I wrote this on the plane! Thanks to Wallace for editing it!
Sam here, at cruising altitude above the Pacific. This I my 8th time flying to Japan, and after all these times I’ve learned a few tricks to make the flight go smoother – for me at least. Everyone says that you should arrive at the airport at least two hours before departure, but don’t think that you’re screwed if you don’t make the cut. I have on more than one occasion, been horribly late to my flight and still made it home. One time I made it to the counter with only 20 minutes to spare and although I didn’t make it home on the flight I was booked on I still made it home. I did end up having to wait a couple extra hors though
When I go through security I always try to take things like my watch and belt off and put it in my bag so that it’s easier to put back on so I can get away from the security area as fast as possible. I usually put all the metal from my body and stick it in my jacket pocket. Even when I fly in the middle of summer I still like to wear a jacket or sweater with lots of pockets. And besides, most of the time I feel cold on the plane and appreciate the comfort I get from my favorite sweater. If you have all your things in your sweater pockets then you shouldn’t set off the metal detector and on the other side you can quickly gather your things and he on your way. I also do this in advance because I get a guilty conscience about holding up lines.
For comfort on the plane, I prefer aisle seats since it’s easier to get to the restroom, but sometimes it can get annoying being gatekeeper of the toilet for the people next to you. When my food comes around I find that I devour it like an animal. Regardless of what I order. Beef or chicken, it doesn’t matter because it all tastes more or less the same. A good thing about eating it fast is that I can move onto whatever awesome sweet thing they decided to give out much faster. Also eat it before it gets lukewarm and grows skin, or something of that sort.
Ordering alcohol on a plane can be a dangerous game. A few beers or a stiff shot can take the edge of a 12 hour flight but there are a few points that I always think about before I indulge. The major one though, is that alcohol will affect you on the plane much different than it would you on the ground. I think it’s something about the oxygen levels in the air that makes you turn into a regular Russell Crowe faster. I personally would advice against beer as it makes you gassy and no one wants to sit next to the dude who’s burping and farting his way across the ocean. I think wine is generally a good choice. You can have the buzz without the gas.
Movies on the plane!!
Movies I’m currently watching is Leap Year with Amy Adams. Your typical romantic comedy; she goes to Ireland to propose to her boyfriend because of a myth about women being able to propose to their boyfriends. So she goes and of course meets a dreamy Irish guy and ends up falling for him, especially when it turns out that her boyfriend only asked her to get married so that they could get the apartment they were looking at. So she ends up in Ireland with the Irish guy. Not the best movie but beats starring at the seat in front of me for 2 hours.
2nd movie was The Last Station, which told the story of Leo Tolstoy near the end of his life. Was ok, but everyone had British accents even though they were all supposed to be Russian. Guess that doesn’t really matter.
3rd movie was called Young Victoria. It had Emily Blunt as the queen. Pretty interesting. It’s tough being queen.
4th movie was What Happened to the Morgans with Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker. Fairly entertaining.
In all the times I’ve flown this route the only person that I remember who sat next to me was an Australian guy heading home to Japan after being cleaned out in Vegas, despite the fact that he worked at a school teaching Japanese people how to gamble. The main reason that he stands out is not because of our conversation but more due to the other people on the plane at the time. We were sitting a couple of rows back from the emergency exit row. Sitting in that row was what seemed like a family consisting of 2 brothers and what we assumed was their mother. They all appeared to be in the well over 30 age range and they were memorable mainly because they were creepy. They just seemed like they were from some creepy cabin in the middle of the woods. Like something out of a horror movie. One of the brothers was drunk and hitting on flight attendants. He continued to make a scene and me and my new Australian friend continued to make fun of them. Eventually the flight attendant asked what they were headed to Japan for. The man then proudly replied, “Oh we’re not staying in Japan, we’re just stopping over there before heading to Thailand.” The thing about this was the way he said Thailand was so creepy, that me and the Australian guy both looked at each other with a look that conveyed exactly what we were thinking. The fact was that this family wasn’t going there to try the food or see one of the many giant Buddha statues or even to go the awesome MBK shopping mall, which I forced my friend to take me to multiple times when I went to Thailand. They were clearly going there for a little loving, if you get my meaning.
Only a hour to go now!!
