Where are all the sky scrapers?

Despite what this entry may say, it is actually still Thursday. I have discovered that when flying it is always Thursday.

The flight was incredibly quick, the 12.5hr flight was 11.5hr long. I think I shall write to United and suggest they enquire as to the shortcut our pilot found and put it as a regular thing. In truth of course we had a tailwind the entire way, hence the mild turbulence.

Landing was fine, I'm pleased to say that SFO is geared towards driving the passengers out of the airport in the quickest method possible. Immigration and Customs were surprisingly easy. I did find a mild frustration in trying to acquire a local SIM card. The only store I could find was closed (though it was 0615h at the time), and I strongly suspect the prices wouldn't be the best, given they appear to have a strong lock on sales.

Time progresses, this entry has been open all day…

Eventually - with the help of a patient info desk person - I managed to navigate my way to Mountain View. I suspect the info desk person may have helped hapless visitors like myself in the past, as evidenced by the slip of paper preprinted with directions to Mountain View.

By this time it was rapidly approaching a reasonable hour, and I managed to navigate my way to a decent coffee shop. Any illusions I held of a Mountain View being a busy metropolis of tall glass buildings and lights everywhere was shattered when what confronted me was more a large modern village. Don't get me wrong, eventually I found a mode of transport that presented a better view, but I wasn't expecting what I found.

This was not what I was expecting!

After inserting a sufficient quantity of caffeine, further illusions were about to be shattered. The table of geeks I was sitting at seemed a likely source of information on where I could acquire a local SIM. Mostly disturbing however was that my question was met with blank – and then puzzled – expressions. It seemed clear they'd never gone through the process of acquiring a SIM separate to their service provider locked phones. Suggestions such as CVS (think supermarket) and drug stores (selling alcohol and cigars???) were presented. 

To cut this technology fail story short, after trying multiple places recommended by multiple people at various other places, it finally dawned on me to try a local mobile provider store. 10 minutes later I walked out of a T-Mobile store with a brand new 3GB SIM. Cheers Gary, you served me well!

To sum up the rest of the day is easy: Sleep, Study, Eat, Sleep. Reminds me of University.

Somewhere over the North Pacific

Time: 0430h PST - The blog software doesn't like time travel, so I'm lying to it.

United has exceeded expectations, not that they were particularly high. I paid for upgrade to economy plus, it is a long long distance from AirNZ premium economy. I would put United's economy+ in the same category as AirNZ economy.

My cabin was only about one-third to one-half full, and therefore most people got to stretch out across at least two seats. I am in front of cabin, with a plethora of legroom, and have chosen not to change.

The meals were fine, I was most impressed to see vegetarian was a standard option off-the-cart. I mentioned this to one of the attendants and she did inform me it's not always, and I should book next time to be sure.

Desert afterwards was an ice cream, this stuck out in my mind because it had clearly been kept very very cold. Very very cold. I could not get at it for at least 10mins.

The flight crew have been marvellous. It's been a mildly turbulent flight, the seatbelt sign has been on I'm guessing around 1/2 to 2/3s of the time. Nothing serious, indeed I found it nice to sleep with.

A Single 10Ahr USB battery was enough to keep my laptop at 100% and recharge my phone when needed. 

In about 2hrs I should be on the ground in SFO, and ready to brace the other side of the airline travel experience (see previous entry). Normally I'd not expect too much trouble, but being US immigration, it could be days.

A new trip

Well, it's been suggested I resume my travel... journal, not-blog, journal. This is a comparatively short trip to San Francisco and back for a job interview at LinkedIn.

I sit here at Auckland International Airport, drinking a beer, and awaiting my flight. Alas I am flying United, and so the AirNZ lounge is not available to me. I see the entrance from where I sit - it mocks my economy non AirNZ ticket. The metaphor pokes its tongue at me.

At the airport, the passengers who aren't sitting at a bar never stop moving, from the time they enter the airport there is this magnetic pull, drawing each along. The only refuge from this tug is a seat at a restaurant, a cafe, a bar, or perhaps a visit to a shop - but never for long, even in a shop, the force reaches in and reminds you that your time here is temporary.

Eventually the flow unceremoniously dumps you in the departure lounge for your gate. A Boeing 777-200 seats around 320 passengers. At the gate there are 140 seats. It is the final insult given by the airport to this stage of your travel experience.

Your only respite is your desire to reach the other end - assuming you are lucky enough to be heading somewhere you want, and that you have no connecting flights.

Fortunately, after that grim analysis of airport travel, I am sitting down, drinking my beer, and I have a direct flight to San Francisco, a city that I am very much looking forward to visiting again.