Today is the day!!
5January 10, 2013 by oceangirl821
First, I want to announce that my 2 suitcases were both under 50lbs!! This is a feat to be applauded. Three months of planning paid off.
My flight left Charleston at 9am. I almost missed it. Charleston is a very small airport and I was at my gate at 8:30. I sat and waited and never heard them call for boarding and didn’t see my flight number on any of the boards. At 8:50 I started to worry a little, then heard my name over the PA. Everyone was already on the plane out on the tarmac!! How does that happen?
Got to Detroit and only had a 49 minute layover. By the time I got off my plane and VERY briskly walked to the other end of the airport they were already boarding my next flight. (As I was running through the airport working up a sweat, I saw these overhead trams going somewhere… my brain finally engaged when I was almost at my gate and I realized I could’ve taken one of those trams.)
I was now on my 5 hour flight to LA. Someone tell me why it’s okay to charge hundreds of dollars for a flight, charge $60 to put 2 bags on the plane and then only give me 1 bag of pretzels for a 5 hour flight?!! One bag of pretzels! Yes, I could’ve paid $7 for a snack assortment but out of principle I refused. (I’ll show them.) So I sat there starving, kicking myself for not throwing a Granola bar in my bag. I had a wonderful conversation with the woman next to me. She was smart enough to bring food, and sweet enough to share some with me. Shew!
The 2 hour layover in LA went by quickly. I called 2 of my girlfriends and my brother and his wife so I could talk to my babies (they’re 5, 4 and almost 3 so they do actually talk.), ate a sandwich and it was time to go.
My cab driver was nice, San Diego is beautiful, the hotel owner was great. He grew up in India so when we were making small talk and he found what I was doing and where I was going we struck up a great conversation. He was the first person to write in my “around-the-world-people-I-meet” book.
Tomorrow – the shuttle to the ship!
(This was on Jan. 8)
Sea What I See 
Well i’m glad you finally scored some snacks! You can’t start your journey hungry 😛
and what a cool idea to take a book for people you meet to sign! you are so smart!!
Wow! How exciting. Best of luck on your adventures. I’m eagerly awaiting updates as you have them.
Great writing, Rachel! Yes, I agree. They should of served you sandwiches or something. This is a fun read. Looking forward to more updates.
Hi paluki ( or is that Bruce?) Enjoy Hawaii!
Have a great trip Rachel, I’ll be checking your blog regularly. Sorry I won’t be able to meet you on the Big Island, but if you are interested in doing a dive, contact Kona Diving Co. They’re friends and do a great manta ray dive. Look forward to reading more.