Moving day has come, and it has been an adventure! It began with a final swim in my Mom's pool. Sad to see the end of my official summer holiday.
My bags were all loaded in the driveway, to await the taxi. Poor Tigger...already stressed in his carrier. I had planned for an early arrival to Pearson and made it with 1-1/2 hours of spare time...only to discover that my enormous cat, who is too big for a soft-sided carrier, was not allowed onto the plane until he was in a soft-sided carrier. There were none to be had in Pearson anywhere. Back and forth, back and forth, speaking to umpteen people and clerks and sales people. I finally got a sports bag with mesh sides to double as a carrier, rushed back to the counter, and found that they had pulled me from the 7:00 flight and rebooked me for 8:00 pm.
No biggie, right? WRONG!!! My bags had to be pulled, which meant a mandatory rescreening and X-ray. Down to arrival I went. No bags. I waited. And waited. And waited. At 7:40, I went back to reschedule as it was obvious that there would be no catching the 8:00 flight. We rebooked for 9:10 and back I went to wait for my bags. And wait. And wait. At 8:35, Security finally said to catch the flight and that the bags would be sent as soon as they cleared. Back up I go, get in line and wait. Flight delay meant we didn't leave Pearson until 10:10.
Once in Montreal I headed for the help desk and we completed the missing baggage form. Yes, they said, the bags had been marked for arrival on the 12:30 am flight. Go to you hotel, they said, we'll send them right over, they said. Off to the Wyndham on the shuttle, and what a beautiful hotel. Comfy bed, but no sleep. I was far too wound up. It took me two hours to drift off and I woke to check the clock at least a dozen times. It was an espresso morning if there ever was one!
I check at the desk at 6:20 am and yes, my bags were there. The valet goes and fetches....two bags. Hmmmm, could have sworn I had four in Toronto. So a call goes through to Baggage Claim, who assures me that the missing items are indeed recorded and should be awaiting me at PET Airport in Montreal. Off I go, and up to the desk. No bags. Here I am, off to Nunavut for a year, with my flight leaving in an hour, and two bags missing that I am supposed to pay for before they are sent. My Spidey Sense detects a potential problem...but Air Canada to the rescue. They would get the bags to the Air Inuit desk as soon as they arrive. But how will I pay, I ask. Oh, well, we have to pay because we have goofed, sez good old Air Canada. Yes, to every cloud there is a sliver lining!
Up to the departure lounge, where the day has dawned sunny and clear. But, another flight delay: mechanical work needs to be done to the Dash-8. We do get underway eventually, and I met a lovely woman named Margaret from Sanikiluaq. We chat the whole way and she is so full of helpful hints that I feel at home already. We land in Kuujjuarapik (pronounced koo-jwar-AY-pick) and don't leave...mechanical problems again. This time it's serious as the plane is losing power to one engine. Yikes! Yes, I think I will gladly wait for the repair. Take your time, fellows!
We get back onboard, taxi to the runway and head right back to the terminal. No luck. The problem persists. I am so glad they didn't chance the take-off! Better to call an abort on the runway than over Hudson Bay! At least we were treated to lunch at the local restaurant. A twin-engine Otter was sent and we finally made it to Sanikiluaq just after 4:30.
That was when it hit...my two bags that made it with me contained my bedding, my pillows, my blankets, the cat toys, the cat food, the coffee, the cereal, the odds and ends...but not a stitch of clothing!!! I am thousands of miles from anywhere, with nothing to wear...so it will be me that you will see running naked in Nunavut! Pray that the bags with my clothes arrive soon, even if only to spare the eyes of the poor local residents! ;-D
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