The long way home

Note I: This is actually my last journal entry written at different points all along my travel route from plane to plane to train returning home to Maine. It comes in three parts, enjoy!


December 7th
Part I

Ah well, why not document today, since my camera's all packed up anyway? I very nearly didn't get up this morning in time to walk to Shinjuku station, but the light from underneath the door let me check and it was already 5:20! (I had set my alarm for 4:30 before, but I must have switched it off in my sleep or something. :/ ) Anyways, got everything together but my towel was still wet. Screw it, I thought, and simply stuffed it in a plastic bag and called it good. (I've traveled with semi-wet-clothes before.) So then I walked to the station, and on the way there were these two old guys on opposite sides of the road sweeping up the ginko leaves at that ungodly hour! My, and now I'm on the Express train to Nariita glancing up at the rerunning commercials and watching a dawning Tokyo fly by my window for the last time in a good long while I should think. Unless something drastic happens, of course. :) (Nao also told me before that they call that shade of blue just before sunrise Silent Blue. Mmm artsy. :D )

Plane now. Over 1/2 of the way there! It's simulated nighttime on the plane already and the Japanese guy sitting next to me already passed out a few hours ago. (luck devil.) Still over Canada I think, but close to the border. Ahh...I was going to write something befooore.....Gah what was it?...my nose is so dry....OH! Thank you nose! Right, my dream last night. Very strange. It was game-like, and there was a bunch of stuff that felt like I'd dreamed of it before, and I think I was an older man....anyway, at some point in the dream I get this awful nosebleed, and I think it strange. Then I worry about the loss of blood because I'm still on my period (truth is, I thought about that earlier yesterday when I popped a pimple too. XD)......which is also quite strange considering I'm a man. Aaaannd yea, that's pretty much it. I seem to get these torrential nose-bleed dreams on a fairly regular basis....should start charting them or something eh? Good thing I bought a calender planner! :D
I hope it's not too cold in Boston. >< (What am I saying? Of course it'll be cold in Boston!)

Oh man there's a town called Brainerd!! Brilliant, I love it. Oh, and Rhinelander. Gahaaa! Hmm, feels weird to be flying over the states again. Right now we're passing by the southwest corner of Lake Superior, town of Duluth, I think. The clouds on the horizon are like grapefruit mixed with orange juice that is just beginning to rise to the top. Hm, not sure about that metaphor, but the view sure is pretty. :)

GORGEOUS sunrise.

Part II
Aaaaand we're in Chicago Airport. Can we say, "Culture Shock" any louder? >< Ahhhh....I'm still in Japan mode, bowing and muttering sumimasen and such, and always deferring to the left side of passageways. Gah! I swear they built this airport to confuse & stress people. There's plenty of signs usually, but they're either poorly positioned or un-informative! It must be a nightmare for the poor foreign visitors. (+me. :( )
Plus all that, when I finally figure out my gate, I sit down to hear this Bio-shock like women's voice laughing and saying something about indulging your "guilty pleasures" and then I see this extraordinarily fat guy sitting a few rows in front of me staring at me while taking a bit out of his big mac. Uggghhh.....
Can I go back now? Please? :( Or at least home to Maine quicker. Only about 20 minutes left now until boarding!

Part III

I'm here! Sitting in North Station now. Decidedly more warehouse-ish and darker than South Station, but still charming nonetheless. (Kinda)

The trains are WEIRD, the money is WEIRD, the people speak in this strange language that I can instinctively understand, there's bad cheap food everywhere, $1 coins are gold with women on them, the concrete is so grey, fat people abound like the plague, Ahhhhh!!!
CULTURE SHOOCCKK!!
Frankly, it's still quite a lot to take in at the moment, That and having got up at 5:20...tomorrow morning? And not having slept since, though I almost dozed off on the crap flight to Boston but Dr. Who saved me. :D
So now I'll get back to you after a quick call to Papa and Becky and a bite to eat. :)

I'm baaack! And on the 5:00 train to Portland this time! Quick ticket change does wonders. My tum-tum is still kinda bloaty though. :P I've been farting since Nariita! I never did get to take a proper dump this morning. >< Stupid plane and your sitting for long periods of time in a highly-dry environment. Pah!
Ok, time to calculate time spent awake and traveling!

5:20am - 11:20am
11hr flight
2hr layover + 3hr flight
4 1/2hr layover + 2 1/2 hour train
=
about 30 hours. PLUS time-zone switch loosing half a day.

And there you have it. Not bad actually, I thought it would be worse. So I should be getting to Portland soon, then I can call Becky and we can see where we at and how I can get to her place. I saw snow on the way up too! :D Woohoo!

Well then, I bring this account of travel to a close. G'night!
~Kira

Note II: This being the day after and sitting in Becky's apartment, I thought I'd add a little note on Jetlag so far. I'm a bit sleepy now and had a bit of a rough time getting to sleep last night, but Otherwise I woke near 9:00am and didn't feel too groggy, I think I'll be ok till I get that melatonin at home. Oh! I should call Papa soon. Well then, I bid you adieu as I have lots of work and recuperation to do! Fare thee well!
~Kira