travel escapade

Wow, more than a week na rin pala akong hindi nakapagpost. I just got home from Chicago yesterday. I really had a great time there! AS IN GREAT!!! I spent the whole week with Alex and Max (my college kabarkada and classmates who reside now in Chicago), and of course meeting Max's big family.

My trip was very interesting to know. It really took me a piece of sacrifice just to get there. Haha. Okay, I left Florida last Friday, and I was supposed to be there in Chicago Friday night around 8:30PM. From Florida, I flew to Memphis, then supposedly by 7:30PM I would depart Memphis. We were in the plane when the pilot told us that there was an air traffic so our flight was delayed. Then after an hour of being stuck in the plane, the pilot told us that we cannot fly anymore because they were very tired and they had been flying since that morning, so their stress might not bring good in our flying. DAMN NORTHWEST!!! So I was really agitated, because I was excited to meet my friends for that night, then the heck Northwest staff they cancelled the flight for the next day. So we had to stay there in Memphis for an overnight. Good thing the airline managed it of course. I was checked in at Marriott hotel and I was given $20 worth of food stub. In fairness, I had a very nice suite room. I had a king size bed. But I already slept at around 12AM, because it was already late when we got there in the hotel. I barely slept at all, because I was thinking of the flight the next morning, which was scheduled 5:45AM, so by 4AM, our shuttle bus would be bringing us to the airport.

Okay... 5:45AM struck, and we began to fall in line for the boarding. Then the Northwest agent announced that the first officer refused to fly! DAMN!!! So what was that supposed to mean? Again, for the second time, we were cancelled. We waited hours and fell in line just to rebook our ticket. I called Northwest airlines because I need to get there in Chicago. So I have called them prior to reaching the agent in the line there in the airport. I got the 8:40AM flight straight to Chicago. I was lucky because some didn't get that flight and decided to go back to the state where they came from. Some had no choice but to take the afternoon flight and some have to get another connecting flight. So okay, 8:40AM and we got into the plane, when the pilot again told us that there was a defect. The cockpit cannot be closed, and so everyone was getting hysterical, since each of us has our own intended appointments (as for me, leisure with friends, lol). There was even one there who would attend a wedding. Then everyone was again calling the airlines, and the airline said that the flight will not be cancelled. Then when we were out of the plane, the agent told us that it's moved to 9:40AM, then the pilot told us that we would fly no matter what coz everything's okay. It's just the cockpit that cannot be closed and there's no defect in the machine itself whatsoever. So we went back to the plane and it still took us long before we took off. We just prayed and hoped that finally we will be flying. But thank God, we finally flew to Chicago and everyone was clapping. The passengers cursed the Northwest making it Northworst!!! haha. So I reached Chicago around 11:30AM and because of the hassle the airline brought us, each of us was given a $100 voucher, which turned out to be very useful for me in the end.

In Chicago, I really had a great time with Max and Alex. It's a weekend when I got there so there were lots of activities. We were able to attend a picnic, a party at night when I arrived. Then the following days, we went to the downtown and it was like New York!!! A lot of tall buildings, and I like it better than in New York. The buildings in Chicago have very good architectural design. It was worth-it taking a cruise around downtown on their River, to scrutinize the buildings around. I have really wanted a place something like New York, because it is lively, but I just hate it for the fact that it is somewhat scary there and "delikado, magulo" and too busy. But now I have found the place ~ the peaceful New York is actually Chicago! So it's my option now to work there someday, especially that I have friends there.

Every night too, the three of us had bonding session, which included drinking session and heart to heart talk. It was way different than our college life bonding. I have seen that we have become mature and it's just nice to know that we're not talking about our classes anymore. hehe. Feels good that the three of us are here in the States and we're having fun. Kakaiba talaga. Si Max nagdridrive, then parang hawak namin ang oras namin, ang saya sobra! Kung saan-saan kami pumupunta. Naliligaw paminsan pero masaya. Thanks to Magellan the car's navigator, hahah!

We were also spontaneous during my stay there. We went to Wisconsin Dells, it's in Wisconsin obviously. It's a 3-hour drive from Chicago and we stayed there overnight because we left Chicago at night time and it was already midnight when we reached Wisconsin. We went to a waterpark, in Noah's Ark, as well as in Dells Duck. Even if we're only three, we had fun with the slides! Nothing compared with the bond we have made there. I became one of the boys! heheh.

Oh I forgot to tell you that we decided that I extend my stay there. I was supposed to be staying there just until Tuesday, but I extended it until Thursday. Good thing I had that $100 voucher, coz I used that to pay for upgrading my ticket. Okay, so Thursday came and I was ready to go home, but the weater was too bad. It was low visibility when Max was driving me towards the airport. When I reached the airport, the weather became good, but there were already several flights which were delayed because of the air traffic. So nagpatong-patong na yung mga delayed na flights, and in the end my flight was delayed too, then later on it was cancelled! hahaha! It was so funny that Max had to pick me up again from the airport. It was okay though that I got cancelled because I still don't wanna go back in Florida. lol.

So for the whole day, I went with Max in his work. He is a homehealth nurse, so his work involves visiting the patients in their home. So it's okay for me to join him. Pero kadalasan noon, while he's visiting his patients, I just slept in the car, kase nung last night ko dun, parang di na kami natulog kase sinulit yung gabi sa bonding. hehe. We have wished that the next day's flight will be cancelled too, haha.. but nah, everything was okay. And so it seemed that I had actually a one-week vacation there.

I'm back now here in Florida and I miss my two friends na kaagad. I hope it won't take a while before we meet again. I also wish I'm in Chicago, coz it's really different if you have some friends with you. I'm glad I got the chance to spend time with them, and nakakatuwa na nastrengthen yung bond naming tatlo.

I'll post the pics tom siguro. I'm sleepy na kase. hehe... =) Take care all of you! Mmmmmwahhhhuuuugggggs!