The road home (Last Post)

(Hovan) With the vacation completed, we had only one activity left, to get ourselves home in time for the holidays. We were scheduled to leave on Monday morning at 4:10 am Cairo time. We went to bed early to try and get at least 4 or 5 hours of sleep, but it was a bit like the night before Christmas and we were both excited about going home, so sleep did not come quickly. After about 2 hours of sleep the alarm woke us up at 12:15 in the morning. Bleary eyed we rolled out of bed and met our driver in the lobby.

Once at the airport we learned that our flight was delayed due to difficulty getting out of Europe on route to Cairo. Naturally we were a little annoyed at getting up so very very early only to be delayed in Cairo. We were lined up to take a flight to Amsterdam, have a 9 hour lay-over and then a direct flight to Vancouver. This meant we had a pretty good buffer for delayed flights. After sitting around the airport for about 4 hours or so they notified us that our flight was cancelled and that we would have to meet with an agent to get rebooked. Immediately the desk was swamped with people, most quite upset, wanting to have the issue fixed immediately.

While people were asking questions I went to try and find a phone to call our Egypt travel agent to see if they could call the airline and help us with a rebooking. He was unable to help and by the time I returned Christine had gotten a number for us - 58. The number Christine got was pretty good considering all the pushing and shoving that was going on. Interestingly all the locals and others from the region were aggressive and right at the front of the line, and all of the westerners were in this polite ring behind them. I may have been able to push myself a bit further ahead in line if I had been around, but Christine did marvelous when you think about how vicious things could have gotten.

At this point we were a bit depressed and trying to keep our spirits up. We knew that problems around Christmas tend to get worse and worse. We were using phones, the internet, any sources we could find to try and get a way home. Our worry was that being number 58 might have meant that we would get bumped a couple of days later, and that would not have been cool. Christine was talking to her mom through the computer and her mom was on the phone to KLM HQ in Amsterdam to get something booked. After two hours on the phone her mom got through and did a partial rebooking for the next day when the line went dead. At this point our number was up so we had to go and speak to the ticketing agent.

When we arrived at the desk the agents were frazzled, the customers were aggresive and the environment was quite charged. We started off being polite to our agent and asked him about our flight. Having spoken to a couple also going to Vancouver, they told us they had been rebooked on the exact same scehdule for the next day. The ticket agent could see that a rebooking for the next day had already been done by Christine's mom that jumped us through a couple of countries but got us seats. We asked if he could make the same arrangements for Monday instead of waiting until the next day (Tuesday). While he was working I told him we would consider him a hero if he could get us home that day.

In the end he came up with a solution, a flight through Egyptair from Cairo to New York in economy class and then New York to Vancouver in business class. We thought that if we could get to New York at least, there would be more options for getting home. We agreed to the flight and then had to be rushed to catch the flight. We made it with less than 10 minutes to spare. The flight to New York was unpleasant as we were tired, they had issues with temperature control and we were seated in the last place anyone chooses, right at the back next to the toilets. But we agreed that we were so fortunate to get out that we would not complain at all about the flights.

When we arrived in New York we checked in for our next flight and confirmed that we had indeed been bumped to business class. The flight was overbooked so he offered us a hotel, food, an upgrade to first class and $400 if we delayed for 24 hours and caught a flight the next day. Any other trip and we would have taken the offer, but we didn't want to get caught in another major east coast snow storm and miss Christmas, so we took a pass.

As business class fliers we had access to the special lounge, and it was so nice. The food was good and free, the chairs and couches comfy. Satellite TV, computers and internet access, booze, and other manners of goodies were available. Definitely a big step up from our last flight. After about 5 hours we were off to our flight on Cathay Pacific.

When we boarded the plane we started walking down the rows being jealous once again of the first class seats. Suddenly I realized that the seats we saw were actually for us and they were the most amazing flight seats I have ever seen. The seats stretched out into a full size bed that even I could lay flat out in. The seats were fully adjustable to whatever position we wanted and they even included a back massager. The TV we had was adjustable so you could lie down and enjoy it, there was a special section to put away shoes, a foot rest, nice thick blanket and excellent pillow. The head sets were Bose full cover ones and the entertainment selection superb, along with my own remote for the TV. (Left - Hovan in the business class seats on the way to Vancouver)

Before we took off the stewardesses came around and brought champagne or other choices of beverage. Also a bowl of hot roasted almonds to snack on, a bottle of water and a package with some sundry items. Once in the air the dinner service was 5 star, with linen on my dinner tray, real cutlery and porcelain plates. The meal was 3 course and included a tasty prawn salad as an appetizer. Both Christine and I chose the beef tenderloin for the main and it really was tender. For dessert there were cheese plates, fresh fruit and scrumptious cheese cake. After dinner there was a selection of snacks that we could request at any time if we wanted something else to eat. The service was fabulous the seats incredibly comfortable and the journey was the most pleasant flight we've ever experienced. It will be hard to go back to flying coach. (Right - the business class seats on the plane).

Surprisingly when we arrived in Vancouver we got through customs in 2 minutes, grabbed our bags and went through security without getting pulled in for the extra special interview. I normally get hauled in for that "random" interview when I fly and sporting the beard I am, I thought for sure we would get special attention. We managed to leave the airport at about 2:30 am and found a hotel for the night. In the morning we managed to catch the 11:00 ferry and Christine's dad and sister were there to pick us up. After 4+ months traveling through 21 different countries, we were finally home!! (Left - Hovan sleeping on the plane).

(Christine) As we struggle to get over jet lag from our long journey back to Canada, we look back and reflect on the past 4 months. We have seen an incredible amount in the time we’ve been away.

My favorite part of the trip was trekking the Himalayas in Nepal, followed by the train journey through Siberia, Mongolia & China. Hovan’s favorite part was watching the wildlife on the safari in Africa and the charm of the beautiful city of Venice.

After four months of constant traveling, here are some of our musings about the world.

Some things we take for granted back in Canada:

• Being able to drink and brush our teeth with clean tap water
• Reliable hot water and electricity
• Not always wondering if eating the food will make you sick
• Not being hassled constantly to buy a really crummy statue of the local monument at an extremely inflated price
• Not having to barter over the price of anything, from bananas, to taxis, to internet café, to crummy souvenirs
• Not being always on guard for thieves, carjackers (in particular Kenya), those trying to trick you or get money out of you through intimidation.
• Knowing English as a first language (This is huge. In most countries, with the exception of Russia, it is usually easy to find someone who speaks English).
• Not having to pay for the use of bathrooms that are usually dirty
  

Things we are looking forward to back home:

• Family and friends
• Our own bed
• Sleeping in the same location for more then 4 nights in a row
  
• Homemade Pie
• Going to the movie theatre
• Slurpees (okay just Hovan)
• Everyone being able to understand exactly what we are saying
• The fact that smokers are not allowed to smoke in restaurants, workplaces or near buildings

Children are the same the world throughout, no matter their skin colour, language or country they live in. They still love to tease their siblings, play games, smile, laugh and wave at people.

The people who speak the best English are not those working at tourist attractions or hotels or tourist centres. Those who are trying to sell goods to foreigners have the best grasp of the more subtle nuances of the language and can articulate themselves very well. Also, you will have much better luck asking a younger person if they speak English than an older person.

For each country we visited, here are the things that stood out the most for us:

France
Had the best cheese, great food and beautiful chateau's

Spain
Staying in a castle perched high upon a hill and watching a rodeo and bull running.


Portugal
Getting lost on country roads and enjoying the amazing beaches on the southern tip.


Gibraltar
Driving the crazy winding roads up cliff faces and discovering the only apes in Europe

Andorra
Backpacking in the Pyrenees and meeting some of the kindest hunters we'd ever met.

Monaco
Seeing the vast wealth and the incredibly expensive boats

Switzerland

Hiking in the Schilthorn in the Swiss Alps, riding the gondola and eating the local cheese fondue.

Leichtenstien

The fact that the prince of Liechtenstein invites the entire country over for fireworks once a year

Italy

The narrow winding canals and the charm of Venice.

Slovenia

Woops… didn’t know we needed a permit to drive through that country, it looked very similar to interior BC.

Austria

Enjoying the wonderful music and opera in Vienna

Czech Republic

The amazing tour William gave us of Prague, and Dasha’s fantastic pumpkin pie.

Germany
Hiking in the Black Forest and drinking with the locals in the Haufbrauhaus.

Russia

The Trans-Siberia train ride and visiting the Kremlin.

Mongolia

Seeing a wild camel for the first time in the Gobi desert

China

Hiking 12 km along the Great Wall and bargaining like you’ve never bargained before

India

Encountering wild elephants in the jungle.

Nepal
Following a Buddhist monk down a mountainside, enjoying the incredibly majesty of the Himlayas and meeting the wonderful people on the hike

Qatar

We didn’t really stay here for more than an hour as a layover, but they had Lamborghinis in the airport alongside a mosque.

Kenya

The amazing wildlife on the safari and the hospitality of Tim, Lisa, Chris & Sherene.

Egypt
Stooping low to go into the burial chambers inside the pyramids and seeing some of the oldest buildings in the world.

Finally, Canada really is the best country in the world.

We’d like to thank everyone who followed our blog all the way along our trip. We appreciated knowing you were reading! A special mention has to go out to our superstars who made frequent comments on the blog: my Mom, Michelle, Jeff, Jason & Scott. Also, thanks to all those that were following quietly along and those who kept in touch with us through e-mail. It has been a lot of fun for us to keep a record of our journey and we have enjoyed sharing so much. Thank you all sincerely for taking the time to share this trip with us.

Thanks so much for reading, that’s all for now!

We’ll see you back in Canada.

Best to you all,

Hovan & Christine