Contingency plans [Update]

AC has delayed my flight by 4 hours, which means I'm definitely going to miss my connecting flight. Scenario 1 is rapidly unfolding before my eyes (hmm... should I use my clairvoyant ability for good or evil? maybe I should try out my evil laugh to see if I have what it takes. Muhahahahahah...)

If my flight remains on time (the new time, that is,) I should still be able to catch the very last flight out of Narita. If not, AC owes me lodging for the night. I'm kind of hoping for the former since in the latter I will be arriving in Taiwan close to midnight, which is going to be very troublesome for my relatives (They are retirees! They need their sleep!)

I'm also slightly worried about my luggage (I can definitely see myself getting on the last flight but not my luggage.)

Am now drinking a Starbucks chai latte at the airport while busily typing on my laptop trying to create a seasoned traveler vibe so I don't look as stressed as I feel.

Packing My Luggage. A Tricky Business.

Heading back to Taiwan during its hottest months leaves me more than a little apprehensive. Dressing light is key. And while I would love to wear nothing but capris/shorts and sandals for the whole summer, pants and closed-toe shoes are necessary for labwork, adding more bulk to my ever-increasingly full luggage.

I'm trying my hardest to minimize the clothes situation since A) I'm going to be pulling this luggage through airport->transfer in Japan->airport->shuttle bus->subway->bus (stairs to/from the subway... sigh); and B) I'm going to need some luggage room to cart home lots of Taiwanese snacks (granted I don't eat them all first.)  

BUT, at the same time, I don't want to do laundry (having no idea what the laundry situation is like at the dorm.) So, quandary. Should I instead bring more clothes as to minimize the number of laundry loads I'm going to have to do?

On top of all this, Taiwan summers are extremely prone to thunderstorms and typhoons. Might need to get a cheap pair of rainshoes to boot (pun intended! hehe)

Finally, a picture after all those wordy posts. So far, I've shifted all my stuff from luggage A (left) to luggage B (right) and back again. Why? Because I'm k-k-k-krazy, that's why.
Luggage B is bigger giving me ample room for souvenirs and junk, giving cause for the initial switch. BUT, it's also heavier, which became a huge liability when I tried to lug it downstairs, hence the second switch. (The non-crazy me wants to yell: Good lord woman! Make up your mind!!!)

Here's my luggage, packed to the brim. Look at my awesome Canadian flag tag given to me by my lovely friends (thank you girls!) A couple more things in there and I should be set.

Almost there!

Contingency plans

I've been tracking AC's Toronto->Narita flight schedule almost religiously for the last several days and what I've noticed is the consistent delays, anywhere from 20 minutes to 3 hours averaging out to about one hour. And since there will be only about an hour for connection in Narita, I'm pretty worried. I'm running on a pretty tight schedule, not only because of the hour-long connection, but because the last bus of the route I need to take goes at 10:30. So I have about 2.5h (if my final flight arrives in Taiwan on time) to do the following:

a) get through customs
b) pick up luggage
c) shuttle bus (which takes about an hour)
d) MRT subway
e) bus

It's one of those moments you know things will definitely go awry and you count your lucky stars if things actually all work out.

I am not a big fan of these moments.

Anyways, because I'm slightly neurotic, I've been running case scenarios in my head.

Scenario #1: Missed connection in Narita
a) there should be another flight from the same alliance departing 30 minutes after my original flight. I'm going to try to make that one.
b) if there's no available flight within 2 hours (because at least the MRT will still be open and I should be able to make the rest of the way), I'm going to request the next day's earliest flight and just crash at Narita for the night. I can store my luggage ($10 US) at the airport's storage facility and sleep at one of the hotels near the airport (since the airport does not allow passengers to stay in the facility between 11 pm-6am.)

Scenario #2: Missed the last bus in Taipei
a) take the MRT and take a taxi from the station/call my relative to pick me up (the LAST resort. Let's hope it won't come to that)

UPDATE: With a typhoon looming over Taiwan the next few days, my parents have decided that I'm going to take the MRT to another relative's place for the first night and then go to my original place of stay for the second. Don't ask me why I don't just stay at either relative's for both nights because this plan makes no sense to me either. 

UPDATE 2: Air Canada has been on time both yesterday and the day before. I'm taking that as a good sign. Crossing my fingers.