It was another cool start in Napier but the sun was shining again! My friend picked me up to take me to the airport and we were thee in plenty of time. An ex-colleague from many years ago works part time in the lounge so I had a good catch up with him again.
The plane was ten minutes late arriving but we did not lose any more time! In Auckland where there were lots of clouds and passing showers. I made it to the lounge at the International Airport and spent the afternoon there, I did manage a Baileys and ice, lol!
I was nice and early on board and enjoyed the usual glass of bubbles pre flight that is the lot of business class passengers. We were due to leave at 7.30 pm, although it was 8.15 when we did, and about 6.45 pm, one of the cabin crew rushed in, she was a bit late! It turns out she was the in-service flight manager but everything was running smoothly so no-one would have known. I was chatting to her later and she left home in plenty of time but got held up by a serious road accident!
The two people looking after us were Becs and Gabe, both really lovely and this was my second flight with Gabe, he remembered me! The flight took just over 13 hours and we usually expect some turbulence near the equator but for some reason this flight was a bit bumpy most of the way. I did manage a couple of hours sleep!
As usual, it was the normal laid back approach at Houston, and I was out fairly smartly and found the hotel shuttle. The hotel was very basic but clean. The shuttle driver had told me she could take me out to find some food if I wanted to. I decided a garage that had food would be fine so I could buy a sandwich and some sparkling water. She looked very confused and we finally worked out that I should have said Gas station, lol. She took me out to a Shell station with a Food Mart and I was able to get what I needed. On my return I took a shower, with no shower curtain, lol, and then relaxed for the evening.
Friday
I did not have a very good night so was up fairly early for the free breakfast. It was not too bad, some hot food as well as cereals and fruit. I then wandered back to my room for a couple of hours before checking out and catching the shuttle back to the airport for my flight to Chicago.
I spent the time in a United Club Lounge. There were three guys travelling together to Portland Oregon and I got chatting to one of them, he was called Joe. He has visited New Zealand and really loved it, preferred it to Australia, lol.
The plane was delayed coming in from Chicago due to some bad weather so I hung around at the gate for an hour. I got talking to a young man who had just finished Boot Camp for the National Guard. He was a lovely guy and we had an interesting conversation. He is interested in Computer Science so the conversation became even more interesting and I was able to share a couple of things he did not know, always the teacher, lol!
I got chatting to the young lady next to me because she had been denied access to the United Club Lounge and she could not work out why, her credentials were probably better than mine, lol. We swapped stories about various travels we have both been on.
While we were chatting, the gorgeous sunset was on display to the left of the plane. We watched it get even more beautiful as the night sky turned darker.
Finally, I asked her what she did as it was obvious she travelled for her job. She is a Chemical Engineer and, I think, works for Zeon. She basically checks out companies using various technologies for producing various items and makes sure they are compliant with their licence. She will let them know what they are doing well and where they could improve. This time, however, she was off to Korea to check out a company that wanted to start a licensing process.
I followed this by asking about plastic and was anything being worked on with regard to that. She said they are just beginning to work on some ideas. One of the major issues is related to collection of all the discarded plastic, it is a logistical nightmare.
I just hope she made her flight, because we were late she had 50 minutes to get to Terminal E and we had landed in Terminal B!! The last I heard was that she needed an electronic cart but not sure if that happened!
I had to wait for the hotel shuttle but finally made it around midnight. It was some time before I had a shower and went to bed, I needed some down t8me first, lol!
It sure was an interesting day!
Saturday
I had about 5 hours sleep and my internal clock is struggling to cope, lol. The free breakfast was OK and then I caught the shuttle to the airport where I would catch the Airport Express into Chicago, Union Station. The superette room was just too expensive but I had booked Business Class for a bit more room. This entitled me to use the Metropolitan Lounge. I set out to buy some food for the journey and found a place that had lovely fresh sandwiches, they also served warm almond croissants. I bought one to eat and another for breakfast on the train. I then headed for the Starbucks and ordered the usual coffee.
Back in the lounge and I have to say, I was disappointed in the snacks on offer and the espresso coffee from the machine was lukewarm at best. Considering ll the hoohah abot the lounge being upgraded, it fell well short of expectations.
I checked with the agent and Business Class was full so I decided to check my suitcase, there would not be that much room in the BC car. It was a very long wait in the lounge and fairly boring so I was pleased when it was time to board. I managed to get the last single seat and settled in for the long trip. Once we were underway, on time, I grabbed a cup of ice and a cup of tea. I like my milk so the guy gave me a small carton of milk and also stored it for me in between times! I ate my dinner and after a short while felt really tired so settled down to sleep, we had been given a pack with a blanket, a neck cushion, ear plugs and eye shade, the first to were well used. The coach was too cold, apparently there is only on and off with no thermostat to control the heat, grrrr!
Sunday
I had about three hours sleep so was ready for my breakfast cup of tea when he opened the cafe at 6.30 am.
At this time we were passing Lake Erie and it was fairy gloomy, we were at Sandusky, well away from Cleveland, and were already running late! The day dragged on and on with little to relieve the monotony and I was so tired, I think that made it worse, lol!!We were supposed to arrive in Springfield at 5.33 pm so I had not bought anything for dinner, as we wer very late the Cafe attendant had sent an order ahead to Albany for some sandwiches so, once we left Albany, I purchased a ham and cheese on marble rye bread and had my last cup of tea for the trip, lol! We finally arrived three hours late, only to find ther was no assistance at the station, even though it had indicated there should be!! The guy who unloaded the baggage said he would help me but a lovely lady, Desiree, who was a limo driver waiting for a person from another train, helped me outside and got me a taxi, she was so lovely!
I caught a taxi to my hotel and checked in. Then it was time to have a shower and head to bed.
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