Auckland - LA - Boston in one day!!

Flight one - Auckland to LA Leave Wednesday 2pm Arrive Wednesday 7am??

After rushing mad in Auckland for my last few days trying to get bank accounts closed, bags packed, and goodbyes said, I can tell you that it was a welcome relief to board the plane. Visions of being laid and sipping pina coladas on Air Tahiti never quite came to fruition to my dismay.

Five and a half hours later in Papeete the locals welcomed us with flowers, torrential rain, muggy conditions, and one hell of a security search. I thought we just needed to get fuel and maybe the cocktail shakers cause the inflight service left alot to be desired.

Seven hours later I was flying in free from haze over the surburban concrete playground that is LA. Six lane highways, traffic grids and flat landscape scattered with one story bungalows dotted with the occasional crystal clear blue swimming pool. Thankgod its only a stopover! This place is huge, over populated and grey. Its a far cry from the rolling green hills and expansive waterways flying out of Auckland.

Welcome to America, home of the brave, land of the free - that's if you can negotiate customs.

Ok let this be a little word of warning to anyone traveling to America.

1. Be prepared to get photographed, fingerprinted, handed the wrong entry card and then get dragged off for questioning as you try to get to the transfer desk.
2. Interrogated as to your purpose for entering the states even though you have a visitors entry visa and a ticket to leave the country in 10 days time.
3. Held for further questioning because you fail to produce the address of where your staying at the other side of the country.
4. Asked to produce more ID and asked could I verify the address of anyone I knew in the states. Told to go away and think about it.
5. So after a little prompting and some quick thinking I finally got to fill out the right entry card and botch a fake address. All i knew was Fabian was suppossed to be at the airport to pick me up, I had not expected to know all the details upon arrival in LA.
6. But wait, be prepared when your taking so long to get thru customs, of course your bags are going to be the last on the carousel. And of course this is another security breech and of course two lovely big customs officers are going to want to empty all my belongings out on the desk.

I must be looking particularly suspicious, but then again on a day when Bush is re-elected, this is a country that should be in fear of attack.

I finally find the transit lounge. Kerry and Bush are making final speeched on the big televisions in front of the cafe/bar, the crowd on the broadcast cheer as my fellow passengers in transit at LAX remain what can only be described as in shock and silenced by the result, heads shake in disbelief. Kerry concludes his speech by asking for prayer and finished with the token God Bless America spiel.

I suppose that with Bush again in power, this country needs all the help that they can get. The lady at the bar next to me orders a double, I quickly scan the breakfast menu and wonder what time is it. I remember hearing my mother once say when we were traveling that its always time for a stiff drink somewhere in the world. I pass on the double jack heartattack breakfast burito and order a JD instead.

Flight two - LA to Saltlake CIty
Four hours later Im flying above the Nevada Desert and approaching Saltlake city, snow caps appear in the Wasatch Mountains and I remember another time, when i had traveled overland to San Fran from New York and been almost blocked in by a blizzard on that same mountain range, almost seven years ago. America is a country of extreme landscapes that I agree. An hour stopover, change of plane and small bit of panic as Ive yet to make contact with Fabian and confirm what terminal I'll be landing in and the time. Lets hope he still has the contact details that were left on voicemail from Auckland.

Flight Three - Saltlake City - Boston
Ok so all i have to say is this, I left Auckland at 2pm Wednesday, arrived LA 7am Wednesday, depart Saltlake City 4pm and land in Boston at 11pm Wednesday. Ive been traveling for a total of thirty hours. You work it out.

Thankfully message has been received and good ol Seanin Bocht is there with Jason Sully and Cha to pick me up and drag me to the pub.