So as it happens, I’m on the first flight to L.A. I thought it would be interesting enough to write as we fly. We have are having an interesting time as Adrian sleeps, Glenda reads, and Chris and I have fun. Most importantly though: the hot chocolate, despite not being hot (bummer!), was delicious. I gotta get me some of that stuff! (…boy!!) My mind still isn’t fully aware of my surroundings due to the lack of a good sleep. Four hours just doesn’t give me any alertness. Turbulence feels wonderful! It’s almost like being a kid again. You are playing hide-and-seek and hide in the dryer; only problem is that your mom now decides to turn it on with you in it. Talk about living life to the fullest. I did say I wanted to experience it all! Now that Los Angeles, California will be coming up soon, I must turn off my computer and prepare for the extreme madness of LAX. A wonderful description of that will be given shortly after we board the international flight.

     Here I am on the flight to Shanghai. It was quite the experience in the international terminal! It took one and a half hours to get checked in. Then the security check was just as wonderful as the times before. So after we finally got boarded after an hour of chill time at the gate, our wonderful bilingual flight crew served us drinks. The orange juice had a very unique flavor. The seats were really cool! They had outlets right in the back of the headrests to plug in laptops, which of course is what I did. But the best part was yet to come (after watching an hour of videos on our computers): the dinner! People always complain about airplane food, but I must say, it wasn’t bad at all! A nice dinner of sweet pork, rice, carrots, bok choy, shrimp, potato salad, a roll, and a blueberry cake. For being airplane food, it was top notch. It should be expected; after all, we did pay a lot of money for the flight. Glenda spent the time sleeping… And I do mean the almost all of it. We are currently about four hours into the flight and she has only woken once, but it wasn’t for dinner.

     I am enjoying this flight thoroughly. Granted, the seats aren’t as comfortable as the ones on Southwest Airlines, and it is a considerably longer flight. What is really sad though is that the seats won’t recline, but it is something I shan’t complain about. I have thoroughly enjoyed the random bouts of turbulence though! It’s a jolt of adrenaline like being thrown on a roller coaster. It actually gives the same feeling too. For those who didn’t know, this is the second time in my life getting on a plane. So my excitement is much similar to a child’s… After all, we are flying through the air over a gigantic ocean! How cool is that! I can tell you this though: sitting for a 15(?) hour flight is not easy. After watching several movies on our laptops, as well as anime, and doing other random things, it’s really freaky to see someone open the window slide occasionally just to see that the sun hasn’t moved. It was like a time warp! I shall continue the adventures of our flight travel probably after we get to the condominium.

		Malaysia - mid-flight VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

In order of picture: Glenda reading, pictures of Adrian sleeping, Sierra Nevadas, practicing Asian-style pictures, LAX international terminal, lunch, dinner, Shanghai Pu Dong.

     So here I am at the condominium, rehydrating so I can get some sleep. It is nearly 4a.m. and I can’t sleep until I get my body relaxed. Shanghai was quite the frightening experience though… with only two and a half hours until the next flight left, we came to find out that they do not allow carry-ons, only one personal item which had to be 10kg. Our carry-ons then had to be shoved with books from our backpacks into our carry-ons, and added four extra checked baggage to our concerns (of which there was twelve originally). This of course was paid for at an exorbant price that cannot be named. Then after finding out our gate changed for departure, waiting for a delayed flight, and getting eaten by mosquitoes, we finally boarded the small China Eastern flight for the last plane. This was going to be a long five hour flight from Shanghai to Kuala Lumpur. I skipped the meal because I was not hungry. They put on a few Chinese movies which I didn’t watch as I attempted some rest. I didn’t get much because it seemed someone decided to smoke on the plane, which of course is not legal. Whether or not someone actually did, I’m not sure. But it did smell like a cigarette and I woke up gagging. The rest of the flight was spent trying to rest and not feel sick. I was very ready to be on the ground.

     We arrived to a very empty airport at 1a.m. KL time. After getting a total of seventeen pieces of checked luggage, we rented a taxi to get us to the condominium—this last leg of the journey. Finally, we arrived at our destination. I can say now that going thirty-four hours with only sleeping three hours, and four hours the night before, is one stint I could go without doing again! This is just the beginning of the fun…