Singapore: Splash down

Singapore, Singapore

A flight from Minneapolis. The silence of a jumbo jet following the sun around the Earth. By quiet consent all shades were down and the lights were off in a barely successful attempt to convince the baby in row 23 that it was well past his bedtime. That baby taught me something. I no longer wonder why airlines do not try to help their passengers anticipate jetlag simply by setting the plane’s schedule to the destination’s time; for some passengers and their parents it is achievement enough to survive for 12 hours in an aluminum tube hurling through the air.

Sundown over a 757. Narita Airport. iPhone with fisheye lens FTW

Behind the lowered shades the sun was blinding, reflecting off the tops of clouds. We passed close to Kamchatka where we will finish the journey in 3 month’s time. I caught a glimpse of Aleutian islands through a gap, but the peninsula remained shrouded. A rainbow welcomed our arrival in Tokyo. Continuing on to Singapore, a gibbous moon rose over the Pacific and glimmered off my wing. I passed through custom’s green channel at 2:30 in the morning less tarnished than I expected.

Video #3: Age of Discovery

24 hours in transit provided enough time (and barely enough battery life) to finish editing the last of the pre-departure interview blogs. 

This video is about the kids' perceptions of the wide world and what is awaiting us.

Video #4: The Road Ahead

A few folks have commented that it's confusing whose going where when and how we're getting from S.E. Asia to N.E. Asia. That is an accurate impression, by the way.

So this video outlines the route in more detail, with the requisite young commentary.