Dirty Hippies in First Class!
Shared this story on You Tube but I was something of a rambling mess yesterday because of all the traveling. When I do something hard it follows that I need a few days recuperation to do anything more. Add falling yesterday to the list and you got it. Stinky my cat accidentally tripped me into my giant Price Smart horde.
I traveled back here to Costa Rica on Tuesday. Asscrack of dawn flight with Delta. I have to say Delta is wonderful, and they way they handle disability flying is the best thing ever! It's the little things like I was struggling with my carry on and getting on the plane during pre boarding, and the sweet gate agent sent an employee down the jet way to carry my bag, give me his arm as support and take me right to my seat. It was a good trip.
There was one thing that happened that just made me laugh out loud. I got called a "dirty hippie" by someone on the Atlanta to Liberia leg of my trip. When I went to pre board on that flight the gate agent took my boarding pass and handed me a new one, telling me she'd moved me closer to the front of the plane. I thanked her, staggered down the jet way behind the only other pre board in a wheelchair.
That lady kind of made me laugh from first glance. A 'Clonie'! So what is a Clonie? A certain type of woman who comes to Costa Rica's Gold coast and has a certain look. Think 30 to 50 years of age, bleached blond Yoga aficionado that has lots of plastic surgery (inflated lips and breasts) and looks like she lives off mainlining kale, essential oils and various diet shakes instead of actual food. They all look the same hence my nickname of this type as a Clonie or Clone.
Miss Clonie had a cheap over the counter knee support on, and cried and yelled while being pushed down the jet way before screeching loudly being transferred into her seat in first class. She was clearly in some pain, but I also thought she was being somewhat over dramatic as well. Not one word of thanks, or a tip for the poor airline employee that carted her biscuits around either. So I formed a rather negative option of her, but just shrugged and staggered on past. Turned out I'd also been upgraded to first class and I had the joy of being seated right behind her.
I love first class. Hell, if I can get a good enough deal I occasionally buy a ticket to fly that way. But for my travel day I'd merely upgraded my tickets to Comfort Plus, not first.
Once regular boarding commenced I found out my seat mate, sitting in the aisle side was a dude I witnessed tons of folks giving the side eye and moving away from. He had very long hair, a long beard streaked with white, and was wearing very worn clothing with a few stains. When I'd laid eyes on him in the waiting area I'd wondered what his story was, and why was this man traveling to Costa Rica.
Most of the time you see the khakis and golf shirted folks sitting in first class on this flight. He, like me, was clearly neither Clonie or golf shirts.
We started chatting and his life was a fascinating one. Retired military and retired federal worker just traveling around the world for the last few years. We were laughing, talking, having a good time, even as Miss Clonie had to turn around to yell at us to shut up a few times.
After we'd been in the air less than ten minutes Miss Clonie called the flight attendant over, ranting that we will not shut up so she was demanding they move "those two dirty hippies" out of first class because we did not belong there!
"Dirty hippies"!?! She called me a dirty hippie. I was in shock, sat there before muttering that she was a "pendejo" under my breath. I was dressed in loose linen clothing, a long linen etole print tunic in black and white, with loose black linen pants, a black sweater and black birkenstocks. Guess it was clothing mixed with butt length silver hair.
Both of us were clean, I had on some very light patchouli cologne and my companion smelled like good soap and deodorant.
Both this gentleman and I laughed over this, told the flight attendant we'd shut up if we were disturbing this lady we'd pipe down. The flight attendant hasn't had the opportunity to say anything to us yet. We both took naps right after a lovely lunch and a few glasses of the vino. The rest of the flight passed quickly.
Quickest run through immigration and customs yet, and had copious help getting my bags out to the car. A very successful trip, even if I'm still laughing over being called a "dirty hippie" The last time I saw Miss Clonie she was whimpering but walking just fine across the parking lot towards the bus pickup point.
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