It’s an early Albuquerque morning as the alarm sounds at 4:45AM. I’m lucky to be traveling and the cool morning offers a promising start to the day. I recognize my privilege in these moments and the chance to travel on my own terms. So many of us are struggling for basic survival and I’m on a trip to Japan during a break from work. The juxtaposition of my life right now with those who are just trying to live is stark and dramatic. As I embark on this journey, I offer my practice to those in need.
If you don’t know about Albuquerque, know that living in this place provides many of us with remarkable gifts. As a teacher and father, I’m filled with the wonder of this place. One of the small benefits to living in Albuquerque is easy access to airline travel. The city boasts one of the easiest airports to fly into and out of. For example from my home to the airport took 15 minutes. Security? 10 minutes. Wow. Small wonders.
My trip today takes me to LAX and on to Tokyo. I depart at 6:30AM and arrive in Tokyo tomorrow at 4:30PM. The 11 + hour flight across the Pacific is a long one and it’s worth the effort.
For the coming days I’ll be documenting my trip with photos, some video, and words.
On this day, I’m thinking about how our days are filled with little (and big) questions that present themselves to us. Right now, it’s this interesting moment:
A layover in Las Vegas…can’t escape the slots even out here at the gate! The sun just created the mountains to the east of the city. The has officially begun.
In LA, the gate most United Tokyo flights leave from are gates 70-76 (at least that’s been true for a while). The area is crowded with travelers as we all are waiting to find out seat on the plane.
We’re all in various stages of preparation; some folks are munching on their various food items, others listening to headphones, still others deep in conversation as we all wait…and then wait some more.
The flight to Haneda is 11:50 hr and is a bit longer due to some powerful headwinds along the California coast. Once we turn southwest, the winds switch to tailwinds as we make our way into Tokyo.
As we board the plane, everyone moves in an orderly fashion, moving slowly to their seats. For the first time in my life, I didn’t show passport or ticket; the airline uses biometric recognition. Takes about 5 seconds and the system either recognizes you (or not) and then you board.
Right now, it’s 4:15 AM in Tokyo and we arrive at 4:30PM. I’ll experience the tight subway travel to Honjo- Azumabashi (about a 50 minute ride).
That’s the end of this post for the day. More news and silliness in 12 hours!
May you be happy, May you be well
gentryfunkblog 