Question: What should I do for the 15 hour flight from Los Angeles to Melbourne?
A. (1 vote) Take some sleeping pills
B. (2 votes) Watch the in-flight movies
C. (6 votes*) Strike up conversations with as many people as possible
D. (5 votes) Jog up and down the aisles wearing a workout suit
The sixth vote didn't come in until after I arrived in Australia, so it doesn't count.
Jogging and convos won out.
Actually, 15 hours is longer than you think it is. I pretty much had time to do all of the above, in some manner, if you include the Nashville to LA flight (which isn’t paltry, at four hours on its own).
I didn’t exactly take sleeping pills, but I did get between three and four hours of sleep; in the future, however, I'll take one commenter's advice and let the neon Lunesta butterfly pay me a visit.
Qantas has an entertainment system similar to a beta-version of TiVo. I could select movies, TV, or other things to watch, and rewind/fast forward, etc. whenever I wanted. So I found time for a couple TV shows, some music, and a documentary on Australia.
For conversations, I'll just summarize. I talked to a group of youth going from Tennessee to the Dream Center in LA, a family heading to Seattle for an Alaskan cruise, a girl headed to Australia for a study-abroad program, and a Melbournian woman who didn’t speak any English. Okay, I didn’t talk to her – we invented some crude sign language to order meals, fill out customs forms, and signal when I needed to go to the bathroom.
And, okay, I didn’t wear a workout suit. Nor did I really jog. But after an admonishment from my mother (who is a nurse) and a moving video on the plane about deep vein thrombosis (DVT – sounds bad, eh?), I decided that getting up and moving around the aisles was in my best interest. So I found about four or five opportunities to walk the aisles. Not exactly jogging, but it definitely was the highest priority.
So, there you have it. Poll #1 complete.
2 comments:
Hi James,
What a treat to read about your journey. Those 15 hour flights are grueling, aren't they? Sounds like it provided as much fun as is possible unless you truly hit paydirt with a completely intriguing next seat neighbor. That has happened to me on numerous occassions, and the time melts away.
Your Dad and I are sitting on my porch drinking wine watching the sun set through the trees.
It was a pleasure to meet you last week, and have such a good amount of time to talk and laugh together. I look forward to seeing you again upon your return.
This seems like a totally boring note, but there you have it!
Best,
Taylor
James-
I feel like we are a part of your adventure. Your new apartment looks very nice, and the city appears to be quite beautiful. We appreciate the details of your journey. I know when work picks up things will get busier for you, but remember this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Enjoy every minute!
-Lindsay
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