July 2021
“Today is the day, I’m flying to Vancouver!”, I thought to myself. “I am writing this on the plane, actually. I have longed for flying ever since I came back from my last trip in Japan back in 2019.” This time, however, the experience was different. Masks for everyone, sanitization of everything and signs everywhere to social distance.
Despite all of this, the giddy feeling of going up in the air, being in a metal box flying hundreds of thousands of meters above the ground is so overwhelming that I could almost forget what was actually going on.
This trip is going to be a treat. We intend on hiking a lot, so as to be in our own bubble and keep social distancing. I will note that I have been fully vaccinated and so has my partner. We encourage any and everyone to do so or at least to see if it’s possible depending on their health situation. (Always consult your trusted healthcare professionals!)
In through security we went, following the instruction of each CATSA agent. Walking in the terminal was magical.
The plane ride To Vancouver
We got onto our plane fairly quickly. I was given a wipe to sanitize what I assumed was my seat and my pull-down tray. As they started rolling out the instructions, certain things stood out to me. The airline attendant thanked the pilot for being present (and then presented him). All I could think about for the next 2 minutes was: “Do flights without pilots exist? Is it not a norm to have a pilot present?” As I giggled in my mind over that thought, I continued listening and heard the next gem: “If the cabin pressure goes down, please remember to remove your face mask before putting on your oxygen mask.” Thoughts swirled in my head as to why it was a necessity to mention this. I’d rather forget I heard that.
In the air
As the plane took off, I stared out the window with my partner. The world shrinking away. The clouds getting closer. I’d forgotten just how beautiful they were, how detailed, how cotton-candy-like. I was finally at peace. Up in the big metal box, being offered the Canadian treasure that is “Clamato”, nothing could be more perfect.
Other notable flight anecdotes
We just saw a plane fly below our plane, perpendicularly. Any higher and it would have surely met ours. This was a first for me as I’ve never seen another plane in the air as I was flying in my own. We weren’t quick enough to take pictures, enjoying the moment.
Our flight didn’t have an integrated television in the seats in front of us. We still managed to see an approximation of where we were every once in a while thanks to Apple Maps and the GPS integrated into our devices. It was pretty neat to see ourselves flying over Toronto, passing over Sudbury and creeping ever so slowly closer to Vancouver.
Turbulence came over the plane when we crossed over Thunder Bay. I had to refrain from giggling at the irony.
It was the beginning of our adventure! Flying to Vancouver is just the beginning of our West Coast Canadian road trip. Catch us next week on our post about our first day out and about exploring a city we knew not much about…
And lastly, Westjet, if you’d to sponsor a future post, let me know 😉
To see the next parts of our vacation, see Day 1!
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