Friday, August 23, 1991
We all woke up at 0445 to get ready for the airport. Thank God that I took a shower and packed because in the morning I didn’t feel like doing anything. The bus was waiting for us at 0530. The PA flight was at 0805, but you had to go through customs so everything took longer. All us were scared of getting all out things confiscated. So, we hid them well in our bags. When we got on the bus, everyone was dead asleep or waiting for us.
The ride to the airport was long and gloomy because it was raining hard. We checked in and passed through customs with no problem. I was surprised they didn’t even open any of our bags. Ana got a first class seat, but I didn’t so she gave it to Cristina (NOTE FROM 2001: Who the hell is Cristina?). The flight was two hours long and comfortable and the plane was empty. After we landed, we had to find Fab and Carlos so we can all go to Prague.
As we checked in, the person at the counter advised me that I had to call home urgently. I ran to a phone and spoke with Mom. She said everything was fine, but that Pan Am had been calling the house for days saying that I got recalled back to work and to report to work on Monday, August 23! There’s no way I could make it to work. When my brother called for me, they tried to trick him, but everything is fine because Pan Am has NOT spoken with me or advised me of anything. We’re simply going to day that I had a flight with family and that I simply took off. I have not even called home. They do not know where I am.
I was happy to talk to Mom and Pe. I kind of wanted to go home. After a week, which seemed like a month, I didn’t want to sleep in a hotel or eat unfamiliar food. I was exhausted and sick to my stomach. I told Mom and Pe that I would continue to Prague and make a decision on Sunday, August 25. After I hung up the phone, I saw Fab and Carlos. They were glad to see us. They had been traveling on their own through Budapest, Vienna, and Frankfurt. During the military coup, Fab’s father sent them out of Hungary. He was scared they would close the border.
Everything is looking good for U.S.S.R. The coup failed and that is very important. They checked in and all if us were ready for Czechlosavaskia (sp?). The plane ride was only one hour. I was glad to see a new place and Prague has always been on my list because of all the INXS videos from the Kick album. By the time we changed money and hotel room it was about 1600. We all crammed into a two-person room at the Diplomat. It came to about $38 per person for two nights and that included breakfast!!!
After we got the room, everyone got dressed and we took the metro to the museum shop. Ana coordinates this elaborate plan not to pay for the metro ride, because there were no attendants, but in actuality we had to get a pass or something. So, we got snagged and fined like $30. Everyone was not too happy. Prague didn’t look like any other E. European city. The city is vibrant and exciting. We walked around to find something to eat. We went into this restaurant with a garden and we all had Czech beer, chicken, or beef. It was OK. Dinner came to about $6 per person. After dinner, we walked to Old Town Square and it was cool. It wasn’t really what I expected, but it was great nonetheless.
The city actually reminds me a lot of Paris, but better and different. We also saw the view of the palace from across the Vltava river. It looked incredible. After that, we all decided to go back to the hotel. There were only two beds so you do the math. We were traveling on a shoe-string and we could not afford another room.
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