One last adventure

Most people get culture shock when they leave home and go somewhere new. I've always had it the other way round, and find it really strange coming home. This time is no exception. I can't get used to the fact that I have a cold nose, there are no cockroaches and there is no Reggaethon thumping across the airwaves on the radio.

It is wonderful to be back though, and Scotland is looking delicious.

Getting back was rather touch and go though, given a monumental display of acute stupidity on Friday night.

Essentially we managed to get from Nicaragua to Costa Rica and from Costa Rica to New York in 2 days with nothing going wrong. We must have high-fived each other one time too many and fate decided to intervene by denying us the curiosity of knowing what time it was when we landed in NY (You know how normally the pilot says something along the lines of 'welcome to NY where the time is 4 o clock...' this time he didn't and we didn't check) Although I thought it odd that the Eastern Sea Board had the same time zone as Costa Rica, I didn't check it, I didn't ask anyone and I didn't challenge Hugo who said his brother who lived in NY was always 6 hours behind.

So, with 5 hours to kill between flights, we had lots of coffee and donuts, browsed in the book shops, sat on abdominal work out machines that behave like bucking broncos, and finally, deplete, we sat down at a nearby gate to chew the fat. At 18.30 it was getting dark outside and I commented lazily on how early it was getting dark compared to this time of year in England. Still, nothing twigged.

At 18.45, just before Hugo took a sleeping pill in preparation for falling asleep just as soon as he sat down on the plane, he checked the screens and all colour left his skin. There was no longer a Glasgow flight. I turned to the man on my right and asked him for the time. It was 20.45.


We had missed our plane by an hour. And all this time, we had been sitting in the wrong gate, chatting. The wrong gate! The stupidity of it all absolutely killed me. We thought we had so much time, we had just sat down at the nearest place...2 gates away from ours.

Hearts thumping like mad, jet lagged brains struggling to make sense of what had just happened, we raced through the terminal to the Continental desk, dragging paintings, ceramic pots, stacks of coffee and other goodies from Central America behind us.

We thought of making up some convoluted story about me being sick (er, for the last 3 hours?) or us both falling asleep (more likely, but still...) but settled on the honest approach and stood in front of the counter pinning all our hopes on Rob, the customer services man. We reckoned that new flights from NY would have been c.£300 each, plus the night in NY and food etc etc, basically it was more that either of us could afford. Especially me, a chariddee worker.

White faced and perspiring gently, we explained that we'd just missed our flight, and waited for the diatribe about how this was all our fault (which it was) and therefore we'd have to wait 4 days for the next flight to the UK (Manchester probably) and pay first class rates for it as there were no other seats available.

But, the lovely man from Continental said 'ok, so you missed your flight? That's ok, you've been automatically rebooked onto the next available flight which is tomorrow night, same time. Let me just print out the hotel and meal vouchers for you.'

Hugo gripped my hand beneath the counter. I stifled a massive grin.

And sure enough, no questions asked, we found ourselves on a free shuttle bus to the Sheraton, where we had a deliciously comfy room (valued at $265) and a massive supper. The next day, instead of waking up in Glasgow, we woke up in NY and took the train into Manhatten where the first thing we did was climb the Empire State Building.

We ate salad and bagels in a park watching the world go by (all the girls are wearing dresses in NY) and did a bit of compulsory shoe shopping. Amazing!

I also hugged a NY FD fireman (still wearing my
Gallo Pinto Nicaragua t-shirt, all other clothes had been sent back to Glasgow on the flight we had missed).


It was such a fab sunny day, and such a treat to get a day in NY after being in such remote parts of the world for so long. Definitely the best way to end my 4 month adventure...

...Not that I'd recommend the missing-plane tactic to anyone else!