Adventures of Lazy Son: British Airways

Checked my one suitcase and it was time for the waiting to board my flight. At this point i was ridiculously tired, and there is always that fear that if i close my eyes...before i know it i'll be asleep and miss my flight. i couldn't just sit at my gate because it was blocked off for security reasons because that's how British Airways rolls in Bahrain International Airport.

At the Bahrain Airport, one of the attractions is this boat with a water spraying on it. On the bought are these two robot men with beards and mustaches. They're always dressed differently when i come through there. Before they were wearing traditional arab clothing, thobe and gutra. Now they're decked out in Ferrari hats and shirts...nice.

While walking around, this red box caught my eye. A random popcorn machine. Delicious Popcorn Now! i thought it was pretty ridiculous. Who would use this thing? i sure wouldn't, i don't even like popcorn. Who knows how long those popcorn seeds have been chillin in there...and the oil?

i try not to take pictures of random people, but this guys beard was just ridiculous. Yes i've seen longer beards, but this one had character and spice or something like that. Okay i've got nothing. i'm just glad i can't grow a beard. That junx is sick nasty.

i did it! i stayed awake long enough to board my plane. Once on the plane i was out...i even missed the drinks and dinner. Lemon...didn't even catch the in flight movie, or should i say movies? Even though the flight was about 6 hours, it went by very fast since i was asleep.

While flying into london, the captain pulled the most annoying move ever. i had to go to the bathroom but figured we were going to land soon and i could just wait to go in the airport. Of course when i decided to do that...when the plane was just over the london area, he turned around and went the opposite direction to circle back again that took about 10 minutes...when the plane started heading towards the airport again, the captain too the plane for another circle....at least this circle was a little smaller than the first. Just when i was sure we were going straight to the landing strip, the plane makes this giant "S" before landing. The worst part is that the captain didn't say anything about trying stall so there would be an open landing strip for us...so all i had to rely on was the GPS on the little LCD screen. i thought my bladder was going to explode...next time i'll hit up the lavatory on the plane.

If i had to tell someone my third home, it would probably be the London Heathrow Airport. Terminal 4 to be exact. i've been in and out of this airport so many times it might as well be another home. Its like i'm starring in my own The Terminal when i roll up in this place.

Not much has changed in this airport, everything pretty much stayed the same. Sure a few stores are and and some old ones are gone but not much more than that. i would like to know who designs the benches and seats in the airports...they are so uncomfortable. Armrests, really?? Where am i suppose to lay down and pass out!? Airport seating makes me so angry. If you look at the picture there are two seats with out an armrest in between but thats just because its where the two benches are pushed together, so maybe a little person lay down there...but i'm still left without a place to lay down. Ugh i need to find a place to sleep.

One of the hang outs in london when i was passing through in boarding school is Garfunkels Restaurant. Another food place with high prices and small portions. i guess the food is okay but i'll never eat there by myself. Plus i hate paying in dollars and getting british pounds back in change, like i'm going to use it before i board the plane.

The best place to get a drink up in this place is the Wetherspoons Bar, mostly because its the only bar in the terminal. There is another bar but its really lame, Wetherspoons is where it is at. i wanted to grab a beer, but i really didn't want british pound change...

While walking around, legs getting tired, i walked towards the end of the terminal and went in to check out the quiet and multi-faith prayer room. Usually this place is jammed pack, but when i went in there was maybe 5 people lounging around. Then i saw it, the chair i would call my bed for the next 5 hours. It was down this hall way too so it would be the quietest spot and i could people watch!

i got about two and a half hours of sleep on this bad boy. The rest of the time i played texas hold 'em on my ipod...about an hour before my plane was scheduled to leave i waited at the gate.

For the flight back into Philly, i sat at the exit by the window. i had these two very talkative british chicks sit next to me that had a lot of perfume on. They were pretty good passengers to sit next too. The one thing i can't stand on the plane is when the person next to you uses the armrest between the two of you when the armrest they are using has the remote for your tv...so clearing if that armrest 'belonged' to someone, it would definitely be you. But the girl next to me must have taken a class in 'sitting next to lazy son etiquette' or something.

For the movie selection, there wasn't much to watch...it was either Lions for Lambs or PS I Love You, i was told PS I Love You would make me cry so i stuck with Lions for Lambs. It was an ok movie, not amazing but helped pass the time. i also caught a bit of the Harry Potter Behind the Scenes show and a little bit of There Will Be Blood, but i've already seen it so i didn't watch it for very long.

Since i slept for the entire flight to the UK, i was wide awake for this flight and couldn't sleep. At least that meant i could be awake for when the flight attendant came around with food and drinks! i was so pumped, i was going to get trashed or at least buzzed...i was set, ready to get obliterated...and the flight attendant asked me what i wanted...i had a whole list in my head, and the first drink i would get was a gin and tonic! Woot! Party! That was the last time she asked me what i wanted to drink...What was that all about!? They usually come around with drinks at least 3 times! Bummer. i did get wine with my meal but it seriously just tasted like watered down juice. i doubt there was any alcohol in it.

This flight seriously felt like forever. i got the the airport, a little depressing there was no one to pick me up...but i headed over to the shuttle pick up, got dropped off at the parking lot (fastrack), and jumped in the minivan to drive home. Took my bags in and went straight to bed at 9pm.

After waiting for several weeks my parents and i had finally gotten our visas to go to Saudi. Originally just my parents wanted to go by themselves and about a month before they were scheduled to leave my mom was like,"hey, why doesn't lazy son come with us?".

It was such a mess getting our visas. My dad couldn't schedule a flight for me to leave on the same day as them, so he got the next flight available which was the day after. Since he wanted us to all fly together he went ahead and moved his and my mom's scheduled flgihts to that day as well, which costed like a million bones. The next dilemma that occured was that our visas did not get processed in time so we had to move the flights back another week costing another million bones. Lemon.

As i have said before my mom is nortorious for packing unbelievable amounts of food when she travels. British Airways weight quota for suitcases is still 70 lbs/32 kg. Since my dad and i travel pretty light we let my mom use one of each of our two suitcases to pack stuff. She had four suitcases, a total of 280 lbs of storage...and she still asked me if could pack a few things in my own suitcase because she didn't have any room...ridiculous. The items in her bags ranged from surgary cereal and rice noodles to 20lb pieces of frozen prime rib. What a nut.

After doing all the fun checking in and stuff, i finally felt like i could relax when i found my seat at the the bulk head next to the exit...until i realized not even four feet from, there was a couple with what looked like a 2 yr old and another baby that looked just a few months old. Of course if one of them was quiet the other was freaking out and crying...seems like there is always a crying baby when i travel overseas.

Since the drinks are free on the flight i told myself i was going to ridiculously drunk to numb the pain that was from the tag team of the two cry babies...but all i had was a little bottle of wine. i spent most of the flight watching The Kite Runner, which was pretty good, and The Water Horse. The water horse movie was pretty lame, it was basically Free Willy but with scottish people and a plesiosaur instead of an orcinus orca.

From the flight from UK to Bahrain i slept most of the time. At least as much as i could since i was sitting next to my dad this time and his snores were shaking my chair.

My oldest sister was suppose to meet us at the Airport but she wasn't there when we got out of customs. We waited for about 15 minutes before my dad went an purchased a phone card to call her. But for some reason he couldn't get the card to work, and when he did get a hold of her the phone was busy...so about 45 minutes of waiting around we finally met up with my sister and her driver she had hired. If you didn't know already, women are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia...what a wonderful law.

After all the bags were stuck in the mini van we all decided to get something to eat at Senor Pacos. Its pretty much a tradition we go to this place whenever we are in Bahrain. Of course none of us knew how to get there. My dad thought he knew...but he didn't. We went around circles for like 30 minutes. Cheri was trying to talk us into going to another mexican place that she likes better, because its cleaner, the food is better, and the music is more professional...Cheri please, i don't care if Senor Pacos only serves poop on a stick...i'm going there to get a frozen margarita and a free hat. Actually i was kind of curious about the other mexican restuarant...maybe i'll hit that up when i leave.

Didn't get into Dhahran until 10 something...i was welcomed by my sister's three cats. She only had one cat before...but then realized her cat, Saudi, could die any day now so she got another cat, Sushi. She then 'cat sat' or something and ended up keeping her, Siagon, too. In my book you just have to be single and have more than 2 cats to be considered a crazy cat lady.

i took some pictures but i'm kind of too lazy to upload them on this unfamiliar computer and crop them and all that fun stuff right now. But maybe later i'll add some photos to this post since my writing is less than entertaining. Peace peace in the middle east.

Here is the stall i used in the philly airport...not sure why i took a picture, i was kind of tempted to write on the wall, because everyone else was doing it.