While sitting on the plane on my way to Morocco, I took out my little net book and did some off-line blogging. Check it out:
Blog 9/15/09
I am somewhere above Canada right now, in a plane destined for Montreal. A short while ago the captain announced that we were passing over New York City, and all the passengers craned their necks to get an aerial view of Brooklyn, Queens and New Jersey. It looked pretty much the same as the last two cities I peered down at from an airplane window: Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. The scenery below has started to change significantly though, as low-rises give way to rolling hills and narrow streets to broad rivers. It's a nice, sunny day on the east coast, without a lot of cloud cover, so I have been able to enjoy the slowly changing scenery from the window of my high-speed jet.
From Montreal, I will catch a red-eye to Casablanca. I have a connecting flight to Tangier and then, after over 24 hours of travel, will continue on by cab to my new home, Tetouan. My main concern at the moment is that there will be some hold up at customs and I will miss my connecting flight. I have very little faith in customs and immigration, but maybe Canada will be different.
At any rate, I don't have much time left to worry. We are making our final decent, and I have to turn this computer off!
I am now somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, although it's so dark I can't even see the wing of the plane outside my window. The flight so far has been fine, but a little strange. Apparently the airline also runs on Moroccan time, because I was given a boarding time that was two and a half hours before the plane was to take off! Arriving punctually at the gate two and a half hours before departure, I questioned the attendant at the gate who assured me that we would be boarding “very soon, twenty minutes.” An hour past, and then another. In the end, we didn't start boarding until half an hour before take off. Once on board the plane it was announced that because of some technical difficulty that occurred after take off, there will be no in-flight movies. Six and a half hours and no terrible sitcoms! No cheesy romantic comedies! No candid camera! How did the pilgrims do it? So instead of listening to some XM radio or dubbed films, I am treated to the sounds of a million screaming babes (probably because there's no TV) Then, my order for a vegetarian meal seemingly disappeared (Luckily the second option was fish). The airline isn't turning down the lights even though dinner has been cleaned for nearly an hour now. (Wow- instant gratification. Not three minutes after writing that, they cut the lights. I wonder if a bored flight attendant wasn't reading over my shoulder. Or tapping into my brain waves...). Anyway, despite this weirdness, the flight is going fine. I made my connection in Canada without losing some of my human dignity at customs and immigration (They were actually very nice. I give the Montreal airport very high marks across the board. It felt like a really upscale shopping mall.) Flying in to Montreal was really beautiful as well. I have been to the city before but it must have been cloudy because I was really impressed by the view today. I peaked out my window after turning off my computer and the sight took my breath away. I was instantly reminded of Germany, and that first time I ever saw soil that was not North American. Just like then, I was struck by the clearly defined, bright blocks of colors that dotted the landscape and stretched off into the horizon. It looked like a quilt. It looked like art. It was breathtaking. I was shocked by the straight, geometrical lines, by the variety and vibrancy of the colors, and I was shocked by the fact that taking a new perspective on something I saw everyday could be so shocking. A tiny country road stretches off into infinity, a smattering of houses nestle tightly up beside it, and then vast expanses of thin, rectangles in colors ranging from yellow to brown to terra cotta to grey-violet and every shade on the color spectrum between green and indigo. I didn't know the earth itself could be so many different colors, especially not all in one place.
I should get some sleep. I am enjoying the soft glow of my computer screen in the dark cabin, but I think for now at least I need to be disciplined and get some rest. I still have a ways to go in my journey.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep
And miles to go before I sleep.
And miles to go before I sleep.
Blog 9/15/09
I am somewhere above Canada right now, in a plane destined for Montreal. A short while ago the captain announced that we were passing over New York City, and all the passengers craned their necks to get an aerial view of Brooklyn, Queens and New Jersey. It looked pretty much the same as the last two cities I peered down at from an airplane window: Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. The scenery below has started to change significantly though, as low-rises give way to rolling hills and narrow streets to broad rivers. It's a nice, sunny day on the east coast, without a lot of cloud cover, so I have been able to enjoy the slowly changing scenery from the window of my high-speed jet.
From Montreal, I will catch a red-eye to Casablanca. I have a connecting flight to Tangier and then, after over 24 hours of travel, will continue on by cab to my new home, Tetouan. My main concern at the moment is that there will be some hold up at customs and I will miss my connecting flight. I have very little faith in customs and immigration, but maybe Canada will be different.
At any rate, I don't have much time left to worry. We are making our final decent, and I have to turn this computer off!
I am now somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, although it's so dark I can't even see the wing of the plane outside my window. The flight so far has been fine, but a little strange. Apparently the airline also runs on Moroccan time, because I was given a boarding time that was two and a half hours before the plane was to take off! Arriving punctually at the gate two and a half hours before departure, I questioned the attendant at the gate who assured me that we would be boarding “very soon, twenty minutes.” An hour past, and then another. In the end, we didn't start boarding until half an hour before take off. Once on board the plane it was announced that because of some technical difficulty that occurred after take off, there will be no in-flight movies. Six and a half hours and no terrible sitcoms! No cheesy romantic comedies! No candid camera! How did the pilgrims do it? So instead of listening to some XM radio or dubbed films, I am treated to the sounds of a million screaming babes (probably because there's no TV) Then, my order for a vegetarian meal seemingly disappeared (Luckily the second option was fish). The airline isn't turning down the lights even though dinner has been cleaned for nearly an hour now. (Wow- instant gratification. Not three minutes after writing that, they cut the lights. I wonder if a bored flight attendant wasn't reading over my shoulder. Or tapping into my brain waves...). Anyway, despite this weirdness, the flight is going fine. I made my connection in Canada without losing some of my human dignity at customs and immigration (They were actually very nice. I give the Montreal airport very high marks across the board. It felt like a really upscale shopping mall.) Flying in to Montreal was really beautiful as well. I have been to the city before but it must have been cloudy because I was really impressed by the view today. I peaked out my window after turning off my computer and the sight took my breath away. I was instantly reminded of Germany, and that first time I ever saw soil that was not North American. Just like then, I was struck by the clearly defined, bright blocks of colors that dotted the landscape and stretched off into the horizon. It looked like a quilt. It looked like art. It was breathtaking. I was shocked by the straight, geometrical lines, by the variety and vibrancy of the colors, and I was shocked by the fact that taking a new perspective on something I saw everyday could be so shocking. A tiny country road stretches off into infinity, a smattering of houses nestle tightly up beside it, and then vast expanses of thin, rectangles in colors ranging from yellow to brown to terra cotta to grey-violet and every shade on the color spectrum between green and indigo. I didn't know the earth itself could be so many different colors, especially not all in one place.
I should get some sleep. I am enjoying the soft glow of my computer screen in the dark cabin, but I think for now at least I need to be disciplined and get some rest. I still have a ways to go in my journey.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep
And miles to go before I sleep.
And miles to go before I sleep.
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