Travel

No – this blog post is not about my shiny new computer – the which is humming away gently to itself whilst solving complex problems with one hand tied behind its back! In that department things are currently going well (though there is, of course, still plenty of opportunity for everything to go t*ts up!).

This is about a couple of other technology failures which caused one of us (The Girl) considerable inconvenience, and cost the other (me!) a packet of money.

Those who know me well – or who have hung around these pages long enough – will know that I drive a black Lexus SUV (a GX470). This splendid vehicle was no spring chicken when we purchased it shortly after our arrival in Canada. It dates from 2003 and is now, of course, getting on for a decade older than it was when we acquired it.

Now – I love the thing to bits and it has served me very well for a relatively modest outlay – helped by the fact that I don’t put that much mileage on it these days. Even so sometimes things do go wrong with it – and a little while back it started exhibiting a whining noise that had not featured before. I figured that I had better take it to our friendly local garage and get them to take a look.

I had to go downtown anyway a couple of days later, so I though I would stop by on the way back. As I drove cautiously back up the Pat Bay highway the whining noise was suddenly joined by an entire son et lumière of flashing warning lights. This did not look good. I had to queue for a while to turn left in the middle of the ongoing construction on the highway and had visions of the Lexus phuttering out on me – the which would have caused no end of problems at that particular spot.

Mercifully it kept going and I was able to pull into the garage forecourt. I turned everything off and went to find ‘the guy‘. When we came back to start the vehicle so that I could to demonstrate the issue there was no sign of life at all – not a click, not a whine, not even a grinding noise… nothing!

Oh well – if the thing is going to break down completely the forecourt of a garage is not a bad place for that to happen.

Apparently the battery had failed spectacularly (a dead open short) and the alternator (in trying to charge it) had burned itself out. Fortunately we were going away for a couple of days so it mattered not that the car was out of action until we returned.

Just before we left on our short trip (more on this later) The Girl was summoned on our return, to Kamloops (and beyond) – for her work. This would mean that after we got home on the Sunday she would fly out again on the Monday evening. Flying is routinely such a pain these days that the subsequent news during the day on Monday of delayed flights and suchlike did not come as a surprise. The Girl made it to Vancouver and then had to wait for a considerable time for her onward flight to Kamloops.

When it finally boarded it was already quite late. The plane taxied out to the runway, waited its turn and then lined up for takeoff. Throttles open and the turbojet surged down the tarmac…

…only for the pilot to abort the takeoff half way down! Now this sort of thing is definitely bad news! After returning to the gate and spending a lengthy period being assaulted by out-of-control kids and the sweltering heat (and having nothing to watch except the mechanics scratching their heads) the airline bowed to the inevitable and cancelled the flight. Cheap hotel rooms for all concerned and up early the next morning for another attempt.

Guess who was not impressed…!