The Flight

2.5 hour drive out of the redwoods+3 hours in SFO+1 hour flight +5.5 hours in LAX+endless gate changing/shuttling/boarding= ohmygosharewedoneyet?  (coming from Sam and I, not the kids—they were great).  They passed the waiting hours with classic games such as Toss the Travel Pillow, Roll The Quarter Down the Ramps and Halls, and Put Things On Your Head.

 Kenyon managed to eat half a hamburger, fries, salami, cheese, crackers and two apples, so I’m thinking that the vomiting upon arrival at SFO was a fluke.  Whew.  

There’s no WiFi in the international terminal at LAX, so I made a $9 collect call (who knew they even existed nowadays?) to speak with my family for 10 minutes to wish them a Merry Christmas.  

us, just after boarding

If you’ve ever been on a long international flight that departs in the evening, you know that passengers immediately settle in with the requisite travel pillows, blankets, and eye covers and go right to sleep.  Stewardesses create the restful ambience by dimming the lights and keeping announcements to a minimum.  Well, note to passengers a few rows up from me—this is not the best time to begin a 5-hour long game where you imitate the sound of your toddlers squeals and screeches.  It is only because I’m excited about this whole journey and seeing other cultures that I’m going to assume that in your culture this is some important rite of passage for your child and not simply extreme disregard for sleepy passengers. 

The first 7 hours have been fitful sleep; as I write this, we have 3.5 hours left; I believe breakfast will be served in a half hour.  If it’s anything like the dinner (some sort of chicken chunks in sauce with overcooked carrots, a mini iceberg salad with shrimp, a roll and a Twix), it will be edible but not enjoyable.  

When Jackson unwrapped his foil-enclosed breakfast, he delightedly announced, "Score!"  A egg and bacon croissant awaited him, and he polished off his and most of Alex's.  He later stated that he couldn't believe how nice this flight was, that we got free food!  I didn't have the heart to tell him that this mediocre meal used to be standard on all flights.

Before long, we could see a glimpse of this, poorly captured out of the plane window...

We were all elated to get off the plane; now our adventure was REALLY beginning!

Kenyon looks a little dazed, but we're otherwise not too shabby upon landing in Fiji