The Plane Trip

Friday, January 22, 2010
5:02 pm Arizona Time

I’m finally sitting at my gate at Sky Harbor! My check-in went very smoothly. My mom and little sister helped me check my bags curbside for Southwest Airlines, which went very quickly. After a teary-eyed farewell, I went into the terminal and went through security without any problems. I was very tempted to use my Diplomatic Passport to possibly skip the line, but I was already waiting in the long line before the thought occurred to me.

The line for security, despite the length, also moved pretty quickly. I found my gate just fine, and now I’m sitting here waiting to board. Instead of assigned seating it’s a group boarding system, so hopefully no fights will break out over good seats! : ) It’s only an hour and fifteen-minute flight, so I don’t think that will be an issue.

Next stop: Los Angeles!


Friday, January 22, 2010
9:30 pm California Time (10:30 Arizona Time)

The flight to LA kinda sucked. It started raining really hard in Phoenix right as we were boarding, so the turbulence on the flight was pretty rocky. But that part didn’t really bother me.

I ended up sitting next to an older guy in his 50s. The seats on Southwest are already tight enough (I swear they’ve gotten smaller over the years), but he as to go and take up my space as well! He ended up falling asleep with his arms slumped over the armrests, so I had to sit curled up away from him for an hour. And he smelled funny.

I got in to LAX and got off the plane just fine. I got my luggage right away, and I got to my bus pretty quickly too. I got off at the International Terminal, which was the next stop, and rented a cart for all my luggage (getting off the bus people were laughing at all the luggage I had).

I got off where I saw “Air China,” but I couldn’t find the departures area. An airport employee stopped me (I must have looked confused), and I pulled out my ticket reservation. That’s when I found out that there is a big difference between “Air China” and “China Airlines.” She showed me a map of where to go: two terminals over. I ended up just walking there with my cart, panicking and trying not to have a meltdown. I began to worry about time, since my flight into LAX was delayed a half hour.

I ended up finding the terminal, and I already began experiencing culture shock! This terminal is for all Pacific and Asian airlines, along with Mexicana Airlines as well. So many foreign people speaking strange languages! I felt a little out of place, and never before had I been more aware of my whiteness.

One thing that surprised me about LAX was the layout of this International Terminal. The chick-in area was so huge, it was overwhelming! But I did notice that things were very orderly. There are people everywhere directing you places, and even security had helpers to make sure you unloaded your carry-ons in the bins properly. Very different from what I’m used to flying just within the states.

I found my check-in okay, and that process went smoothly. I found security and went through, but they stopped me to search my carry-on. The TSA guy going through my bag was trying to chat me up, but when he was done he let me go on my way.

Suddenly, I hear, “Robber!” I turn around and the same guy that checked my bag is running off with something. Another TSA guy asked me to step away from my bag, so I waited quietly along with everyone else, a little confused. They announced after a few moments that it was just a drill, and that we could resume our business.

I found my gate just fine and ate a hot dog and chips for dinner. I’m sitting next to a British family. Their youngest girl is learning to talk, and she kept saying “bag” and pointing to it, but with an adorable British accent! So cute! An alarm also started going off at the gate. It sounded like a fire alarm, but no one reacted much to it. I decided to be a sheep and ignore it too. After about ten minutes it finally shut off. Applause erupted.

I’m started to get really sleepy, so hopefully I’ll sleep for most of the fifteen hours I have ahead of me…

Next stop: Taipei, Taiwan!


Sunday, January 24, 2010
7:16 am Taiwan Time (4:00 pm on Saturday, Arizona Time)

Well, that flight was really tough physically, but I was able to keep it together emotionally and not get too frustrated. When we first reserved my seat online a couple of days ago, I was supposed to be in the middle row with an aisle seat, with two empty seats between me and the person on the other end. But when I sat down in my seat, a couple filled in the two empty seats.

Now I was under the impression that you are allowed one carry-on and one personal item. But somehow the rules did not apply to this bickering Asian couple who did not speak a word of English. They brought multiple bags of carry-on luggage, as well as bags of merchandise. Their long, narrow bag somehow ended up encroaching on my footspace, and on top of that there were so many bags that the woman had to place one of her legs in my footspace, since she had no room left. They kept fighting in some strange Asian tongue. And then this one guy, who I assumed was a relative of theirs, kept coming to check on them, bringing them water and other stuff, reaching over me the entire time.

At this point I’d had it, and we hadn’t even taken off yet! After the smelly man from the previous flight, I was beginning to wonder if mankind had abandoned the concept of the “personal bubble.” Because mine was clearly being invaded!

I decided I would NOT spend the next fifteen hours enduring this, so when we were finally in the air I asked a flight attendant if I could switch seats. She said sure, if I could find one, and walked away.

So I set off on a hunt to find an empty seat. I remembered the online seating chart showed the back being completely empty, so I set off there. As I learned the hard way already, people apparently don’t believe in reserving their seats online in advance. So even though I had checked the seating chart before leaving Phoenix that meant nothing, because the entire plane was completely packed.

I started returning to my seat when the couple’s relative (or personal slave?!) jumped out of his seat when he saw me. He asked if I was trying to find another seat. When I said yes, he offered to switch with me so he could be next to his relatives. I saw that he had an aisle seat close to the bathroom. Deal!

We switched, and the rest of the flight went fairly smooth. I slept for the following nine hours. That was an extremely uncomfortable sleep, though, and my back and neck are still killing me. I’m young and spritely, so how do older people deal with these flights?!? Note to self: buy a neck pillow for next time.

I also realized that me being a picky eater is going to be a problem. For dinner, before I fell asleep, I had a strange chicken and rice dish, which I did not care for. I ate the bread roll and a couple bites of the cake. I didn’t get to eat again until two hours before landing in Taipei, so I went about ten hours without any food an only a small shot glass-sized cup of water. I was starving and thirsty when they brought out an omelet with a fruit cup, which was much more appetizing than the strange chicken thing.

I found my gate in Taipei’s airport just fine. Luckily, most signs have English on them. I took a train to the next terminal, and my goodness they fit a lot of people in one train! The conductors were wearing face masks for health reasons.

I went through another security checkpoint, which was really lax in my opinion. Not everyone took off their shoes, and I didn’t even have to take out my liquids or electronics.

Anyway, I’m still a bit hungry, but I don’t have any Taiwanese currency, and the vending machine doesn’t take debit or credit cards. I’m not gonna lie, I was a little excited when I saw a duty-free liquor store in the airport, realizing that I’m of age over here! Not that I really want any alcohol. I just want some water and food, but I’ll wait until I board the plane to get it complementary.

It’s really humid in Taiwan, and I could really go for a shower right about now. I went to the restroom to freshen up a bit, and they had a freaky Asian toilet in there! It’s the kind that is just basically a porcelain hole in the ground, like they show in some Japanese anime and stuff. They had a normal one too, but I’d never seen an Asian toilet before in real life! I avoided using it.

Next stop: Jakarta, Indonesia!


Sunday, January 24, 2010
8:35 pm Indonesia Time (6:30 am Arizona Time)

The five-hour flight from Taipei was actually quite pleasant. I had two empty seats next to me, and I ate decently on the flight. We got in at around 2:00 pm, and then I proceeded to go get my Visa.

The Jakarta Airport is probably the most unique airport I’ve ever seen. Each gate is its own pagoda-like building, surrounded by green, lush foliage. Inside it looks like the layout of an ancient Asian temple, with long, wide hallways and pillars.

Anyway, the Visa line took well over a half hour to get through, but the Immigrations line and the Customs line were a breeze.

My dad was there waiting for me. We took a taxi back to his place (which is soooo cool). Now I’m in bed, and I feel like I’m falling asleep already…

More to come soon about my four-day stay in Indonesia!