Journeys with Jenny and Cole: The Longest Day (or was it two?)

The friday before our honeymoon officially kicked off was busy as per usual. There were pig breakfasts to put together, pig habitats to clean, and of course figure out how to get everything we needed for two weeks into two bags that we could carry on. We figured that would be the best since our trip would involve a lot of running around. Packing was the most difficult and after several packings and repackings it was decided that the two bags that would be making the trip were Coles new backpack and Jenny's standard rolling bag. There were things that poor Jenny just couĺd not part with. She would eventually have to part with a few things later on, however.

Before taking off from Bismarck, ND we got a solid two hours of sleep. Its not the quantity but the quality- and the quality wasn't awesome either. We arrived early and were about to clear the security line quickly but there was just one problem. Jenny mistakenly did not pack her multitude of creams, gels, lotions, and assorted toiletries in a 1 quart clear plastic bag. She drew the attention of a very crabby TSA agent that proceeded to make her toss a few things or be forced to check the bag. I had to make the tough call to get rid of the wrinkle release and we made it through. I was feeling like I pulled one over on the system bringing in a 1 GALLON sized clear plastic bag that they didn't catch. We then sat at the Bismarck International Airport for hours as our flight was delayed. This wasn't a big deal as we had a 5 hour layover in Denver before taking off to Japan.

Upon successfully arriving in Denver we went at some coffee and scones and I realized that I forgot my book on the plane. We power walked back to the gate but it was no use, the book was gone and now I have to replace it as I borrowed it from someone at work. Oh well, at least our plane to Tokyo seemed to be right on schedule even as they instructed us to line up for boarding. Wrong. Turns out the 4th pilot was late in arriving and we were delayed 1.5 hours. Going into the flight I had no idea how we were going to handle a 12 hour flight. I knew how Jenny would react since her and my brother are the only two people I know that could fall asleep laying on a pile of rocks. But when we walked into the plane it was like stepping into the future. It was a brand new plane complete with a screen in every seat back loaded with movies, tv shows, and games. It also had more leg room than any plane I've ever been on. The map feature was also cool so we could follow our arching progress across the pacific ocean. For being a 12 hour flight (the longest of my life) it actually wasn't that bad. I watched probably 3 movies, a few tv shows, and almost read an entire book. All that being said we knew we were going to be late for our connecting flight to Bangkok but we were assured that it would be taken care of as we soared over the Pacific to Tokyo.

The Japanese did not dissapoint. They had not only rescheduled our flight but also booked us a bus ticket to get us to the other airport serving Tokyo. We went right through customs and onto the bus. It was probably the most efficient process I've ever seen. The workers told everyone where to line up and what to do and they did it and it worked. In the US people would just whine and group up and make a mockery of the line system. We arrived at Haneda Airport and I got my first taste of real ramen and it was awesome. Jenny wasn't as impressed but we were at an airport and it was a little more difficult to snag some vegetarian cuisine. While waiting for our flight I was also impressed with the bathroom situation. These toilets in the airport weren't your standard devices, they were from the future as well. There were a multitude of options whichI won't describe here but are included in one of the pictures in this post. Very interesting indeed.

The flight from Tokyo to Bangkok was relatively uneventful. We were both really sleepy and it worked out that our flight would be arriving at 6 am local time instead of 11 pm. It was easier to sleep when you were supposed to rather than try to figure out if you should be sleeping or not.

When it was all said and done we were checked into our room before 9 am and instead of resting on our laurels for having completed 2 full days of traveling in a row, we took off into Bangkok for the first day of our adventure!