Text 4954, 53 rader
Skriven 2010-12-14 17:35:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: trip 881
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We were supposed to get back at 6, but with the delay, that
was pushed back to 6:30. Supposedly, the van was supposed to
leave at 7, so we showed up at 7, not having time for supper
but just a beer at the Pink Bistro. No van. Turns out others
were told 7:15. You should see Lilli's eyes flash when she
deals with an idiot. She turned into a tigress at the
nonplussed travel agent as apparently everyone takes the
budget airline at 9:30 (At-a-loss or Onan or something) and
there's no allowance in the system for anyone on TK at 9,
which we were. The agent tried to maintain his joviality as
he promised us that the van would leave immediately; so we
were trooped to the parking lot where - of course - we
waited on board for a huge time. Even my patience was tried,
as if we'd known we could have had a nice little supper. It
turns out two guys figured they weren't going to show up
until 7:40, which was the time they figured was appropriate
for the 9:30 flight. They were located, with recriminations
all round, and we got underway about 7:30. Arrived at the
airport at 8:15 for a 9:05 flight. Luckily security was
pretty quick.

We hadn't had Internet and hadn't been smart enough to ask
the travel agent to get seats for us, so we were assigned
two middle seats. At least mine was in the exit row. In our
15 minutes in the Turkish Airlines Business lounge, where I
had decent lentil soup and some bad cake, I tried to enlist the
agent's aid in getting us seats together; she checked and
regretfully said that we had the best seats available.

1007 TK2337 ADB IST 2105 2215 321 11B, 12B

Flow control made this a later departure and a longer
flight than it should have been, so I grabbed the seat in
front and pulled often, something like that, just for
giggles. I can be extremely juvenile when I feel like, and
it's a wonder my travel partners put up with me.

A meal of sorts, not bad for what it was. A chicken sandwich
- flavorful marinated chicken breast on flavorless American-
style sub roll - was sided with salad, minty tabboule, and
a pleasantly flabby pannacotta that reminded me of that
chicken-breast pudding, only without the chicken. No alcohol
as it was a domestic flight, so I just had water, which
seemed to distress the pleasant FA. No coffee? Tea? Juice?
No, thanks, if you don't have that lovely Efes beer that
I've become accustomed to, I'll close my eyes and imagine
that this water in front of me is Miller Lite.

We screeched in for a very hard landing, which caused shouts
of dismay on board and a bit of buzz on the jetway after.
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