Hello hello!! Hello from Singapore!! Woo hoo!!
It's about 2pm on Tuesday....I arrived in Singapore at about 12 Midnight.
So, this entry maybe kind of long, cause I'm going to tell everyone about my flights....and kind of detailed too......and post some pictures that my Dad made for me while I was 40,000 feet in the air.
Ok so my morning started off at 4:45 am in Lawrenceville, GA. So I got up, showered, put my last minute things into my luggage, and packed up the car and left towards Bobby's (my grandmother) house. There, Patricia, Mom, Bobby, my Dad and I left for the Atlanta Airport, after a quick stop at Quick Trip (to get some coffee!), I felt like I was finally on my way to leave. Before that, it didn't seem real to me quite yet.....in thinking back, it didn't seem real at all....until I landed in Tokyo. Then it seemed oh so VERY REAL. So we got to the airport, my Dad dropped us off while he went to park the car. Walked in, printed out my boarding pass and checked my luggage, then we went to eat some breakfast. After that we said our goodbyes, and watched my as I headed to security. It was so cute to see them all standing there watching me.....
As I headed my through security....I had one thought going through my head....gosh these security guys are mean! They are yelling at everyone like they are cattle.......which I think they should be treated like that then they wouldn't yell anymore. Anyway, they were opening a new line to go through security checks, and there was a couple of Asian people in front of me, and the security people were yelling at them, and they weren't doing what the the security wanted, so I got in front of them, and showed them what security was talking about. I just see no reason at all to keep yelling at people that obviously don't understand you. Yelling louder and more stern is going to do nothing to help them at all. So, anyway, we all got through security and I went to my Gate and just made some calls.
My first flight was from Atlanta to Detriot, Michigan. It was only a 2 hr flight, so not bad at all. Small plane. In every flight I wanted to sit next to the window....that way there is somewhere to put my head when I want to sleep....hahaha. I sat next to this man that was native to Detriot. He didn't have much to say.......the only time I ever heard him talk really was when we were praying for a safe flight. Yes we. If you want to know more about that you can ask me.....I don't care whose prayers I get, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddha, Greek Gods, whoever, at least something is watching out for flight, I guess. Anyway, that trip seemed the worst actually, cause it's so short and such a small plane, and no in flight entertainment, haha. So I get to Detriot, and walk out, and just a few gates down is my next gate for Tokyo, Japan. I shopped around a lil, bought a few souveniors, and had lunch at McDonalds. I tell ya what, sitting around on a plane sure does make you hungry :-).
So then I popped a squat around my next gate and made a few phone calls to let everyone know I have arrived to Detriot, and am about headed to Japan! I had about a 2 hrs to wait once I got everything settled. I got out Eri's laptop, and realized he doesn't have wireless internet card thingie, so I put that up fairly quickly. Then I got out my Zune (it's just Microsoft's verison of an iPod, and it's wayyyyy cooler and less trendy ;-)) and watched a movie for a lil bit, then just listened to music. Arthur let me borrow his noise cancelling headphones, which I tell ya, saved me from going crazy!! But anyway, that story is coming up. I thought this plane was big....it looked big through the window....but it surely didn't feel big when you cram hundreds, literally, HUNDREDS of people inside of it. It was a double decker plane, so all the first class people were upstairs. Here I also sat next to the window, and it was a 3 seat row....I sat next to a Korean man that was from Suwanee, GA, and a businessman from Detriot. The Korean guy was going to Korea for a week, and so was the businessman, well actually he was staying in Tokyo. The businessman goes to Tokyo for 1 week every year for his job...which has something to do with cars........and he's been coming to Tokyo for the last 28 yrs. He was telling me what to expect with the trip, and his tip was to take some sleeping pills and sleep. Which, ironically enough, I didn't sleep at all. The trip is 13 hrs from Detriot to Tokyo. So we all sat down, and I pulled out my Zune and headphones laid my head back and just listened to music. I think they were playing movies.....the first one was Leatherheads, which I had no interest in watching, the second one was What Happens In Vegas, which I have seen 2 times in the last week before my flight, so I really had no interest in it either, and the third movie was......oh yea, Speed Racer, which I didn't watch either. They sure do feed you a lot on that flight, we had a snack, then dinner, then another snack, then breakfast, followed by another snack. The food was actually really good....so I got off the plane in Tokyo (finally!! It sure felt like it was never going to end!!) And I feel like WOW!! And I know I looked ROUGH. I only got up once during that 13 hr flight, which was about 12 hrs into it, only because I had to pee. But I have finally arrived in Tokyo. My feeling coming off the plane was just excitement. Looking around at all the stuff, so much to take in. It's typhoon season in Tokyo...so it was raining majorly. So I followed the signs to International Connecting Flights. My plan of action here was to go and find my gate first, then after I do that, I can look around, and take pics, etc. So I looked on the board to see what gate my flight to Singapore was......and my flight was not on there....like not at all. So, me being me, didn't let that stop me, so I kept going into International Connecting Flights. We had to check through International Security again, which I must say, I loved their uniforms in Tokyo. I would of taken pictures if I wasn't so tired by that point......so I get through security, and I see a money changing station, tons and tons of Duty Free shops, then I come to the concourse for Northwestern. I walk by all the gates, and finally found mine. It was gate 26. It was NEVER posted on that board, so I don't know what was going on with that..... but anyway. I know I need to call my Mom and Eri, let them know I have arrived. So I take out my cellphone, and because I was in the "basement" of the airport, I didn't have good signal-at all! So I went to back to the money changing man, changed $10 dollars into 1000 Japanese Yen and some change, which I wanted to take some pictures of that money, but I was entirely too lazy to get out my camera...sorry. Then I treked back down to where the International payphones are, bought the correct calling card, which....nevermind. But bought the correct calling card, then stuck it into the little machine, to make my call. After countless attempts, I finally was able to reach my Dad. The thing is this, you have to dial the number so quick or the machine times out on you.....and I knew my Dad's number off the top of my head. And now I also know Eri's and Mom's Rome number for this very reason ;-) So I call my dad for a bit, and hung up. Then I wrote my Mom and Eri's number down on a paper, so I could dial them quick enough, lol. After so many attempts I ran out of money on the calling card. So I went back down to the lovely money changin guy, this time I changed $20 dollars into 1000 Japanese Yen, and tons (tons!!!!!) of coins, which I still have, so that is SUPER COOL. I walked all the way back down to the phones, got a calling card, which by this time I was a pro, finally was able to figure out how to call Eri.....and was ablet to talk to him for about 10 minutes. While I was talking to him, my card popped out and said I have 1 minute of time left, so I called my mom. All I had time to say was, "I made it to Tokyo, gotta go." Which, I am sorry Mom. But I did tell my Dad to tell my Mom I was there, but I still wanted to make the effort to call her. After that I went to my gate, sat down, I finally took some pictures of the Japan Airport, and of my plane, and of the Sumo wrestling on tv. Yes, for about an hour I sat there and watched Sumo wrestling, and it was totally awesome. I will be posting some pictures from my trip so far, when I get to Indonesia, I can't post them now because I can't figure out Eri's computer, which is slightly embarassing to admit.
I thought my plane from Detriot to Japan was big.....it was nothing compared to the plane from Japan to Singapore.....that thing was soooooo big. The wing span on it, omg!!! Beautiful plane. So they start calling to board the plane, whip out my passport and boarding pass and I'm on my way. I was finally feeling sleepy, and this whole process seemed so routine now, I just put my stuff up, got out my pillow and went to sleep. While we were still on the ground, I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. The lady did inform me it was time to take off and I need to put my seat off, and I was thinking in my head, "We are still on the ground...?" That few minutes I got to sleep felt like forever. Then we start getting ready for take off then the Captain comes on saying "since there is so much water from the typhoons, Japan is letting 2 planes take off, 2 planes land, then they must clean the runway, so we have about a 20 min delay." So I lay my head down again, and go back to sleep. Then when we did actually take off, it felt like it was forever after I had been alseep. At this point in time, I had no concept of time-at all. So we finally took off, and even though they said the plane was full, there were more empty seats than occupied ones. So I got the seat to myself. :-D I sprawled out and went to sleep. It was a 7hr flight from Tokyo to Singapore. Went by rather quick too. I pulled down my tray table, and asked the lady to put anything that she's giving me on there, and I will look at it when I get up. She completely understood which was nice. So about 5 hrs later, I had a newspaper to read, Orange Juice, along with dinner, my Singapore ticket thing....which I can't remember what they called it, and a bottle of water. We landed, and I got off the plane and went to pee. I then headed to baggage claim, got my bags, which came out like super quick, and then headed to the money changer, changed out some money, then started my way through customs......which I thought was going to be a while to get through... So I went into the line for US citizens, she stamped my passport, then that was it. Couldn't believe it, easiest process ever...... It's not even that easy for US citizens coming back in the US. But then I followed the signs for a taxi, got in the taxi, took me right to my hotel. Now here I am :-) I am sitting in my hotel, looking over the downtown Singapore. It's completely awesome.
I tell ya what, US could really learn something from these Airports I visited in Tokyo and Singapore. The whole experience is just completely different.
Anyway, while I was on the plane, my Dad took snapshots of where I was at different times....so enjoy!!
