Tuesday morning arrives and I have not even started to pack…. Not like me right????
So G calls and said make sure you have your passport and purse and don’t worry about what you have not packed you can buy it. Make sure your ready ON TIME!
So passport, purse, Kindle and tooth brush all packed. So off we go to the YCAT…hummm was not looking forward to that, but it was a lot better than I expected. Nice easy drive to Narita.
While on the drive there I was looking out across the fields loads of lovely open space and something else caught my eye, I was surprised to see what can only be described as a party trick… There was a young guy driving a truck with one foot on top of the dash board and looked to be text messaging at the same time….I mean WOW.
I arrive at Narita where I was sent from pillar to post….But in a NICE way…I mean I never raised my voice, it was ok.
All checked in, I go wander…looked in Tiffany’s, Yes I want the matching ring, not that I was buying it.
I will wait for G to buy it…I mean I am worth it, RIGHT??? They never had the one I wanted.
I then wandered to the gate, pulled out my kindle settled down to start my new book. Before I knew they were calling us to board. Thanks to my wonderful husband (no he is not always called wonderful) he had booked me a seat with extra leg room. The Stewardess then came up and asked if I would consider moving for a man who had broken his leg? Hummm ok...I mean what am I meant to say?
Then she moved me to another extra leg room seat and NOBODY beside me, BONUS!!!!!
It was an emergency exit…where you need to be able bodied. Not sure that was such a good idea, putting me there. REALLY, I don’t think it was such a good idea…But I did have the row to myself…..yayyyy
We arrived in Guam, got through customs where I was asked if I was in the wrong line….NO I AM A BRIT!!!! I need to go through NON US passport holder line.
Got my bag and was in the taxi all within 30 minutes.
Arrived at the Hotel within 10 minutes, checked in and took full advantage of the free WIFI
Next morning opened the shutters and the sun was shining. I go down to breakfast, the lady looked around me and said how many? Hummm one please, I said in a corner would be good. So she placed me in a corner alright with a load of Korean couples who I had to pass and try not to stare back when they were staring at me all on my own. I left pretty quickly and headed down to the beach as I knew that nothing opened until at least 10 and it was only 7.30am.
I wander down into the water and the fishys came swimming all around…I was not as brave as usual but I was brave enough!
After sitting there and reading my magazine and watching the Japanese woman with pink arm bands on her wrists and matching pink snorkel and flipper getting over excited every time she seen a new type of fish, I decided to head back to my room and get ready to go out to shop for my knicker shopping well as that what was on the top of my list to buy.
I headed to the bus stop and bought my 5 day ticket for $20 (even though I was only there for 2 ½ days)
I thought I was heading to the GPO mall, but I ended up at the Micronesian mall.
I wandered around Macy’s and picked a few things up and also managed to meet 2 FANTASTIC ladies.
Who we shall call TTB3 and Fab-K, it was TTB3 I seen first. I found out that Fab-K lived in Japan also and not that far away from me…I mean REALLY????
TTB3 said I just need to get lunch for my daughter, who I assumed was a school aged child. So I run downstairs to get my shoes that I had seen and thought yep just buy them which turned out to be a bigger bargin than I thought….one pair $79 with 50% off LOVELY sales lady tells me buy 2 pairs and you get 25% of the totally amount…ok….can’t find shoes for me in Japan…she rings up the shoes….Less than $20 for BOTH pairs…so the day can only get better right????
So TTB3 comes back into the store and hands lunch to a beautiful tall sales lady (I am think ahhh bless how sweet of her)…well the sales lady turns out to be her daughter. Not only was she a beautiful young lady…but she talked so lovely to her mum….I am hoping Jamie talks like that to me when he is older!!!! REALLY I do.
We get to the GPO, FAB-K and I swap details and we head off to shop.
I seen the ladies a couple of times during the next hour or so. I then head off for some lunch, where I am asked where in the UK I am from. Are you from Wales, Ireland, Scotland or England he asks…I am impressed he knows the UK consists of more than England? I said I am impressed you know about Wales…Oh I watch BBC news he said of course I know about Wales…Another smile on my face, I was not asked if I was English!!!
I worked out the bus system so I was able to also do K mart extra. Bought new swimmers for the summer….Which I might add went on SALE next day ARRGGGHHHH….but a lovely sales assistant who remember me from last summer, said do you have your receipt on you I said yes she said then go get the price difference….So let me get this right, I don’t have the goods with me…I have the receipt and you will give me the difference???? Yes she said….I mean REALLY…how awesome is that????
Next morning I sat at the beach again and watched the waves break and thought Man if SoM is right this place could be gone so easy……..
I called G that lunch time and said right I am ready to come home…Just enjoy yourself…and you have done this on points you are returning on the Friday…Arrggghhhhh I wanted soooo badly to be back in Japan
Friday 11th March
So I wander to the beach sit for around an hour…plastered in sun cream and still managed to burn!!! I mean REALLY
Then decided enough is enough I am off to the airport...I had my kindle I would buy a coke and go be one step closer to home….
I go check in, relax and then decide to go find a seat at the gate….I try calling G but could only get a funny ring tone if it was even that. I checked my email… (Thank goodness for smart phones)
G had emailed...Had a quake, lines down, trying to get hold of J. Japan has quakes all the time…but did he really need to contact J??? Then I say to the guy at the boarding gate look I have just had an email from my husband…little bit concerned until I can get in touch can I be last to board? He looks at the phone and says where are they? He asked where G was and I said….he said planes not taking off…ok…that’s good…I am thinking delay.
So I call G, nothing, I call the office…managed to get a very, very crackly line and I spoke with someone but the line was bad.
So then I get a number on my facebook app…one of the reason I keep removing it from my phone…
I open it up… there was 2 posts, Keep Safe!!! also Wendy are you still in Guam, just watching the news and seen the earthquake and tsunami warning hope your safe!
Well once again thank goodness for smart phones….So I go to my CNN app and see what’s happening in Japan…I can’t tell the emotions I went through right there and then…
He ground staff kept coming over to me; I am in a right state. I am calling, emailing, texting. The one ground staff lady gave me her phone charger. I then check Facebook again to see if there are updates…and J had posted he was fine, ground staff and people around me where like thank god…and smiling and a some claps it felt a bit like a movie….once again the emotions I can’t put into words…So J is fine..What about G… I wanted to get in that plane myself and fly it myself I needed to get back to Japan…I did not care what was happening there I NEEDED to be there.
The ground staff lady said try and get a hotel…So I did try every hotel it seems…NOTHING. Called the hotel back I had not long checked out of…She said we have nothing, but I will send the car over and you can wait here until all know what is going on. I am also becoming aware Guam was expecting a tsunami.
That part never even registered.
I tried calling family…sent emails managed to call my Mum.
So I am the last one to leave the airport…There was a lovely lady who said look my husband and son are back in Japan also and (she was also on the flight) they have just given me a room, you can share with me. She also said I have a spare calling card. I mean REALLY…how kind was this lady.
The airline managed to get me a room also.
We finally get to the hotel. I connect to the WIFI straight away the lovely lady said here is my room if you want anything call me….I mean WOW
I speak with SoM, also with MIL and SIL, spoke with my Mum properly well 2 minute properly.
Nobody was allowed in the lobby…there was no way I was moving …they had WIFI, I had a smart phone..No PC I needed access…to be honest the staff were amazing. The reason they wanted nobody in the lobby was because of the pending tsunami. I speak with Fab-K online who offered to come get…again WOW
I finally G and myself are able to send a few text that got through and then my phone rings and it is G…OMG…I was so happy to hear my boys where ok, shaken but ok and camping downstairs.
He said stay there until at least Sunday or Monday…hummmm I don’t think so mate..Not on your nelly!!!!! I am coming home as soon as I can get my backside on that plane!
During all this time I had Mrs. ciSL emailing me constantly checking on me.
Don’t know what I would have done without SoM and Mrs. ciSL
Well off I go to my room and thought..Oh no I have no idea what’s happening. So I asked front desk if they knew what the airline plans were. He called the airline. I called the airline… and I spoke with another amazing lady who said look I can’t say you can fly out we need to wait for Japan to tell us. Called different airlines all the same response…I could have gone via about 30 places and maybe gotten back to Japan just before Christmas….Ok…but you call me in the morning and we will see what we can do she said…I set every alarm in that room in case I feel asleep…(never slept the night before because I don’t like flying) So at 4.30 am I call the lady back who said ok…come in to the airport ask for me and we will see what we can do. I get to the airport; ask for the lady who had helped me like she told me to. I must have looked more of a nightmare than usual. She took my passport and said there you go you have an aisle seat…so my stupid reply was I have a seat?
I went through…I had not eaten anything since lunchtime the day before. I had no Dollars on me only Japanese yen or Korean won, and guess what the currency exchange was closed…..arrrggghhhh!!!!
So I go to the gate when we are allowed through. The plane was delayed taking off…the staff counted and recounted us…asked to see our boarding passes and I am thinking have I got on the wrong plane???
Well eventually we take off and what seemed like forever we landed.
I walk through the airport and the flakey paint on the ceiling is all over the floor. There are things that have fallen off the walls. I get through to arrivals unbelievable. No return buses as they have been suspended, G had called me when I landed and said he could not come get as the roads in were closed….so this meant a train….I could do this!!! I could….Not a problem….well there were one or two but…needless to say I get on the train with EVERYBODY else in Japan!
I start to feel sick…I am thinking I need to get off here and start walking…
G is texting me….ok where are you…hummm no idea…I will send you a map he says…
Ok but what do you want me to do with it…no good if I have no idea where I am…
Ok I will get somebody to call you, you had the phone to somebody and they will say where you are…
hummm no you won’t I am already been looked at like I am from another planet.
I get off the train where I was told to at the beginning of my journey to be told to get back on until Tokyo. So….I get to Tokyo…the train comes in but is not leaving….
We are finally allowed to board the train…I get off at Yokohama station…no idea where I am meant to go from there. I have G texting me we are here….A lovely older Japanese man asked if he could help me…Which unless he knew where G and J were, no he could not.
I get through the gate and I was sort of rugby tackled by J….I can only tell you I had the same feeling as the 1st day I held. I was home with my boys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was not until later feeling the aftershockers (big aftershockers) and sitting down reading all the emails, text messages and facebook posts and messages that I realized how truly blessed my boys and I are
