Unexpected Trip to Istanbul

Well, I can now say that I have been to Istanbul.  The last 24 hours have gone very differently than planned, but have turned out well.   I got to the Richmond, VA airport and was the only one in line to check-in.  Then I went through security where there were about 10 people in front of me.  The flight coming into Richmond from Chicago was delayed, so we boarded the plane a few minutes late.  We were zooming down the runway when all of a sudden the pilot slammed on the brakes.  That was a first for me.  A light had come on in the cockpit indicating a problem.  We went back to the gate and they had us deplane while the plane was looked at.  Several hours later, we were still sitting there.  Thankfully, the staff were very helpful and re-routed me through Istanbul since I would not make it in time for my original flight through the United Arab Emirates. They got most of us onto the next flight to Chicago, which left about 30 minutes late due to the chaos of switching so many passengers and their luggage.  Thankfully, I was one of the first one switched, so I am pretty sure my luggage is probably coming with me.  However, they didn't give me the new baggage tags, so hopefully this will not be a problem in Almaty.

We arrived in Chicago about the time when my plane was supposed to start boarding.  I was in the terminal that serviced American Airlines.  As a result, none of the screens told me where to go to catch my flight.  Someone helped me find out that the international terminal was terminal five and then a security guard guided me in getting there.  Changing terminals required going through security again.  Also, they weren't able to give me my boarding pass in Richmond, so I had to get it in Chicago.  I was racing through the airport and when I got to the gate I realized I didn't need to rush since the boarding process still hadn't begun.

I had a great flight.  I sat next to a man from Somalia who was heading to see family in Kenya.  It was fun to be able to tell him I had lived in Kenya when I was small.  I slept most of the 10 hour flight.  Turkish airlines has foot rests on their planes, which is convenient for those of us that are short but were not very helpful to those that were tall.  The man beside me had his knees up near his chin when he put his feet on the footrest.

Well, I am currently in Istanbul waiting for the last leg of my journey (by plane).  I will arrive in Almaty at 5:10 am and then head on a train to Taraz around 3pm.  I should arrive around midnight.