The Adventure Begins!
- Timothy J. Thompson
- Jan 15, 2017
- 5 min read
First, thank you everyone for joining us on this adventure! I am looking forward to not only using this as a record of our adventures traveling through the world, but to share our experiences with everyone. This is the story of us, and the amazing experiences that have made up our lives together. Here you will also find reviews and insights for great destinations, resorts and cuisine the world over.
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Enjoy the ride!
Well, this is where it all really began. I had take a few domestic flights before this and possessed a love/hate relationship with flying. Flying was something that truly amazed me and scared me to death in the same breath. So when Cate first mentioned flying to the Philippines, I was cautiously optimistic. The prospects of spending a total of 24 hours of flying, ( 8,430 miles / 13,566.77 km / 7,325 nautical miles ) ,across 8 time zones & an international date line was a whole new threshold for me.
All things considered, this would be my first time out of the confines of the U.S. and that was exciting. The plan was set. We would fly from Boston to Chicago to Haneda, Japan and finishing in Manila, Philippines.
So in July of 2012, the adventure began. I have to admit, there is a certain mysticism in stepping out of your comfort zone and embarking on a journey of this magnitude. The prospects of encountering a completely different culture, people, food and language had me captivated. The endless sea of thoughts and preconceptions kept me more than occupied. As the plane lifted off from Boston, I felt like a kid full of excitement at what laid ahead.
(Someone else did not appear to be as excited as I was...)
After an uneventful flight to Chicago, my thoughts were fixed on Japan & the massive Boeing 777 that would get us there. The "Triple Seven" for those that have never boarded one, is simply HUGE. The plane itself carries roughly 400 people and can travel an estimated 5,000 to 8,000 nautical miles. I spent weeks before our trip looking up information on this bird. I had never been on a plane this size and as your already noticing, this was going to be a journey fully of firsts. For whatever reason I had rationalized that a plan this size was invulnerable and was perfect for such a long-distance flight.
So we embarked and prepared for the longest leg of our journey to the Philippines (17 hours in flight). Once everyone was seated and the typical safety presentation was over, we taxied onto the runway very slowly. Once we approached the runway, I was excited to see what lifting off in this big boy was going to be like. The sound of those big engines as they powered up was impressive. As we began down the runway, it felt like it took forever. Looking back, 180mph is nothing when your in a plane of this size. After what felt like an eternity, we were off the ground & gaining elevation. Little did I know this was going to be my worst experience to flying to date. On the bright side, flying over Alaska on a clear day was nothing short of breathtaking.
Now I spent enough time reading about turbulence and the things that could happen in flight. I am fortunate to have never experience any severe drops in altitude as a result of turbulence. However, I proceeded to spend the next 17 hours on the bumpiest rides of my life. The whole plane shook constantly like driving down a N.H. dirt road. As I looked out the window, I could see the wings flexing up and down. This was all it took to shatter my sense of security. I spent the remainder of the flight a pasty white color with a small courtesy blanket over my head. I give Cate credit for putting up with me. I was bad enough to make the pilot nervous.
We landed in Japan at Haneda airport and made our way through customs. After having no sleep for over 20+ hours, my patience was fleeting. We were under a tight timeline (45 minutes) to get through customs and to our next flight. So we rush through and got to the next terminal with minutes to spare. After 30 minutes standing in line, nobody was boarding nor was there any announcements.
One thing anyone from the West NEEDS to know, English is not a common, second language in Japan. After multiple, failed attempts speaking with the woman at the counter, we could not get any answers. Finally after an hour, we had someone that spoke English. The woman at the counter proceeded to tell us that our flight was cancelled and they would be transferring us to a hotel for the night. We met a nice Filipino couple that shared our enthusiasm at the news...
So it looked like we were staying in Japan for the night. Looking back, I wish we could have spent a few more days in Japan. I have a funny feeling we will be back again soon. After another hour, a large bus arrived to bring us to the hotel. A rather short man jumped off the bus and politely bowed to all of us and signaled us to board. Once we got to the hotel, I was surprised to find semi-enclosed rooms in the lobby just for smokers! So being a smoker back then, I was delighted. There was not many highlights to speak of since we were there for a short time. There was some fancy smoking lounges inside the airport (Haneda) that were more like mini-nightclubs. The novelty of smoking in an airport was unique.
One item worthy of mention was when we were outside of the hotel after eating enjoying a cigarette. A young couple in their 20's walked across me & Cate. They both stopped, faced us and bowed once to me and once to Cate. Out of a complete reflex, I bowed back without knowing why. The only thing I could think of, it was a show of courtesy for cutting across us. Either way, this polite society left me with a good feeling for the people of Japan. One day, we will return there.
For now though, we were back on another airplane heading for Manila. So as we sat on this Australian airliner that was grounded for "mechanical issues" the night before, I happen to be sitting in the seat designated to act in the event of an emergency. At this point, I did not need another reason to hate flying but what the heck. I get to be the person to attempt and hold back a plane full of people from pulling open the hatch if something goes wrong. No problem!
Please join us on our next adventure in the Philippines. See you there!
See where our adventures have taken us, lets fill up that map!
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