Walking to gate 177 at Pearson terminal 1 is like instantly stepping into Japan. Messages are called out in Japanese only. The building is an efficient if large maze, modern, and spacious; you hardly meet people until you reach the actual gate.
I wander the bookshop for titles to sample at the Amazon store. The Kindle is already proving useful. Scanning the horizon, I realize the Tax & Duty Free is just not my style, the Plaza Premium Lounge won’t see me of course, and the corner bar is a bad idea.
Major cameras are in use by tourist couples.
I’m trying to walk around a bit before the 12:45 flight begins. The Flight from Montreal was 55 minutes but I hardly noticed it being engrossed in reading “Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance”.
I have to suppress an urge to greet Japanese people in Inuktitut. It will disappear soon.
1:00 AM since I’m pretending to be on Bangkok time, it is way past my bedtime. I’m avoiding coffee, etc. Just water before bedtime. I’m too excited to sleep, but after an hour onboard, I should settle down.
This Gate offers Free WiFi using www.boingo.aero. For no obvious reason Skype credits may be used for those who feel they must pay. Anyway, no time to finish my text on this 20 minute wait so I will publish this blog when I land in Japan.
Funny I’m sitting next to a lady on her way to Taiwan we both boarded in Montreal in the same seats. What are the odds?
It’s about 30 degrees in the plane, I joked with the attendant that they were helping me adapt to Asia. It is 2 AM. At least I won’t be cold while sleeping. Soon the temperature is normal. It is 18 degrees in Tokyo.
Two hours into the flight I finish off a chicken dinner. The sleeping pill is starting to kick in.
I’m grateful for a window seat, not for the view, which is the wing, but for the wall. The pillow, wall and chair back make for a lovely head rest. I choose a Korean in-flight movie called GLOVE, about a bad mannered baseball player that has to coach a team of deaf kids. It is cute and perfect for snoozing since it is dubbed in Japanese with Korean and English subtitles. I then tackle TRON the legacy. Even in English this one is a dozer.
So I made it to 7 AM (7 PM in Montreal), I’m rested but I wouldn’t say I slept. I suppose two sleeping pills might have provided deep sleep, but one did keep me from being continuously awake all afternoon. They are serving Japanese noodles in a paper cup. My slow pace with the chopsticks prompted my Chinese neighbour to inquire about my level of practice. I enjoy a cup of coffee to start the day. I have to stay awake 16 hours before I sleep in Bangkok. It is going to be a long day.
