Part One: Getting There is only Half the Battle

It started when Mr Theologian and I both wished to see my family in the Los Angeles area. I have not been to California for over two years, and my husband wanted to see where I grew up.

So I booked a flight on Delta for 25 Dec, FWA-CVG-LAX, and was excited. Well... the bad weather came, and then, as soon I've heard that CVG was in trouble, I called Delta and managed to rebook for the next day, FWA-ATL-LAX.

26 Dec came and we left in the afternoon, but the flight was delayed for over an hour, and the blokes at Delta were working hard to help its customers. We boarded the plane and the wonderful flight attendant tried his darndest to make the flight comfortable for all of its pax.

We arrived in ATL, tired and realized that we missed our flight to LAX. There would be no flights until the next day. There were two choices we had: to turn back home or to go forth. No matter; we had to stay one night in Atlanta. The gate attendant told us to go to the ticket counter and get instructions.

Now, ATL can be a difficult place to navigate, with its vast space. It was especially so with Mr Theologian's back problem, as he can walk only short distances. (Ever since an accident 10 years ago, he had trouble orthopedically.) We found a wheelchair and we pushed to the Delta counter. Someone there had compassion on us and beckoned to come. After looking at our tix, she rescheduled our flight to LAX at 11 am Monday and comped us with food vouchers and a stay at the Airport Marriott. We thanked her profusely and went out to the shuttle.

Many people were waiting and looking for their own shuttles. Mr Theologian figured that all these people were in the same boat as we were: shuffled around and waiting for the next plane. Our van came and took us to the Marriott. There were very helpful and gave us a king-sized bedroom. Very clean, very spiffy. The bed is nice and firm, and we snuggled up nicely, falling asleep in a few minutes. The next day, we had a great breakfast buffet. I highly recommend it. Then we went back to ATL and waited for a wheelchair. The lady at the baggage section had paged for the wheelchair three times, and finally it came. She was peeved that no one came. We had a great conversation whilst waiting. She wished me a great flight and we hugged. (I must take the time and thank those who've helped us at ATL, especially the lady at the ticket counter who comped us and the lady at the luggage section. Thanks also to the blokes who wheeled Mr Theologian around.)

We arrived at the ticket counter and got to the kiosk. Checked ourselves and then waited for another wheelchair. We got throught the process and finally got to the gate. We finally got to LAX at 1:30pm PST, and after a long wait in the plane. For an Air France flight arrived at the gate before us and all of their pax must get through customs. No one gets off the plane until they all get through. Finally, we were able to get out. My mom picked us up and we headed to our hotel room.

(To be continued in another post...in my second post, I'll talk about our stay in Los Angeles and Orange County.)