Cosmopolitanism in Action

Here's a play-by play of my return to Vancouver. It was a bit of an adventure:

5:20pm - arrive at hotel intercontinental to catch the 5:30 airport shuttle
5:35pm - airport shuttle arrives
5:40pm - the shuttle doesn't go to the airport. arrives at bus station
5:45pm - purchase a bus ticket to the airport. bus scheduled to leave in five minutes

5:50pm - bus doesn't arrive
6:10pm - bus still hasn't arrived...
6:25pm - still no bus. other people in line start muttering about a riot

6:32pm - bus arrives. bags stowed and passengers loaded
6:35pm - bus driver takes a coffee break. passengers try to reschedule flights
6:47pm - we're on our way to the airport

7:12pm - arrive at the airport
7:15pm - informed at check-in: the plane was oversold and I may not get a seat
7:25pm - receive the full treatment at security. the man doing the body search was unfortunately thorough
7:31pm - arrive at gate. no seat
7:40pm - most passengers boarded. still no seat
7:46pm - still no seat...getting worried
7:49pm - assigned a seat. sigh of relief. board the plane

the in-flight movie was "The Illusionist" suprisingly predictable but entertaining. Paid for an in-flight meal for the first time. The pizza was terrible. I want my five bucks back.

1:32am - wheels down in Vancouver. good to be home
1:39am - waiting at the baggage carousel
1:46am - paged to baggage services (this doesn't bode well)
1:55am - informed that my bag was left in Montreal. They don't know when they can get it here

Almost seven hours and not one thing went right. I haven't had a smooth trip in a while but I still love travelling. I got home tired, luggageless, and content. The trip was deeply memorable and I expect to be telling these stories decades from now. The bag eventually showed up this afternoon and I have a final exam to study for this week.

Wish me luck!