Plaque about timezones on the Continental Bank Building in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Photo by JoeSmack in Wikipedia.
As a travel writer, I have literally had many ups and down. We have also had many mishaps changing time zones, catching flights, arriving at odd hours, delayed, losing our hotel booking, arriving the wrong day.
I was en route to South Africa on 9-11. Not only were flights to and from the USA grounded. But connected flights were affected. Travellers changed plans. Hotels changed plans. Hire cars and taxis worldwide were affected.
Our flight from Singapore to South Africa was delayed by a bomb threat. It came from a scared passenger who did not want to fly. Luckily, the airline and passengers were able to call some hotels and connecting flights warn them that the passengers would be arriving late.
As you will know if you have followed my travel posts, I have family all over the world. We have a home in London occupied out to relatives as well as a family home rented to tenants in London as well as renting in Singapore, so we are whatsapping, as well as family or family by marriage in other countries such as the USA, South Africa and Israel, and more close colleagues in New Zealand, and business contacta all over, so we are whatsapping and sending photos to and from several countries.
We used to take flights to Australia or New Zealand, with a stopover in Singapore, or to the UK via the USA. You might think that I would be aware of times being important.
Restaurants, Meal Orders and Critical Time
In early November in 2020 on a Monday morning in London we were looking online for a lunch order and all our favourite restaurants had gone out of business. The different websites told different stories. Some of them said restaurant not delivery. Others said 'currently not delivery'. Were the restaurants closed, staff sent home, restaurants gone out of business, or stopped from having customers seated but serving take away, or delivery only? The lockdown news seemed to be varying by the hour.
I eventually realised that some restaurants did not open until noon. So you could order from noon onwards. Other restaurants had the reverse policy. They were busy serving customers in person between noon and 2 pm, only dealing with phone queries after 2 pm.
Time Zones
Oh - so check the hour! Next thing, which time zone and country was the mobile phone set to, and the laptop or computer or tablet set to? We have to contend with summer and winter time in London, Singapore time, and Australian time, which is sometimes a day different, and algo their clocks are going forward for summer a different weekends from our clocks doing back.
Breakfast In America
Once we took a flight from Washington D.C. west towards the west coast. We had breakfast at home, a long wait at the airport, with a brief announced delay, so we had a quick snack there. On our flight we received breakfast, Our cheap flight made two stops. So we were served two more breakfasts. Finally, we reached our hotel where we were offered another breakfast.
I was speechless. My husband protested, "No, no thanks. We're already had five breakfasts.
I made a tragi-comic phone call from London to California. After my uncle Ronnie died were received a Christmas card and letter from the USA at his house. No address. Months later I went through one of his note books which was an address book and found an address in California, USA.
I phoned and said, in my plummy English voice, "You don't know me, and I'm sorry to have to give you bad news, but my uncle Ronnie has died."
A sleepy American voice the other end, said, "I sure am sorry to hear about your uncle Ronnie, dear, but, I don't know anybody called Ronnie in England."
I sighed, "He played the violin and piano. Would you have known him by his stage name, Arthur?"
She gasped, "Oh, Arthur's passed? Sorry to be so slow to figure it out, but it's four in the morning in California."
America has different time zones. I remember one Friday when I was in Washington DC late Friday afternoon I phoned a friend in Australia. I was told, "He's out to lunch."
I replied, "Oh, he's having a very late Friday lunch."
My colleague replied, "No, more like an early Saturday lunch."
In Europe - Portugal and Spain
As for Europe, we crossed from Portugal to Spain at Christmas, and they told us what time the restaurant stopped serving evening dinner. We assured them we would be finished by the finishing time. We were slightly puzzled when the staff filed to clear up our dessert plates and sat down to eat their evening meal. Later we realised that we were still on Portuguese time, which was not the same, but an hour different. They must have been equally puzzled by our behaviour.
About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Member of Harrovian Speakers Toastmasters International club in NW London; also VP PR for Braddell Heights Advanced club in Singapore.
See my other posts on Hatch End, restaurants, and destinations worldwide. Please share with family and friends and colleagues links to your favourite posts.
No comments:
Post a Comment