Oddities.

by sam on 04/8/2006

Things that have struck me as odd as I travel the 20-odd hours back around the world to get home (mind you, I’m still sitting in the Houston airport waiting for my last leg):

  • crossing the international dateline is just…weird. For instance:
  • my flight from Guam to Honolulu took off at 6a.m. on Saturday, April 8th. It landed in Honolulu at 5:30p.m. on Friday, April 7th.
  • I saw the sunrise Saturday morning from Guam, and I just watched it again, Saturday morning, from Houston.
  • If you fly through Guam, you have to go through immigration control at least 3 different times – Once when you get off the plane in Guam, again before you get on your next plane from Guam, and yet again when you go through Honolulu. Nevermind that Guam is part of the U.S.
  • you don’t automatically get lei’d when you get off the plane in Hawaii. Apparently you need to sign up for that sort of thing.
  • the movie “The Family Stone” makes about the same amount of sense regardless of whether you’re watching it with or without headphones.
  • the movie “Just Friends” is just awful, with or without headphones.
  • the movie options flying from Honolulu to Houston were severely lacking.
  • I can apparently fixate on that little GPS video of my airplane’s location for hours at a time
  • a Houston airport Starbucks cappuccino (which is presumably marked up from the regular Houston Starbucks) is still an entire dollar cheaper than any New York Starbucks cappuccino.
  • there is an actual Fox News Channel store in the Houston airport (that’s when you know you’re in Bush country). Ironically, the New York Times is displayed prominently for sale at the front of the shop.
  • Taco Bell actually has a breakfast menu. And they won’t serve you lunch items in the morning. As if anyone is going to go to Taco Bell for eggs.
  • On closer inspection, the Fox News Channel store is just another generic magazine shop selling t-shirts, candy and Martha Stewart Living, only with Fox News playing in the background.
  • four hour layovers before the final leg of your trip seem like less and less of a good idea when you’re stuck sitting through them
  • The Houston airport (or at least Terminal C) apparently doesn’t have wifi. much less free wifi.

    • Needless to say, I’m exhausted. I slept on the leg from Guam to Honolulu, but that seems like ages ago. My next vacation is definitely going to be just a bit closer to home. Like the Jersey Shore.

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