video to me. Scrambling in my pocket, keeping an eye and a half on the road and what was probably happening, the driver said: "Hang on". That coming trench was probably the biggest one we had encounter on the way up, but on the way down in a truck that was going where it may, it was a different story. Holding my breath for a moment, then two, I held the driver seat with my left hand and tried, without success, to take out my camera with my right hand. It's at that moment that the SUV hit the hole and then hit the bump right after it. My body went from sitting position to flying position. We were airborne. Thousands of pounds of metal, airborn in a narrow, winding road with a mountain on one side and a cliff, trees and death on the other. Sitting in the back seat made it look like time, space continuum and gravity stopped working for a second, but even before I could realize how high my ass flew off that seat, the next thing on my mind was that next tight right turn, waiting, just a few feet from where we landed, and that cliff following it, that god damn cliff.
The cliff consist of a close to 75 degrees drop, populated by medium sized trees. The SUV would break those trees like twigs and we'd be a pile of mess at the bottom, something like 300 meters below.
As we landed, the back of the SUV sprung back in the air for a second and the driver did the exact manoeuver that needed to be done so right after the landing, we would be skidding in the curve, just like in a video game, but in real life. With the breaks full on, we were drifting with our left side towards the cliff, and I was sitting right there, at the right place to be the first one to encounter those trees, and that drop. At the last moment, while the breaks were locked, 20 feet from that cliff, drifting on our left side, the driver presses the gas, gotta love locked differentials, and great driving skills. The left rear tire drifted less than a feet along the cliff and with the over compensation to the left right after the curve, we started drifting on the right and came to a stop, facing the oblivion of the cliff, diagonally, stopped. I took a deep breath, exhaled deeply and said the only thing I had in mind. "Holy shit!".
I can't wait to see where we're going next weekend.
Today we are driving up to the Cheam and Lady Peak mountains. To get to a parking that will put us very close to a snowy summit, we need to go up a road, so we can put our snowshoes on and go up, and down, in a little less than 6 hours. Starting that mountain from the bottom in snowshoes would be long and hard but since the option of a parking is there, why not.
The first thing we see at the first fork is the name of the two roads. Take a right. Second fork, Take another right. But there's a sign. "Deactivated Road".
Deactivated road? Sure, hell, why not. A thing to note is that a "deactivated road" there meant a snake-like road along a mountain that has the mountain on one side and the cliff on the other, and all of that with an inclination of 35-40 degrees up.
Driving a pretty big SUV, we headed up the road in dry or muddy patches with confidence; good tires, good driver, good attitude. The whole time we have to slow down at those trenches that were dug to let the water flow out of the inside of the road to the cliff on the other side. The thing I didn't understand is where they dug the trenches in the road, there was a bump right before it as if the earth they removed from that hole had to create some kind of a one and a half feet high speed bump, followed by a one feet and a half deep hole. After climbing a few meters in altitude, the road started to be covered in snow. One inch, two inches, six inches, a feet.... No big deal, we still have good tires, and a good driver.
The road looks like this from the side: ====/\__r=======
We got to as far and as high as we could, the road became so steep, so snowed in and so slippery that we had to ditch the truck and put the snowshoes on to get to that parking.
After our uneventful snowshoe trip, for which we spent more time hiking up to the parking than on the mountain itself, filled with beautiful trees and shy foggy mountain views, we came down the mountain and met with some quad bikes. They were spinning and grinding through the mountain, at times almost unable to budge. Not long after we passed them going up, they were going down.
When we finally got to the truck, looking down at the road was an obvious awe and woe. The problem was obvious after we met with 4 more quards and other bikes going up: Those bikes, spinning up their whole way, were compressing the snow into a nice.... mess. While the driver was talking to us about how great the weight of the car is good for going up but a real danger going down, we all felt the truck starting to slide down.
It didn't take 3 seconds we were going at around 30km and hour, on a steep logging, deactivated road, in a 2100kg (4700lbs) vehicle, with the driver trying to compress, break, release, break, release. All those things you do on a flat road ain't working here.
While the front passenger started to hold onto the ceiling handle on top of the door, I was trying to get a hand on my camera: A youtube video in HD of my death, sounds like a good monetized video to me. Scrambling in my pocket, keeping an eye and a half on the road and what was probably happening, the driver said: "Hang on". That coming trench was probably the biggest one we had encounter on the way up, but on the way down in a truck that was going where it may, it was a different story. Holding my breath for a moment, then two, I held the driver seat with my left hand and tried, without success, to take out my camera with my right hand. It's at that moment that the SUV hit the hole and then hit the bump right after it. My body went from sitting position to flying position. We were airborne. Thousands of pounds of metal, airborn in a narrow, winding road with a mountain on one side and a cliff, trees and death on the other. Sitting in the back seat made it look like time, space continuum and gravity stopped working for a second, but even before I could realize how high my ass flew off that seat, the next thing on my mind was that next tight right turn, waiting, just a few feet from where we landed, and that cliff following it, that god damn cliff.
The cliff consist of a close to 75 degrees drop, populated by medium sized trees. The SUV would break those trees like twigs and we'd be a pile of mess at the bottom, something like 300 meters below.
As we landed, the back of the SUV sprung back in the air for a second and the driver did the exact manoeuver that needed to be done so right after the landing, we would be skidding in the curve, just like in a video game, but in real life. With the breaks full on, we were drifting with our left side towards the cliff, and I was sitting right there, at the right place to be the first one to encounter those trees, and that drop. At the last moment, while the breaks were locked, 20 feet from that cliff, drifting on our left side, the driver presses the gas, gotta love locked differentials, and great driving skills. The left rear tire drifted less than a feet along the cliff and with the over compensation to the left right after the curve, we started drifting on the right and came to a stop, facing the oblivion of the cliff, diagonally, stopped. I took a deep breath, exhaled deeply and said the only thing I had in mind. "Holy shit!".
I can't wait to see where we're going next weekend.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Why humans are vouched to failure.
Lately I saw so many books about saving my soul with nature, the "alternatives" I call them, make sure to pass the word; books, magazine, brochures.... hippies.... Many cultures believed that nature is an important part of the human well-balance (body, mind and society). One of them in particular suggested to always have a wood or forest close to home so you could have access to a peaceful, earthful place to meditate for an hour a day. To clean my Soul, to balance my life. To balance my life. For decades now, nature has lost it's place to a darker greedier other nature; my human nature.
No more time for the forests, no more time for the plants and no more time for the connections connecting them together, or connecting us with them, or connecting us with each other; we are now all like 18 years old teenagers, emancipated from our mommy and daddy, grown up enough to take care of our own desires, believes and needs. And wow, WOW, what a big complex system of desires, beleives and needs do we have right? Working stressful jobs for 8 hours so we can relax, 2. And talk about relaxation, how much relax can you be after stress? Stress stays in your system waay longer than your American Idol episode can get rid of the negative effects. As a matter of fact, we don't need anyone telling us what to do anymore, and now that nature got old and grumpy, anti-cool and boring, just like mom, we even go and tell it what to do, what to be. And we end up being at war with it, them. We cut the connections, do our own thing, all night because we can. And why would we do anything differently? Mom's gone...
We now got to a point where the greed of human race has, no, not destroyed nature to a critical point, because that is nearly impossible, but created an unbalance that is unbalancing our fragile existence, and I say "our" existence, not "the earth's" existence. Believe me, nature don't give a damn about you and what you do. You can nuke the shit out of this planet and life will still be here to witness the end of the sun, don't be so damn pretentious as to say that if humans die, the planet's a goner too. From saving human souls with nature, we got to a point where we are trying to save nature from human soul. But do not panic, nature doesn't need help. You do. We all do. Going to the moon has lost it's taste since we can watch on tv any given soap opera. Heavy pollution is an everyday "ok" since nobody really want to talk about it, and the fact that if we want to stop it, we all have to stop buying a cellphone a year, a computer a year, a pair of shoe a week etc etc, and all of that goes in the landfills that no one wants to have in their backyard.
And to my point now. For many years, many people are trying to solve these complicated puzzles, inventing stuff, more stuff, inventing technology, more technology. Inventing better batteries so your brand new cellphone can hold longer while you play useless youtube stupid videos is not the answer. Inventing windmills so you can hook 3 computers per house, is stupid. Creating "greener" gases like Ethanol, growing even more corn that uses fertilizers and pesticides, is retarded. When i hear all those nicely dressed people, talking about how to save the planet, i can't stop to wonder... why should i listen to a race that pisses and shit in their drinkable water, and clean up their asses with trees?
No more time for the forests, no more time for the plants and no more time for the connections connecting them together, or connecting us with them, or connecting us with each other; we are now all like 18 years old teenagers, emancipated from our mommy and daddy, grown up enough to take care of our own desires, believes and needs. And wow, WOW, what a big complex system of desires, beleives and needs do we have right? Working stressful jobs for 8 hours so we can relax, 2. And talk about relaxation, how much relax can you be after stress? Stress stays in your system waay longer than your American Idol episode can get rid of the negative effects. As a matter of fact, we don't need anyone telling us what to do anymore, and now that nature got old and grumpy, anti-cool and boring, just like mom, we even go and tell it what to do, what to be. And we end up being at war with it, them. We cut the connections, do our own thing, all night because we can. And why would we do anything differently? Mom's gone...
We now got to a point where the greed of human race has, no, not destroyed nature to a critical point, because that is nearly impossible, but created an unbalance that is unbalancing our fragile existence, and I say "our" existence, not "the earth's" existence. Believe me, nature don't give a damn about you and what you do. You can nuke the shit out of this planet and life will still be here to witness the end of the sun, don't be so damn pretentious as to say that if humans die, the planet's a goner too. From saving human souls with nature, we got to a point where we are trying to save nature from human soul. But do not panic, nature doesn't need help. You do. We all do. Going to the moon has lost it's taste since we can watch on tv any given soap opera. Heavy pollution is an everyday "ok" since nobody really want to talk about it, and the fact that if we want to stop it, we all have to stop buying a cellphone a year, a computer a year, a pair of shoe a week etc etc, and all of that goes in the landfills that no one wants to have in their backyard.
And to my point now. For many years, many people are trying to solve these complicated puzzles, inventing stuff, more stuff, inventing technology, more technology. Inventing better batteries so your brand new cellphone can hold longer while you play useless youtube stupid videos is not the answer. Inventing windmills so you can hook 3 computers per house, is stupid. Creating "greener" gases like Ethanol, growing even more corn that uses fertilizers and pesticides, is retarded. When i hear all those nicely dressed people, talking about how to save the planet, i can't stop to wonder... why should i listen to a race that pisses and shit in their drinkable water, and clean up their asses with trees?
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