Part 4 - Finally
Our flight home
I have spent a LOT of time discussing the process and stress of flying the birds home, but haven't mentioned anything about flying our dragon home.
The paperwork for the dragon wasn't very tricky. There are no communicable diseases associated with the dragon. She isn't listed on an endangered or threatened species list or anything. Essentially, all we needed was to get a health cert from a normal vet stating she was healthy to fly, and to file a declarations form with US Customs. We needed to file a declaration form for the birds (and dogs) as well. It is just a routine thing. Since the dragon is a lizard it had to go through Fish and Wildlife, as did the birds declaration. When you arrive, customs has the form faxed to them already. They process it, and it is cleared. Pretty simple.
The tricky part was figuring out how to SHIP a cold blooded creature. There was really such a lack of useful information on this subject. I spent months researching the best, safest ways. It was over 90F outside, and in the compartment of the plane where the pets are kept it was probably about 70F. The lizards likes to be in about 85-90F. Heating pads would be dangerous and having her too cold would be as well. The flight is 16 hours direct. I was so worried she wouldn't make it. Practically every other article I read was by someone that worked in the airline industry stating that we should NOT send reptiles, they will not make it. Stories about pulling dead iguanas off out of the pet area, it was really unsettling. They will die. If you love your lizard give it away. Well, I do love Krystin's dragon, and there is NO way I was going to give her away. Who would love on her like we do??? She is a sensitive, sweet dragon. She is part of our family. I took everything I read, and came up with the best plan I could for her and prayed she would be ok.
She also had to meet USDA 'shipping' requirements which were crazy confusing for reptiles. Ultimately, I had ordered a reptile shipping box (it was for local shipping), bought her a dog kennel, and made a high-brid contraption between the two. I placed the box inside the kennel, lined it with Styrofoam, placed a towel on the bottom, for her comfort. I made air vents through the box. I placed her in a burlap sack (specifically for reptile shipping). Seemed mean, but she seemed to like it. I made sure she had a good meal more than 12 hours before shipping, a suggestion I read online. I secured her in the box, in the kennel and said a prayer! Whew!
Back to preparing for our flight. We stayed up pretty much all night Thursday night. I was completely panicking about the weather. Did the weather gods not KNOW I asked for a cooler day? It was the hottest it had been since we had been there, heck since we had ever been in Hong Kong. Like record breaking hot. Usually, the mornings are overcast too, not that day. Our fight was supposed to leave by 9:15 am, so I was hoping it wouldn't be as hot or sunny. Hong Kong is NEVER sunny, 'cept like 3 days a year.
We had 8 large suitcases, 3 small carry on suitcases, 2 back-packs, a guitar, 3 pet kennels, a LARGE banner of Logan's, and a ton of small other stuff. There was no way we could take all that by ourselves. So we took two cabs to the airport on Thursday night and checked in the 8 large suitcases on the flight at midnight. Pretty nifty we thought! :) We still had more than we could possibly carry, but it was better and our luggage would be on the plane!
You are supposed to have the pets to the Cargo area of the airport, preferably 4 hours ahead of time, at least 3. They then load the pets on the plane, which doesn't have the climate control turned on until people board, so imagine a car in the summer without ac, dangerous. It was 98 degrees, and a BRIGHT SUNNY morning, oh with an added bonus of 95% humidity. It was deathly hot. It is never bright and sunny first thing in the morning in HK, what the heck. Fail, weather gods, fail! I did NOT want to bring my pets to the airport early. I felt like it was definitely a death sentence. I was definitely dragging my feet, without realizing it. I am sure. They would absolutely not be able to handle that heat. I was pretty much an emotional wreck. I mean kill them with the heat, or at least make them sick from it, and then follow that up with landing and going straight to quarantine after a stressful 16 hour flight. There was no upside to this.
Well, the plan was we would call a cab in the morning and head to cargo. We finished up everything with the birds by 5:45am. We threw away their cages, put them in their flight kennels. I placed enough snacks and fluids for the birds to last them the 16 hours, I hoped. Got the lizard situated. We were running a little late, it was about 6:00am by now. Then we called the cab. Normally, at 6:00am, we have no problem getting a cab. We live like 10 minutes from the airport. Should be quick. Nope we couldn't get a cab. No joke. We kept calling, NO CABS!!! It was awful. Finally, after an hour, we got a cab... Now it was really cutting it close.
It was almost 8am by the time we finally got to cargo desk, yes the flight was to leave at 9:15am. It was like a ridiculous amount of effort for us to get all the stuff we had (look above) and the three pets to the fourth floor. We ended up leaving most of it just sitting in the lobby, unattended, while we ran to the Cargo area. We quickly handed them our paperwork to process the pets quickly... The gentlemen grabbed the paperwork, looked through it. He went and spoke to someone else, and then came back and said, "I am sorry, you arrived too late.". "You will have to go on another flight."
Ten million thoughts went through my head. I hadn't considered this possibility. If you know me, you would know I am compulsively early. I am NEVER late. I am the first one to EVERY event. I don't do late, but really I wasn't myself so what can you expect... That and I really didn't want to do this. I felt as though I was marching my beloved, trusting babies off the plank. However, our luggage was on that flight. It was the Friday flight. We threw the birds cages away already. Our lease was over in our flat. All of our clothes were on the plane, and the birds couldn't fly on the weekend. There was no other choice! I started BEGGING him to PLEASE get them on the flight. Please! I told him there has to be a way, PLEASE! He left and came back and said, "Ok, but we have to be fast." If you have dealt with Hong Kong government process you would know this in and of itself is a miracle. They are very letter of the law and by the rules.
He quickly looked over the birds to make sure their kennels met requirements. Passed with flying colors. Then he looked at the lizard. He pulled out the books. He had people come over. No one had a clue. I told him, I promise I have read through ALL of the requirements. The lizard meets USDA requirements for shipping, to the best extent possible. He and the others just nodded and cleared her. Then Todd and I quickly grabbed Indy out, because maybe I was starting to have a complete melt down that her water looked dirty as they were about to take her to the plane... and we loved on her and kissed her. It felt like a Good Bye kiss. It was sooo HORRIBLE. Never ever, ever want to do that again.
After the pets were off it took at least another half hour to get the paperwork in order. Then we were told that we might not make our flight, and they will NOT hold it for us??? My baby birds and lizard are now on the flight. If we are not the flight to clear them when they land, we were told they will sit in a warehouse all weekend. Like even if we arrived later that day on Friday the warehouse would be closed. They don't clear them on the weekends remember? So, basically, I was sure they would die. No questions asked. I felt like I was going to be sick.
The gentlemen that was helping us was kind and called and had a cab waiting for us to run to downstairs. He explained the situation. We had about 7 mins to get to the airport, that was the cutoff time the airline said we had to arrive at security. It is only a 3-4 minute drive MAX from the Cargo area to the main terminal. Should be ok. Still have to go through security and so forth, but we should make it.
We hop in the cab, my heart is racing, I feel like I can't breathe... The cab driver is speeding along. Then he pulls up this ramp. Stops. Looks back in the rearview mirror like he wants to back up. I see the look in his eyes... All I can think is, "OH SHIT" (sorry, but really). I knew we were now doomed. I thought, "Back up. Back up." But, he didn't back up, because, well, it is illegal and dangerous, even though there was not a car in sight. So, he accidentally got on the freeway going the opposite direction. Never once in the two years that we have been there has a cabby accidentally gotten on the freeway going the wrong direction. We were right next door to the airport!!!
He tells us not to worry will only be an extra 10 or so minutes... Well, we only had 5 mins. That was it I couldn't stop crying. I am sure that totally helped the cab driver. I think Todd even started to cry? I knew things were really bad then. Todd doesn't cry. All I could think was that my bird babies, and my lizard baby were going to die and I was helpless to do anything about it.
We get to the airport 10 mins after their cut-off time and RAN to the security check point. An immigration lady stops us and says we have too many things and the guitar is too big. So, we tell her we don't have time. We will just leave it. Our pets are on the plane! We have to run. She takes our passports from us, so we can't leave and walks over to the Cathay Pacific people to discuss it with them. I am kind of like, You have to be kidding me! We will leave all of this! WE HAVE TO GO. She won't give our passports back. I really start to freak out at this point. We just have to get through security and on the plane. I just started sobbing about my babies. Well, other foreign people in line near us get concerned (apparently, I was making a scene), and they start reassuring me that the airline will MAKE SURE we make it. I am sure this influenced the airline people. After about 10 mins or so, the plane is now supposed to leave in like 20 mins and the door should be shutting any minute, the airline allowed us one extra carry-on to bring with, but wasn't sure about the guitar. We were like - KEEP IT!! (Sorry Krystin). We also we able to bring Logan's super-sized banner, go figure.
Then we begged for someone from the airline to please help us get through security faster. The lines were super long, and we no longer had our HK visa privileges. Our Cathay pacific escort went and talked to the very short line for local people, and HK immigration Official made an exception and let us come to her. The other line had to be at minimum 30 mins. I asked the Cathay lady if the flight knew we were coming, she said yes, but that they would not hold the flight. She said that there was no way they could hold the flight for us, as it was full. Of course it was the furthest possible gate and we ran the entire way, with our very nice Cathay airlines escort helping us. We barely got on the flight before the doors shut. We collapsed in our seats, drenched in sweat and shaking from the entire experience.
I was so grateful Todd was in the seat next to me for the ride home. The flight was the MOST turbulent flight we have experienced. All 16 (or 7 million, what it felt like) hours of it. With each bump and shake I imagined that my babies were terrified and the food and water was pouring all over. I was, however, left to appreciate the fact that while that was the MOST stressful experience ever. The chaos of the morning did also mean that the pets were NOT on the plane for 4 hours before take off, and most likely were loaded on after the plane was already on. I do not doubt that if they had been loaded, when they should have been, they would have died from the heat. I do try to look for the positive when I can.
We landed safely at JFK, then we were on to the next part of our Journey Home.
Clearing the pets, making sure they were alive, and then quarantine.
Stay tuned for Quarantine
(If you aren't exhausted. I know I am.)
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