Waiting for Air New Zealand

Dateline: Wednesday, 5:15 pm PST

Location: Terminal 2, Gate 25, Los Angeles International Airport

Sitting on the floor by a really LOOSE, jiggy plug, charging my laptop and the DS powerpack

We board in 1.5 hours and depart in 2.25, over the Pacific to Auckland, New Zealand!

First let me say that this little bit of LA I see is gorgeous. The sky is blue-blue-blue, the kind of blue I thought only existed in the North Carolina mountains. Against this blue are green, green, green palms. Tall palms. Not the kind you see in Florida. And the air is crisp and fresh--it helped that it was cool outside, only 55 degrees when we landed.

I've always wondered if the air "smells" different in different places. I know the air around my home in North Carolina does not smell like the air around my home in Florida--the latter being worse by far. And while others have told me that the air in other places really doesn't "smell" any different, I have to disagree. The air here SMELLS clean and a little bit ocean-y. It's crisp and fresh. It's a mix of Florida AND North Carolina! If earthquakes weren't in the equation, I might want to move here.

At the very least, I'd like to bring the kids out here to explore the coast. They'd love the plane ride ... up, up, up ... seeing the clouds and the Grand Canyon (on the right side of the plane!) ... seeing the Rocky Mountains ... down, down, down ... seeing Los Angeles. They'd love it ... and so would I!

Here are a few key observations so far.

1. Airport food is EXPENSIVE.

$11 for a hamburger?
$5 for an orange juice?

Man, we should have eaten at McDonalds :)

2. You can't bring drinks in past security. I bought a few water bottles in Charlotte and had to toss them, unopened, to get to the gate here at LAX.

3. Find another way to kill germs besides washing hands. My hands are raw and red and hurting. And it doesn't help that I have to carry this awful laptop bag. Note to self--sell laptop bag on ebay upon return.

4. You don't have to find an "official" source to buy Internet access ... just sign in to whatever unsecured network you find. Chances are, it's a network that allows you to buy access. I thought I had to buy access "somewhere" but couldn't figure out where (no help desks that I could see). In desperation, I tried to connect and wound up at a T-mobile hotspot page where I could buy a pass! So I wasted lots of time doing nothing when I could have been connected. Bummer, but lesson learned.

5. I LOVE traveling! It's not just about the destination, although that's pretty wild, too! I love the journey just as much. The airports ... the people ... the ride ... eating out ... the expectation ... the newness of everything!

I think I was born to travel. I hope this is the first of many far-flung journeys. And, hopefully, with my husband and ALL of the kids, too!

I'll write my next blog on the Air NZ flight but I won't be able to post it until after I arrive. I'll also post photos when I can.

Stay tuned!

The Happy Laptop Traveler :)