Aviation Day

Hello everyone,

Now getting a chance to update the blog, which I'll do in components.

Yesterday I had a very long June 12, in which I flew from Melbourne to Los Angeles. Dad took me to Frankston, whence I got the airport bus. I'd allowed two hours to check in and board, rather than the usual three which always leaves you killing time, drinking too much coffee and eating too much junk food. As it was, I had ample time for a coffee and to get a copy of The Spectator and a book of puzzles.

The hop to Sydney was unremarkable. From there, the long jag to Los Angeles. I'd booked myself an aisle seat. The choice of row, though, was unfortunate. On my right was a very respectably dressed Sikh gentleman. He wasn't a problem and slept most of the way. Unfortunately, though, he had diabolically bad breath. Whenever he yawned, I tried breathe through my ears.

To my left, across the aisle, was a curious lady whose background I guessed to be far north Indian or Nepali, and who seemed aged in her late 50s. She had the disconcerting habit of softly shrieking when she yawned and repeating the pilot's announcements to those around her. She also seemed to eat compulsively and kept asking the flight attendants for food: the first time, before we were even off the ground!

The flight itself passed quicker than most, or so it felt. I read my Spectator cover to cover, solved some puzzles, and wrote a couple of pages of stuff that had been rattling around my head for a few days. I wasn't able to sleep, but for about half an hour.

I forgot to say that the family in the row in front of me had the cutesy little 1 year old called Jessie. She seemed to take a shine to me and though the flight kept framing her head around the seat to look at me; whenever she did I pulled faces for her or played peekaboo!

Customs and Immigration passed smoothly. I was kind of touched by the sympathetic looks I got from CBP when I explained the reason for the visit.

I guess I should close with the moment I always love: when you walk out of LAX and the whole of America is there in front of you, ready to be explored, ready to welcome you.