Typhoon Dujuan and how I lost Cheryl

Okay it sounds quite bad but I can explain. Around 6 pm last night we got a message that our flights to Japan had been cancelled and they would rebook us on other flights. As a iron tier level of frequent flying status with Westjet I knew this would be bad news. I have no seniority for rebooking flights or anything with an airline. I quickly got on the phone to Westjet and talked to a very helpful agent from El Salvador. One complicating factor was that Cheryl and I were booked on different bookings as she is coming back after 3 weeks and I am staying on for the International Association of Pathologists conference in Fukuoka. The agent told me that he was able to rebook us both on September 19 our planned departure day on a coshare Japan Airline flight from Vancouver to Tokyo. That was perfect until we got the confirmatory emails from Westjet and he had mistakenly booked us out on separate days. Me on Saturday and Cheryl on the same flight on Sunday. I called back to Westjet but was on hold for eternity and when I did get a hold of a different agent everything was totally booked out. There were no other options. I made another two calls to Westjet and Cheryl when she dropped me off at the airport even came into the airport and talked to a counter agent but unfortunately there were no other options. So that is the story of how I have lost my wife. Cheryl is supposed to fly out tomorrow but there is a Typhoon barreling towards Tokyo which is why our Calgary flight was cancelled which doesn't make much sense as all these other flights are flying. Hopefully we will reunite.

Some observations from my trip so far. The Haida art in Vancouver airport is better than the Haida Art I saw in Haida Gwaii. Japan airlines keeps their cabins very warm. 25 degrees Celsius. It is very warm on the plane. The meals on the plane have been wonderful. They even have real cutlery. The boarding of the flight was very civilized. No one was rushing the gate other than myself. I haven't slept. The flight left at 2 pm and arrives at midnight Vancouver time. There were some empty seats on the flight which was unfortunate as Cheryl couldn't get a ticket. Maybe they were no shows. When the plane departed from the gate all of the booking agents and ground crew came on to the tarmac and waved us good bye. It was very cute.

I am a little nervous about getting to my air BnB. I have to take a train and then walk. I haven't gotten any instructions from the Air BnB on entry although I know the address.

Well everything worked out with the air BnB. I bought a meal from 7:11 and brought it back for reheating at the Air BnB. I walked around a little last night but with the typhoon it is really pelting it down. I stayed awake until 8:30 and was lulled to sleep by antihistamines and the rainfall. I checked my phone at 3:30 to see that Cheryl had successfully left Edmonton. I fell back asleep and when I awoke at 6 I learned that Cheryl's Vancouver to Tokyo flight had been cancelled and that she was standing in a very long JAL line trying to get rebooked on to Narita. Eventually after standing in line for a very long time she has been rebooked on an Air Canada flight leaving on September 22 meaning she will miss 3 of the 4 nights in Tokyo which is unfortunate but I was worried that she would be delayed even longer and I was having to consider how we would alter our trip. She will stay in a hotel in Richmond for 2 nights.

It rained like I have never experienced today in Tokyo. At times sheets of rain. The Japanese don't seem terribly put off by the rain. They all have umbrellas but no raincoats. They seem to take it in good stride. Today with the rain I decided it would be a good art gallery museum day. It is a national day for the aged so all the museums were open despite it being a Monday. The main congregation of museums is in Ueno park. I hit the Tokyo Ntl museum, the western art museum and finally the Japanese museum of art. They were all very good. It seems odd coming to Japan for western art but there have obviously been donations from wealthy Japanese of their art collections. The Japanese art gallery had on loan a collection of art and antiquities on loan from the British museum. It was actually better than their permanent collection. Not many photos of Tokyo today. It was raining so hard I was worried about getting my phone wet.

It is still absolutely pouring with rain as I tap this blog out before supper. I am not looking forward to going back outside.Read more