I really didn’t need a picture of my toes in the Pacific that badly or to travel over the Bridge of the Americas.

I know I kind of signed off the day before yesterday because it was just a travel day. Well, apparently the adventure was meant to continue.

Before I explain, I have an admission to make, I sometimes do some of the research for my blogs a day or so in advance and then plug in the specifics of what we did that day before “publishing”. Well, as Karen said to me last evening, “You certainly couldn’t have pre-written this one.”

The start of my trip home was uneventful yesterday morning with an early start to the airport, check in (the driver dropped me at the wrong terminal so I had a very long walk to the right one), and through security (twice, the normal one for everyone just after check in and a second one as international passengers reached our secure gate area). We boarded on time and pushed back even a little early, I had the seat next to me empty, I was doing Sudoko and all was right with the world.

We taxi’d out and just before getting to the take off runway, the plane stopped dead. I thought we were waiting for cross traffic, but no. The Captain came on to tell us that we had a flat tire and would be going back to the terminal. He was hopeful that we’d be back on the aircraft and heading off in just 1-2 hours. That seemed like a long time to change a tire to me, but what do I know about aircraft maintenance. On the way back to the gate the pilot came back on to say that 2 tires had been found and all was well. Part way back we were told to gather up our personal belongings as we’d have to deplane while they changed the tire.

A tire was rolled out and several ground crew were working on getting the tire off the plane. Well, 2 were working and several were supervising. It was quite comical watching them as they were pumping up and down like how you propel the manual rail carts. Next time we looked over, the crew was all gone and the tire was still leaning up against the plane. After 15 – 30 minutes they started unloading the luggage from the plane. We knew that couldn’t be a good sign. Then came the announcement we were dreading, the flight had been cancelled. But, we would all be rescheduled on a flight for today, same times, same seats, etc and given a voucher for an overnight stay at a Westin hotel. So as good Canadians we dutifully stood in a queue to pick up our vouchers. I was resigned to our plight and really it was a more elegant solution than spending the night at Toronto Pearson Airport which was starting to look like a possibility.

After 30 minutes or so standing in line with no further communication and no movement, they announced we would all be bused to the hotel and we should all proceed to pick up our luggage and we would be directed to the buses. Of course, the buses were not there immediately, and in fact were not there until 1.5 hours later while we stood in the arrivals area of the airport. No seats for any of those that could have used it. No water, now well through lunchtime. And yet, people remained relatively good natured. It was an adventure after all, not just boring uneventful travel.

Finally we were led to the charter bus arrivals area, as one bus had arrived. As human nature would dictate we moved as one herd first to the one bus and then those of us not on the first, to the second bus which was another 15 minutes in getting there. The bus went to and fro’ in the loading area before parking, and the people went to and fro’ along with their luggage. It was like something out of a movie or a dance. Of course all of this in the 30 degree heat and 90% humidity. Some of the passengers with mobility issues were clearly distressed by this point. The crew were assisting those who had ordered wheel chairs, but there were more who could have coped with the regular rigours of travel, but this was exceptional.

The route from the airport to the hotel took us over the Bridge of the Americas which we had come under just the day before on the Star Pride. It crosses high over the Panama Canal and was the first of the three bridges to be built joining the east to the west of Panama.

The Westin that they took us to was lovely, however, it’s probably 45 minutes from the airport on a Sunday afternoon. We had to drive back to the airport for our morning flight in Monday morning rush hour traffic. Upon arrival at the hotel, they told us our rooms would not ready until 5 or 5:30pm but that we could use the facilities and have a free lunch at the burger bar, and dinner last night at the buffet on Air Canada’s tab. And we were told that we needed to be down in the lobby for pick up at 5:30 am today, and better to be there for 5:00. Our flight wasn’t until nearly 11 am. Five hours before our flight seems a little extreme, but we were in their hands, I’m afraid.

So Karen (who we discovered was on the same flight to Toronto that I was so our travel adventure continued together) and I sat under the palm trees overlooking the Pacific on one side and the beautiful pool area on the other. We got into our rooms around 5:00 and my room was huge! I could have hosted a party in it, too bad to only be using it for a few hours. The buffet was fine, and I tucked in for the night.

The wifi and cell coverage were not good enough at the hotel to add the picture of my toes or the bridge to my blog or even to post it without pictures, so here I am finishing it up upon arrival home on Monday evening. Yes, we did get picked up at about 5:45 and made it to the airport at 7 for a 10:40 flight. Sigh.

It’s not the end of my wonderful trip that I was expecting, but really, better to have had the tire go flat before we took off rather than attempting to land on it and better that it happened at the end rather than the beginning of my trip, making me fret about not getting on my cruise on time. Air Canada pulled off some miracles to find a plane full of us rooms for the night, having the hotel prepared with lunch and dinner, and providing transportation. They had coffee, tea and a kind of bread/cake thing this morning at the hotel before leaving. However, throughout, the one thing they could have done a better job of throughout the experience though is communication. I really don’t understand why it’s so hard for them. Even bad news is better than no news. Most people are resilient and will rise to the occasion if you just give them the information they need to process a changing situation.

The rest of today’s journey went almost according to Plan B. I actually got an earlier flight than I was booked on out of Toronto and was the last passenger on the plane. So I thankfully got home an hour early. Be it ever so humble.

I think I’m finally signing off.