After being here working for 28 days, my turnaround day arrived last Thursday, March 30. I was so excited to be back home, that I even put on clothes inside out (guess which ones!!)
So, I am here, at 7h30, in the main camp, waiting for the plane. Usually, the plane lands around 9h00 and we get in half an hour later. But, this day was not as usual!! Because I am in the plane, something abnormal has to happen!
Around 10h00, they advised us that the plane couldn’t land because of fog. Maybe, there was a bit of fog…I said a bit like a bit like a little, little, little baby cloud! The plane went back to Yellowknife and left us here, alone. Everybody kept the moral, except me, that started to panic and become a bit desperate. Because, I was calculating at what time we needed to be in Edmonton to be able to pick up the flight of 5 o’clock. At 11h00, they advised again that the plane just left Yellowknife, so should be here in about 45 minutes. Half an hour later, they invited us to take a seat in buses to be transported to the airport. Oh my god I was happy! Seating in the bus, reading my Harry Potter and thinking that I would be home in just a bit more than 12 hours! But, just as the bus driver starts to leave, he received a call telling him, that for a second time, the pilot could not make it again (for the same reason: the baby cloud) and was on his way back to Yellowknife. Alors la, panique totale! Some symptoms even showed up: tears, shakes, being desperate, thinking that I will never be back home again, claustrophobia, and more. This situation stayed until 3h30 when we finally get in plane. I kept my eyes opened until the wheels stop touching the field, just to be sure that I was really leaving. And then, I fall asleep and woke up only in Edmonton, 2 hours later, too exhausted of all these feelings in same time.
But, this is not the end!! I am only in Edmonton and I have to go to Montreal!! (I will skip the part of the story where I had a little argument with the clerk at West Jet’s desk (even though my tickets are for Air Canada!!) not interestingJ)
So, I am there, in Edmonton’s airport, at Air Canada’s desk, listening at the clerk telling me that I have two options: first, take a plane at midnight that will do Edmonton-Calgary (change plane); Calgary-Toronto (change plane again); and Toronto-Montreal, arrival at 8h30 am; or take a plane in an hour for Vancouver, stay there for 2 hours, and finally take a plane around midnight and be in Montreal at 7h10 am!! Well, what a difficult choice!! So, like almost everybody, I took the second choice and flew for Vancouver, had a nice dinner (and my first drink since 4 weeks!!), and flew for the last time to Montreal, slept during the entire flight with the help of my new friends Gravol…!
Resume: in 24 hours, I did 4 provinces of Canada, from the North to the South, and from the West to the East!! Thank you Diavik, for this so nice experience!!
Here is the official website if you want to look at the project: http://www.diavik.ca/
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