Russia when it was still very COLD war-ish! - Thursday, August 15, 1991

Thursday, August 15, 1991

We did it.  We booked a GTC GROUP TOUR via Pan Am:  Hotels/Meals/Transfers and Train from Moscow to Leningrad for one week: $375 per person. Flights covered by Pan Am flight benefits. To good of a thing to pass up if you asked us. Also, just this morning, I drove to the university and dropped my last semester of classes. This was my opportunity to travel 30 days straight and I was not going to cut this trip short. I can still hear my screaming parents (and my grandmother supporting my decision). What the heck right? It wasn't going to kill me. It would be a trip of a lifetime.

However, the day did not start very well. I hadn’t slept because the day before I told my parents where I was really going and my father was so mad that I would go to Russia, the mother of all Communist countries. He was insulted and did not want me to go. The only one who supported me was Aya, my grandmother.
Mom, Dad, and Pe, my brother, thought that I was crazy. Furthermore, they were tormenting me about school because I was scheduled to start in the next two weeks. That morning I drove to the university and dropped all of my classes for the last semester. I dropped out without even thinking about it twice because I knew I would be gone for some time.  I would finish upon my return, it wasn't like I was dropping out of school forever.

Hours before the flight to NYC, I had a car accident on the way to the airport. It was only a fender bender, but it would cost something and I felt bad. I convinced the guy not to call the cops, drive back with me to my house, and make my brother and mother deal with it as I sped off again to pick up Ana. I finally arrived at the airport and boarded the plane.  I was tired, hungry, angry, frustrated, and sweaty. I hoped the trip itself would be better.

The flight was great from MIA-NYC. We had Clipper Class seats. We snuck into the JFK First Class lounge and had some soft drinks. The flight to Moscow (MOW) left in 25 minutes (PA30 15AUG out of Gate 12.) The cast of characters on this trip were: Al, Ana, Vivian, Ralph, Leo and her mother, Fab and Carlos.  Others will join us.

I rode in first class for the first time in my life.  It was on a 747 I might add. The flight attendant served us for like 2.5 hours. It was awesome. Ana and I sat right in front of the bar area. After the meal, we fell asleep for several hours.

Alex