My 7 week “welcome to retirement!” adventure has two acts.
Act 1: 3 weeks cruising with Jeremy in Alaska (get the rundown HERE)
Act 2: 4 weeks traversing around Thailand.
Connecting the two is a seemingly endless 40 hour intermission of travel from Alaska to Thailand.
July 3rd
Whittier to Anchorage
4pm: I give Jeremy a tearful goodbye as I leave the ship. There’s no cell service as the bus hurdles through the Alaskan countryside. It’s just me and my thoughts– a sometimes dangerous combination. What if I missed an entry requirement for Thailand? What if I get stuck in Seoul? What if the flight is canceled? What if the bus crashes and this is it?
5:45pm: I get to the airport, find a seat, open up my laptop, and distract my mind with work. I overhear surrounding conversations of other cruisers in similar hurry up and wait scenarios. One particularly loud woman behind me wouldn’t stop gabbing about every detail of the cruise that displeased her. In fear of turning around and snapping at her, I moved seats.
10pm: My heart races as I head to the Delta check in counter. “Do you have your proof of vaccine or negative COVID test and a Thailand travel pass?” I pull out my binder of travel materials with shaky hands. The young man gives them a look, then gives me my boarding passes. I exhale the breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
July 4th
12:15am: I’m laying in the fetal position on the seats watching the midnight sun burn. In the summer, it never really gets dark in Alaska. Boarding begins. Somehow I end up in “Delta Comfort”, meaning I get to board right after first class. Pretty fancy, huh?
Anchorage to Seattle
Delta Comfort has comfier seats and more leg room. Great! There’s no one in my row. Super great! But the arm rests don’t flip up. Meaning I can’t sprawl out and get cozy. Not great. The frigid plane AC begins to blast and I curl up with my brown sweater hugged over my knees and arms inside the sleeves hugging my body– I look like a russet potato with my head popping out like a little spud.
I routinely fall asleep then startle awake from the lower backpain that comes from my contorted body position and the arm rest jutting into my kidney. Geeze. I’m not 22 anyone that’s for sure.
5:15 am: I exit the plane and immediately scout out the closest source of caffeine.
6:00 am: I find a table with power outlets and start getting work done while enjoying my overpriced coffee and breakfast sandwich that I bought using the remainder of a Starbucks gift card.
9:00am: I wander over to my gate, S16. I sit. Take a lap. Sit again. Lap again. Riveting stuff.
10:15am: Excitement alert! All passengers are called to get their documents checked. I eagerly bolt to the line, proof of vaccine and Thailand pass at the ready. A green sticker is slapped on my boarding pass. Phew!
10:50am: Boarding commences.
11:50am: Take off.
Seattle to Icheon (Seoul)
The next 11 hours are a blur. I watch The Big Lebowski, an obscure indie film, and an M. Night Shyamalan thriller called Old. My aisle seat position put a damper on my sleeping plans. As did my lack of NyQuil. Putting the pillow on the fold down tray and laying my head forward was the most successful strategy. Although “success” is a loose term.
Meal time is always the thrilling highlight of long haul flights.
For meal 1, the options were chicken, beef bulgogi, or pasta. “Beef please!” The attendant handed me a plate with the beef, veggies, rice, pasta salad, and little tub of ice cream. The beef was surprisingly tender and not totally bland. I didn’t care for the pasta salad—the seaweed in it was head scratching. The salted caramel chocolate chip ice cream was the star.
Passengers got a triple chocolate cookie as a mid flight snack. Ultra fudgy and chocolatey. I devoured it all.
Meal 2 was an egg and cheese sandwich with fruit. The sandwich reminded me a gas station number, and it was exactly what I wanted in that moment.
1 thought on “A “Welcome to Retirement!” Trip Intermission: 40 Hours from Alaska to Thailand”
wow epic! That’s quite the route. cant believe the selfishness of the people before you in the line. people these days I tell’s ya Katie! still youve made it now! yay!