See You on the Flip Side

The afternoon winter sun blazes low through C Concourse’s bay windows from a crisp, cloudless sky. Pristine snow caps hills visible through the terminal’s opposite wall. As we drove into the airport, Mts. Hood and St Helens stood tall, proud and stark to the east, jagged shadows cleaving their slopes. They, too, were pure white. I’m told the last couple days’ cold snaps have finally brought some decent snow to the passes.

Right now, however, I lounge against metal walls and windows on industrial green carpet, watching planes take off and land. My plane is late. Hopefully this gets delays out of the way– over the next day and a half I plan to get through four flights, two busses and a boat to land my ass on Cat Ba Island, in HaLong Bay off Vietnam’s north coast. My 13-hr flight from LA to Taipei leaves at 11:05 this evening and lands 5:35 on January 2^nd.

Awaiting me is work as a climbing and kayak guide among numerous islands in the area with a company called Asia Outdoors. The staff with whom I’ve communicated have been amazingly supportive in the process of moving myself half way around the globe. I’m honestly still a little surprised they hired me.

TSA could not have cared less about the nine pounds of coffee and 400 feet or so of webbing and rope in my carry-on, the only hitch in security coming as an agent chased me down to return my forgotten driver’s license.

Dear Sir, you do your job credit.

Despite being in unopened brand-name packaging, I’ve crossed my fingers in regards to the absurd quantity of climbing chalk in my luggage. Also the climbing hardware I’m ferrying over, as I’ve been warned that shiny objects and customs agents sometimes get along a little too well. I’m armed with a camera.

I’m SO far beyond stoked.

Happy New Years, and see you on the flip side.