Justine Larbalestier

reading, writing, eating, drinking, sport

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If this is Thursday . . .

. . . then I must be in London.

When I was little all I ever wanted to do was travel, but I didn’t have in mind hitting Los Angeles, Seattle, New York City (twice—very briefly), Indiana, Kentucky and London all in the space of two weeks. It’s too much.

Things I hate about travelling:

  • airports (where they confiscate your toothpaste for being a few grams over the weight limit)
  • airplanes (full of people hacking up their lungs)
  • getting sick
  • leaving my favourite toothpaste/book/jacket/friends behind
  • never being a hundred per cent sure where I am or what time it is or where the stuff I need is

Other than that I adore travelling. Anyone else got some travel whinge or love to share?

This was written on a hotel computer which is currently my only access to the intramebby thingamajiggy. I am still behind with all correspondence and will remain so for a least a couple more weeks. But I have read and enjoyed your emails and comments. Thank you! You’re all too fabulous for words. Now if only check-in time would roll around my life would be complete . . .

Posted by Justine at 6:14, 26 October 2006 under Cons & Other Gatherings, Travelling, Whingeing | 12 Comments »

Comments

  1. Simon Sherlock Says:

    What a crap time of year to visit the UK though, if you’re very lucky, you might get 2-3 hours where it doesn’t rain :)

    October 26th, 2006 at 7:21 am

  2. marrije Says:

    london! I can practically wave at you then! what are you guys doing in londen, or is mr westerfeld not there with you?

    i hate

    taking off my shoes in the airport, and all other bloody nuisance security theatre nonsense regulations.

    also airplane food.

    also never being able to hear the announcements (i’m slightly deaf) and being afraid i’m missing that one crucial gate change message.

    and not understanding public transport mores in foreign countries. does one walk on the left or the right on londen tube staircases?? oh yeah, you were supposed to hold on to your tube/train tickets until after leaving your destination station…

    October 26th, 2006 at 7:37 am

  3. veejane Says:

    Things I hate about traveling: the expense. The movies on the airplane being a choice between boring, boring, and familiar. The amazing variations in what security will make you do, and how it’s all public and in queues and designed to shame you if you object. Being nice to strangers because you are stuck next to them.

    Things I love about traveling: escaping my cold, dark climate for a week of summer harvest in October.

    October 26th, 2006 at 8:30 am

  4. Little Willow Says:

    Howzabout not being given your shoes back by an attendant who refuses to believe you are old enough to travel alone?

    And then the attendant calls someone ELSE over to LOOK AT YOU?

    October 26th, 2006 at 9:21 am

  5. Doselle Young Says:

    Here’s hoping you got to at least infect some of those annoying, invasive security people all 12 Monkeys style
    along the way, Justine.

    So, if you and Scott are now in London, do you currently feel more as if you’re stuck in an (a) Clash song “London Calling”, (b) Jam song “Down In A Tube Station at Midnight”, (c) Smiths song “Panic”, or (d) Elvis Costello song “Don’t Want To Go To Chelsea”? Of course, you may think all those guys are crap, so, feel free to add your own band and tune, instead.

    I know you’re no fan of that particular city on the winding Planetary River Styx (in Los Angeles, that river is Sunset Blvd.), so let it out, honey.

    Tell us how you really feel.

    As for me, the things I hate about traveling are:

    1) Worrying my trousers will fall down when I remove my belt at security.

    2) The amount of useless in-between time on the plane when I can concentrate on a book, my Ipod runs out of juice or the person next to me won’t stop talking enthusiastically about some topic I think is completely butt-stupid. (Pick one).

    3) The irrational fear the plane with fly off course and I’ll be stranded on an island with a bunch of unlikeable people with inconsistent pasts and forced by the unseen writing staff to participate in an unlikely series of useless expierments until
    the fans decide they don’t like the weird atheist black guy with the completely unbelievable name who keeps setting fire to everything and I get killed off.

    4) The trouser thing is really annoying.

    Things I like about traveling.

    1) Getting to see some of the best people on the planet while still on the planet.

    2) New treats like the sipping chocolate at Cafe Vergnano in London.

    3)Those people really are AMAZING.

    You know who you are.

    October 26th, 2006 at 10:12 am

  6. Cheryl Says:

    Ships in the night. I left from Heathrow yesterday.

    What do I hate when traveling?

    - Bad aircraft air that makes me sound like I’m sick when I’m not

    - Movies I want to see always being on the flight going the other way

    - Not getting live coverage of important cricket matches while on the plane

    October 26th, 2006 at 2:41 pm

  7. sean Says:

    Ugh. I hate getting there two hours early, waiting in huge lines, and then either being yelled at because my laptop is either *not* out of its carrier and on a tray, or because it *is* in a tray and not its carrier, and I’m “holding up the line”. Oh, and I hate the new drug/explosive poofy-air things. Because they make my *clothes* go POOF. And poofing clothes are never good when you’re not wearing a shirt underneath.

    October 26th, 2006 at 6:53 pm

  8. g. jules Says:

    Today on the plane the woman who sat down next to me was drenched in industrial-strength perfume. As it happens, I’m allergic to a lot of sorts of perfume, and as soon as she sat down, I could feel my sinuses starting to pinch. It was an open seating flight, so I stood up, gathered my things, and said “I’m sorry, I’m going to have to move. I’m allergic to your perfume. Could you please let me out?”

    And then she wouldn’t get out of her seat to let me out, so I had to squeeze past her with all my stuff. If I were a better person, I’d be feeling guilty about the fact that I kinda think I might have hit her in the face with my backpack when I squeezed by.

    So that’s one of the things I hate about traveling. I think I would rather have someone throw up on me because of airsickness than sit down next to me wearing strong perfume. (And yes, I’ve experienced both.) It’s just that I’ve gotten so fond of being able to breathe.

    October 26th, 2006 at 8:11 pm

  9. Chris S. Says:

    Dinna like: Jet lag. Also, airport anxiety (ie: Am I on time? Am I late? Who’s that official looking person? Is that my gate? What was that announcement? Am I there yet?) ‘Random’ security checks.

    Like lots: takeoff (speed, flying: what’s not to love?). Being somewhere else. Friends waiting on the other end of the jetway. That first breath of new air (only where the air is good: LA, NY, HK need not apply.)

    October 31st, 2006 at 8:41 pm

  10. J Luc Pitard Says:

    A friend’s theory is that traveling is perfectly lovely until it ceases to be voluntary. She says that extends to most things in life (perhaps eating is exempt). My brother travels so much that it is no longer a joy to him though he used to enjoy it as much as I do.
    Personally, I enjoy flight, but I still have choice in the matter, it isn’t my job. I sometimes travel for work, but not the two weeks out of a month that my brother does.

    November 2nd, 2006 at 1:00 pm

  11. Rebecca Says:

    scott says you have flu. i hope you are much improved soon. :)

    November 6th, 2006 at 12:18 pm

  12. marrije Says:

    nanowrimo in thailand! that sounds heavenly. the flu not so much, hope that has gone away already.

    November 6th, 2006 at 4:13 pm

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