Man Proposes, God Disposes
Abida Rahmani
As l'm sitting sort of relaxed and idle watching videos on whatapp, forwarding the interesting ones, reading and reposting long posts ,watching tv,changing different channels, its Corona Corona all around. The virus that has engulfed the whole world . China is recovering from this disaster which emerged first on their soil ,whole of the Euorope is in lock down, USA and Canada are taking drastic steps to control this menace.
My travel plans are abandoned, jeopardized. God Almighty knows his plans better than us. Planned for the Spain trip with my friends in December. We were supposed to leave on 23rd March for Barcelona from LAX. I was leaving for Corona, CA early morning on 18th. Despite the cancellation of Spain trip because of this Pandemic, I was still adament to go . Baggage packed, strapped and weighed, done with shopping ,finishing perishables ( while rest of the citizens are trying to hoard it).
Planning the departure time at 4:30 am from home for the early morning flight on 18th, I was thinking about the deserted airports, empty planes, masked staff.Should I wear mask at the airport or during flight for protection ( tried it for few seconds).
All of a sudden this afternoon after mind boggling news , scary updates and precautions from our PM Justin Treaudu and top health officials, decided about the cancellation of this trip. Called Orbits (my booking website ) with no response , searched both United and Orbits 's websites. Then Called United Air, their hold time was more than two hours. Waiting for their respond , I searched once again on the website and luckily got successful in Cancellation . Right now sitting in my couch, i can only pray that me and all my loved ones are saved from Covid -19.
My dear friend who was waiting for my arrival despite her knee problem is disappointed .
Thank you my dear, see you soon inshaAllah!
Traveling with PIA
By
Abida Rahmani
Right now I am on board of my flight from Islamabad to Toronto . This is the prized flight of PIA , while all the USA segments are closed and some problems with UK and other European countries. Some closures are because of Covid.
PIA or Pakistan international airline is national flight carrier of Pakistan. However it has lost its glamour due to politics , over employment, nepotism and mismanagement.
The motto used for PIA was ," Great people to fly with" is now dissolved in thin air.
A large scandal erupted of unqualified pilots after the recent unfortunate Karachi crash.
The non stop flights to and forth from Toronto are a great blessings for us Pakistanis and we all look forward to travel on it. Even the Pakistanis from adjoining cities of USA take advantage of this facility.
The hospitality standards are good as I'm in executive economy however there's no entertainment system not even an audio System for the last five years. So one has to relax in a quiet serene environment, enjoying your own gadgets.
Today I was told that the front washroom is out of order . The comfy seat I'm on had no feet support therefore I changed it . The seats give you a worn out look.
The famous PIA magazine Humsafar is no more , not even the comments card is available.
Grateful to Almighty and the pilots for a safe travel.
I earnestly Appeal to the present government to look into PIA's matters seriously, acquire new airplanes with upgrades and capture the loosing market of airline industry.
Wish you all the best PIA and Pakistan.
These are real women, dressed up as Marie Antonio in 18th century costumes and getups for a wedding.They later on sat on our next table for the dinner.
