I was psyched. Who wouldn’t be? I was off to India, a country halfway around the world at age seven! I was so excited that I was bouncing off the walls at home, in the car, and at the airport. (It didn’t help that I had eaten half a pack of bubble gum tape either.) When we arrived at the security door of the airport, I suddenly felt subdued after getting my mind around the fact that I would not see this country or my dad for over a month. After a couple of heartfelt hugs and flurry of goodbyes, we were in the concourse. I was off on my great adventure to India!


We took off from my hometown airport in Grand Junction, Colorado, flew to Denver where we caught a flight connection that took us to LAX. The hours flew by with all the terminals and subways and cool sliding magnetic doors to entertain me. On the flight out of Los Angeles, TV was provided along with meals and snacks. The remote on the plane turned into a game controller for a racing game. People started to fall asleep after dinner, my mom included. A large window in the back provided a panoramic view of the ocean.


I spent most of my time staring out of that window. A pod of “toy” whales surfaced far below me, and I could see the thin mist as they blew water out of their blow holes. A thunderstorm in the distance furiously battered the sea with rain and lightning. The Pacific directly below us was calm and still, and silky, liquid clouds in the troposphere floated above the water. As far as I could tell, I was the only one awake when we crossed over the International Date Line. It was sunset at the time.


The clock ticked. I watched the scenery. The clock ticked. I saw a movie. The clock ticked. I went back to the rear window. I gasped! Before me was the most amazing and beautiful sight I have ever seen! Mt. Fuji loomed out of the morning fog. An orange rising sun was flooding the island of Japan, and the awesome orange light which reflected off the snowy slopes of the mountain giving it a subtle and serene glow. The iridescent gem that was Tokyo glittered below us. We spiraled down to land. I had reached my gateway to the east.



This is where my brain couldn’t take it anymore, and it conked out. I don’t remember Tokyo very well. I had been awake all the way from Grand Junction to Japan without even a nap, so I guess my memory shut down to power more essential needs. I was still awake though! I might have fallen asleep during part of the ride to Kuala Lumpur. However, in Kuala Lumpur, I know I finally got some sleep! I still dream of those nice, comfy, almost liquid beds in that airport hotel. I slept for a good two hours. This was our last stop before India!

Thousands of questions ran through my dreamy head. What was India like? Where were we going to stay? What would we do? I imagined palaces and elephants, beautiful tall temples and coconuts until my head was whirling with color. I only calmed my mind down by saying that I would see it all tomorrow. We boarded the plane after six good hours in Malaysia. The conductor picked up his microphone and said, “Next stop, India!”