A few notes about the week prior to departure:
Last week the apartment agency I was working with emailed me to say that the apartment I had reserved had had a problem. The "funnels" had blown and it smelled of "dumbness." I have no idea what "funnels" are to have blown, but I really don't want to have to smell "dumbness" for a month I am sure of that. (I think???) So after presenting me with downgraded second runner up they mentioned that instead of all utilities being included as per their previous agreement, now they were willing to pay only the first $100 . Excuse me?!?! I have no clue what expected costs should be to know if this would be reasonable or not. So I balked.
And I checked with the agency I have used previously to see if they had any openings. Three choices weregiven to them. 2 in my price range, the 3rd being $10 more, but where I needed it and I needed an alternative badly! Of course it was the third that was still available. I explained a bit about my budget and they split the difference with me. Whew! Crisis averted.I think I will stick with Hyur Service every time I need them in Armenia!
Monday evening after having dinner with my family I was reminded that I could check in for my flights. Delta was going to charge me $60 for two checked bags. Yikes! I was expecting only $50. What else could muck up the works?
I went to check into Aeroflot to see if I coulod select my seats. I entered the confirmation number and got the message. "This reservation has been cancelled." Back up there,,,,Try another confirmation number. "There is no destination city listed" WHAT?!?!? Where's my flight tomorrow to Armenia? I was panicking, tried calling my travel agent. Of course it was after hours, so I left a message trying not to sound to panicked, but unsuccessfully so. I continued looking for something else in my emails and everywhere. I finally found another on which worked and showed my itinerary. I printed out the boarding passes and as I was scruitinaizing them realized they were for someone else on a different day, month and destination. Good Grief! But I had the right itinerary and so I'd have to go on faith!
Dan took me to the airport before going to workon Tuedsay, we said our goodbyes and I went off to check in. The good news is that even though I booked 2 separate flights they were connected and the Delta agent could check my luggage all the way through to Yerevan. YAY! finally some good news! And then the bomb shell....for $75 additional dollars. :-(((( Patiently he looked up my payment for $60 and played around on the computer a bit more while holding my credit card, when he finally said, "Actually I think we can do this for just $15 more." YES! There is a God! Payment made. No thinking of luggage until Yerevan. Knowing I've been there before without the arrival of luggage (and survived to tell about it) I figured I'd just double check in JFK to make sure they didn't pop up there for good measure.
Touchdown Armenia!
I left Grand Rapids, Michigan on my first Delta flight to Cincinnati at 9am Tuesday. Left Cincinnati at12:45 to JFK and then switched over to Aeroflot for my 7pm flight to Moscow andticipating about 9 more hours over the pond through the night.
I took an Ambien hoping for a decent amount of sleep before landing but was not very successful. A small catnap and dinner arrived about 9:30pm. A sufficient mixture of beef,veggies and mashed potatoes with a sida salad of sorts and bread, which I saved. Dessert was a rich chocolate mousse which I restrained myself from finishing. Another few catnaps and visits to the facilities later and it was breakfast time at about 2am. Talk about getting youn hours mixed up.
Breakfast was an omelet with bacon and a few tater tots, ham and shredded carrots and more bread and Oreos, which I saved.
At this point I have changed my watch because Moscow time is the same at Yerevan. I arrived at 4:45 am my time-12:45 pm Moscow time. Next flight 6:20 to Yerevan-expected arrival 8:20. They have not changed to daylight savings.
So after arriving safely in Yerevan at 8:20pm, I discovered there was no one there to pick me up. But there was a Hyur service person there to pick someone else up. Possibly a ride but I checked in with Fuller Center first. They said to wait, my friend Melik, our driver was coming for me. So I stayed put.
An hour later, when I was about as stressed out as I could get on such little sleep, he showed up. They thought my flight was arriving at 9:20pm. That's what happens when a country decides at the last minute not to go on daylight savings time.
Communicating between he and the office put our expectaions for waiting anothe hour or so for the next round of team mates arriving at 10:10. Inner sigh of frustration.
We carried my luggage to the car and then went back in, got me a cold water and looked at the arrivals board only to find out they were delayed until 11:45pm. I just about cried thinking of having to wait another 2 hours for the next group of people. Fortunately it was decided to take me back to get settled into the apartment which he helped me get squared away with the Hyur Service person.
He then want after the next group of people, Peter Manuelian, Alexis Lowe and her son, Philip. They had been delayed 3 hours in the States only to have an overnight flight of 5 1/2 hours get them to London in time for their next flight which was only slightly delayed in comparison.
Wednesday, Arriving from a visit to Prague were David Sayian and his niece and nephew,Rachel and David Talanian. Their flight from Prague due to arrive at 3:45 am had been flat out cancelled! Fortunately they were rerouted through Moscow and finally arrived at 2pm.
Welcome to the concept of time in Armenia....Dare I say this is actually kind of normal? At least it fits the concept of time as seen here. Tomorrow we shall hear if our last arriving team mates arricve without fligt issues. Your guess is as good as mine.
At least dinner together was pleasant. Appetizers consisted of the usual summer salad (Tomato and cucmbers) a greens mixed table salad and bread and cheese. Dinner was breaded chicken breasts and french fries- (their version of ketchup was rather spicy compared to the mini packets of heinz that Sona brought! Gotta love her!
Last week the apartment agency I was working with emailed me to say that the apartment I had reserved had had a problem. The "funnels" had blown and it smelled of "dumbness." I have no idea what "funnels" are to have blown, but I really don't want to have to smell "dumbness" for a month I am sure of that. (I think???) So after presenting me with downgraded second runner up they mentioned that instead of all utilities being included as per their previous agreement, now they were willing to pay only the first $100 . Excuse me?!?! I have no clue what expected costs should be to know if this would be reasonable or not. So I balked.
And I checked with the agency I have used previously to see if they had any openings. Three choices weregiven to them. 2 in my price range, the 3rd being $10 more, but where I needed it and I needed an alternative badly! Of course it was the third that was still available. I explained a bit about my budget and they split the difference with me. Whew! Crisis averted.I think I will stick with Hyur Service every time I need them in Armenia!
Monday evening after having dinner with my family I was reminded that I could check in for my flights. Delta was going to charge me $60 for two checked bags. Yikes! I was expecting only $50. What else could muck up the works?
I went to check into Aeroflot to see if I coulod select my seats. I entered the confirmation number and got the message. "This reservation has been cancelled." Back up there,,,,Try another confirmation number. "There is no destination city listed" WHAT?!?!? Where's my flight tomorrow to Armenia? I was panicking, tried calling my travel agent. Of course it was after hours, so I left a message trying not to sound to panicked, but unsuccessfully so. I continued looking for something else in my emails and everywhere. I finally found another on which worked and showed my itinerary. I printed out the boarding passes and as I was scruitinaizing them realized they were for someone else on a different day, month and destination. Good Grief! But I had the right itinerary and so I'd have to go on faith!
Dan took me to the airport before going to workon Tuedsay, we said our goodbyes and I went off to check in. The good news is that even though I booked 2 separate flights they were connected and the Delta agent could check my luggage all the way through to Yerevan. YAY! finally some good news! And then the bomb shell....for $75 additional dollars. :-(((( Patiently he looked up my payment for $60 and played around on the computer a bit more while holding my credit card, when he finally said, "Actually I think we can do this for just $15 more." YES! There is a God! Payment made. No thinking of luggage until Yerevan. Knowing I've been there before without the arrival of luggage (and survived to tell about it) I figured I'd just double check in JFK to make sure they didn't pop up there for good measure.
Touchdown Armenia!
I left Grand Rapids, Michigan on my first Delta flight to Cincinnati at 9am Tuesday. Left Cincinnati at12:45 to JFK and then switched over to Aeroflot for my 7pm flight to Moscow andticipating about 9 more hours over the pond through the night.
I took an Ambien hoping for a decent amount of sleep before landing but was not very successful. A small catnap and dinner arrived about 9:30pm. A sufficient mixture of beef,veggies and mashed potatoes with a sida salad of sorts and bread, which I saved. Dessert was a rich chocolate mousse which I restrained myself from finishing. Another few catnaps and visits to the facilities later and it was breakfast time at about 2am. Talk about getting youn hours mixed up.
Breakfast was an omelet with bacon and a few tater tots, ham and shredded carrots and more bread and Oreos, which I saved.
At this point I have changed my watch because Moscow time is the same at Yerevan. I arrived at 4:45 am my time-12:45 pm Moscow time. Next flight 6:20 to Yerevan-expected arrival 8:20. They have not changed to daylight savings.
So after arriving safely in Yerevan at 8:20pm, I discovered there was no one there to pick me up. But there was a Hyur service person there to pick someone else up. Possibly a ride but I checked in with Fuller Center first. They said to wait, my friend Melik, our driver was coming for me. So I stayed put.
An hour later, when I was about as stressed out as I could get on such little sleep, he showed up. They thought my flight was arriving at 9:20pm. That's what happens when a country decides at the last minute not to go on daylight savings time.
Communicating between he and the office put our expectaions for waiting anothe hour or so for the next round of team mates arriving at 10:10. Inner sigh of frustration.
We carried my luggage to the car and then went back in, got me a cold water and looked at the arrivals board only to find out they were delayed until 11:45pm. I just about cried thinking of having to wait another 2 hours for the next group of people. Fortunately it was decided to take me back to get settled into the apartment which he helped me get squared away with the Hyur Service person.
He then want after the next group of people, Peter Manuelian, Alexis Lowe and her son, Philip. They had been delayed 3 hours in the States only to have an overnight flight of 5 1/2 hours get them to London in time for their next flight which was only slightly delayed in comparison.
Wednesday, Arriving from a visit to Prague were David Sayian and his niece and nephew,Rachel and David Talanian. Their flight from Prague due to arrive at 3:45 am had been flat out cancelled! Fortunately they were rerouted through Moscow and finally arrived at 2pm.
Welcome to the concept of time in Armenia....Dare I say this is actually kind of normal? At least it fits the concept of time as seen here. Tomorrow we shall hear if our last arriving team mates arricve without fligt issues. Your guess is as good as mine.
At least dinner together was pleasant. Appetizers consisted of the usual summer salad (Tomato and cucmbers) a greens mixed table salad and bread and cheese. Dinner was breaded chicken breasts and french fries- (their version of ketchup was rather spicy compared to the mini packets of heinz that Sona brought! Gotta love her!
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| Leo, Sona, Alexis, Philip, Peter,David T, David S, Rachel & Natalie for dinner at Marco Polo |
I hope to sleep well tonight as last night was full of foot and leg cramps from the long flight. Yawn! Goodnight!~
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