My Vacation: Part 1

I guess I'll have to describe my vacation in chunks. Okay...at 3 am, on the 9th I began my trek from Manitouwadge with my Dad to the GreyDog station in Marathon. The bus was late (of course!), making me think (momentarily) that I'd missed the damned thing. It did show up approximately 15 minutes late, and I'd boarded the bus after ensuring my luggage was stored below. The bus was full, but managed to find a seat on the right hand side in the second row. A young guy, approx 19 years old, asked if he could sit there too. So he sits, and puts a chunk of tobacco in his mouth, and hawked his spittle in his empty pop bottle, much to my disgust. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I do smoke, but not on a bus. So I was considering the injustice of me having to wait til the next convienent stop for which to partake of my cancer stick, all the while he gets to keep the monkey off his back the whole trip, and also succeeding in nearly making me vomit on the bus about 3 times. I finally get to Thunder Bay, not having slept a wink though I thought I would, because at some point biddy sitting next to me decided he would sleep, and take up his seat and part of mine. Not only that, but he (in true Monty Python fashion) FARTED in my general direction. Dazed, confused, and quite nauseated I made my way to the nearest phone to call a cab. The cab was a massively expensive ride..over 20 dollars for a 5 min drive to the airport, which led me to conclude he was overcharging me for the fare. I didn't say anything, cause I figured Karma would get him in the end. I managed to wheel my luggage to the WestJet desk, and they were nice enough to take care of my bag. I went and got some coffee, as it would be an hour before i could nestle into my seat on the plane, and , (I hoped) could get an hour or two of shuteye. But fate had something else in store for me, and it was in the form of a screaming infant, and three loudmouth middle aged men, who I had to finally shush because I couldn't hear the flight attendants on what to do with the air mask in case of depressurization of the cabin. I make it a point to pay attention, even if I know it by rote.
We ascend into the stratosphere..I sitting at a window seat, the curtain I'd closed because I didn't need visual confirmation that I was leaving the safety of the ground. The plane ascended to 40,000 ft. The infant is still screaming. I notice some popping happening in my ears. I try to listen to my mp3 player, but no matter how high I turned it, the sound of the plane, the baby screaming, and the three loudmouth fucks behind me just wouldn't shut up.
As we near Toronto airport we began our descent. The torturous stabbing of the eardrums begins. The pain is excruciating...the baby screaming louder in the distance. I begin to get a headache, and was thinking at the time if the darn seatbelt sign wasn't on, I'd get up and give the mother of that baby a hard time.
Eventually, we descend, as I watch, in fascination, how the planes wing, only feet from my face, seperates to help manoever the vessel smoothly back to terra firma. I wait impatiently for the plane's doors to open, and wait (even more impatiently) for the idiots ahead of me to get their asses organized and get the hell out of the plane. Finally, I am off the plane, and make my way to the baggage claim area. The strap on my purse breaks and I am left holding the bulky thing in the crook of my elbow like a football, as I begin the endless wait for my sole piece of luggage to make its way down the conveyor belt. After about 20 minutes, my bag appears. Cursing, I grab the heavy thing and hurriedly head out the door, knowing my sis who'd been waiting on the other side had been waiting a very long time for me. We go to find her car in the massive concrete parking lot, and make our way into the heart of Toronto, ending up in the Danfort, otherwise known as Greektown. There, we shopped at open markets, browsed in various stores, bought sweets, and strolled down the streets, feeling completely at home.
That done, we head out of Toronto, and make the 2 hour drive to my sisters home in London. We got home late, and I was so glad to finally put my head down for a long nights rest.
Tune in tomorrow for Part 2....