Time. For most of us, that is a precious commodity that we never seem to have enough of. I’m fond of saying “My to-do’s are longer than my today.” I stepped off my front porch in downtown Alachua at 11AM on 11 May and I walked out of the Hanoi International Airport at 11:30AM on 13 May, but I wasn’t gone 48 hours. Hanoi is 11 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, so I “lost” 11 hours. It took 4 flights to get here and there was a great deal of hurry-up and waiting. By the time I finally got into my new home here in Hanoi, a service apartment across the street from the university, it was 1:30PM Saturday. All I wanted was a hot shower and a change of clothes. Once accomplished, I began unpacking/ setting up my new home so as to adjust to the time change.
So, the flights had their hiccups, mostly related to luggage. This time? Lesson #1: Don’t book tickets with two airlines unless they have an agreement! I had to pick up my checked bags at LAX, which included a duffle, a footlocker, and 3 boxes of textbooks, and carry them to the international terminal about 1/2 mile away and recheck them into Eva Air. I had to do this the first time I flew to Cambodia so thank goodness, I knew the drill, but am nearly 20 years older. L Lesson #2: Verify that all your domestic tickets have TSA pre-check on them, if you have gone through that process. I only looked at my Delta tickets after purchase. My ticket from LAX to TPE didn’t have TSA pre-check so I was in a very long line. However, LAX TSA is extremely efficient, and it really didn’t take too long. I also make it a point to have at least a 4-hour layover at LAX as missing the flight to TPE would be disastrous. This time, I had a 6-hour layover and that was a blessing as we left Atlanta 90 minutes late.
The 13-hour flight from LAX to TPE is typically an outstanding experience and allows me to separate myself from my daily life in the US to the new life that I have in SE Asia. This trip, I spent the time reading, proofreading a grad student’s paper, and plotting what professional writing activities I want to accomplish while I am over here. Unfortunately, I should have taken Benadryl. I did not sleep much on the flight despite bringing my comfy pillow from home (yep, a full-sized squishable feather pillow!) and having bedroom slippers and a fleece blanket, compliments of Eva Air. No one was sitting next to me, so I was able to spread out and seated in Premium Economy, I already had some extra leg room, and the seat was wider.
However, this was my first international flight post-COIVD and things have changed. After dreaming about this trip for 3 years, yes… the Cambodian portion of this trip has been on my vision board for 3 years…..it felt "off" for things/ routines to be no longer as they were before. That said, the world is no longer as it was before. Why would I expect my favorite air carrier to be any different? So, was it unrealistic expectations on my part or has Eva Air been forced to make some changes? At the end of the day, I decided that it was a combination of the two and I simply need adjust my expectations accordingly.
At LAX, I had to change concourses by walking outside and going to Terminal B about 1/2 mile from my arrival terminal. Terminal B is from where all the flights to Asia depart. I walked into the terminal, and greeting me was the long wall filled with Eva check in desks and I smiled. It reminds me of the movie Love Actually. People are hugs and kissing and there is a sense of expectation!
It is there, without a passport, that one realizes you are on another “continent” and it is not North America! Though late at night, the terminal was abuzz with thousands and thousands of people hurriedly moving to get to their flights. The air was filled with the cacophony of a dozen or more languages and dialects. And yes, I stood out. At 5’ 8 ½”, white, and 65 years old, traveling alone, I definitely stood out. I soaked up the sounds, the scenes, and even the smells like long lost friends. Time shifted, it felt strange and yet, it was a delight! I tell people that I feel like Alice in Wonderland, tumbling down the rabbit hole to find myself in another world, one that is rather amazing and colorful. And time seems to shift… along with who I am. My life changes. And now, I’m here.
Postcard from Hanoi 14 May 2023,
Karen
So glad you arrived safety. Thanks for sharing your lessons learned and your adventure!