A Day in the Life of Viktor Navorski

         As Mallory and I woke with excitement that hot sweaty Indonesian morning of May 5th, we were finally heading to the airport to leave for Thailand. As we make our way to the airport in our Grab ride (which is the Asian Uber), we reflect on the time we have had in Indonesia. After we arrive we prayed as we made our way to check in that we would have all we need and that the Lord would go before us and clear a path. Everything went very smooth through security and boarding. Excited and ready to start the next step in this journey, we seamlessly glided through the clouds and back to the ground in Singapore. 

      I had planned the next two days of travel and packed them to the brim with fun activities. We weren't just going to the Singapore airport, we were going to see one of the worlds largest indoor waterfalls and great spectacle of modern architecture. So I purposefully planned this flight to have a 16 hour layover in the Singapore air
port where the famous JEWEL lives. The jewel is a massive indoor waterfall that is centered in a six story sort of glass, crystal, donut shaped mall. That description does not do it justice! Also, to make our jet setting life style a little easier I was able to gain lounge access in almost every airport. This has been greatly beneficial with free snacks, drinks, wifi, and sometimes even a shower and cot. So with that being said, we exited the plane and ran to the nearest lounge for coffee and to get our barrings for our next move. After some research, we discovered our hunch was right. The Jewel was not in the airport terminal, but sort of like an entrance to the airport. This meant we would have to store our bags, get through immigration, and then enter the Jewel just outside the airport. So we set off into what we though would be a fun end to our day.... Every step from this point forward seem to only get harder. We proceeded to search for a locker or another way to store our bags safely and no one could help us. After running back and forth through two terminals we finally found what seemed to be the only storage option in all of Singapore. We paid our fee and took off for immigration. 

    When we arrived there was, of course, an app we did not have and questionnaire we had not filled out. After hustling to complete those we got through our line and were finally given our rite of passage to the Jewel! Briskly walking down the hallway to the entrance as we got closer we could begin to feel the cool air and the faint sound of water that seemed to grow with each step. Turning the corner into what seemed like a rain forest, with walls covered in all types of plants and greenery, we are over taken with awe in the sheer size and beauty of the Jewel. Between the ambient sounds being played from unseen places and the light mist that was spraying from the tons of water pouring in from the crystal domed roof, we were amazed that God gave someone the talent and imagination to create such a wonder.  

    After exploring a couple levels of the mall and seeing the unexpected light show projected onto the waterfall (which was super cool), we made our way back down the hall to the airport. We had to go through immigration again to reenter the airport. As we went through our separate lines the officer holding Mallory's boarding pass asked an odd question. "Are you sure you want to check in this early?" At this point my officer is handing my boarding pass back to me and waving me onward. Mallory looks at me with confusion as she is waved forward. It is at this point we enter... THE TERMINAL. After closer inspection of the pass we realize our flight has been changed. It is no longer the next morning, but it has been moved to the next day. We are now tired, hungry, confused, and slightly frustrated. How could this happen? Why weren't we notified? Because now that we have entered the country to see the jewel and then reentered through immigration, we are no longer allowed to leave the terminal again!  

    With this new information, we then scramble around to find out what has happened to our original flight and inquire as to why we were not notified of this change. Keep in mind that it is 21:00 when I arrive at the Singapore Airlines help desk. After waiting for about 3o minutes I finally make it up to the front and ask the woman behind the counter what has happened to my flight and she quickly dismisses me saying that it is not a Singapore Airlines flight and it has been changed to a Scoot flight (similar to Spirit Airlines US). She shoves the boarding pass back to me and yells for the next person. Frustrations continue to grow as Mallory and I get our bags from the storage and make our way to the Scoot help desk. 

    When we arrive here we thankfully did not have to wait long, but they had little answers and proceeded to tell me that it was not Scoot airlines and that we needed to go BACK to Singapore Airlines in the other terminal which we had just came from. So once again, we turn back and arrive at the Singapore Airlines help desk where we discover that Singapore Airlines has messed up another group of passengers that were traveling to India and are now under similar circumstances. We present our problem again to the woman behind the desk. She proceeds to tell me that we booked through a third party (Capital One), and that there is nothing Singapore Airlines can do for us. As you can imagine I am trying to be patient, but my frustration levels are rising higher and higher. I then ask to speak to the manager who then quickly dismisses me saying that they take no responsibility and he will give us no compensation.    

    My boiling point has been reached but thankfully, Christ and Mallory are there to keep my lid on! After receiving this unfortunate news, keep in mind it is now past 23:00 an we still need some dinner, so we head to the lounge to get some food. After we get some much needed energy, Mallory called Capital One in our last attempt to figure out what has happened. Capital One of course blamed Singapore Airline because they were the ones who changed the flight. They stated the sent us a notification (which we never received) and because they never heard from us, they went ahead and confirmed it anyway...

So needless to say we were pretty frustrated, but no one would accept the responsibility or help us. At this point we start to discuss what life looks like living in the terminal, for the next 32 hours or so. We proceed to plan which terminals, lounges, and chairs will suite us best and how long we think we can live off lounge snacks without buying a real meal. We did get to meet a few friends along the way that were in similar circumstances. One guy I chatted with for a bit asked me, “are you coming or going?” I laughed and replied with only the best answer, “I don’t know, Both!” - Viktor Navorski. So as I sit here and continue to await my flight I contemplate much like our friend Viktor, will American (Thailand) ever open its doors to me and does Krakozhia (Indonesia) really not exist anymore???  

    We are thankful for the Lords provision and our heath an safety. We pray that this next flight will not change again in the morning. Because, also much like our friend Viktor, the cracker sandwiches won’t last much longer. We are supposedly leaving at 09:45. That will be around 20:45 (AL). 

        Brandon