24

Stepping into the SeaTac airport Friday morning it hit me. This will be the end of the familiar for a while, I didn't give it much thought being wrapped up in finals for the previous two weeks and even then i didn’t have my ticket till Wednesday night. Nevertheless the journey was about to begin... which was signaled by the long lines through TSA security. Having packed just my laptop and a jacket this was easy to get through until I decided to avoid the x-ray machines. As I asked to pass through without the screening the guard administered a barely audible word thorough his radio..opt-out. I was soon greeted by a buisnessey guy who snapped his rubber gloves and informed me of the process. After the pat down the gloves were then swabbed and placed in a detector after a pause there was a loud beep and he said "you're clear to fly."

Six hours later i stepped into the friendly Kahului airport on Maui. I love this airport it’s a quick step down to the baggage claim. I stopped to see the blind convenience store guy, if you go through this airport you can’t him. I bought a sprite and some chewing gum with a handful of ones, he wouldn’t let this slide, asking me how long  I had to work it on the floor to earn these ones. What? I asked, he continued, in his quick pigeon speak “You must have been workin' for hours." finally catching on i respond "yeah i even have a stage name" he then comments on my lack of sense of humor as he feels the bills one at a time and places them neatly in the cash register.

I have a few hours for my flight to Maui so call up Erik to see if he wants to grab a burger before i leave, but he's on the other side of the island so i resign to make a few more calls while I’m still local. I go through the security again in Kahului which takes just ten minutes and is much more civil. I decide to see where my mom is coming as I’m supposed to meet her in Maui then on to Honolulu and finally New Zealand. She's about to check in but the flight leaves in twenty minutes. Even with the quick security i doubt that she'll make it. If this is any indication of the trip, I’ve accepted to wait for my travel companion throughout the trip. She misses the plane. I get to the international airport in Honolulu and charge up my laptop and cell phone and make some more calls while i wait at baggage claim for her, an hour later she arrives. I get to see the mom's we have a hug and chat, then we go the last check-in at air New Zealand.

I assumed she would have a few bags, but they have already flown on to new Zealand... she mentions her three bags of course packed to the 50 pound limit, I shudder a second thinking about carrying the bags around the airport in Auckland tomorrow after our 12 hour red eye, and again, just accept it.

First attempt through international security screening: My mom stops to eat some food and drink her water. She decided to leave a few sips in her glass bottle. The random security screening goes easy for me, I take my shoes off empty my laptop into the tray  i walk through the metal detector and wait for her to be screened. "who's bag is this?" I hear over my shoulder... great here we go. "that's my mom's she's right there" i point "waiting to be checked"

"ok" i hear "you need to take this outside and empty it then return through check-in" he hands me the water bottle with no more than a gulp in it.

Second try: I go through the gold check in after walking out and go through quickly again. She's still being checked... waiting... waiting.. and the news breaks that she has food in her bag and must leave to finish eating it. Well I'm through, so I decide to go to burger king inside the airport and wait. I pack a whopper for the trip and make some last minute phone calls and Ashley helps me setup my Google voice over the phone. By the way this is great you can forward all calls to your google voice mailbox and check them over the internet and avoid international roaming rates. I turn off my international roaming and data on my phone, forward all calls, and step into the giant 747 air new Zealand jet. It’s deluxe with personal entertainment TVs on the back of the seats and a remote to watch some 30 or so movies and go off to a hazy slumber often interrupted by my foot that keeps drifting into the aisle blocking the cart that delivers food. Its five am and we are awakened by the captain some message about turbulence... the plane is jarred every which way and vertigo sets in. It feels like we’re in a jumbo sized box being shaken by a giant. But I’m so exhausted from travel that I manage to get to sleep before it ends. I wake up some time later. The on flight entertainment "air show" displays we are 900 km from our destination yay! Filling out our arrival declaration cards i make it simple and just say no, to all the stuff I’m bringing into the country. My traveling companion however has brought food, dirty garden tools, muddy boots and a mess of other bio-hazards which are immediately found by the food sniffing dog at baggage claim. Again I hear "who's bag is this?" and again i point "it's hers" the security agent scribbles something on her arrival card, and dumps the rest of the smuggled food, and gestures to the inspection line. I pile some five large bags onto a cart and begin moving to the next checkpoint.

This one is simple enough just a man wanting to see everything potentially carrying microbes. He inspects the tools and footwear, and clears us to the next check the baggage x-rays. I unpile my mountain of luggage put it on the tray go another six feet and pile it back up. 24 hours have passed, this will be an interesting adventure.