I'm two days away from my great Japanese voyage.
(Burglars take note, I may be out of town for two weeks, but I'm leaving hungry poisonous snakes in my apartment, so don't even think about breaking in.)
I'm a good packer, for the most part. It's a little easier for this trip, because for the first week I'll be staying with friends, and I'm pretty sure they have laundry.
What always stumps me is the carry-on luggage plan. My airline will allow one carry-on bag, but I think that really means two bags, one bag bag and one purse-like personal carrying system. Because the flight takes a really long time, I need to pack entertainment, a clean shirt, a toothbrush, and more entertainment.
I am not rich enough for first or business class, but I did get an emergency exit row. Should we make a rough landing in the Pacific, I'll be the guy standing on the wing, heroically leading my fellow passengers into the shark infested waters. It's a small price to pay for a few extra inches of leg room.
I actually like flying, and this airline even serves sushi on board. Airline sushi is something I must try.
There are two minor questions I have with the carrier, however. For undisclosed reasons, the FBI raided their American offices a month ago. I'd like to know why. If there's an issue with the flight attendants serving airline sushi past its expiration date, I'd like a heads up before I order the blowfish. Also, a few mechanics were accused of making repairs on things they weren't actually qualified to fix. Again, if the plane's rice steamer was worked on by someone who is not certified, I want a warning.
I checked the flight route. It's fascinating. I'd always sort of thought we'd fly west over the U.S., head out over the Pacific, see Hawaii out the window and hit Japan that way. Apparently not. We'll head over Canada, Alaska and skirt the east coast of Russia, heading southwest to Japan.
Still, looking out the window won't keep me entertained for all of the 13 airborne hours.
So I'll have crossword puzzles, books, magazines, IPod, audio books, and my laptop.
What else do I need?
No, that's not rhetorical, seriously, what else do I need? Any suggestions?
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2 comments:
Last year I would have said take plenty of water and face cream.
And take something to knock you out. Antihistamines work well for me. Because you WILL run out of entertainment. It's a long flight.
When I flew to Tahiti there was a trivia game you could play on your little movie screen where you can compete against all the other passengers on your flight. You go for both accuracy and speed, like the bar game on the televisions.
I got really good after a few hours
and eventually it was down to me and one other guy in 34F. We were probably the only ones awake on the whole plane. Of course, I had to see who he was, so I got up and strolled past him when the round was over. When I got to his row, he looked up and pointed right at my face and said "You." with a stank eye.
At that point it was on. I went back to my seat and ended up playing for the next three hours (the questions repeat themselves after a while so you can get really fast with your answers.)
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