Despite it being 1.30am when we left Jakarta, I was too excited to sleep on the 4hr flight to Manila. This was the first time that I’d flown business class and I was going to make damn sure that I took full advantage of the experience and, the champagne. Before we had even taken off, Irishman and I necked an entire bottle of Moet Chandon and the thoughtful steward had put another bottle into the chiller ready for us to imbibe the instant that the seat belt signs went off once we were safely air borne.
By the time we touched down in Manila it was dawn and we then had 9 glorious hours to endure in a transit lounge before our onward flight to Hawaii. It’s amazing how much food you can pack in if you are killing time. All my hard work making orange coloured soup for the past 3 weeks or so was undone in the space of just a few hours as being bored witless and my laptop out of battery, I kept finding myself wandering back to the self-serve buffet and filling my plate with tiny delicious dim sum, sushi, Chinese buns and fruit. My stepsister maintains that anything consumed in airports or on planes doesn’t count calorifically, but I’m not so sure.
The next lap of the journey was an adventure for neither I, nor Irishman had ever flown over the Pacific before. The plane took off and then started it’s ascent in an arc over Manila and out over the surrounding deep blue waters of the South China Sea before circling back round eastwards and making for the Pacific Ocean. Although we had been warned of some turbulence during our 10-hour flight to Honolulu, mercifully it wasn’t the bumpy ride that was expected and we were able to doze for much of the journey. In my dreams, I imagined the vastness of the ocean beneath us and the whales and mysterious marine life lurking in its depths. On waking from sleep in the now dimmed cabin, I peered out of the tiny airplane window and gazed at the myriad stars studding the inky black sky and the silver slither of the crescent moon casting its iridescent glow down upon the waves below. I spied Neptune to the south, and the twins, Pollux and Castor to the east but the brightest star of them all was Sirius, seemingly guiding us towards Hawaii like an usherettes torch to ones seats in a darkened cinema.
Airborne at 39,000 ft and by now miles from home, we crossed the International Date Line, an imaginary line on the surface of the Earth that runs from the north to the South Pole and which demarcates one calendar day from the next. I found this short film on You Tube should you want to know more about it. It certainly helped me to get my head around the fact that when at last we arrived in Honolulu after 14 hours of air travel and a 9 hour transit, that we had in fact moved back to the previous day of our departure.
On our arrival, we were not greeted with garlands of lei from bare breasted, hip swaying beauties but rather the sombre tones of the USA immigration and visa police asking if we had any bananas or red peppers in our luggage? With nothing remotely exciting to declare, we made our way to the car rental and then onwards to our hotel for the first taste of our Hawaiian adventure.
Lottie Nevin - The Red House Diaries 
Love all the photos (of course), but especially the first one. Seriously?!
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me too! If I’d known how precious my babies placentas were I’d have taken more notice of them rather than have them whipped away by the midwife!
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Quite familiar with the International Date Line; flying from Auckland to Buenos Aires, we had a departure at 8pm Friday and would arrive at 4pm the same Friday, so we could do Friday night all over again. Great photos.
AV
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Aloha and mele kalikimaka! Enjoy your trip to the US.
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Thank you Lydia! 🙂 X
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Crikey 2 Friday nights for the price of one! double the fun 🙂 …It’s the first time I’ve encountered this so it’s weird especially since I’m in contact with Indonesia and London at the moment so everything is back to front – normally I’m ahead of the game time wise but now I’m lagging a day behind.
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I must be still dealing with the date line (sounds like an internet dating site) I left you a reply but underneath Lydia’s comment…so sorry!
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Yeah, I got that okay. The reverse trip was even weirder, left at 11am Monday and lost Tuesday completely by arriving Wednesday evening. The trip, btw, was 10 hours going, and 13 coming. On the return trip the 747-100 had to fly to the south Rio Gallegos to refuel before the Pacific crossing, not enough gas to make it direct against the Trade Winds. I used to do this trip every two or three months before 1996.
AV
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Have mercy again. Thought I had better leave the first word off- might be in poor taste. One never knows who might be lurking to criticize. Anyhow, I was excited to see a post in my yahoo mail. A 10 your flight to Honolulu? That is the mercy part. The face cream ad or body cream I gather is to keep oneself white. But the name of that stuff is seeing to believing. By now you are enjoying Honolulu and I have forgotten how long you will be there before moving eastward to Los Angles. I looked up your friend’s blog. Excellent writer, she is. But, I am afraid you are her serious and funny competion. She had me floored with her imagination. It does runneth wild. So all of your fans will eagerly await your next installment of The Travelling Wife.
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I’m so glad that you enjoyed IK’s posts – she’s wonderful 🙂
Yes, that placenta cream is a gem isn’t it? I saw a van from the company in Jakarta a few months back and couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing – I need to do a bit of research and see if it really does contain products from the womb.
There will be more from Honolulu soon – there’s plenty here to make me smile and we’ve already been all around the island checking out the beautiful beaches and getting a feel for the place.
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Thanks for the reply. I saw my bad typing error in my comment. So sorry. I have got to take my comments seriously and stop messing around. And so the womb cream is sold in Jakarta. And I failed to comment on your wonderful photos. I know that meeting and enjoying your blogging and writing friend’s company will be a highlight of your trip. Will await your next post. You and the Irishman take care.
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Sis, your “Break of Day Crescent Moon” photo is magical. Love it.
I watched the You Tube vid on the International Date Line you so thoughtfully posted, but I’m afraid I still can’t wrap my head around all that goobly-gook. Haha! I’m just very glad to hear that your travels thus far have been relatively smooth. Hope you’re both having a fabulous time in Hawaii. Can’t wait to hear the deets when we meet up! Whoo-hoo!! xoxo
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I’m glad you managed to watch the feature length ‘International date line’ movie…I can’t get my head round it either…I was just bragging when i said that it helped me – I’m far too stupid to work it out!!
It’s such a blast being here and I shall fill you in with all of it when we see you very soon! it’s just days now…..hours and a few minutes! xoxo
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I loved this post! I lived in Honolulu for three years from 1970 – 1973. My first commercial plane ride ever was over the Pacific Ocean. And upon landing I WAS greeted with a fragrant plumeria lei slipped over my head by a stunning Hawaiian woman. What a difference 40 years makes. However, I TOTALLY envy your business class experience!
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3 years in Honolulu! I bet you are a great surfer 🙂
Don’t be envious of the business class….without wishing to sound like a spoilt brat, it wasn’t really business class as in fat seats and bedding sort of thing, it was more like Virgin premier class – slightly more upmarket than cattle but definitely not business as in Emirates or Singapore airlines for example. That would be something to be jealous about! I’m VERY jealous of your lei garland – Pete had to buy me a tacky one in a shop to make up for it!!
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Wonderful photos and an epic journey. Guzzling a bottle of M&C before take-off sounds fun. I thought the international date line was something to do with palm fruit until I discovered Smirnoff. The only problem is you get unwound coming back and it can leave you feeling decidedly iffy. I mean – robbed of a day. Its not cricket is it. I am a bit bemused by your comment about ‘the first time you’d flown business class’. Is there something further back? I’ve always wondered what is hidden behind the curtain. Ah well, after North Yorks and Jakarta I guess Hawaii will seem a bit tame but do try to have a good time.
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I thought that the International Date line was some dodgy internet dating agency BUT…….. yes, you are spot on, I have only EVER flown 1st class before so it was the most terrible come down……….ever.
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Great photos, as ever.
I once crossed the dateline on Valentine’s day, which is probably one of my most hated days and the last thing I needed was 2 of them.
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Thank you Sarah 🙂 I’m not nuts about New Years Eve so I’d feel the same about that – I’m a party animal but for some reason New Years Eve has never appealed to me! I’m ok with Valentines though.
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