Those are delicious!

Well, Aeroflot strikes again!  In all fairness, though, it wasn't completely their fault this time. I think. It makes for a better headline though. I like riding on them, believe it or not. The service is very good and I think most of the airplanes have been updated, so I feel pretty safe. So far I've ridden on two Airbus 330's and one 320. The 330 is nicer. Has the little TV screens in the seat backs. There is also a camera located in the front of the aircraft down on the landing gear. All the passengers can watch the center line while taxiing around. Anyway, currently we are parked somewhere on an airport halfway between Moscow and Delhi. Just on the southern edge of Russia.  Apparently, and this is the story the crew is going with, there was a medical emergency so we diverted to ???  Now we are stuck on the ground for another hour or so, cause the airport wont let us leave. Not sure why. I'm having a hard time understanding some of the PA communications. I might have to march up there and take us to Delhi. It's snowing, so we'll have to deice too. That will take some extra time as well. With any luck, we'll get stuck here over night. That should be fun.

Update: the Captain just made an announcement just said 40 minutes then we are out of here. I seriously doubt it. It's what I would say, so I know that it's a fib!

They turned the movies off. Not sure why. It's a good way to pass time. My book is finished and my laptops only has about 2 hours of battery power left. Things are getting critical in here. My blood pressure is rising and I'm starting to sweat. Actually, there is always entertainment around here. Just look around a bit and you'll see it. Someone was caught smoking in the lav just recently! Naughty, naughty! I don't think that he will get kicked off, but he's tied up like a chicken now in the back galley. They are beating him with what looks like a coat hanger. The screams are just for show. I doubt it hurts much. I'm just kidding. I'm sure it hurts a lot. At least this aircraft is big enough to move around in and not feel claustrophobic. I can think of worse aircraft to get stuck on for a couple of hours.

Most of the people on-board speak Russian and very little English. The girl that I am sitting next too, in 19I, speaks very little English. I of course speak absolutely no Russian, except for “goodbye”, so it's been quiet. I'm pretty sure some older ladies were making me the center of a joke just recently. I spilled water on the girl next to me and as I was trying to find something to soak it up, they were just laughing away and staring right at me. Then they were blocking my path and talking to me. Not sure what was being said, but they had a mischievous look in the eye. Made me nervous! I had to sit down quickly and start muttering under my breath.

Update: It's snowing hard now. I doubt we are getting out of here. I wonder where we are? Haven't got a clue, cause I didn't quite catch the name of the airport. Hope I don't have to sleep in the airport terminal tonight.

Not sure if you readers got the message that I love Stockholm. If you didn't, or you were daydreaming while reading my last blog, or maybe you were drifting off while someone was reading it too you, I like it there. Next sim session should be in August and it should be really nice there. I have it on good authority that the summers are terrific. Plus, I just found out that I can add a few vacation days to the beginning or end of my sim time allotment so I can stay and explore a bit. I like it. So that's the new plan. Hopefully we get to come back to this sim. The next closest sim is in Sydney, Australia. I could suffer through going down there I guess.

I am really surprised at how easy going these passengers are with this delay. Wow. What a contrast to the ones that I had aboard my aircraft a few months ago. Can't remember if I told you that story or not. I'm going to pretend that I didn't, so I can tell it again. Flying from LAX (Los Angeles, CA) to SUN (Sun Valley, ID), we were presented with the choice of diverting to save a woman's life or taking the chance that she would survive the rest of the way to SUN. It was a tough choice, I agonized over the decision for about 2 seconds, a long time in aviation, but we did eventually divert to RNO (Reno, NV). Our lovely passengers, being of kind spirit and concerned only for the well being of others, were all in an uproar that we would divert and then, once on the ground, take time to replenish our medical supplies, fuel, and a new clearance. I had several concerned passengers poke their head into the flight deck and give me “some advice” on what to do. Really now!  I came very close to leaving some of those folks in RNO, but I didn't want to fill out anymore paperwork. So now I am observing what people are supposed to act like in the case of an emergency diversion. It's pleasant.

The one thing that I might miss the most is the Swedish pancakes that I had each morning. They were so delicious. Top them off with a little whipped cream and some delicious jam and you have one great breakfast. Pretty fattening, but delicious. I think that when Jeannette gets here, I will have her make me some. Every morning.

New update: a new 40 minutes for customs and deicing. Like I said earlier; we're not going anywhere tonight. Better find a blanket quickly before they disappear.

Anyway, like I was saying about those pancakes......