Day 1: Halfway there (kinda)

Two flights down, two more to go! I’m sitting in LAX waiting to board my 23:55 flight to Nadi, Fiji. It’s been a long day already, and I haven’t even made it halfway to Sydney (by distance, that is).

I got to the airport in Edmonton earlier than I normally would with the intention of completing the second part of my NEXUS interview and visiting the lounge before my flight. I ended up getting there before the check in staff, and when I went through security, there was absolutely no line! I was able to breeze right through, only to find that the lounge closes at 12:30, and it was 12:35. So much for that plan!

It turned out that my flight to Seattle was the last US-bound flight of the day, so everything was closing down as we boarded the plane. Next time I’ll make sure to check the hours more closely so I can make use of my lounge passes. Chili’s hit the spot, although no free drinks there!

My friends call me the “human GPS” as I’m usually the one guiding us when we travel together. My skills will certainly help me navigate my way around Australia once I get there, but they also came into good use while connecting at LAX.

Terminal B is the international terminal but it’s never referred to it by the wayfinding signage. My flight from Seattle arrived at Terminal 6, and to get to Terminal B, a long walk through two long underground corridors is required, after which, you then have to walk through Terminal 4. There’s no moving walkways along the way, and for someone with less mobility than me, it would be a nightmare. My Apple Watch even suggested I record a workout! It was about a 1.5 km walk, but that certainly helped with my step count.

Rant aside, Terminal B at LAX is actually quite nice and very busy, even at 22:00. I always enjoy people watching in airports, especially big international ones where people going to London, Singapore, and Sydney (like me!) all end up. Most of the flights at this time of the evening are heading across the Pacific, although I did have a chat with a guy who was heading to London after spending three days in LA for work.

I’m also very tired, which bodes well for me since I have a poor track record of being able to sleep on planes. My flight to Sydney is scheduled to get in at 11:45, so I’ll still have half the day left and I want to make sure I have enough energy to explore and get adjusted to the time change.

Now I’m off to my gate! Tomorrow I’ll be in Sydney and hope to have some more interesting things to share.

Today by the numbers

Flights taken: 2

Distance travelled: 1,513 miles (2,435 km)

Steps taken: 8,737