I’m now in my second full day in Manila on this business trip. Soon I’ll get a full night’s sleep — perhaps over the weekend?? First problem was that my flight from Tokyo to Manila was delayed by a couple of hours. The flight itself was uneventful — except: for some strange reason, the 747-400 airplane that Northwest uses on the Narita – Manila – Narita route is a newly refurbished airplane and is in far better shape on the inside than every other 747 in the Northwest fleet. Why are they wasting this airplane on this route? Why isn’t it on the Seattle to Tokyo or the Los Angeles to Tokyo route and the old planes flying the Tokyo to Manila route? It’s just one of the very strange airline things that exist probably so I can kind of understand why the airlines are in bankruptcy while flying full planes….

As I deplaned in Manila, there was a lady standing at the end of the jetway holding a piece of paper with my name on it. I announced myself and listened as she told me that my suitcase had not made the connection out of Narita and would be delivered tomorrow. I was to go through immigration and then to the luggage office to file a claim. The irony in all this is that as I was packing on Sunday night, the one suitcase I was planning to take with me had gotten quite heavy. Nina suggested that I should take a small roller bag as a carryon and check the rest in a larger suitcase. That way I could take my ditty bag (toiletries), a change of clothes, and my breathing machine with me on the airplane … “just in case.” Of course, the “just in case” happened and I was quite happy to have the change of clothes and my breathing machine with me! At least I could get some sleep once I got to the hotel and smell reasonably decent when I got to the office.

“The luggage will arrive on a Korean Air flight on Wednesday morning at 10 a.m.,” they told me as they gave me the tracking numbers and phone numbers if I needed more information. They would deliver the suitcase to the hotel and I should expect to see it there by 2 p.m. So, yesterday afternoon about 3 I asked our Adminstrative Assistant here to call the hotel to see if the bag had arrived. I hadn’t. He called the Nothwest baggage department at the airport and was told that the bag would arrive on the 6:20 p.m. flight. I got to the hotel to find, as expected, the bag was not there. I left instructions that if the bag arrived, to keep it at the front desk and that I would check back in the morning to see if it had arrived. I had a quick dinner at the hotel restaurant, and headed for bed at about 8 p.m. I was going to get a good night’s sleep, I was sure!!

This is the email I sent to Nina at about 2 a.m. the next morning:

It’s almost 2 am. The suitcase is finally here — four phone calls from Northwest later. They called at 9 to tell me the bag actually wouldn’t arrive until 11 pm and they would deliver it after that. I told them to leave it at the front desk; I’d get it in the morning, and went beck to sleep. They called at 11:30 to say they had the bag and would be delivering it. I told them to leave it at the front desk and went back to sleep. They called at 1 to tell me they were going to be another half hour. I repeated to leave it at the front desk and then tried to go back to sleep. The Front Desk called at 1:30 to tell me the bag was here. I told them I’d get it in the morning to no avail: they needed a delivery signature. Two minutes later there was a knock at the door; I now have the bag and have given them a signature. The suitcase is now unpacked. Everything is now plugged in. I’ve taken some asprin. Perhaps I’ll get back to sleep? The delivery was more painful than the bag not being there when I arrived.

I’m now all here. That’s good. I’m going to the Temple for a session tonight followed by dinner with some friends. After I get back to the hotel I’ve got a teleconference starting at 10 p.m. for two hours. That’ll be followed by another short night’s sleep. Some night this trip I’ll get a full night’s sleep!