Friday, March 21, 2008

Oh, Mexico... (Departure)

After turning into la grande bitch on my last flight to Mexico, I wanted to ensure that this time I would remain calm, cool and collected. I mean, it's one thing to fly with Dave and know he'll manage me, but I really didn't want to make Maj suffer through any possible mood swing on this flight. We did review what to do "just in case" (I believe her plan was to pretend she wasn't with me) and while she contemplated sitting as far away from me as possible, I assured her that I had what it takes for a happy flight: Drugs. So it was, with my sedating friends Ativan and Seroquel in my bag, that we headed off to YVR on a Saturday morning, so excited we could hardly contain ourselves.

(Here: our non existent line up)
Our departure could not have gone any smoother. Upon arriving at the airport, we picked up our tickets and headed to check in. And it is here that I got to experience being an "Elite" traveller. Which is waaaay better than being a regular traveller. I mean WAAAAAY better. It seems that Maj, with all her travelling, has some sort of "Elite Status" with Air Canada, and this great little card that skips you through line ups and puts you in nice lounges with free stuff. So, we bypassed the regular folk in the long line up and casually sauntered up to the "Elite" counter, sans line up.
Nice! Check in was smooth, until I realized that the DVD player was still in my suitcase, which was already on the conveyor, heading to wherever it goes to be loaded on the plane. Not wanting to risk no TVs on the back of the seats, we really needed that DVD player! The agent told me I was free to get it, so there I was, climbing the conveyor to retrieve said DVD player. Funny yes. But I think it sort of gave away the fact that I am not actually an "Elite" traveller. Oh well. (Above: line for the regular folk)

With our bags checked we hung out for as long as I needed a smoke (I wasn't making the mistake of going through security too early again!). And then it was on to the Air Canada Lounge. Okay, I clearly need to up my travelling status! Free food, free bar, free magazines and newspapers. Instead of sitting at the terminal in some uncomfortable chair, anxiously awaiting for them to call my flight, I'm sitting in a private lounge, in a cozy lounge chair, eating a nice lunch (Italian Wedding Soup - can you believe it??) and enjoying a nice gin and tonic. Did I mention this is all free? I'm sure my overflowing excitement about being there gave away the fact that I didn't really belong there, but that's okay. I intended to enjoy every minute of it. I'm sure Maj thought I was a geek, as she kept her head in a magazine!

Eventually it was time to board our flight and be on our way to Mexico. Woo Hoo!! I am pleased to announce that all went well. I had a TV screen in front of me, I took my drugs, I didn't hear any screaming kids, and I don't think I even noticed how long the flight was. I believe I was "with it" upon our arrival in Mexico. We easily grabbed our bags, which, once again thanks to Maj's "Elite Status" were tagged "Priority" and came off the plane first. We are psyched! We are in Mexico! Our vacation has begun! We breezed through the green light at customs and then... Well, you've heard of timeshares, right?

Up next: Arriving in Puerto Vallarta, including How We Got Roped Into A Timeshare Presentation. Stay tuned...

2 comments:

gary said...

nice to go on a trip, flying, with a little help from your "friends" and friend...your becoming a seasoned traveller...

Ange said...

i tell ya, that elite pass thing is THE way to go!!!