Around Thanksgiving I got in contact with a good friend from my days in college Andy. He has been on my mind lately and I found him on Facebook. De and I and three of our kids met him at his house in Utah and spent the afternoon catching up and enjoying reminiscing about the good old days. It was great to renew our friendship. Andy does quite a bit of business in China and he mentioned that I should go with him. A couple of months later, here I am, embarking on what might simply be the most incredible adventure of my life.
So here is the running blog from the first day. (All times are local to where I am at that moment)
11:26 am - Draper Utah, went to the chiropractor to get an adjustment. I hurt my back last Wednesday and although I am very skeptical about chiropractic care in general I need to do something or I will not survive a 13 hour plane ride. Surprisingly to me, I feel great. Dr. Vosti is a miracle worker.
11:58 am - Just bought a new digital camera from Costco. I hope to document the adventure in pictures as well as words.
5:20 pm - Just left work and I am officially 20 minutes behind schedule. I will have to make that time up somehow.
6:22 pm - The family said goodbye and we took a picture with the new camera. I will figure out how to get that picture posted here. I have an awesome wife and kids. I am so lucky.
7:45 pm - We just boarded the flight from Salt Lake City to LA. A very long trip awaits. I am very excited. I can't wait to see what happens next!
8:39 pm - I am picking up a very distinct smell - urine! It can't be me can it? The guy sitting next to me won't make eye contact. I think it is him. What a start to the trip. This may be a bad sign.
8:53 pm - While walking through LAX I passed 3 Elders and 1 Sister missionary. Boy that brought back a flood of memories. 23 years and 8 months ago I landed at LAX to start my mission. That seems like a lifetime ago now but in some ways it seems just like yesterday. I had a fantastic mission with excellent mission presidents. I don't know if these missionaries are coming or going but they had Spanish tags. I had a little twinge of envy for them. I sometimes wish I could go out again armed with what I know now. De and I will have to get our finances in order soon so we can go on a mission together.
9:10 pm - The baggage carousel finally starts about 32 minutes after we got off the plane. Everybody is so relieved but they were very upset a few minutes ago, stomping around, angry cell phone calls, looking for a Delta agent they can lynch, etc. Everybody just needs to relax. That is good advice when travelling and I have made a note to myself to just roll with the punches.
9:38 pm - A very nice young man named Paul is trying to find me an aisle seat on my Korean Airlines flight to Seoul. After about 14 minutes of computer problems and checking with his supervisor I have and aisle seat. And one for the return flight as well. Although I have not been on too many international flights, I know the extra legroom can be a huge bonus. Thanks Paul for going the extra mile. Things are looking up!
9:52 pm - I find myself in the worlds slowest security line. Why is LAX always a mess? These people need to get more training or something. Salt Lake is so much better. Maybe that is a result of holding an Olympics post 9-11. Anyway this line reminds me of the lines at Disneyworld, without the smiling kids or the chance for a yummy ice-cream treat. Come to think of it, these lines are nothing like Disneyworld. This line sucks.
9:59 pm - Just reaped the benefit of an awesome decision - I switched my carry-on to the backpack style and I am so glad I did. I am way more comfortable. You should get the backpack style carry-on. Seriously.
10:04 pm - Still in the security line. The lady in front of me is getting on my nerves. She has packed and re-packed her carry-on 11 times now. If she does it again I am going to lose it. Every time she gets close to me I catch a very distinct odor. It is a mix of golden retriever and cheap suede. I think it is coming from the huge winter jacket she is wearing. Her passport says Mexico but her coat would be appropriate for an Eskimo. Lady just leave the dang bag alone for the love of all that is sacred!!!! I need some food.
10:16 pm - I am finally through security. Excellent since my plane boards right now. Luckily I am at gate 106 which is not far. When I get there they are not boarding my section yet so I have a minute or two. Excellent.
10:45 pm - I got a call from Jon in Shanghai. We have hit our first major glitch. Jon went to the hotel and they didn't have a reservation for any of us. Jon went online and made a reservation - but to the wrong hotel. Now he has a non-refundable reservation at a hotel an hour away from where he is supposed to be. I am on a plane in LA and Andy is somewhere in the air right now to Japan. Getting together might be a little more difficult. Jon doesn't know what to do and they just asked me to turn off my phone. This is getting interesting!
4:15 am - Just touched down in Seoul. The flight was not as bad as I imagined it would be. We had decent food, the in-flight entertainment system was incredible, the service was awesome, and best of all I got an aisle seat with nobody beside me so I had plenty of room. I am totally recommending Korean Airlines. If you get a chance to fly with them take it. The flight was long but not awful. I read some, watched two movies, and slept for about 6 hours. That isn't too far off a typical night at home except I was with a few hundred strangers in a chair in the sky over the Pacific ocean. This is a beautiful airport and pretty much empty. I need a little peace and quiet.
4:42 am - I tried to talk my way into the Korean Airlines frequent flyer lounge but they said no. I found a small travellers lounge with free Internet access. Maybe I can check on the boys and see what our status is.
5:34 am - I was able to text De out of my Yahoo account to tell her to go onto Skype and we got on Skype and talked for a few minutes. That was awesome. The Internet and Skype make travelling a lot less isolated. I miss the family already but getting to talk to De was great. De was on the phone with my mom while she was Skyping me. Technology is astounding sometimes.
7:11 am - Jon came online and he and Andy are at the original hotel. Andy made a reservation en route. Jon waited at the hotel lobby for about 3 hours but everything worked out great. So we are back on for plan A. That is a relief. Jon has already had some interesting experiences in Shanghai. I am looking forward to seeing the boys in 4 hours.
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