The flight that scared me all the way to hell
TOKYO—Yes, my dear readers, I am here in the main capital of Japan. Sorry, I forgot to say goodbye. Flew here yesterday. Oh, boy, what a flight that was.
It almost got cancelled due to a super typhoon heading towards Japan.
OK, diary time for a change, fellers.
I set my alarm clock for a 1:47 a.m. hop out of bed yesterday. It went off, thank God and to Sol Juvida’s Huawei, the Android wonder.
Tony the HiAce Commuter pilot was at our gate at 2 a.m., 30 minutes early for our 2:30 a.m. appointment.
A quick shower (I had showered hard the night before already) and then off we went for the airport.
Since I always go PAL, NAIA 2 aka Centen nial airport was our destination.
A breeze of a trip for Tony and I along carfree Edsa. Indeed, it is always best to travel at the city’s main artery at that unholy hour.
Before yesterday, it would take me 2-1/2 hours at the very least from my home in Commonwealth Ave. Quezon City to the airport.
Yesterday, only 39 minutes! It would have been faster if we didn’t pick up Toyota executive Carlo Ablaza at his Makati condo along Rada St.
Another breeze of a zing at check-in (it pays to travel business class) and Carlo and I had all the hours in the world to kill time at PAL’s swanky Mabuhay Lounge.
We got there at minutes past 3 a.m. And our jet would not leave until 6:30 a.m.
The first three hours of our flight was smooth as silk. It was into the homestretch of the 4-1/ 2 journey that turbulence rocked our ride time and time again.
We were like, practically, being chased by the super typhoon headed for Okinawa!
Crazy was the swoosh pummeling us here and there!
The air pockets were like bumps against humps!
Thank God our pilot, Captain Ina Patrimonio
(yes, it’s a she; I wonder if she’s the daughter or something of PBA legend Alvin Patrimonio) was brilliant.
As we neared touchdown, the plane was swaying almost without control and I honestly thought we’d miss the runway. Fortunately, mercifully, we hit the tarmac dead-center—in the pouring rain yet.
One of the scariest flights I’ve ever had since my first air travel in 1976 for Singapore to cover the Pesta Sukan Basketball Tournament.
Oh, well, it happens. And it happens, too, that I missed last night’s Game 5 between Barangay Ginebra and Meralco.
Please text me the result, dearest Sol J?