Up, up and away....

Wow…It takes a reallllly long time to fly half way across the world. Fourteen hours on a plane is teen hours too many. Korean Air was great though…the best airline we’ve ever flown. The food was surprisingly decent. They even trusted us commoners in coach with real metal flatware. The service was attentive as well. If the stewardesses were rolling their eyes about the dumb Americans in 48E & 48F they did so from behind their privacy curtain hiding the coffee pots. The entertainment system with dozens of movies, TV shows, games and music was surprisingly effective at distracting us from the fact that the leg that wasn’t asleep was cramping and our backs were painfully stuck in the position of the seatbacks. Our only real complaint was the heat. They apparently like things toasty in Korea, and prepare you for that reality from the moment you lift off bound for Seoul.

Incheon airport was nice…very modern and exceptionally clean. We know…we just spent eighteen hours there. The Air Garden transit hotel rents rooms in six hour intervals, and is well worth the cost if you have a significant layover in Seoul. There is nothing lavish about it, and beds are clearly made for someone of a smaller stature than your typical American, but it was clean and quiet and inside the airport. We were grateful for a bed, even if our toes hung off the edge.

The flight from Seoul to Vladivostok was a breeze after the transpacific flight preceding it. We met a great single mom to be and her friend at the gate with whom Sara had been corresponding via her blog. They had seats across the aisle from us on the flight and Sara spent the whole flight talking (and not fearing the flight). We also met a wonderful couple from San Francisco headed over for their second trip to take home their beautiful little girl, giving us all hope that it really will happen for us too.

Oh yeah…the Red Sox lost, but were up 1 to nothing when we boarded the plane. I got to enjoy the season for a few hours longer than almost any other member of Redsox nation. Next stop Vladivostok…hard to believe.

-Steven