End of Trip

I wrote the list of this from the Tokyo airport yesterday, but lost it twice on the airport’s lame-o coin-operated Internet setup. Christ, can’t the biggest airports in the world get an online setup comparable to, say Phut Quoc Island, a tiny place out in the Sea of Thailand? So I’ll reconstruct it now that I’ve been home for 24 or so hours.

I ended flying in at least 8 airplanes on this trip, from two-engined turboprops of Lao Airlines to a new 747-400 I took from Bangkok to Tokyo two days ago. I just about went crazy on the flight(s) to Asia, they seemed to take forever, and they were of course, packed to the gills. But the new 747 was a fabulous plane, with, can you believe it, adequate leg room in economy class. The flight crew, based in Tokyo, was sharp. The head guy was compact, early ’50s, witty, good-looking. He was mildly like a Samurai. The other flight attendants were charming and helpful. Time went fast. I had 5 hours to kill in Tokyo and after the blog/computer debacle, I rented for this cool tiny room with bed and shower for $10/one hour, took shower and slept for 45 minutes. The facility is called “Refresh,” and it does, All airports ought to have these facilities.

The flight to SFO from Tokyo was one-third full! When was the last time you had this happen? We all had 3 seats apiece, so it was almost as good as first class. Except the flight crew, American-based, was sour. Not top quality. What a difference in attitude. I watched 4 movies, read a third of The Da Vinci Code, which I love.

The California air smelled good! The Bay Area looked so uncrowded compared to the big cities (and much of the surrounding countryside) I’d been in. It’s always a thrill to get home, my sense are sharpened, the sights I’ve seen on the road put everything at home in fresh perspective. My heart sort of leaped when I saw Mt. Tamalpais. We stopped at my regular waterfall spot on the way over the mountain and I splashed water on my face and head. Home!