Saturday, April 21, 2012

San Francisco Here I Come !


Philippine Airlines flight 104 to San Francisco got delayed last April 7, 2012.  The plane left Manila at 1:30 AM instead of 10:30 PM.  I thought I was the only SunPower employee on that flight but suddenly I saw three employees from our Module Operations ~ Mike, Chorel and Nemia.  PAL distributed boxes of Kentucky Fried Chicken to affected passengers for dinner.  I was not so hungry that evening since I took my dinner at around 6:30 PM at Shakey's near the airport.  I only ate one KFC Chicken. Waiting is the hardest thing to do but I need to be patient.  This is my first travel to the U.S. and I am thankful for the opportunity given to me.  Thanks to my colleague,  Maria Queri, our COO, Marty Neese and my boss, Jascha Ortmanns.

I boarded the plane and sleeping was difficult for me.  I could not sleep while seating since it was not comfortable because of my back problem.  I have dextroscoliosis, a medical condition characterized by a curvature of the spine to the right.  I was awake most of the time and I had to bear the agony for more than thirteen (13) hrs.  I could not hardly wait for the plane to land so I can stretch out and feel better.

It was almost 11:00 PM when the plane landed at San Francisco International Airport. I texted the limousine company to let them know I arrived already at the airport.  I did not wait too long as my luggage went out soon and I waited for my co-employees to get their stuff.  We parted our ways when we exited the custom section  as I need to go to the limousine waiting area and the rest had to go to the Budget Rental Car office.

I exited the airport and decided to cross the street where I see taxis standing-by.  I asked the security guard where the limousine waiting area was and he gave me direction. He was very helpful.  While walking, I already  saw a tall, young, Indian looking gentleman near a limousine car and got the feeling he was Prince from ATA Limo waiting for me.  I was right, it was already Prince.  He took my heavy luggage and I rode the car going to Staybridge Suites Hotel in Milpitas, San Francisco, CA.  While traveling, I asked how long does it take to go to Staybridge Hotel from SFO and he said it will only take thirty (30) minutes considering that there is no traffic during that time.  But if you travel during rush hours, it will actually take an hour drive. Prince Gidda is actually the Operations Director and owner of ATA Limo but also do drive for clients.  He is of Indian origin but he was born and raised in the U.S.  His father started the transportation business for a long time already.  I came to know about this Limousine company through Luz of Staybridge Hotel.  It is their transportation provider. Prince was on time and our travel was smooth.  He also gave me some pointers on road rules when you are driving in the U.S. We had a good conversation.   I was satisfied with ATA Limo's service.

ATA Limo is a limo provider in the Bay Area offering a wide range of limos and luxury vehicles.
Tel. No. 408 732 3600

I finally arrived at Staybridge Suites Hotel located at 321 Cypress Drive, Milpitas, California.  I will tell you more about this hotel in my succeeding blogs.  I thought I was going to have a good sleep, however, even if I wanted to I could not make myself sleep until it was already 6:00 AM the following day.   It was already my time to wake up since my friend and colleague, Maria Queri from our U.S. headquarter is going to pick me up to attend the Easter Sunday mass with her family at St. Elizabeth Catholic Church and then proceed to Fairfield, California for her sister's birthday celebration.  I was really tired that day and my migraine made it worst.  It was good I brought my migraine pain reliever with me and took I think two capsules that day. Stay tune for more blogs on my San Francisco Trip. It was short but truly great !





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