Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Short notes from my overnight in Japan:
The flight from Vancouver to Narita was quite uneventful. I had a window seat so I could rest my head and actually sleep unlike my flight to Spain. I watched "V For Vendetta" and it was good... not much else happened.

The Customs officer looked about 16 years old and was certainly more intimidated of me than I was of him. I brought what felt like a mountain of possibly suspect baggage and all he asked me was "Is this your first time in Japan?". Before waving me through.

I had my first squat toilet experience in the Narita airport. I was unprepared for that, and have not seen them again since, but when in Rome...

I didn't get any yen and this was a very bad idea, as I was very limited in my activities in Narita for that reason. On my return I will go the same way and won't make the same mistake.

Only at the airport the next morning did I feel any twinge of excitement about going to Vietnam as I watched the flight attendants arrive in their bright red ao dai's. Then I realized that it was really happening. I have been preparing and looking forward to it, and bracing my self, but only at that moment did I feel that physical energy about it. On the plane I started to go beyong excited and become really very freaked out. I wanted to turn around. (Actually, I almost had the opporunity earlier when the clerk at the Japan Airlines desk in Narita mistakenly read my ticket wrong and asked if I was going to Vancouver. I thought about saying yes.)
But I keep telling myself that nerves and worries are normal and I am doing my best to cope.

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