The best ride

Currently typing this while onboard a Cathay Pacific flight, enroute to Hong kong for a transit to finally go to Tokyo. It’s been such a hectic morning, dropping Jamie off at my grandma’s, packing in last minute items, rushing for the airport after staying up till late last night yesterday with the packing and planning – I think I’ve almost figured out what we’re doing for the first day. I think.

Getting onto the plane was a breeze and I passed out within 5 mins of getting my pillow and woke up for lunch, to begin feeling sleepy all over again.

I’ve been flying regularly since I was 4 because of my dad’s work. It was exciting for the first few years because yayyyy in-flight entertainment. Which meant I’d be playing super Mario or watching cartoons through my 6h long flights to China and back. Getting on a plane was an experience I loved – play all the games, eat all the plane food, gobble up my bun (yasss that warm bun they carry out in a basket and distribute with tongs), ask my parents if I can have theirs, then ask my parents repeatedly to ask the air stewards/stewardesses if I could have more.

But gradually, taking a plane became almost as normal to me as taking a bus. Long waiting times before getting on to it, and it was merely another mode of transport to get me to a destination. The plane ride stopped being so much of the travelling experience and instead became more of an obstacle in getting to a place. And then of course, flying around so much while on exchange really put it on the same level with bus or train rides.

We’d clamber on, fall asleep before take off and wake up only when it landed. I guess the experience was simplified too because we flew budget all the time – so no meals, no one offering you blankets and pillows and definitely no Super Mario on board.

All this, until Nicole and I took our SIA flight back home, from Amsterdam Schipol to Changi. After being homesick for 2 weeks, I was really looking forward to going home, and putting an end to the endless stripping during security checks – I had on about 5 layers everyday since it constantly felt like it was the dead of winter. So each security check would involve taking off of the outer coat, my sweater, another sweater, my thick scarf, my boots, then unpacking my macbook from my backpack (which was perpetually stuffed full)…….. and then putting all that back on omfg.

I swear though, the moment I stepped on board the aircraft I almost teared.

“Nicole the plane is SO BIG???????” 

“OH MY GOSH NICOLE IS THIS THE NEW PLANE??? LOOK EVERYTHING IS BEIGEY)”

“HOLY SHIT THE AIR STEWARDESSES ARE SPEAKING SINGLISH!!”

“Nicole omg omg they’re gonna give us food throughout our flight!!!!!”

“NICOLE WE CAN WATCH MOVIES THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE FLIGHT”

“WE ARE REALLY GOING HOMEEEEEEEEEE”

“Should we get some wine?!!?! It’s free right?!!?!?”

All this x20 and said really quickly in high-pitched squeals, accompanied by a flurry of photo-snapping on my lousy S3. Yeah that’s right, I became THAT country bumpkin who couldn’t stop pointing and squealing. By the time I sat down I was exhausted.

I napped for a bit in the beginning, then Nicole and I binged watched movies on our 13h flight, ate all our meals, planned for the best time to ask for free cup noodles (because – FREE), never got to eat our cup noodles because we were so confused by the time zones, had our wine (because – FREE, although our rational was that it would help us sleep better. It did not. I felt so sick after that I couldn’t fml.) We slept for a grand total of like 3h that flight – the flight where we were supposed to stay awake for 6, then pass out for the next 6h to “fix our body clock so we won’t get THAT jetlagged”.

And despite feeling all pukey because of the wine, not getting our free cup noodles, the ridiculous jetlag that persisted for the next few days, it was the best ride of my life. Thus far, at least.

It was great feeling SO(!!!!!!!!) excited again about something I’d truly taken for granted. It’s a little of the whole “you don’t know what you have till you’ve lost it” / “can’t have rainbow without some rain” / “need sadness to know what happiness is” concept, just that I wasn’t actually upset about taking budget airlines because I saved a whole hell lot and it was comfy enough to sleep on anyway. So I guess it was like happiness AND THEN EVEN MORE HAPPINESS.

Something like that.