On the Road to Singapore

(Part one)

Saturday, June 26, 1999

3:55am (California time)

We have just finished dinner. Breakfast will be served in a few hours. Not knowing the schedule, I cheated and indulged in a piece of cheesecake and a couple of cups of coffee to the accompaniment of "Disco Inferno" played too loud in an airport lounge before getting on the plane. Dinner was good, contrary to the stereotype. No Cate Gable Epicurean feast, but tasty and well prepared, on a par with good hotel food at business event.

San Francisco ~ Hong Kong

Supper

Hors d'oeuvre

Perch roasted with potatoes, tomatoes, olives and capsicums

Cheese and crackers

Muscat custard with mango in a citrus syrup

Roll and butter

Coffee - Tea

Such cramped quarters. The fellow ahead of me delights in reclining his seat as far as it can go, resulting in my having an excellent view of his coiffure from twelve inches away. The young man to my right (window seat) keeps bumping elbows with me as he tries to sleep clutching his massive Arthur C. Clarke novel. The young woman to my left (yes, I have the dreaded middle seat) seems capable of dropping off to peaceful sleep in seconds. I sit and write, awake and alone in a crowd of strangers.

Saturday, June 26, 1999

8:40am (California time)

I am writing this in near darkness using a thin ray of light from somewhere behind me. Most people seem to be asleep, including my two seat companions. I have slept an hour, perhaps more. A young child in the row behind me cries every so often. A few minutes ago we crossed the International Date Line, but I will continue to record this using California time until landing in Singapore.

Saturday, June 26, 1999

Noon (California time)

The plane is awake, the child behind me is chatting, singing, and giggling loudly with her mother and older brother. The mother's voice is thin and flutey, Indian from the sound. It has an incredible range of subtonics and overtones. Breakfast is being prepared. I am hungry, eight hours since dinner. Moderate turbulence, naturally just as food is to be served. The child behind me is bouncing and hitting the back of my seat but the giggles and laughter soften the annoyance; so much better than the crying of the night / morning before.

I thought I would get some work done but the lack of sleep has dulled my mind; maybe after we stop in Hong Kong. That is due in two hours (2:00pm California time, 6:00am (Sunday) local time. After Hong Kong it is a four-hour flight on to Singapore. Maybe I can work then.

Saturday, June 26, 1999

12:30pm (California time)

No breakfast yet, I am starving! The woman next to me is watching 'Shakespeare in Love' on the small screen built into the seat back facing her. I am trying to avoid watching it as we have not seen it yet.

Saturday, June 26, 1999

1:30pm (California time)

Breakfast is finished, slow descent through clouds and dawn toward Hong Kong.

San Francisco ~ Hong Kong

Breakfast

Fruit juices

Fruit appetizer

Omelette with fresh parsley

Grilled tomato

Chicken sausage

Fondante potatoes

Assorted breakfast rolls

Butter - Fruit preserve

Coffee - Tea

Saturday, June 26, 1999

2:00pm California time, 5:00am Hong Kong time)

Gray, cloudy morning, the clouds still pink with sunrise. I see mountains outside, wrapped in gray clouds. I find out that is the island of Taipei. We are forty-five minutes now from Hong Kong.

Saturday, June 26, 1999

3:00pm California time, 6:00am Hong Kong time)

We land and will have one hour on the ground. Gregory (my boss) meets me as I leave the airplane. He takes me to the Singapore Airlines Executive Club (he has flown over 800,000 miles) where we may snack on soup and sandwiches enjoy good coffee and nice comfortable chairs. I have a small cup of Hagen Daz chocolate ice cream and a cup of coffee. The airport is new, looks like any other modern airport. While waiting to re-board the airplane I realize all the signs are in English with very little Chinese.

Saturday, June 26, 1999

7:30pm (California time, 10:30am Singapore time)

We are forty miles from landing and the poetry reading should be starting now (provided Robin showed up on time, not the safest assumption - 'Robin Time' is a phrase oft used at the senior center writing class.

I am dead tired, no sleep since Friday morning except a couple of restless catnaps of maybe half an hour each. It will be another nine hours before I may retire to bed and sleep.