It's 9am. I am sitting in Steph's room in Manoa, Hawaii, with the sun coming in through the window. She's not here just now, she's at class until about 12, but has lent me the use of her room until she returns. It's up to me to not get spotted, as being in a resident's room without them around is against the rules.
It's about time I let you know what's been happening.
This is part one, covering Seattle. Hawaii comes later. It's for organisation purposes.
A certain someone told me that if you take the number 66 bus from Paisley Gilmour Street, Glasgow, you can't get to the airport. A certain someone would be very wrong. They may also want to know you could take the 500. It was my first proper time in Glasgow, but I didn't exactly stick around to see the sights. I wanted as much time as I could so I wouldn't be late for the flight at 1.30. And so, much to my happiness, I arrived at 11.30. Great, eh?
Ever heard of an ESTA form? If you're going to America for less than 90 days and don't have a visa (or a desire to get one) you need this $14 form which permits you to travel freely. Information to be included is name, contact details, passport number and place of stay for the first night. Simple enough, but quite important. It's because of this that the travel company I booked with sent me a link to the online version of the form a good month in advance. Good show on them.
If only they hadn't lost the thing.
That's right. I arrive at the Icelandair desk with what I think is everything I need, and when asked for the ESTA form that I have not done yet according to the computer there was little I could do but seethe inside. First Shall-Remain-Nameless Travel charge me £100 pointlessly for my tickets, only to reduce the price again the next day, but then they go and, I dunno, EAT my flipping visa waver form! It's not the fact that I had to pay another $14 for another form, nor the fact that I was struggling for time once the whole thing had been sorted (my passport wouldn't go into the system because apparently it's a freak 11-year one) but the fact that all this could have been avoided had they just been a LITTLE more careful REALLY gets to me. Nameless Travel, sleep with one eye open from now on.
Got on the plane no problem after that. The 2 hours to Iceland passed without event: I spent the whole time dozing in my seat. And 2 hours isn't that long, really, not when you compare it to flipping 8. I'd love to show you the 3 pictures I have of the bleak, lifeless land around Reykjavik Airport (unexpectedly, Iceland looks just as I expected), I don't have an adapter for my Micro SD, and until Steph gets back and I can ask if she has one I can't get my photos off the camera. May not, for that matter, until I get home. Well, you'll just have to wait.
8 hours of flight then passed from Iceland to Seattle. Much to my surprise, the film Inception was one of the many on offer, a film I'd never seen before but been itching to. Turns out it's really great. And you know the surprising thing? There's a fair amount of dudes getting shot or stabbed or blown up, but there's no sex and no drugs. Now, I'm no prude, but that's quite a refreshing thing to see: a successful film without anything unsightly, something many other films seem to... Oh wait, what if there WAS sex and so on but it got taken out of the aero-edit? Hm, I wonder. Steph was mentioning the other day that there are a load of films (citing a bunch of Adam Sandlers) that are better in the air that on the ground, without any of the ridiculous, immature humour. Well, whatever. Inception seemed like a long film when I saw it, so unless it's meant to be a REALLY long film I don't see where they could have added extra things. It was also a really great film.
Steph was waiting at SeaTac International when I arrived. That place is a flipping maze, nearly got lost. And American border guards, though I'm sure well-meaning, are well scary. There was also a distinctly disproportionate number of staff to deal with US and Canadian citizens off a flight that went from Oslo to Glasgow to Reykjavik to Seattle than maybe there should have been. That was one terminally long queue.
We took a long look around the city at night before heading back to her home in Gold Bar, and got some Italian food at a place that was open to 11pm. I never seem to be able to remember that American portions are quite different from British ones, but thankfully I was able to take home most of my aubergine spaghetti thing and have it for breakfast yesterday. Everyone was asleep when we arrived, and I soon followed.
The next day I awoke at 11.30am for a breakfast of pancakes. Finally met the parents, who are really great. No guys, I'm not just saying that. I was blown away by how easy Steph's parents were to get along with and talk to. Like to think I fitted in pretty good. Late awakenings invariably lead to late starts to the day, and Steph and I set off to see her high school buddies a little later than would have been sensible. It being Steph's birthday tomorrow, the lot of us went off to a cupcake shop to celebrate, before doing a bit of a tour of the local sights. Guess what 'Granite Falls' is famous for. Also drove past Steph's old house in 'Indian Summer Park', which has apparently changed quite a bit. After stopping by the grocery store for plane food, we drove off to meet Steph's grandfather in the home a short drive away. It was good to meet Granddad Deivert, and I hope to do so again soon. Then it was off to wash the car and a brief trip up the side of a mountain before turning back on account of it being too dark. And this is what really showed off Seattle's scenery. It's a really great place; not too hot and not too cold, and with mountains literally all over the place. There are some really excellent views to be, uh, viewed, many of which you will see once I get my adapter. Driving up a mountain road, pitch-black save for the headlights of our car, with fog rolling in great sheets off the road underneath us, all to the chorus of frogs in the bushes to both sides, was a really haunting experience. It was EXACTLY like being Harry Mason in the Wii Silent Hill game, sitting in a car and talking to someone perfectly happily whilst you as a player watch the shadows nervously for signs of monsters. Really phenomenal place. We arrived home at around 8.30pm, and then it was straight off to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. Again, too much food. And that was without the birthday pie when we got home. This country will make a porker out of me...
Early start the next day for our flight. Unlike getting into the country, travelling around inside it was pretty simple. Got myself AIT'd, watch this space for whether I'll get myself some super powers. Come on, laser eyes. Seattle to LA was uneventful, another short flight compared to the latter connection. Tried to sleep as best I could, but was ultimately unable to. Why break the habit of a lifetime? LAX was nicer than I remembered, maybe because we spent the whole time inside and out of the smoggy heat. The flight to Hawaii took a lot more time.
Now, let me tell you, American Airlines seems to be run by a bunch of very lonely people. Did you know they don't allow kissing on a plane? An 8 hour flight next to Steph, and no kissing? Ridiculous. 'There are children on board', admittedly, but then why-oh-why does that allow for the flipping pilot across from us to drink himself into a whiskey-fueled sickness, eh?! Why not chastise Captain Drunkard too, eh?! Wanna raise a nation of alcoholics, American Airlines?! Tch, load of rubbish.
Fortunately they showed The Kings Speech, another film I'd been itching to see, which is also really excellent, and the rest of the time went by with Steph asleep and me rekindling my love of Macross Ultimate Frontier. That Macross Plus punk cannot die quick enough.
Arrived in Honolulu at 7.30pm, it already dark. But that, guys, is a story for next time.
Thanks for reading.
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