The Departure

Departure was orderly. Korean Air was extraordinarily high-class. I have become good friends with Maggie of Philadelphia, Joel of San Diego, and Jake of Colorado. The seat-back entertainment systems were very advanced, and included head-to-head Tetris. Jake soundly trounced me in two rounds, but I savored my last taste of videogames. I watched Coraline and Chinatown.

The day bears on and on. Traveling with the sun is disorienting and disconcerting. The Korean layover is full of last-minute internet-checking.

Exhaustion has set in. Poor bastards made the mistake of putting me and Maggie next to each other on the flight from Korea to Ulan Bator. She introduced me to the terms “giggle-bunny” and “giggle-scorpion” (the manly option,) all meaning punchy to the point of social dissolution, I think. I opt for “giggle-raptor.” The woman sitting next to us urgently but kindly tells us that we need to sleep. Miles to go before I sleep…