Yes, it's true. We've been gone on another trip. When we made plans to go to China in May, mom did not want to go with us. It was a good thing because we realized later that it would have been too strenuous for her.
Therefore we decided to take her on a trip to the "Mainland" instead. She'd never seen all the canyons in Utah and Arizona so we decided to take her there.
My cousin, Arnold drove us to the airport despite the early morning hour. We went via Hawaiian Airlines. However, just as we were boarding, the agent said there wasn't enough room in the overhead bins for our carry-on so we'd have to do a gate check-in.
Do you know Hawaiian Airlines still serves food? It's great! I brought that inflatable footrest for mom which she liked but she said her foot got cold.
People had warned us that the Las Vegas terminal is very large and required a lot of walking. I'd called ahead to ask for a wheelchair since mom's knees often bother her if she has to walk too long a distance. Once we arrived in Vegas, it took a long while for wheelchairs to be brought for the many people needing that assistance.
When we got to the baggage claim, they had two of our check-in suitcases, but was missing our all important carry-on luggage that had all of our cameras, cell phone, iPad, Kindle chargers, our one day's emergency clothing, sleep wear and ALL of Art's travel clothes. It also had my new Northface jacket for the cold morning we were expecting at the Grand Canyon. The Las Vegas Baggage Claim had no idea where it went.
There was nothing we could do, but the baggage claim agents said they would keep us informed. I was sure the bag was stolen.
This was not a great welcome for our return trip to Las Vegas after exactly 40 years when we moved to the mainland in 1973. We stepped out of the airport to catch a shuttle to Dollar car rental. The BLAST of hot 102 degree Las Vegas heat was a shock to the system. It really was like walking into an oven!
It was incredible to drive through the strip and see all the amazing buildings. An Egyptian pyramid and the Sphinx? The Eiffel Tower? The Statue of Liberty? Roman statues?
We checked into the California hotel because we'd heard that this was where all the people from Hawaii stayed.
Our cell phone battery was running low which was a worry since that's how baggage claim was going to reach us.
Art had to use one of my blouses since his sleep wear was in the missing baggage. I admit that was the one thing that made us laugh.
While mom rested in the hotel room, Art and I walked the short distance to Freemont Street and saw a bit of what Vegas is famous for.
We went to bed worried and trying very hard not to show our dismay to mom. I knew that it would upset her even more if she knew how stressed we were.
It was a terrible start to a trip that was supposed to be especially happy and exciting for mom.
Therefore we decided to take her on a trip to the "Mainland" instead. She'd never seen all the canyons in Utah and Arizona so we decided to take her there.
Day #1: June 12, 2013 Wednesday
My cousin, Arnold drove us to the airport despite the early morning hour. We went via Hawaiian Airlines. However, just as we were boarding, the agent said there wasn't enough room in the overhead bins for our carry-on so we'd have to do a gate check-in.
Do you know Hawaiian Airlines still serves food? It's great! I brought that inflatable footrest for mom which she liked but she said her foot got cold.
People had warned us that the Las Vegas terminal is very large and required a lot of walking. I'd called ahead to ask for a wheelchair since mom's knees often bother her if she has to walk too long a distance. Once we arrived in Vegas, it took a long while for wheelchairs to be brought for the many people needing that assistance.
When we got to the baggage claim, they had two of our check-in suitcases, but was missing our all important carry-on luggage that had all of our cameras, cell phone, iPad, Kindle chargers, our one day's emergency clothing, sleep wear and ALL of Art's travel clothes. It also had my new Northface jacket for the cold morning we were expecting at the Grand Canyon. The Las Vegas Baggage Claim had no idea where it went.
There was nothing we could do, but the baggage claim agents said they would keep us informed. I was sure the bag was stolen.
This was not a great welcome for our return trip to Las Vegas after exactly 40 years when we moved to the mainland in 1973. We stepped out of the airport to catch a shuttle to Dollar car rental. The BLAST of hot 102 degree Las Vegas heat was a shock to the system. It really was like walking into an oven!
It was incredible to drive through the strip and see all the amazing buildings. An Egyptian pyramid and the Sphinx? The Eiffel Tower? The Statue of Liberty? Roman statues?
We checked into the California hotel because we'd heard that this was where all the people from Hawaii stayed.
Our cell phone battery was running low which was a worry since that's how baggage claim was going to reach us.
Art had to use one of my blouses since his sleep wear was in the missing baggage. I admit that was the one thing that made us laugh.
While mom rested in the hotel room, Art and I walked the short distance to Freemont Street and saw a bit of what Vegas is famous for.
We went to bed worried and trying very hard not to show our dismay to mom. I knew that it would upset her even more if she knew how stressed we were.
It was a terrible start to a trip that was supposed to be especially happy and exciting for mom.
