12-20-2008

We’ve all had those moments when you’re stuck searching for something you were just using. You know it’s not lost, but you don’t know where it is. Today that’s how I feel. I’m not lost; I just have no clue where I am. I’ve already checked a must off my list though. After 10 hours of flying to Japan the sun finally caught up with me just as our plane entered Tokyo airspace. The skies were packed with holyday travelers so the pilot explained that we would be in the air for the next forty five minutes or so. Murmurs and groans waved through the travelers aboard. I was not among those partaking in the unrest. Our plane began to bank left and right in continual sweeping race like maneuvers. All the while, the sun began to set behind Mount Fuji and faded from view just as we touched down. I’ll tell you it was quite a sight. Phase I was behind me and, after an 8 dollar Sapporo and a two hour wait, I spent my eight hour connection to Singapore resting. Next thing I knew I was filling out a customs form at an international checkpoint. Phase II also complete. Onward I pressed, through customs and into the Changi terminal. Along the way I passed indoor gardens which rivaled the vegetation you’d expect to see in a tropical rainforest. Imagine hallways lined with ivy cascading down two stories for hundreds of feet; matched strand for strand with Christmas lights. The lights and ivy were met at ground level by an army of orchids and tropical vegetation. I tried to take pictures, but my camera was dead… must have turned on during the flight. So here I sit thinking “Ahh, finally done traveling, now to bunk up and explore tomorrow.” NOT SO! I head to the information desk to get a map and inquire about my position relative to the Hostel I’ll be staying at. The lady looks at me with a bit of a smirk (I’m sure I looked relatively exhausted after twenty plus hours of traveling) and politely informed me that I had 6 hours to kill before the morning train could take me downtown. Sure does take a long time to travel half way around the world. No worries though, I’ll be updating everyone “on the morning after.”