Hopscotch

I am currently on route back to Chicago from Matsuyama.  With three connections, my travel itinerary reminds me of hopscotch--Matsuyama to Osaka, Osaka to Narita, Narita to Seattle, and Seattle to Chicago.  Unfortunately this itinerary is my own fault for booking my ticket late. On the plus side, the more frequent stops does mean that I can stretch my legs more frequently and hopefully avoid the swollen feet I had on the way to Japan.  So far, things are going rather well, but I did make the mistake of packing a bottle of plum sake that I had bought for Matt in my carry on and had to give it up when going through Japanese customs on my way from Tokyo to Seattle because of the ban on liquids in carry on bags in the U.S.  I am sad, but hope that at least the screener gets to enjoy it and it doesn't get tossed in the trash. 

 The other disappointment so far has been that my connection from Osaka to Tokyo was very short, not allowing me time to get anything substantive to eat (I just had some snacks in Osaka because nothing else available looked appetizing).  i also regret that i didn't get to do any shopping in the duty free stores.  I had just enough time to use the bathroom, clear customs, and get to my gate before boarding began.  I did manage to grab an ice cream sandwich from a vending machine (these are all over Japan) and a bottle of water though.  It's now dinner time and I'm thankful that meals are served on international flights.  The flight attendants are coming around now with dinner--chicken curry or salmon and rice.  It smells delicious in the cabin and I can't wait to eat!  It won't be the juicy hamburger I've been dreaming of, but I look forward to that when we land in Seattle.  My connection there is a couple hours so I'm hoping it won't be a problem.

10 minutes later....

Well I completely devoured my meal in less than 10 minutes.  Yum!  Interestingly, when I got my meal, I looked for the chopsticks.  I guess that a week in Japan has gotten me conditioned to using them.  I am kind of surprised, though.  Funny thing is that had I had chopsticks to choose from, I think I would have used them!  

Given the time change that I am facing when I get back to the States, I am going to try and stay up as much as I can.  I also want to try and stretch my legs a bit more on this flight.  I am in a window seat and have an empty seat between me and the women sitting next to the aisle of my row, so I am hoping that will help.  Just seven hours to go to Seattle!