Learning By Experience

Things I learned en route to Tokyo and Bangkok:

-the stars are amazing at 38,000 feet over the ocean;

-I might be a bit too enthusiastic about international flight food and its presentation;

-earplugs should be inserted BEFORE falling asleep as there WILL be a sad, crying baby who materializes only AFTER you're in dreamland;

-'NO!' is universal in the language of crying babies;

-the tiny button to turn on the in-flight entertainment screen is the same size and shape as the tiny button to call the flight attendant;

-if you hear a 'ding!' and your screen is still dark, you may have pushed the wrong button (oops! and profuse apologies...);

-Pat said I can't talk about the Tokyo airport public, ahem, water closets (to borrow from UK parlance) so I'll just mention that they are a far cry beyond those to which North Americans are accustomed.

-it is just plain weird to depart 6:30 PM Tuesday - in the dark - , travel 17ish hours, and arrive 5:30 AM Thursday - still in the dark!

But at last we are in Bangkok, Thailand, and amidst foggy daylight. After a bit of a scare about actual existence of our re-booked tickets, we are at our gate with just one more hop to go to Columbo, Sri Lanka! TTFN!