Journey by Air

The flights were not so bad. The Manila to Tokyo portion (4 hours) I could do standing on my head. A short wait at Narita before boarding NW2 for the flight to Los Angeles. This flight took 9 hours. At times we had a tail wind of 163 mph. After about the seventh hour inside this metal tube, I really wondered why more people don't go postal on long flights.
The food was surprisingly good for airline food. I enjoyed the informal attitude of the cabin crew. After flying for the last decade on JAL, where the service is most defferential, it was pleasant to be greeted - Hi! How ya doin?
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The flight arrived early due to the tailwinds and we had to wait on the plane until Immigration and Customs at the airport were staffed. So near and yet so far! We were right at the ramp and they wouldn't let us off. I was the first person to clear Customs and Immigration.
It was great to see a familiar face waiting for me. My son, Rob, had driven up from San Diego to pick me up. The drive to San Diego took about 2 hours.
Thank goodness jet lag is not a problem for me. We had a good dinner cooked by Rob and then to bed by 9PM.
Loly will be joining me on the 4th to start the road portion of our trip.

Packing up

Tomorrow is the start of the journey. Have to get up around 4:00 AM to get ready to leave for the airport at 5:00 AM to check in at 6:10 AM for a flight that leaves Manila at 8:10 AM. I'm tired already!
Making my list and checking it twice. So many things to bring. Aside from passport and ticket (which is now a flimsy piece of paper) - credit cards, hard copies of reservations, AARP card, medications. I'll be so glad to get to Los Angeles, see my son and start on this adventure. Of course I will miss the Philippine contingent of my family but, now we can keep up with e mail and Skype.
Next post will be from Los Angeles. Hope the flights are not bumpy and the food is good. Bye for now.

California Dreaming

My friend, Loly Mara and I decided to do a "Last Hurrah". Both of us approaching 70, we wanted to take a road trip while we were still able. Visions of Thelma and Louise went through our heads. We were going to travel California. Everything quickly fell into place. Loly got her U.S Visa. Family were very supportive. My son, Rob, rented a Hertz car with GPS so we wouldn't get lost. Airlines were canvassed for low fares. Loly chose China Airlines while I chose Northwest. We'll give you a review of services after the flights. The computer and Internet were a godsend. We were able to make all our hotel reservations in 2 days.
We leave for Los Angeles at the end of the month and start our expedition shortly thereafter. We'll keep you up to date with reviews and photos of all our stops along the way. We are particularly interested in updating senior citizens about the highs and lows of independent travel.