Many of you have probably heard rumors of our horrific travel experience last Monday in China. I've been trying to write down as much as I can remember and it's been quite a chore in between the mountains of paperwork, more traveling and, oh yeah, a new daughter.
I've decided to split this saga into two posts. Trying to get all this into a single post is too long and a trilogy would be a bit self-aggrandizing. So, without further ado, here for your reading enjoyment on Halloween is Part One of the spine chilling tale of our journey into the heart of fear itself:
Stranded in the Chengdu Airport. (Part One)
Monday, October 26 was 'Gotcha Day'. A day we had been looking forward to and imagining and praying over for three and a half years. The culmination of so much time, effort, paperwork, tears and waiting. We were counseled that Gotcha Day may not necessarily unfold they way we have imagined it in our minds. We were expecting that with open hands and open hearts. However, I don't think anyone could have scripted the way a day we had lived in our dreams would become our worst nightmare. Curious? Put yourself in this scenario:
Due to heavy fog, your flight has been diverted to an airport in a city that you are not supposed to be in. Your translator and guide is in the correct city -- a 4 hour drive away. The airline has asked everyone to leave the plane. Your passports and boarding passes are stuck back on the plane you just left, but no one can locate them. You have no cell phone to call anyone and no way for anyone else to call you. There are rumors your flight may be canceled. Even if it is cleared to fly again, you can't get back on the plane because your passports and boarding passes are missing. Without your passports, you cannot travel anywhere. You're trapped. You have a 4 year old girl with you who has been an angel so far, but has been traveling way more than any preschooler should. Meanwhile, a 16 month old girl is waiting for you in another city.
That was us at about 11:30 on Monday.
Here is how the day played out:
We woke up at 4:45 with a volcano of emotions rushing to the surface. Christina and I were both tearing up at the drop of a hat. It was a sacred moment. We gathered our things together to get down to the bus by 5:30am. As it turns out, our clock was 10 minutes slow. No wonder we had been some of the last people on the bus the day before. Fritz and Dee knocked on our door at 5:15 to check on us. That's when we figured out the whole clock problem. We kicked it into high gear and got down in time, but in the hustle of the moment, Tessa spilled her little breakfast pudding cup as we got on the bus. The stairs to climb on the bus are about half Tessa's height so as she struggled up the steps a little bit glopped out and then as she looked up at Christina, the rest of it made it's way to the floor. Bummer. Tessa was a champ and didn't let it bother her a bit. We rode the bus to the airport where our guide, Lineker, briefed us on the logistics for the day.
Once we made it to the Beijing airport, (which is massive), the process was seamless. We breezed through check in and security and made it to the gate. Air China flight CA1419 departed on time at 7:30am and we were off! In just two and a half hours we would be landing in Chongqing. Tori's city. The excitement of the day was beginning to settle in. As we neared Chongqing and prepared for landing, the captain made an announcement over the intercom that due to heavy fog in Chongqing, our flight was being diverted at the last minute to Chengdu Airport to wait out the weather. We all gave each other concerned looks, but remained calm and trusting. How bad could this really be after all?
We landed in Chengdu at 10:30 with instructions to remain on the plane until we got further information. About 5 minutes later, they asked us to take our things and leave the plane to wait in the terminal. We grabbed our bags and got off the plane. The plane was in the middle of the tarmac, not at a gate, so we boarded a shuttle to take us back to the terminal. Not more than a minute after the shuttle bus doors closed and we pulled away, a wave of panic washed over me as I realized that I had left my jacket with our passports and boarding passes on the plane! As soon as we got off the shuttle, I ran to the first airport official I could find to tell them our passports were on the plane and that I need to get back on there. He just directed me up the stairs with the rest of the passengers. I spoke to the next person I found. She looked confused. Then a passenger named Jimmy came up to me and asked me if I needed help. He spoke nearly perfect english and became our personal translator for the next 16 hours.
I found out later that Jimmy is a Taiwanese native. He currently lives in Beijing with his wife but lived in Austin, Texas for 21 years. Miracle of miracles, he is a follower of Christ. I told him he was an agent of God. He just shrugged and told me that God is faithful. Jimmy spoke to a security guard right away. The guard took out his radio and made some calls. He told us (through Jimmy) that they would have the airport police go back through the plane to get the jacket and bring it to us. My panic
subsided and was replaced by moderate concern.
We waited right there at the gate. We waited some more. And some more. Finally the security guard came over to us and told us the airport police couldn't find it so he would take us to the office of the cleaning crew to see if they picked it up. This is when my concern was upgraded from moderate to major. He led us all out past security checkpoint, (not good) and out into the main terminal of the airport. The thought briefly crossed my mind, "How do we get back through security without passports or boarding passes?" But things were moving too fast at that point. The guard stopped everyone but me and Jimmy at an elevator. While Fritz, Dee, Christina and Tessa waited there with our carry-on bags, the guard led Jimmy and me down an elevator into the dungeon of the Chengdu airport.
We were led to the office of the Air China cleaning crew where a lady sat behind a desk carrying on what seemed like three or four conversations at the same time on one phone. Jimmy explained our situation. I could never tell if she was responding to him, or talking about something else entirely. It was difficult to gauge how things were going, but I will say this: she never gave the ‘ah-yes-that-jacket-we've-been-waiting-for-you-here it is' look. Jimmy said that they sent the cleaning crew back on the plane to look for it, but they weren't finding it. This is where major concern was upgraded to pure fear. My knees were beginning to feel weak, my throat was drying up, my brow was sweating and my stomach felt like a boy scout had just use it to win his knot tying merit badge. Then he said that they might have found it and given it to a foreigner. What?! Who?!
Our only hope was that they had found the family upstairs and given it to them. I once saw one of those tongue-in-cheek de-motivational posters that read: "It's always darkest before it goes completely black." This was that moment. Jimmy and I rushed up the elevator hoping against all hope that as the doors opened, my family would be holding my jacket, smiling brightly, knowing we could put this crisis behind us. Meanwhile, my family was hoping against all hope that as the elevator doors opened, I would be holding my jacket…smiling brightly. Needless to say, our hopes were dashed.
(Cue Ominous Music)
(Fade to Black)
To Be Continued...
Comments
Post a Comment