Adventure Marshall Islands - Day 1
Here's a quick (not really) bit about our travel to and first day in the Marshall Islands as we work to complete our adoption. I've tried to strip names from this, to protect others' privacy. Maybe I'm going a little too far; if you're "in the know," you'll know the names, and if you're not, you probably won't miss 'em.
One long day led to another as we set out on our journey. The last day at work wasn't as cut short as desired. The night before traveling never really ended. I got in a short nap around 2AM, but had to get ready about an hour later for the cab ride to the airport.
The airports and flights were pretty uneventful. Each left on time, arrived on time, and experienced no excessive turbulence or discomfort. On one of the legs (I don't even remember which), they ran out of one of the entrees before asking us which we wanted, but it wasn't what I would have chosen anyway.
The first leg, to Houston, had about the only excitement, as the wife dropped her cellphone into the airplane toilet, which would be its own kind of bad, but the toilet in question had a trapdoor which opened with the force of the phone falling on it. They offered to try to retrieve the phone, but they hadn't by the time we left for L.A. Perhaps there will be a package waiting for us when we return home, but we're not expecting anything.
The layover in Houston was just long enough for us to stretch our legs, determine that they wouldn't be checking for the phone right at the gate, and meander to the next plane.
The layover in Los Angeles was too long to just meander around, but not long enough to leave the airport and do anything. We've got family in the L.A. area, and they may have wanted to swing by to visit, but that seemed like both a long shot, and a lot of trouble for what would have amounted to a long cup of coffee. Perhaps on the return, when we've got a new visitor with us.
The Honolulu layover was long enough, and deep enough into the trip, that a sleep-over and a shower was well worth the rush to and from a nearby hotel. It was an unassuming little room, but fatigue and grime made the room a perfect fit for the cause. A quick shower and nap, and we were back on the road.
This was our third time through Hawaii, but our first time leaving the airport. Each time we've been there has been the middle of the night. It was dark for both car rides, so we didn't really get to see anything. The bits we did see, in the dark, anyway, were kind of like L.A. Someday we'll see Hawaii in daylight.
Everything to this point has been standard travel fare. If you've been on a plane for any reason, it's pretty much just like that. Where things get specific to traveling to the Marshall Islands.
