Stopovers are a wonderful thing. Especially when you get to check in with a good friend and eat yummy Korean BBQ for the first time! I love seeing my friend Nicole in Honolulu. She is so fun to hang with and is such a good friend. I couldn't ask for a better excuse to break up my flight! We saw the tail end of a Hawaiian sunset from a valley where her and her partner (now fiance!) are looking to buy a home and then headed off for my first experience of Korean BBQ. Gather up your hunger for the week because you can eat for ages at this place! You go pick out your meats, veggies and a few sides and you take it all back to the table to cook it your self. The meats have all been marinating for hours, so they are tender, delicious and moist. The veggies are all freshly chopped and add lots of color to your plate. Plus, there is ice cream... all you can eat ice cream... what more could a girl want???
Who doesn't love heading to the airport early in the morning... and even better, who doesn't love sold out nine hour flights??? I've done this trip too many times to count now and I have to say, I've gotten my routine down pretty well. I am happy to plug in my ears (iPods are truly a wonderful travel companion) pick up a book and before I know it I am landing in another country... but I also don't really like to talk on these flights any more than necessary. Partly because every one of them has been emotional--everything from excitement, nerves, fear, sadness, elation and everything in between, but also because what could you possibly talk about to a complete stranger for 9+ hours? Most of my flights across the big blue pacific have been empty enough to have a spare seat next to me so I often don't even have to think about conversing with strangers or the guy next to me is totally engrossed in the in-flight movie and sleeps like a rock. But this time, this time I got to sit next to Madonna... I know surprising isn't it? And you all thought I was flying Economy... well, actually, I am flying economy and the Madonna sitting next to me had several kids of her own and wasn't trying to adopt any refugee children out of Africa. It turned out she was a retired school teacher heading out on her first overseas adventure alone. Luckily for her, I have all the necessary forms memorized and could help her fill out her information. I did worry though when she told me she was connecting in Sydney to go on to Melbourne... I had a sneaky feeling that she wouldn't know what to do to get through customs and take the transfer bus to the domestic terminal (a nasty fate you have to endure when flying in from Hawaii.) As much as my introverted flight mode hesitated to return conversation with this woman, I found that I actually quite liked talking to her and the flight still went relatively fast. She was quite courteous to me when I indicated it was time for me to try and catch some sleep and let me curl up against the window and doze. She also enjoyed watching the same in-flight movies as me so didn't keep trying to talk during the movie... I helped her collect her bags and navigate through customs, then I helped her find the bus and her gate at the domestic terminal. She was pretty excited and was going to have a good time at the Australian Open tennis tournament which is why she was on this trip. There was someone scheduled to meet her at the airport in Melbourne and as we had different connecting flights I bid her goodbye in Sydney.
I had my own welcoming committed in Melbourne when I landed. Matt had his Mum and sister Kate with him and Matt's brother Paul brought his family along to meet me as well, however, they went to the wrong terminal so ended up meeting us at baggage claim instead. It was quite the reunion. Australian security still allows people to see you off and collect you at the airport properly, not requiring a ticket to get through security for domestic flights. It is very refreshing to see a friendly face when disembark the aircraft instead of the daunting, cold fluorescent walk to baggage claim on your own...
Sorry this post is so delayed--you would think that not being allowed to work would find me posting things all the time, but I just didn't have the motivation to sit at the computer typing away until now when I can't sleep... So--till next time!
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