Travel Diary

The final morning had come. I couldn’t sleep in since there were things to do and we had to check out. As there was a cleaning staff, no cleaning from us was needed, but we left our tip for them and they seemed very pleased at our generosity. I was finally able to video record all of the other bedrooms and I have to say, they were exceptionally nice. But time was ticking. I decided to leave my bottle of rum there since I couldn’t take it on the plane anyway.

Some people left at different times but about six of us had similar flight times so we Uber’d to the airport around noon. It took about an hour to reach the airport. I guess that was expected, but I was a little anxious how long the lines would be.

They were long.

Now, I had “TSAPreCheck,” but it was meaningless there. One line for everyone. Well, people with handicaps or special needs did have a separate line, which was a good thing.

I waited about 25 minutes to reach the ticket check. My ticket on my iPhone didn’t seem to work at the gate, but they checked my passport and I was able to get through (whew!) Then it was another 30-minute line for the bag scan. But it moved along at a decent speed.

When that was done, I reached my gate, but only after passing through countless duty-free shops. And I did take a photo of the prices just out of curiosity. Yeah, they may save you on taxes, but as the prices are often 2x normal, it’s still a ripoff. No need to buy from them.

My flight took off on time and I was soon in the air once again. I was upgraded (surprisingly) so that was nice. I did have a decent meal on the plane (and an IPA). We flew for a few hours and I landed in San Jose, CA. With Global Entry, the immigration check was instant. It definitely has been highly worth it.

My layover was a couple of hours, so I went outside to take in the air of the place I called home for most of my life Well, the Bay Area at least. I never flew too often from San Jose Airport. But the rain started falling and it was cold. I went back inside, unsure when I’d be outside in California again.

The airport was quite calm at night, but some flights were still going out. I walked along the hallways for a while to see the places I never visited before. I was hungry, but as a meal was coming on the flight, it seemed silly to eat just before that. Outside, the rain was really starting to pour down.

Then time for flight number two. I had another first class upgrade. The year ended quite well for upgrades. It was my first set of flights as a 100k member, so I would have received a snack anywhere on the plane. I also had opted for free WIFI for a year, so all flights would have Internet for me until the end of 2024. I think I’ll enjoy that perk a lot.

Back in the air again, my second meal wasn’t terribly fancy, though I wasn’t too hungry. It was mainly just eggs, carrots, and cheese. In short time, I was back in Seattle.

The weather was cold of course, but Uber and Lyft were over $60, so I took the train home for $3. It took some time, but eventually, I was back in Cap Hill once again and walking home. I made a pitstop at Dicks’ Burgers as I was craving a snack. Then back at the condo.

The next long trip would be in three days.