Safe and Secure?!

Current mood: groggy

Flight 2: Amsterdam to Atlanta. A KLM flight. Don't you just love the Dutch? Traci and I decided not to go back to the fancy lounge and to just have a seat and kill an hour while we waited for our flight home. Both of us were really anxious to be stateside once again and didn't want to end up in crazy security lines anymore. So we hung out by the McDonald's and tried to make jokes about our experiences of the day so far.

We looked at the clock and decided we should go line up early at the gate to avoid more frustration. In Amsterdam, each gate has an x-ray machine and a metal detector...we knew we were in for a big ol' pain in the arse! We got to the gate and there were maybe 6 or 7 people already waiting. There was no one at the security station, so we all hung back and waited. More and more people began to arrive and some just walked in front of my - like skipping to the head of the class or some crazy crap! Granted, we were not in an organized line, but there was clearly a pecking order for those of us who had been there for a while. This one crazy guy just stepped right in front of me and smacked me with his briefcase!

Finally, some security people showed up and we got to watch for 20 or 30 minutes as they "set-up" for the craziness about to ensue. After a bit, a guy walked up and explained the rules:

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to being boarding. Please remove your laptops from your bags, remove your shoes and discard liquids of any kind. Please step forward."

Easier said than done - suddenly there was a mad rush through this small doorway and I think maybe some little kids got knocked around.

I kicked off my shoes, pulled out my laptop (easy access in my snazzy new Timbuk2 Designs Ace Backpack)...but dammit if that ass that had cut me off before, still managed to beat me to the x-ray machine! This means war!

They scanned my bag and shoes and purse (and my person) and I passed with flying colors...almost. Apparently, the chick behind me had a very large water bottle stashed in her bag and they saw it on the scanner...but one of the screeners thought that was my backpack and snatched it up so fast he almost threw it across the room. Luckily, the other screener called him some funny name (ah, the Dutch) and told him he grabbed the wrong bag and so he handed it back to me. I walked to one of the Flight Attendants while stepping back into my shoes and handed her my boarding pass. She said thanks, scanned it, gave me my boarding card and directed me to the chairs...that was it! What?! No hand checks, no pat downs...something fishy is going on here...

Apparently not! The Dutch feel they can see any liquids or gels in the x-ray and therefore do not need to check any further...after everything with my Epi-pens, they let them pass through with just an x-ray...I wa floored!

After about 30 or 45 minutes, they let us onto the plane (yes, the jackass managed to board before me again, evern though Traci and I were first in line). Imagine the look of shock on his face when I walked past him in Business Class and took my seat...ahhh, revenge is sweet!

We had a nice flight; the Flight Attendants were really cool and the food was decent - no India fare for once. I did manage to start to have an allergic reaction to something, so I had to drug up (no shots luckily). Thankfully, the drugs caused me to pass out for 5 or 6 hours - missing the flight almost completely! I managed to actually watch a movie this time and I think I read my book a little.

Once we landed (yes, we got another little blue house), we had to go through Immigration (they always let me pass) and then through Customs (again, they always let me through). However, you then have to recheck your bag (to get it up to the North Terminal Baggage Claim) and go through a security check (x-ray and metal detector). Can you believe, the chick in front of me had a hair product (mousse) in her carry-on bag that Amsterdam didn't catch?! DUH! They didn't really check anything! Needless to say, they confiscated it.

So I managed to escape any more drama. I got my bag upstairs and walked out straight to my limo and then sort of napped on my way home.

I am thrilled to be home once again and sleeping in my own bed. My next trips shouldn't be until October, so I can take it easy for a bit! Thank goodness :)