[calikismet]

These are great!

No horror stories for us (thankfully) in our 4 trips to Russia, but we did have one "un-fun" flight.

First adoption, first trip, we flew Aeroflot LA-Moscow direct (yes, folks... all 13+ hours of it). DH had a window seat, I had the middle seat. Turned out that the aisle seat held a man who apparently could not make all 13+ hours without a ciggie... So he kept disappearing into the lav, and came back REEKING of smoke. Oh, yeah, and still blowing some smoke out of his lungs, right next to me. At first, I was convinced I was hallucinating.. After all, wasn't smoking banned on all international flights? But a quick trip to the lav confirmed it.. the smoke detector was broken, and the lav became a smoke house of sorts.

To a Californian, living in the most non-smoking state in the nation (even smoking in public locations is banned here, except in small designated locations), it was putrid...

To add to that, the plane was served some really BAD fish for dinner, and the movie was an OLD black-and-white Russian western.

Needless to say, we changed airlines for all subsequent trips.

[Annabell]

Wow -- great tales! We went back in the olden days when one trip sufficed and the 10 days were sometimes waived.

The flight over to Moscow was packed but uneventful. We were met by a translator and his UTTERLY INSANE DRIVER girlfriend. We crammed our two enormous bags and medium-sized bodies into some teensy car that was so filthy, I could not see out the windows or the windshield. In sleet (it was late October), we tore off for Moscow.

We were staying at the Hotel Ukraina. Translator helped up with check-in and we went to our room. Just a small, tatty room with two twin beds and a broken mini-fridge. OK. No problem. We're too tired to grocery shop anyway, so, gee, lots of restaurants in hotel -- we'll just eat out! We find a restaurant that looks nice -- but it's empty, save for a young man who is wearing a European-looking tailored jacket with (I am not making this up), the sleeve tag still attached, a la Minnie Pearl's hats. As soon as we walk in, the staff all peer at us and race about and suddenly, a deafening euro and disco and American Country music track is launched. It's on volume 10. DH and I had already ordered, and we don't know the term for "forget it". We try shouting over the din, but it's no use. Our meal was incredibly awful and incredibly expensive, but we were so exhausted and hungry that we ate it, crawled out and went to bed.

Our next adventure was the trip from the orphanage to a host home in Vladimir. We had gone to court, been given rights to DD, did tons of paperwork, and then drove back to orphanage to get her. By the time we get there, it is pitch dark, freezing, sleeting, and the orphanage doctor, a tall redhead, changed into in a form-fitting red dress, is already "celebrating" with a strange man in a black leather jacket -- the vodka bottle is out on the coffee table and she is clearly eager to have us gone. Our translator seems very nervous, almost frightened. I change DD into clothes we brought. We leave.

There we are, with driver and translator, hurtling through the night on a deserted, unlit highway. DD stirs and then vomits some chemical-smelling bile down the front of my only warm coat. Suspect redheaded doctor drugged her. Suddenly, a large truck coming toward us swerves toward us. Driver does a move worthy of a James Bond flick, and he and translator have a frantic-sounding, lengthy conversation in Russian. The truck turns to pursue us, and driver (ex-KGB wheel-man?) GUNS it. (Mind you, travelling 100 mph in new Audi, in pitch darkness, on icy roads, with vomit all over me).

We pull into a large housing complex with lots and lots of tall apartment buildings. Car stops and translator (who had not slept in 72 hours, she confessed) gets out and turns us over to a 12-year-old boy (who also speaks no English) -- our "guide" to the apartment. Driver pulls up to dark, urine-stenched entrance and gestures for us to get out. Kid is beckoning. We drag luggage out of trunk and enter dark doorway, me holding, clutching DD. Kid punches a button and an elevator opens -- IT IS DARK -- NO LIGHTS! -- we enter dark elevator, door closes, and...we DESCEND. At this point, exhausted, jet-lagged, starving, covered with vomit, clutching my (clearly unwell) DD, all I can think of is the basement in Ekaterinburg and the Czar and his family, and, and...I start keening and whimpering. We're gonna be robbed! We're gonna die! I've just gotten my baby, and we'll all have our throats slit together! NOT! When we finally got there, the family could not have been kinder. They fed us, they cried with us, they hugged us, they tucked ALL of us in. (They had heard we were Southern, and had bought WATERMELON FOR US!!!) God bless them all.

The next evening, we were driven back to the Ukraina and given a suite, as requested. The phone was ringing as we arrived, someone asking for "Tatiana". DH said "Nyet" and thought nothing of it. Over the course of the next four days, that phone rang for "Tatiana" from morning until morning. (Of course, we had to answer the phone every time, as it might be translator, or guide, or arrangements for final medical, etc., etc. -- we figure Tatiana was EXTREMELY popular!!!!!!). Next day, after almost no sleep, we all went down to eat the free breakfast at the hotel's main diningroom and WE SAW TATIANA (well, actually a NUMBER of them -- young women in full evening gown regalia, all escorted by older men in suits). Breakfast consisted of cabbage, cabbage, blood sausage, pickled cabbage, soggy scrambled eggs with lots of shells, coffee with lots of grounds, etc., etc., (oh, and did I say cabbage?) -- am buddy -- nothing quite like cole slaw at 9 a.m.

OK, for the blow-out tales. DD had shigella -- for those not in the know, VERY smelly and almost constant poo. We get to Moscow airport and all is well. We check through and are waiting. Suddenly, a MAJOR blowout. Three times, I pass back outside security, begging the security wenches (mini skirts, lots of make-up, 3-inch heels) for too-ahl-yet. They yawn and nod their heads in one direction (but that old airport was undergoing renovation AND I CANNOT FIND LADIES' ROOM!!!!!!!!) and we're about to get on a flight with a diaper that could gag a maggot! Finally, DH snatches up DD and carries her into the men's room, where he cleans her up and changes her in front of the horrified eyes of a group of Mongol shepherds (they were wearing all animal skins)! (DD proceeds to have 8 more blowouts between Moscow and JFK).

Finally, they were renovating JFK. All I can remember if that DH shoved me, him and DD by physical force onto a tiny elevator, and DH screamed for me to grab the luggage (2 huge bags, but on wheels) and RUN to make our connection. He tucked DD under his arm like a football and ran (anyone remember the old OJ Simpson commercial? Like that. With me in a long draggy coat, running behind, dragging 200 lbs.)

And DD? Tucked under daddy's arm, she was laughing like a maniac.

So that's our story.

[Teri M]

Wow - I thought I had a crappy time ....but I am wayyyy down at the bottom with my story - but here it goes.

Nov 2004 - we are the proud parents of a beautiful little 15 month old boy with eating problems (can't chew or swallow anything that isn't liquified) we have one bowl of pureed mashed pots & carrots for the ride to Moscow from Khabarovsk (8 hrs) We are flying back to Moscow - I am getting Strep Throat but had antibiotics - still learning how to be a mommy and we are 7 hrs into a flight to Moscow and dealing with 4 Babushkas wanting to hold and feed Alex and wanting to keep blankets on him the entire time, a drunk couple (they weren't a couple until about 2 hrs and 3 bottles of vodka into the flight) all but doing "it" in the seat in front of us. In between their love scenes she wants to hold Alex, and the man wants my hubby to drink with him and his other buddy. So not the most pleasant flight. No sleep for anyone.

So anyway - 7 hrs into the flight to Moscow - we hear the pilot say something that has quietened the whole plane. We didn't know what was being said. Luckily we had a "guardian angel" in the seat across from us - Igor spoke English and told us we were diverting to Nizhny Novgorod because Moscow is closed down. This was about Noon Moscow time...we couldn't believe it. We went to Nizhny Novgorod and tried to land in an ice/snow storm - had to pull up VERY QUICKLY and try again to land....scary scary scary....so we finally land and we sit on the plane for 1 hr - no info. Another hr - no info - then we learn that we will go to the terminal - we are waiting for a bus...another hr goes by - we are hot, tired, sick, hungry, and it is snowing/icing more and more. FInally after 3 hrs on the tarmac - here is the bus - so we load and go to the terminal - COLD COLD COLD. Our guide (Igor) told us where to go to stay warm and told us about "women & children room" - he finds it for us - and sure enough it is full of women and children in a nice warm room. Sweet hubby sat out there with all the Russian men pushing alcohol at him and him saying politely no....(he drinks - he just didn't think this was the time) - There are 18 jumbo jets full of people in this terminal as they were all diverted. I can't tell you how many people that was. Luckily there was snack bar (pringles of course) and bottled water. So I could take my amoxicillian and eat pringles. Alex had just enought food and formula to fill his tummy and go to sleep (Praise the Lord). He slept in a chair full of blankets that I brought from the plane - all the little beds and couches were full of kids and their Moms. I must say the things I saw in that room on how Moms discipline (beat) their kids - was sickening - I can still see it!!!.

Well as the time passed - more and more planes took off and the room started to clear out - after 5 hrs - then 8 hrs - then 10 hrs - we started to wonder if we would ever leave N.N. It kept snowing harder and harder - then it would be ice - then rain - then snow... Alex slept for 8 hrs straight (God was with us) I paced back and forth the entire time - sometimes I would sit on the floor next to Alex. I was getting sicker - but I took my meds every 6 hrs (had to up the dose). We had been there 13 hrs and we were the ONLY plane that hadn't taken off - everyone else had gone - the announcement from the airport terminal was that no more planes would take off until the morning (it was now 1 am Sunday morn - we had landed at 12 noon on Sat afternoon). So we bedded down - My hubby came into the warm room with me and Alex and we tried to all fit on a 1960's style couch to sleep. Not 15 minutes into getting comfortable - they call our flight. Apparently we had a high ranking member of the Duma on our flight - and he was pi**ed off that we didn't go - so he called everyone in Moscow and in N.N and the head of Dalavia airlines and guess what ??? they opened N.N up and we started to go thru passport control and then into the waiting area for the bus to pick up to take us out to the plane. We waited 45 min after going thru the lines in Passport control - then boarded the bus and waited - th bus didn't move - for 45 minutes - we were cramped and crowded beyond belief and sweating - with a hungry, scared 15 month old. We finally go to the plane. but they won't let us off - 15 minutes later - they turns us around and take us back to the terminal and we get off - and go back to our warm little room (which had to be unlocked which tookd 15 minutes) - we again bedded down and 30 minutes they call us again. So our friend Igor comes and gets us again and we go thru the passport control - wait - board the bus and go to the plane - we get on the plane and after 45 minutes - WE TAKE OFF in a blizzard and ice storm - but not before we are DE-ICED WITH HOT WATER- I prayed and prayed!! We take off and head to Moscow - 1hr away. We start to land in the snow storm - blinding white out - and the plane rocks and rolls and goes up & down and I know that God didn't take me 3/4 around the world to find my son only to let us die moments from Moscow. We land safe and sound - and something that is even more amazing - our xlator and driver waited at Domodedova for the entire 14.5 hrs.

Something we will NEVER forget - but a great story to tell Alex when he gets older (or when he is really being a beast and we need to add a little guild - he he)

[kalina87]

nothing major here for us...

Just the MISERABLE time for the 2nd trip being stuck in the apartment 80-90% of the time!!!!!!!!!!!! UGHHHHHHHH that was torture. Oh and it being February was made it the worst. TOO COLD to do anything!

OH YEAH! one more!!

do NOT DO NOT DO NOT! ever fly on Domodevedo airlines!!!!!! I'm a smoker, and that plane smelled SO bad!! I swear to God, they were never ever cleaned. The bathrooms people I'm sure peed all over the walls, etc.. Plus NO HEAT! Spend the money and get a much better flight than this!

[mcanvasback]

I missed this thread the first time around but I have a really good one. Ok, I get my referral, (from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan) accept and find out I have to travel within a week or lose her. OK. Scramble around, book FT Laud to JFK, JFK to Moscow, Moscow Bishkek. By myself.
Thunderstorm in Ft Laud, sit on the runway 2 hours. Freak out. Cry. Call my agency director at home, on a Sat, crying. he says don't worry, just get to JFK as soon as you can. Duh. Call ddahl, she posts on the forum, everyone prays. Take off, finally, and get to JFK. Yay!!! Huge terminal change. Run to baggage, there's my bag (with red ribbon tied to handle). It is 5 pm, plane leaves at 6:10. Race to the elevator, (huge bag, weighs a ton, huge pull carryon, with money and original dossier)) wait for the monorail. squeeze on. Sweating. 100 degrees.
Finally arrive at Intl terminal, race to Aeroflot counter. See security line wrapping around, heart sinks. Aeroflot is lovely, don't worry, you have time. With a sigh of relief surrender the bag for check in. See the tag. IT"S THE WRONG BAG!!!!! It looks EXACTLY like mine down to the ribbon but the name tag is wrong. OMG. Cry. Aeroflot says go get your bg. OK, race back, get my bag. Race back. Momrail takes forever, now it's 5:45. Now totally drenched looking like a crazy woman. Freaking out. The monorail FINALLY stops at the Intl terminal and it's so crowded I can't squeeze out. No one will move. I finally scream like a crazy woman GET OUT OF MY WAY I"M GOING TO RUSSIA TO ADOPT A BABY AND I"M GOING TO MISS MY PLANE!! They move, looking at me like I am a, you guessed it, crazy woman. Get to the ticket counter they are waiting for me (really sweet people) and tell me to run through security - I run, the wrap around line is gone! I stroll through, run to the gate, I am the last to board. Whew! Find two empty setas together, sit down (remember I am the last to boad.) Call ddahl, tell her I'm on board and the flight attendants all look like models.
Thanks, forum friends, the prayers worked, the rest as they say, is history!

[votemom]

it's a wonder you didn't have a heart attack mel - i'm stressed out just reading this!

[DET62]

Having adopted once from Russia and once from Kaz, there are just too many stories - every trip was an ordeal! It was 20+ hours to Khabarovsk for my daughter, 15+ hours to Petropavlovsk, Kaz, for my son.

The worst ordeal with Russia was my return trip from adoption trip 1 to see my daughter. The plane was delayed 12 hours, first, and I had to spend an extra night at the hotel. The next day, I got on a plane that was about 50 years old. The seats were jammed against one another. I sat squashed against the window in a 3 seat row for 9+ hours. The smell of BO from the old man just in front of me was godawful. The bathroom was not only tiny, the toilet seats were WOODEN. There were people in the back of the plane smoking and snarling at the flight attendants. There were many drunks.

Then I got to Moscow, and a guy from the agency met me and took me on the most hair-raising car trip across town to another airport. He defied every traffic law, drove on the median, the sidewalk, you name it, and several times I felt certain we were soon going to both die in a fiery ball of flames...

With my son, I encountered the usual scenarios, but one incidents stands out. I had just landed in Astana, the capitol of Kazkhstan, and was standing in line at Customs. A man was brought off the plane by several Kazakh guards, being arrested. When he was 10 feet away from me he tried to run for it, hitting the guards and taking off. The guards subdued him, threw him on the floor, and proceeded to beat him half to death. There was a lot of screaming and a huge pool of blood. I couldn't leave, or go elsewhere, because it was a long line and I had to get into the country. The prisoner finally started moaning pitifully, saying Help me, help me, in Russian. He was pinned to the floor lying in his own blood. I have NEVER witnessed anything so horrific.

I got up to the customs window, totally freaked out, and the woman accused me of having a false passport, of trying to get in the country illegally, and having an invalid travel visa, etc. I sweated and sweated, and finally asked for a supervisor. The supervisor took a look at my passport and visa, and waved me through, shaking her head.

THEN - oh yes, the ordeal wasn't over - I had to spend 8hours in a car getting to my destination, and there were horrible gale-force winds rocking the car. My agency's driver played really awful techno-pop music nonstop. We stopped twice for potty breaks and I had to use outhouses - really nasty places with just holes in the floor. The second one, the door got stuck and I thought, I am going to freeze to death in an outhouse somewhere in the middle of nowhere, and my driver is smoking and napping and hasn't even missed me.. aaaargh!

It was all worth it to get my beautiful kids.

Dee

[mcanvasback]

OMG! These stories are hair raising!
votemom, thanks for the sympathy but mine sounds mild compared to Dee! Yikes!

[cathvash]

UUUmmm... Hard to pick... Every day an adventure! Okay:

I was flying alone on a 9 hour overnight flight from Moscow to Vladivostok. The flight was full and just before takeoff, I see a drunken loud Korean man in dirty clothes weaving down the aisle.. "Oh, please NO" I thought. However, soon he was sitting next to me...

This man was talking loudly to everyone around us, although no one could understand him. He turned to offer me a "sip" from his greasy flask... He smelled of vomit, and there were no other seats available on the flight! I pretended to sleep...

After a few hours, he opened a paper bag and pulled something out to eat...Some sort of meat? He pulled it apart with those dirty fingers, and stuffed it into his mouth. (And yes, he DID offer me a bite!) He spent the next two hours pulling pieces out of his teeth and placing the bits into the seat pocket in front of him. It was around this time that my meal was served...

At around 4 hours from landing, I notice that he is playing "catch" with some unknown "critters" jumping around under his pants legs...

At 2 hours before landing, I start to itch... Something is jumping under MY pants leg!...

4 hours later, freshly showered and scrubbed, I quietly place a bag of clothes outside my door with a note that says "Trash"...

[kretzklan]

On our first flight with all three kids - leaving Kemerovo for Moscow: I was holding the luggage tickets. The flight was not alot of fun...the boys were fine, but I was sitting with Delaney and she was struggling big time. The lady on the other side of her kept talking to her very sternly in Russian and then giving me dirty looks...hard telling what was being said, but at least D buckled up and stopping screaming.
So, we are about to land and I take out the luggage tickets and hold them out across the aisle to show DH that I have them. We land about 10 minutes later and I reach into the pocket of my carry on where I had just put the tickets and they were GONE. I became frantic very quickly. I was looking under the seats and checking all my pockets, all D's pockets...asking the boys and DH to check all their pockets. Behind us were a group of 20 somethings and they were all laughing at us. We let everyone get off the plane and continued searching. No luck. We walked into the airport thinking we would never get our bags out with us. We were discussing where to go to buy new clothes and what papers we could be missing. We entered the gated area (way before our flight was called, because we couldn't understand) and waited for our bags. By this point, D was crying again...the boys were teary eyed and sitting on the floor in slumped positions and my DH and I were freaking out. I started crying, then both the boys followed suit - so all but DH were hysterical. We got ALL our bags (I think we had 5 huge army duffel bags) and looked for the kindest looking "exit lady"...they were by the gate checking luggage tickets as you left. I got out my translation book and figured out how to say "lost tickets"...She looked at us all crying and asked for our passports (it took about 30 minutes to figure out what she wanted)...then she started comparing the names on our bags to the passports. As she was doing this, I noticed two of our bags no longer had tags. She checked three - looked at us and at our driver (who by this time was standing at the gate vouching for us) and waved us through. I've never been so excited to walk through a gate in my life. The driver told us how lucky we were...he had never seen that happen and told us to hold onto things in the future. Needless to say, DH didn't let me be in charge of anything else important on that trip!

[catmele]

On our trip to bring our son Scott home from Kemerovo after spending lots of extra $ already as the agency had not booked us return flights from the region to Moscow during the busiest summer week & having to book flights on separate flights from my husband as there were not enought seats.. I was already a nervous wreck about flying with my son alone. We get to the airport & find one of our flights is delayed 4 hrs but we can all get on the same flight for even MORE $ but there is no exchange place in the airport so we used practically every last rublle we had... ok fine.. we get through security & they weigh ALL our bags (going out they did not weigh our backpacks). Some how we are over on the weight limit & need to pay $80 in rubles... we did not have enough & they would not us on the plane. I almost lost it.. thinking we are not getting on this plane!. We are so lucky though as there was ONE person on the plane who spoke English who was nice enough to take our dollars & give us rubles. I will always remember her!

[momraine]

OK here is ours.
First it was before 9/11 so dh came with me all the way to the terminal. That almost made it worse. I had never traveled much of anywhere and not alone. But I did this alone. Anyway, got to New York and was on the verge of panic, but saw an elderly lady having trouble, so I helped her find her gate, as it was close to mine. We both had a long wait so she bought me coffee and we had the most wonderful visit. She was from Israel visiting her grandkids. Listening to her thoughts on how spoiled American kids are, totally made me forget my fear. Anyway, So the overseas flight, I am next to the window, and this girl who speaks no English sits in the aisle seat and falls asleep. I could not wake her up to go to the bathroom and could not figure out how to climb over her, so I sat there holding it. Anyway, I could not sleep, but it was an OK flight. Land in Zurich, get chocolate and a drink and had to get my luggage and recheck it, however I had a nine hour layover and could not check it until two hours before the flight. So I am sitting there with all these heavy bags, tons of orphange donations and gifts, and extra clothes, lots of cash and papers. So I was afraid to sleep. I sat and watched the big board of flights all day. Then I got on the flight to Moscow, it was not bad. My biggest fear the whole time was that our translator would not be at the airport. I had met him when he came to the US on a trip a few months before. He had promised he would be there. Well, we landed at midnight it took forever to get through. Of course, he was not there. He was not there for three more hours, hours during which everything was closed. No one was around but taxi drivers telling me "you must get in my cab" Most had no ID things (a few did, but those didn't seem to speak any English) I had no address for the translator. I was panicked I kept reciting the 121st psalm. I finally told myself that if when things opened in the morning he was not there I would use my credit card or the cash and by a ticket on the first plane back to anywhere in the US. He finally showed up and told me had had car trouble. So we shoved all my luggage into this little car with him and his wife and me, and drove two hours to his house. (where I slept for two hours and then had to meet kids and choose one after driving another two hours to the min of ed and then to two orphanages one of which was a three hour drive)
Anyhway, the flight home was better because I had dh, but on the last leg we were late checking in because we landed in Atlanta and immigration took forever (next adoption I made sure our layvers were all in Europe so our first landing in the US would be our final destination) So for the trip to Dallas, I had a screaming child with a loaded diaper and no time to stop and change it. Dh and I were not together, dd and I had a window seat with her on my lap and a rather large couple in the center and aisle seats. It was a while before I was allowed out of my seat to go change her. One funny thing, dh was a couple rows in front of me and dd was fussy and dh was making comments about keeping her quiet. Then I had to use the restroom and so I got up, plunked her on his lap and kept going I didn't think about the fact that no one knew we were together until I heard people gasping. LOL. dh thought it was hilarious that they thought I had silenced a rude stranger by handing him a fussy baby. He had just said something like "lady can't you keep that kid quiet". LOL

[GCS]

OMG. These are too much! I somehow never saw this the first time around.

Cathvash - I was itchy just reading that. I would have lost it for sure!

Ours are pretty minor. There was a typhoon in Japan trip one when we flew through there in route to Vladivostok. We flew right through it and it was very unnerving. The kids love to hear us tell how we had to fly through it to get to them.

The trip home was rough with Big Boy. He tempered most of the way on all three flights. Vladivostok to Seoul, then Seoul to Japan and then Japan to Chicago. It was pretty stressful. Turned out he had terrible teeth infections and his entire mouth swelled up like he had a grapefruit in his cheek his first morning home. He must have been in a lot of pain and couldn't tell us. We scheduled surgery that day after an emergency visit to our dentist and he had 11 teeth pulled out the following week.

[cmmandjam]

You might think it was the panic attack i had getting on the plane to Germany for our first trip. OR my husband leaving me to explore in the airport in Germany and almost missing our flight from Germany to St. Pete. OOORRR Not having any luggage when we arrived on EITHER trip. Or maybe it was the fact that my seat wouldn't recline for the 8 + hour flight to Paris on trip two and then the tv screen in front of me went out. You may think that us being on the way to court for the SECOND day in a row (due to wrong paperwork) after literally sprinting through the streets of St. Pete (we were sooo late) to print out documents from home and getting in the van only to find it wouldn't start, that THAT would be the worst of our stories. OR that the car accident we got in on trip one and waiting in the van while the driver, cop and person that hit us lifted the other car off of the van would be bad. These things may all seem bad and don't get me wrong, they weren't good . . . . but when our coordinator informed us that they hadn't booked us train tickets (after we volunteered WEEKS ago to do it ourselves) and now there were none available and that they wouldn't ALLOW us to fly from Moscow to St. Pete and that instead, we would be travelling overnight in a van with another family THAT was the straw!!! MAN that was the STRAW!!!!!! and when they lied and told us it would only be six hours although in the end it would be double, that was ANOTHER straw (poor camel!). when i asked how my potty trained son was expected to make the trip that i KNEW would take longer than six hours i was assured we would make frequent bathroom stops . .. . i was not, however, informed that there would BE NO BATHROOOOMMSS!!!! I found myself peeing in the woods in the middle of the night with a complete stranger by my side. My son didn't know how to pee standing up and only screamed when we took him outside and pulled his pants down. and when we took him outside, of course we had to put his coat on, but when we got back in the very warm van would not take it off. in addition, he refused to get off my husband's lap for the entire trip. my 200 pound husband and 50 pound kid were then leaning on my 100 pound body to get comfortable. first my feet were numb, then my legs, you get the picture. when the driver pulled over at 2 in the morning for a nap i very nearly lost my mind. all three of us were soaked to the skin in sweat. needless to say, we paid the extra money to check in early when we arrived at the hotel in moscow. a bed has never felt sooo heavenly.

we would do it all over again in a heartbeat for our amazing little guy!!!!

[jeni-b]

I don't think we ever had one trip that didn't have some sort of drama.

Trip 1
~ Flight to Paris, I was the lucky recipient of the random search and on the return flight as well.
~ We boarded the flight from Paris to Moscow only to have a man break an entire bottle of wiskey - the smell was enough to bring tears to my eyes for the entire hour flight
~ The stench on the flight to Khabarovsk was so overwhelming (urine, b/o, and fish) But on the plus side I can now use an airplane restroom and not touch a single thing with my hands.

Trip 2
~ a 7 hour layover at Domodedovo where as you all know there is nowhere to sit, so I stood and slept on our luggage while DH sat in the only seat we could find
~ board plane and I have the seat over the wheel, ie. no leg room but wait the Russian girls volleyball team boards the plane and some 6 foot amazon sits behind me and my seat is leaned forward the entire 9 hour flight and I hadn't slept in 25 hours.
~ Back to Moscow DD kicked me the entire 9 hour flight and I landed scratched and bruised

But by FAR the WORST travel experience was our flight back to the us with DD.

We had to get up at 4 a.m. to make it to the airport in time. We got there, paid the fee to leave a day early, then went to check in. We found our gate and heard the announcement - the plane was delayed. We sat on the floor of the airport waiting, because they didn't open the gate area with the seating.
Finally we get on the plane, but we know it is iffy to reach out connection. Amazingly we landed in possibly enough time. The pilot stated that if you were connecting to Cincinnati to hurry through customs and they would rush our bags through. By this point I had been poo'd on and was so ready to get home. We rushed through security so quickly that we left our coats at the security area. We got to the gate before I realized this -with only 15 minutes to spare.
I told DH to wait at the gate and I would run. Oh no, it was downstairs and the escalator only went up. Did I mention that DD hated him and screamed bloody murder if she was alone with him or he touched her. I was panicing. I found someone who directed me to an elevator, and I found the security officer who had my stuff. I had just enough time to run back.
But wait --- that lovely guard who helped me find my way. Yes, he led me through an non secure area and DH had my boarding pass. NOW I was really losing it!!
It was JFK, so you know that mess, I had to run outside and to another entrance. I begged them to call to the gate and get my info, I had my passport. No go! By this point I was in tear. "My baby! She doesn't know I am gone". Sorry ma'am go to the Delta counter. I make it to the counter and by this point we missed our flight. I am too hysterical to speak, but finally I get out DH's name and they page him. Up he comes 10 minutes later with DD as happy as a clam. As soon as they stroll up she says "Mama!!" and I just crumbled into a exhausted poo'd on, blubblering mess. DH had already got us on the next flight and we had 45 minutes to grab a snack.
We called family to have them grab our bags, one that got lost. We landed in ICncinnati 2 hours later and I was never more happy to be home.