Troy and I started our journey at 8:30 p.m. when we were picked up by our neighbor, Barbara, who is our self-proclaimed personal airport uber driver. I would have normally asked for a later pickup since our flight was at 11:05 p.m. but from watching the news the night before and seeing the gridlock by LAX I decided to be more conservative. I’m not sure, looking back on it, what time would have been best to leave since we barely moved on Sepulveda and had been in the car for nearly an hour. I actually had to run out to use the restroom at In-N-Out burger and that’s when I saw travelers getting out of their Ubers and Lyfts and dragging their luggage in tow to LAX on foot. I looked at google maps and from Westchester Parkway by Parking Spot, it was going to take us 27 minutes to walk to Tom Bradley terminal. I also noted that we needed to check-in an hour before the flight or we would possibly lose our seats. It was 9:27 p.m. 

Panicked but determined, when I returned to Barbara’s car, I told Troy we had to book it and walk the rest of the way. He looked at me incredulously, shocked, upset, confused. I didn’t have time to explain or argue. I told him if we didn’t leave right then and there, we would miss our flight. Considering just how much luggage we had, 4 pieces of which 3 were to be checked, plus a computer bag, big purse, backpack and pillows in a separate bag, it’s safe to say that we were not traveling light. I just remembered that I had a very clear vision of our objective despite Troy’s severe irritation and that I had to focus and get us there. I knew we weren’t that far and for once, I actually wore my New Balance sneakers so I was somewhat prepared for this impromptu second workout of the day. 

We arrived at the Eva Airways check-in desk at 10:12 p.m. super sweaty and delirious or swooning as Troy said to the front desk clerk. Imagine our surprise when the airline representative looked at us, nervous, and said boarding was to begin at 10:15 pm and we still had to clear TSA and take a shuttle around the airport! We had never missed a flight in all the years we traveled together but there was a gripping fear this might be the first. With steely determination, we pushed forth and somehow the stars were aligned because it seemed like we breezed through the TSA line fairly quickly. After we made it through security, Troy asked if we had everything. I said “yes” and then he asked if I had my laptop and iPad which I somehow had forgotten due to my delirium. Luckily, we hadn’t walked away from the security area but I got chills imagining my state of mind and feelings of self-rebuke had I left them behind.

Sadly, the endurance test did not end there. Our walk to the gate for Eva Airways took as long as the walk from Barbara’s car to the terminal. I have vague memories of going down one wing, up an escalator, around and out to a shuttle taking us to the opposite side of the tarmac before finally ending up in the Eva departure area. In the past, we normally had the luxury of grabbing a drink and perhaps a snack before getting on board. It was not in the cards for us on this expedition.
Eighteen hours later, we arrived in Mactan a bit after 10 a.m. local time. We moved fairly quickly through immigration and headed to the baggage carousel. Troy proceeded to look for our luggage while I sat down on the floor to test my wifi routers. A portly American man took up conversation with Troy giving him some local pointers. I found him to be obnoxious as he kept trying to engage in conversation with me while I was clearly distracted and busy doing other things. Troy asked me if we had all our luggage and being distracted, irritated and wanting to get as far away from the odious guy as quickly as possible, I did a quick once over at our luggage and said “yes.”

Huge mistake. I didn’t discover until 5 hours later when I had unpacked most of the bags that the bag with our precious cargo, the 1.75 liter vodka bottle I had so carefully bubble wrapped and packed along with our beach towels, picnic blankets and another 750 millimeter of vodka stashed in what appeared to be an aluminum water bottle had been left behind. I called the airline and spoke with a very helpful rep, Aileen, who located my precious cargo. 
In short, we learned a lot in the last 24 hours. We discovered our steely determination, found our inner grit to help us quickly pivot and push through extraordinary and unforeseen circumstances, never giving up hope and believing that things will work themselves out despite all obstacles. Also, never leave behind a great big bottle of vodka. 🍸🍸🍸🍸