En route to Thailand: Layover in Narita, Final Leg

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"Seat backs and tray tables in their..."

It's been dark for I don't know how long. The airline apparently only packed 4 movies, because I've seen two of them twice. And only one of them was worth seeing. ("the young victoria" if your wondering) I didn't even realize that I would be watching the same movies after we made our connection at Narita airport in Tokyo, Japan. Which brings me to the adventure of making our connection.

So, we got our immigration form in the air, which we filled out (in transit, just passing through, thank you very much)and we're instructed via the airline crew that we we're to proceed to customs, and international security check, and then to make our connecting flight, back at the same gate, on the same airplane. Does that make sense to you? Cause it sure as heck sounds a little goofy to me. Why would I have to get off a plane, go through customs, go through security, and then walk back to the airplane and gate that I just exited? Well, somehow, after passing through customs, Jen and I found ourselves being herded, like cattle, literally... there were armed, uniformed, masked security men looking sternly at us, with their hands out, more or less guiding us in some direction. Where that direction was taking us, we didn't know. Of course, after passing through a few mirrored sliding doors, we we're face to face with the great wide open spaces of Japan, just beyond the front doors of Narita airport. Shit! We've got about 10 minutes to find our way back to the gate we just left, and we have no idea how the hell we even got to where we are now. It's like maybe thursday, around 1130 in the evening... and we've got Thailand right around the corner, and there is NOONE in this airport. We start going up escalators, walking down hallways, passing by entire concourses, and circumventing cleaning crews that look like the Beastie Boys from "Intergalactic" . We start to panic. We start to jog. We start to sprint. Where are these people? Where is anyone? Holy crap. Eventually we find a woman who looks like she's off duty, in an office, and she points us to international departure concourse. We continue sprinting, walking quickly, shuffling... trying to not be suspicious, but also not be lax... and eventually we run into another security checkpoint, and as we hand our boarding passes, immigration papers, and passports to the security gaurds, it just seems like they were expecting us... they're totally non-chalant, and for me it was re-assuring... that just give a few directional hand gestures, and we're back in the international concourse, again, drawing closer to a herd up ahead, in the middle of the hallway.... and whaddya know? It's the same damn gate. Narita airport is a pleasantly designed triangle, but I hope to avoid future adventures of this nature.

Phew. Back in our seats....

We're about to take off, and Jen is once again fast asleep. (how does she DO that?!) I get up and walk about every hour or so... haven't slept a single wink the entire trip at this point, and feel like I could go on like this for awhile. I'm walking back towards the galley near the bathrooms, and I hear the familiar sounds of an un-amplified electric guitar being strummed and picked. I dismiss the idea, only to turn the corner and see some middle aged bald guy melting imaginary faces with his fingers ablaze on the fretboard, picking nothing in particular. I shoot the shit with this guy for a while, turns out he's moving his life to Thailand from Oakland to be with a woman he's known for a very short amount of time. He's leaving his kid behind, leaving everything, really; I see an opportunity to make a fast friend from America even before I land in Thailand, so I suggest that we hang out and have a few beers some night. Turns out, he ain't got a cell phone, and only just started using email. *phew* Is this guy for real?! Anyway, we chat for a little bit, he gives me his girlfriends contact info, who'd be an intermediary, and he encourages me to call. "you gonna call man? Don't BS me man; we gotta hang out here in thailand..." I return to my seat, where Jen is still fast asleep, and I ease into the seat, thinking that travelling and meeting people will be a breeze. All that's left now is to let the plane glide into Suvarnabhumi Airport (pronounced: "sue wanna-boom?"). It'll be so nice to finally be in Thailand. The place we've been dreaming about for the last 6 weeks. What will we do first? What will be the thing we do that commemorates our arrival? How will we make the biggest splash possible in the first big chapter of our international travels? What sight, what food? what experience will we indulge in? Which of our five senses will we titulate when we land in Thailand at 4....in.....the morning?

Holy crap. We only made one reservation for our first night in Thailand.......

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