The Robin Hill Saga

And so it goes on.
Robin made it to Chicago, but his suitcase didn't. He's making a habit of travelling very light these days.
He then had to endure another flight to Miami, unsure when, or if, he will get his case back, before the QM2 sets sail.
He spent the night in a hotel, and when he got up early the next morning, couldn't face his travel weary clothes.
The only shop open at that time of day was part of the hotel, so he ventured in to purchase a shirt. No such luck, the only thing they had was a t-shirt, with 'M*I*A*M*I' emblazoned across the chest. I think he's more distressed to be seen wearing it than he is about the loss of 10 days worth of clothes.

There's a bigger problem though. If the case doesn't arrive before 5pm US time, then he won't see it until Thursday when he docks in Bonaire.
Thanks to the security alerts last year, strings, nail kit, footstool, all have to be in the 'lost' case.
Whilst Robin's guitar obviously does have strings on, he needs to change the treble strings prior to every concert. Therefore will need a set of Savarez very quickly.

I read the other day that Fergie, from the Black Eyed Peas, recently suffered a similar fate with the loss of luggage, except they lost all 30 (!) of her cases. How does she remember which case she packed her nail kit in? I'm sure it's tiny compared to the one Robin needs. Which brings me to another point. Every day minor repairs to nails are required. No nail kit, no repair.

So, having settled into his very nice room on board ship, (at least it didn't take long to unpack), he decided it best to assume the case wouldn't appear, so urgent supplies were needed.

With the help of a local taxi driver he found a music shop and got himself some strings and a footstool. He was delighted to see a huge picture of Jaco Pastorius on the wall, and when he asked the shop keeper if Jaco had frequented this store the owner replied, "Hey, he was just a local guy"!

His friendly taxi driver then took him for some basics, you know, toothbrush, razor etc. He even managed to get a few pair of socks, but I, and Robin can't understand why they don't appear to sell underwear in Fort Lauderdale. Anywhere.
If any of our American readers can offer an explanation I'd be delighted to hear it!

So if you have been near Port Everglade, Hollywood or Fort Lauderdale today, and come across a rather dishevelled, unshaven, guitarist, sporting a 'M*I*A*M*I' t-shirt, I hope you were kind to him. If you see him again, will you lend him some suncream.

The Windy City - If You Can Get On The Flight....

The next time you find yourself thinking that the life of a musician is glamorous one, then just remind yourself of the recent trauma that Robin was subjected to, when BA lost his suitcase and Miguel Rodriguez guitar. If you remember, both were returned, albeit after a very tense day.
You would think that was enough excitement to last a lifetime of travel, but, today has seen the next installment.
This morning we were up at 4am so that Robin could catch the first flight to Heathrow. Apart from the early start, this part of the journey was fine.
After the 'lost guitar' episode he vowed not to let his precious instrument in the hold again, and so far, apart from a little hassle, that hasn't been a problem.
However, once at Heathrow, he checked in for his flight to Chicago, and then went for security checks.
Should be fine, there were 4 hours to kill.
Robin stood, impatiently, in the endless queue for the entire time, repeatedly telling the officials that his flight was nearly due to board. Only to be informed that it hadn't been called yet.
Eventually, he told the staff again that his flight was due, and they calmly informed him that he had missed it!!! They'd had him there for 4 hours, can you believe it.
Robin tried to resolve the problem at the airport, and I tried to calm the situation at this end.
The outcome is that they found him a seat on the next flight, which should still give him time to make his connection.
When I last spoke to him he was on board, with his guitar, and starting to relax. In fact he was just about to listen to some 'Chicago' on his iPod.
So whilst it can be glamorous and exciting to travel the world, it's not always easy...