Rob Cheng's Blog
Traveling with a Guitar on Delta Airlines


After a grueling eight-hour layover in Atlanta, my guitar and I finally boarded the last plane of the night. After scanning my ticket, Delta Lady #1 ran down the jetway to give me a ticket to place on my guitar.

I told her that my plan was to place the guitar in the closet in the front of the plane. I have traveled with my guitars on dozens of segments on multiple airlines and aircraft without incident. There has always been space in the small closet in the front of the plane or in the overhead bins. In retrospect, I regret not accepting the ticket.

I entered the plane and asked about placing the guitar in the closet, and Delta Lady #2 said that the closet might be full and was reserved for first class. My only option was to place the guitar in the overhead bins. I did not argue and continued to my seat.

Near my seat, there was an empty overhead bin, and I lifted my guitar. Delta Lady #3 said it would not fit, and guitars were not allowed in the overhead bins. Unfortunately, she approached to block me from placing the guitar. I reacted poorly, and continued stowing the guitar. I quickly learned that Delta Lady #3 was correct and Delta Lady #2 was incorrect, the guitar did not fit in the overhead bin.

The situation was escalating which made me uncomfortable. Delta Lady #3 provoked with “How would you feel if someone told you how to do your job?” and “I can get you thrown off the plane.” I ignored the taunts. Another passenger swore at me, and I kept quiet. I started back up the aisle with the guitar, and Delta Lady #2 was approaching, so I gave her the guitar, and sat down at my assigned seat.

A few minutes passed, and Delta Man #1 approached and gave me the ticket for the guitar. Later Delta Man #1 approached me, and gave me an OK sign. A few more minutes passed, and Delta Man #1 returned and told me that I had to leave the airplane.

In the jetway, Delta Man #1 explained that Delta Lady #3 would explain what happened, and that I needed to apologize. She recited her version of events and stated that I failed to obey her instructions. I did not tell her that her instructions differed from Delta Lady #2. I complied and apologized. She did not feel that the apology was adequate and had me thrown off the plane.

Xcaret Adventure

Our last adventure for our Cancún vacation was to a wonderful place called Xcaret which is one of the coolest tourist destinations in the area. The highlight is a man made salt water that runs through the park. Each person puts on a life vest, and swims throughout the river. There are numerous spots to take selfies built into the trip. There are numerous restaurants, and we saw two shows. The first one was a Mayan dance show and the second they call the Spectacle. Dinner was included, and it was as spectacular as the name suggests. The show lasted about an hour and a half and reviewed the history of Mexico through song and dance. The park includes an aquarium and a small zoo, plus places to swim and a boat ride. If you are going to do one thing while in Cancún, it should be Xcaret.

They have a technology, where each person gets a wrist band, and it takes a Xelfie in hundreds of different places. These photos are an assortment of our Xelfies.

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Mayan Cenote

We went on an excursion to Chichén Itzá and then our group visited a Mayan Cenote which was the highlight of the trip. Cenote is the Mayan word for a sink hole or underground cave. The height of Mayan accomplishment is the monuments built in Chichén Itzá which took hundreds of years to construct. It was fascinating to see how the Mayan people live today in the Yucutan. We had a typical Mayan meal primarily consisting of chicken and tortillas. Later, a Mayan priest blessed our trip into the cenote. We rapelled down 60 feet into the cave into the super cold and refreshing water. The Mayan people took these photos and then sell them to tourists as a new form of income. It was great.

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Rio Secreto

While on vacation in Cancún, my wife booked an excursion to Rio Secreto, which is about a 2 hour bus drive from our hotel. It was so worth it. They discovered a cave system that can be explored by tourists. Some time ago, we went to Ruby Falls in Chatanooga, TN and this blows that away. With a patient guide, we spent an hour and a half swimming, wading and walking through the incredible formations in the cave. This is highly recommended.

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Lake Lure

We are living in crazy times. It was hard to agree on a vacation this year because Solange didn’t want to get on an airplane, stay at a hotel, or eat at restaurants. We rented a motor home and went to Lake Lure, NC which is best known for the locale for Dirty Dancing. The motor home had everything we needed including a washer and dryer. She did laundry and cleaned the motor home every day, and we had a great time. We fished, biked, hiked, swam, boated, and played golf. It was awesome and good escape from the craziness plus we met a lot of nice people.

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