cleveland

Flight to Cleveland

Dear Friends and family, I have arrived safely in Cleveland Ohio on Friday (28th of july) night at 2am in the morning. My journal starts on Thursday 1pm from Sydney international airport to San Francisco international airport, the whole flight took slightly more than 12 hours. However before I was issue a boarding pass, United Airline check in lady say that I breached my VISA because my flight out of USA (8th of Jan 06) was later than what my visa has allowed. I told her that my visa is valid till 31 Dec 05 and US immigration allow one month grace period for J1 visa holder (that’s me) to make departure preparation. After about 45 mins of seeking opinions from her supervisors and friends, they decided to change my flight out of USA to 31 Dec 05 and told me that I can change it back to 8th once I am inside USA. They are afraid that the US immigration might refuse my entry if my flight out is later than my visa (bad luck 1). Upon arrival I have to check out my luggage and go through the custom. The custom securities were all very nice, when they know that I am an exchange scholar, they just “STAMP” my passport and let me go. I don’t have to open up any of my bags.

At San Francisco international airport, we board the plane right on time, but after 2 hours of waiting inside the plane, the captain announced over the PA system, “sorry for the delay, the engine were unable to start and we are using auxiliary air pressure to start the engine. But it could not build up enough pressure so I be shutting off the aircon to help build up the pressure”. The engine roar and I was relief, But half an hour had passed and the captain announced over the PA again, “we are unable to start our right engine, so we are going to try using the runway to speed up with the left engine and hopefully it will gain enough speed and pressure to start the right engine” The passengers in the cabin gone crazy after the captain announced that, then he say “ it is a common procedure when engine does not start, once they have started the engines are self sustaining” That did not claim the cabin. The plane then start moving toward the runway and LUCKY we made it….lol…..if not I won’t be writing this blog. (bad luck 2)


When I arrive at the Cleveland international airport, one of my luggage did not arrive L have to go to the baggage claim and file a missing luggage report (bad luck 3). Took a cab to the clinic guest house to find that the place is totally booked out, even thought I had made reservation 2 weeks before (bad luck 4). The guest house managed to check me into intercontinental hotel at the same price, so I took another cab to go there. The front desk at the hotel refuses to check me in as they say that my institute has not prepay them and I need to use the same mastercard that was used in the reservation (bad luck 5). I told them that is corporate card and I don’t have it with me, they then took my credit card before letting me have a room. I have to make an international call back to Sydney and request our reception to authorize the payment, Marion (our reception) was very nice she sorted this out with them immediately.

That conclude my first day of BAD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!

posted by Alan @ 6:12 AM