Wednesday
4:00 pm: Entered US security after long, long, long goodbyes. Keller's thermos looks like a bomb on the x-ray. Everyone at the airport, including TSA agents, are nice. Uncomfortably so. Plane ride to LA is fine.
7:00 pm: We are waiting in line at the Air NZ desk at LAX to check in...we have 45 minutes to make our flight.
7:15 pm: Noah's visa is rejected...bug the situation is righted.
7:30 pm: My visa gets red-flagged by the NZ terrorist watch list (I don't know why...I promise). The agent calls Auckland to get an override code, but their computers are down.
7:45 pm: My visa is accepted. Hooray. We get on the plane.
8:30 pm: The captain gets on the PA to tell us the the plane is broken (not in those words) and that repairs are coming, but at a time he cannot ascertain.
9:00 pm: We take off from American soil for the last time in a year.
...we go crazy on the plane. I am abused to no extent by the Kiwi flight attendants. My dinner comes with no fork and no crackers. I eat my cheese by itself and my beef with a spoon. For breakfast, I order the fruit plate. I receive the cheese omlette (which was actually pretty good), but end up covering in in sugar instead of salt. Still tastes ok...
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2 comments:
im glad you guys made the plane, damn that shit can be scary@
Nathan, your dad made fun of my Uggs at the Thriftway. You don't want to know what was on his feet. So, get Uggs for your family for Christmas, they need it. (Sort of like us buying Canadian bacon, I suppose.) What did you aunt mean by "get friendly with some sheep?" Sounds like after your VISA was flagged, you will never again get a fork on a flight. Better get used to spoons and fingers. Big article on NZ travel in National Geo Adventure magazine, so probably a lot of wealthy Americans will be joining those wealthy Japanese every where you go. Anyway, here's what they suggest: Tongairiro National Park, (North Island).3-day Tongariro NOrthern Circuit, one of NZ's nine hut-to-hut "Great Walks".
huts, $19, doc.govt.nz.
Mount Cook, Aoriki Mount Cook National Park, 124 year old Hermitage HOtel, comfort on the edge of the wilderness for $100,
hermitage.co.nz. For bush flights, ask for the Grand Circle, weather permitting, lands on the Tasman Glacier. $330, mtcookskiplanes.com
you may have to find a job after that trip.
More? The four day hut-to-hut Milford Track is the greatest hike in all of NZ, they say. Contact the Dept. of Conservation for reservations, doc.govt.nz.
Glad you're having fun. Promise not to be a pest. Margaret H
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