Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Unexpected Roadtrip

The end of October I was attempting to leave Alaska for a several week trip. The complicated factor was that I was flying standby, courtesy of my airport job. But flying standby can be frustrating, to say the least. I flew down to Anchorage with no issues, but that night I waited at the gate to see if I would make the flight to Denver to start my adventure..... but alas, I was the next person on the list and no more seats were available. sigh. Well, my adventure did begin, just not the one I was hoping for. I never leave home now without a blanket.... cause when you sleep in the airport terminal, it comes in handy. I don't understand why some airports keep it so chilly.... that and I don't understand why their announcements are played so loudly! there are no flights from 2-6am, but still the announcements jolt you from sleep every hour or so... therefore, a restless night. 

The next day I had hours to kill until the next flight left and I had no desire to stick around Anchorage. So for $20 I rented a car and set off. First stopped for a yummy breakfast and coffee and then drove south. I have never been to Kenai before, so figured that was a good time. It was a clear, sunny, winter day. Which meant the sun was shining and reflecting off the freshly snow capped mountains. Spectacular! It was a bit chilly outside, but in my warm car, I could enjoy the beauty from warmth and safety. 

All I did was drive to Kenai, ate lunch and drove on some side roads for a bit looking for a bluff I was told about. Never did find that bluff. Then drove back to Anchorage. Tho it was completely unplanned, it was a marvelous roadtrip. 







To finish my standby saga.... made it back to Anchorage, once again waited at the gate for the flight I wanted to get on. This time, even one of the paying customers didn't get a seat, let alone us standby passengers. One lady I talked to, it was her 3rd night trying to make it out. :/ We laughed about sleeping in airports. She had a son to stay with, but she had done her fair share of spending nights in airports. I think I've slept 5 nights in an airport in the past two months. 

Anyways, I slept at the airport, then caught an early flight back to Fairbanks. Came home and slept for real. Tried getting out of Fairbanks that night with no success.... but the next day, after three days of trying I made it on a flight!! I almost canceled my trip, but glad I stuck with it!!! Made it to the U.K. and met some pretty awesome people and even ran into some old friends I didn't know were there! More about that to come.... 

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Day of Firsts

So have been traveling again. I know, I know, that's nothing new. But I did have a day of firsts recently. Was headed into an unknown town, going to visit an unknown church of all potential new friends who were still unmet at that point. I had anticipated an evening service, but was informed that there was an 3pm service instead. The bus I was to catch from the nearby town wouldn't arrive until 220pm. And public transportation would have taken me almost an hour to reach said church. So....

Figured I could take a taxi.... then I thought, what about Uber? It's no different than a taxi and though there are those skeptics out there who say it's unsafe, I decided to give it a try. At least with Uber, you can track your progress and see where you are at all times on your phone. With a taxi, you are also riding with a stranger, but with no way to tell where you are going. Believe me, I've been in some cabs and wondered where in the world I was being taken. (not knowing the city or having data on your phone can cause you to wonder) 



So I am here to tell you I survived, and I made it to my destination in once piece. And only 3 minutes late instead of 20. And I had a nice chat with my driver, who wasn't even actually from the country I was visiting. 

As for the other first- I've always wanted to try out staying in a hostel. Guess it was just that time. I had a bus out of town early the next morning, so I wanted a place nearby the bus station. Looked at several Airbnb places, then checked hostels. Found one less than a 5 minute walk from the station and it was only $18 for the night. 

Yes, I stayed in a hostel. And I did have a roommate. But she was a nice German University student. It was a little run down and the mattress was a bit lumpy, but the sheets were clean. Just a tad different than the last time I shared a room with a complete stranger (complete stranger means I had absolutely no connection whatsoever, no friend of a friend, etc.)- at least that time, I was in a 5* hotel! 

So again- I survived. And actually got good sleep. Not sure if I'll do it again any time soon, but who knows!?

view from a new friend's house

tiny sink at the hostel

view from the front door of hostel