Epic journey (Updated)

The day begun at 5:30am with my clock beeping its alarm. It was snowing hard overnight and Winnipeg is having its first major blizzard of the season. I was about to begin my journey to the land of Heidi, chocolates and watches. I took a shower and made the final packing with my luggages.

I opened the door, stepped outside our house and with my first step on the stairs, I was shocked to see that the snow was about knee-deep! And the roads, they're all blocked with our neighbours intensely shovelling to get the snow out of their way. About an hour and a quarter before departure, I reckoned that it would no longer be possible to have my family drive me to the airport. The only way was to either take a cab and hope that the driver is skillful enough to manage Winterpeg's nightmare roads.

I took the chance to take the cab. I started dialling numbers, from Duffy's to Unicity but they were all busy! For the next 45 minutes, me, my mother and my sister burned the lines using three phones to get a hold of the dispatcher but always get long, busy tones! Well, oh well obviously people would not be able to drive to work and would rather take a cab than to gamble in indeed very trechearous road conditions.

Finally, at about an hour before the flight, we were able to get a hold of a dispatcher. I opted to take my chances even though she told me that dispatch time could take an hour or so with the inclement conditions that we have. Surprisingly, I was able to get a cab in 20 minutes!

It was really funny going out itself. Opening the door, the snow was the first time I have experienced in two years. Putting the luggages into the cab proved to be a challenge in itself. I have two big bags that needs to be pulled through mountains of snow in front of our house. I should have taken pictures for all to see but was really stressed out of the time.

The drive to the airport was pretty much an epic iteself. Winnipeg really got a lot of snow and the amount was on blizzard proportion. Ploughs have not started wandering the city yet as it was too early in the morning and city personnel might be on vacation during the New Year's eve holiday. Winnipeg was really caught on guard this time. I remember two years ago, it was actually my first winter in Winnipeg where we had a major blizzard on the same date. Probably, it's the time of the year where blizzards are most common in this part of Canada.

I was really impressed with our taxi driver. With such trecherous conditions, he was able to make it safely to the airport. Plus, I got 30 minutes to check in my luggage and go through security checks. I dashed across the terminal for the next available Air Canada check-in counter and queued to have my baggage checked.

This was the scene near Winnipeg airport, look at the unploughed snow on the ground, that's how worse the snow was when I left.

It was an easy check-in procedure. In 20 minutes, I was on my way to the security check and it was time to bade my family goodbye. It was a shorter goodbye that we hoped for, as the flight was scheduled to leave in 15 minutes. Final hugs and high fives with my parents and I was on my way to my adventure in Switzerland!

My flight to Montreal was actually scheduled to depart at 8:45. When I got inside the boarding area, the flight has been cancelled and moved to 9:15. Nine fifteen passed and the flight turned into 10:00, 10:30, and 10:45. Finally, at 11:00, an Air Canada employee announced that the flight is cancelled due to the lack of airport employees to push the aircraft into the boarding tunnels.

Now what? I needed to pull my luggages out and contact Air Canada to have my flights rebooked. There was total confusion at the airport as the passengers do not know what to do. It has been the second day in a row that the flight to Montreal was cancelled, and I met a guy who has been at the Winnipeg airport since 5.30 am yesterday. Yes, people are really frustrated but its no one's fault as the weather has been really, really bad.

I tried calling Air Canada to have my flight re-booked. I reached an agent and she told me that I can no longer fly today as there are no flights into Montreal where I will take my Swiss connecting flight to Zurich. With this, I got really stressed as I really wanted to reach Switzerland right on time (New Year's day) and I do not want to come back to our house and then take a cab again the next day with Winnipeg's terrible road conditions.

I booked the next day flight and went to another ticket agent. I told him if I could be re-routed via Toronto instead of Montreal to catch Air Canada's flight to Zurich. I was lucky enough to get a seat but I really needed to rush as the flight to Toronto is leaving in 20 minutes. I have not pulled out my luggages yet and I really do not know how to get hold of them. All the passengers were really clueless on what to do. I think Air Canada did a bad job in getting their passengers informed as they kept them guessing on what is the current state of affairs.

Finally, I was able to pull out my luggage and checked them in. The kind ticket counter guy immediately gave me an expedited check-in and really appreciate his efforts to have me on the Toronto flight. I was able to make it at the gates for the 12:10 depature. But there was no plane and we waited until 2:10 (2 hours later) to board the flight. Now, I really feel stressed again as the flight to Zurich is at 17:45 and I neede to navigate the huge Toronto Pearson airport to get into the flight. What a stressful day!

Boarding started at 2:10 pm, 2 hours late on the intended departure time. It took the plane an hour more to take-off as extra effort was needed to pull the aircraft out of the gates and have it de-iced. Once in the air, I bade Winnipeg good bye and spend the next 2 1/2 hours watching the scene on my window. The aircraft is pretty new and is equipped with touch-screen entertainment systems. However, mine was not really working as it hanged twice even after hesitant help from the flight attendant.

This is how it looks like inside the plane prior to de-icing

I did something clandestine inside the plane. As you are well aware, any radio transmitting and receiving device is prohibited to be used on-board. I just realized that my mp3 player is actually capable of receiving FM radio broadcast. I scanned the airwaves and interestingly enough, I realized that Winnipeg-Toronto route passes through US airspace. I was able to tune into Wisconsin and Michigan FM stations until we finally landed in Pearson. Does that mean that my name is entered to a US database because I pass through their airspace? As you might not be aware, I heard news item sometime ago that airlines are required as well to furnish US government agencies name of passengers passing through US airspace. Some people regard it as too paranoid but oh well after what happened to them on 11th September, we can't blame them as well for doing that.

Bye, bye snowy Winnipeg... Wait, did we actually locked the door in our house? I can somehow see it - Westjet ad

We landed in Toronto at about 17:40. I was really in a hurry to have myself out of the airport and talked to other people to let me pass them. My flight is scheduled to depart at 17:45 and I still do not know the gates so I was really nervous that I would not be able to make it. I kinda accepted that my baggages would surely be delayed for a day or two. Some passengers are really nice as they understood my predicament. But there was one senile lady who was so stubborn and she would not let me pass her. She pretended that she has a flight to catch as well at the same time as mine. Well, that's a valid reason I suppose but if she really has a flight, then why doesn't she find a way to talk to other people in front of her and solicit their favours to let her pass and go out of the plane as soon as possible. People could be so illogical sometimes.....

I rushed to the tunnel exit and quickly asked an Air Canada agent for the gate to Zurich. The gate is about 400 metres away and I dashed as quickly as I could to get into the gates. Stupid me, I really thought the flight was to depart at 17:45 and I didn't realized that it was just the boarding time. Well, oh well, at least this flight is departing for sure and I will be arriving in Switzerland on my scheduled arrival date, albeit two hours late.

Surprisingly, the flight is just stopping in Zurich for a lay-over en route to Delhi. My rough estimate is that 98 % of the passengers are Indians on their way to Delhi. I haven't seen that much of Swiss people. There's also a lot of kids in my flight, with about 10 in my cabin alone. And worst, my overhead luggage space has been taken by other passengers, and I do not have my space to put my hand-carried luggage. I was expecting a special flight as it would be my first time to spend New Year 35,000 feet into the air. Maybe not....

Both passengers and crews were rude towards each other. There was actually a row of passengers in front of me who wanted to splurge all the alcohol on the flight. And there was a chief steward who was soo stubborn as well that he consistently gives apple juice to someone who asks for alcohol... Net effect, insults flying around.... Probably, they want to be drunk to have a pseudo-New Year's party. And I hate drunk people especially when you are 35,000 feet in the air cramped with 250+ passengers.

The washroom was also awful. People just don't care and have everything strewn on the ground. Yep, toilet papers, diapers, paper cups, you name it. I've experienced a lot of these before in my old country, but having lived in Canada for 2 years, probably I am having some kind of culture shock.

The flight lasted for 7 hours which I find long. I should not actually complain as I have had flights longer than that, from Nagoya to Detroit which took like 14 straight hours. But I really wanted the flight to end as I have had enough of my time in airports.

On the 6th hour of my flight, I got the idea to tune in my mp3 FM receiver on-flight. I scanned on the frequencies and all I heard was French. I wasn't even able to tune in to even one English radio station and I can defintely feel that I am in fact already in Europe!

At long last, the flight landed in Zurich at about 8am their time. Along the approach, I can see luciously green valleys and mountains with apartment blocks near the airport. The city is very much organized itself from the air and I was really excited to have my first taste of Europe.

Passing by the tube, I made my first footprint into European soil at about 8:45 Swiss time. One small step for me, one giant leap for myself! I've always dreamt of going to Europe ever since I was a kid and I could not imagine that this dream is turning into reality!

Zurich airport is very, very modern. It's aesthetically excellent and very, very quiet on the first day of the year. Like Detroit and Kansai, it has a train that ferries passengers from the international arrival area to the main terminal. I took the train together with somebody I met on the flight and it has quickly striken me that I am in a new country. As we boarded the train, I started hearing the gluttural announcements in Swiss german and the melodic sound of French and Italian plus an English announcement in a quite European accent. This train will actually take me to the immigration section where serious stuff will be asked.

My first impression of the country, Swiss people really dress well! Everyone is snappy and let's say elegant and professional-looking. Especially the swiss immigration policeman and women with their blue uniforms.... And people are really healthy-looking, with this I mean they are not thin and not fat. No obese people at the airport . Most people wear scarves not because its -10 outside but probably more for fashion purposes.

Now, here's the serious part - immigration. I've had a couple of experience on this with my travels to Japan, Canada and the United States. Swiss and Japanese immigration I must say tie for being the most professional-looking. Unlike Canada, Swiss immigration is really serious and stone-faced even if you try hard to crack jokes and great them happy new year. First thing they ask me is my purpose of going to Geneva. They verified my identity through my passport which was unfortunately up until this time is handwritten and then looked into me really weird. I told them that I am here for an internship in Geneva. Then he swiped my visa into the machine and looked something on his computer. He then asked me this question: "What is the firm you will be associated with?" I actually did not understand what this question meant but I finally reckoned that he's asking for the company/organization I will be working for. I actually find this question a little bit weird because in North America, it could have been asked 'What is the company you will be associated with?." Probably it is the way it is said in German. After stating my response, the officer stamped my passport and I was off to wander into Switzerland.

Next stop is claiming my luggage. I find it weird that there is no customs control in Zurich. My bags were not even inspected and we were not required to fill-in a declaration. Pretty weird because in North America and in Japan, they even have sniffer dogs to hunt for contrabands and even hand in declaration slips prior to the plane descent for the passengers to fill in and declare any items that might be dutiable.

After collecting my luggage in the carousel, guess who's outside? With my flight schedule changed, I was a little bit worried that no one would fetch me at the airport and I will be left to wander by myself. I was a little bit scared as I don't know a bit of German and my Swiss German is totally nil. Thanks Chrissy, Yui and Olivier for the emails during the snowstorm, it was helpful.

Oh my jetlag was so bad. I really felt soo tired with my eyes red. I did not get any sleep on board and with the stress I had getting to Winnipeg airport, it was really a long and epic journey itself.