Blankets? Meals! First international flight serves up surprises

By HATTIE BATCHELDER

I was in the midst of a very high stakes running race in which my legs were not working correctly and I had a crowd of loved ones depending on me to win when I was abruptly awoken by my obnoxiously loud iPhone alarm clock. 

I sleepily assisted my roommate in getting to the airport for her 5 a.m. flight home while mentally preparing for my own day of travel. As I made my way to the airport, I listened to Balen Shah’s “greatest hits” to really get myself in the mindset for Nepal. Shah is the rapper-turned-prime minister of Nepal. As I drove, I realized I had never spent more than 5 hours on an airplane.It’s safe to say I had no idea what was in store for the day ahead of me. 

I took a seat next to a man who vaguely acknowledged my existence as I sat down by the window and put in my headphones to block out the world for the next hour or so. I gawked at the mountains out the window – first the Bitterroot range, then the Cascades – then fell asleep for most of the flight.  After arriving in Seattle, I scoured the airport for a sandwich under $10. My search was, sadly but not surprisingly, unsuccessful, so I settled for a breakfast of drip coffee and mini pretzels to hold me over until the next flight. Haven and Kadence found us shortly after our arrival, and we settled into the Seattle airports for the next few hours anticipating our flight to Hong Kong. 

Standing in line to check in, my hands became unusually sweaty as I ran through everything that could possibly go wrong in my head. What if I grabbed someone else’s passport? What if my visa had the wording wrong? What if my bag is too heavy? What if I accidentally packed a weapon in my bag and didn’t realize? You know, the usual concerns one has in an airport. With it being my first time flying overseas, it was inevitable that I’d feel anxious and unsure of myself. But, of course, all was well and the group boarded the plane with no issues. Thankfully, they never fact checked Haven at the gate when she nodded at questioning that her 21 lb bag weighed just 15 pounds. 

At 5:26 a.m. I parked my car in the economy lot of the Missoula airport and began the first leg of the trip. After a breezy 15 minutes of checking in and making it through security, I could finally relax and order my overpriced latte to cancel out my three hours of sleep the night before. (Because that’s how that works, right?) I felt my stress melt away when I approached the gate to see the familiar faces of Nadia and Hanna, waiting with their own coffee and a warm welcome. Vivi met us a few moments later and we boarded the first plane to Seattle. 

The couple next to me was spoke very little English
but they still managed to make fun of me for using a fork to eat my rice rather than a spoon.

I walked down the long aisle of the plane, (my first time ever seeing three rows of seats in a plane!) I passed Hanna, Nadia, Vivi, Kaedence and Haven, and found my seat near the back next to a welcoming elderly couple. I had also never seen a plane provide a blanket and a pillow before, so I was feeling very fancy. 

The first four hours flew by (I was passed out in the comfort of my complimentary blanket!) The next few felt slightly less comfortable, but nonetheless exciting because all I could think about was: “OMG I’m going to Nepal!” This was also the first time I’d ever seen meals provided on a plane (it just keeps getting better!) I ordered some sort of chicken dish, and made broken conversation with my seat buddies. The couple next to me was from a smaller city outside of Hong Kong and spoke very little English but they still managed to make fun of me for using a fork to eat my rice rather than a spoon.

At the end of a long 14 hours in and out of sleep, a few walks up and down the plane, two movies, and a lot of music draining my phone battery, we touched down in Hong Kong, beyond excited for the final leg that will get us to Kathmandu — and a good night’s sleep.