At PDX in plenty of time for a relaxing lunch before heading through security, a rarity for us. The only thing forgotten were the boots Janet intended to wear on the trek…oops! Fortunately she brought her trail runners which should be just fine from Lukla on up. The only likely issue will be cold feet on the glacier.

A hydraulic issue prior to push back kept the plane at the gate after boarding was complete. I was already well on my way home when I got the message from Janet. The initial notification was for a potential departure tomorrow morning if they were unable to find a local replacement part. With connections scheduled for Tokyo, Bangkok and New Dehli, that would make it difficult to keep to the plan.

On another airline, there is a direct flight from PDX to Kathmandu scheduled for this evening. If repairs took until tomorrow, they planned on getting Janet on that alternate flight instead.

Luckily, the repairs were completed quickly and Janet is now over the ocean, hopefully getting some rest! She won’t make her original connection in Tokyo but there are many flights to Bangkok and she has a long layover scheduled in Bangkok.

Successful travel is all about being flexible and realizing that you’ve given up control. Thankfully this speed bump was a small one.  ;-}

Jay