Friday, September 18, 2009

How long is the flight to Japan?

Seattle to Anchorage to Yokota Air Base in 18 hours. I was conscious for take off, but not much after. I took an Ambien, zonked, woke up, took another, zonked again. I don’t remember taking off from Anchorage or landing at Yokota yesterday morning, but when I did wake up, I was sick… hangover, seasick sick. I made use of the ‘barf bag’ on the plane, but unfortunately that wasn’t the only time I needed one. We were picked up by Allan’s sponsor Bill, and luckily for him, Allan is good company, because I was fit to be admitted. My head and stomach ached, but I was afraid to take Advil, or even a sip of water. Once we arrived at the Navy Lodge, I couldn’t get into the bed fast enough. Allan and Bill left to do some vital government paperwork and I remained comatose for hours. Things can only get better, right?
This morning, I was ravenous. We dressed for Rosh Hashanah services and had breakfast at Chili’s, really, breakfast at Chili's. Today is Jewish New Year, and it’s a good day. At the chapel, we met a wonderful couple, Tim and Sherri, who took us to lunch, the grocery store and back to the Lodge after services. Remember, we have no car, so a ride is a gift. Now we have food and drinks. It looks like things are turning around.

We’re a couple of savvy travelers, so tomorrow we test ourselves with the streets of Yokosuka. We need to learn how to get around, and we have one day for exploration before we begin our 5-day orientation here on base.


1 comment:

  1. What a great blog! I'm so happy to hear you got to Nihon safely (albeit a bit under the weather). Don't hesitate to call/email whenever with questions, etc. Love you guys- have a great time!!!

    -Andrew

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