31 Hours

hrs 1-5
- 7am Pacific Standard Time (PST) to LAX
- 9:15am PST 7/15 on plane to Vancouver Int’l
- Although dead tired, the overwhelming stench urine from the toilets and the chattiness of group sitting behind me assisted me in staying awake and participate in “air tourism,” while listening to my happenstance-travel-companions’ discussion about what landmarks we were flying over. - Yosemite (half-dome, Yosemite falls) and Mt. Rainier



hrs 6-12
- 12-something arrive Vancouver Int’l.
Vancouver: 49deg 11.97min N, 123deg 10.9 min W, 7ft above sea level
Thinking of the movie “A River Ran Through It,” one really does run through the International terminal at Vancouver airport. A mixture of the beautiful outdoors and consumer driven duty-free shops, one can loose themselves in the 15 foot wall aquarium, sit by the river, or, relish the view from the windows to a lush green Canadian hill side. Another option for amusement (or stress) is to purchase a small bottle of water and two aa batteries at a cost $18 (Canadian dollars) – this pastime can be referred to as “throwing your money away” …did I mention that the rate is $1.08 US to $1 Canadian Dollar, that is correct, the Canadian currency is higher - next, the Peso.
- Meet and speak w/ couple from England (who have been together 46 years)
- 5:45pm PST on plane to London Heathrow


hrs 13-22
- Meet Gillian and Gavin from Ireland
(near Belfast) spend the whole 9+ hours w/ them (in the airplane)
- 9-ish am (London time – 7/16), Portraits & more airport security stuff and off to the next point of purgatory.
London: 51deg 28.46min N, 0deg 29.4W, 120 ft above sea level

hrs 23-27
- 11-ish am met Michael and Ali at Heathrow as we three sat on the floor in the center of terminal trying to get an internet connection behind a power box. This was certainly not appreciated behavior by the clerks at the upscale boutiques around us.
- 1:45 – Michael and I realize what time it is and I RUN across the terminal to the gate only to be the last one to enter the plane… then and wait – this brings to mind the phrase… “hurry, hurry and wait” –Airforce One was in the airport and half of runways needed to be shut down until the plane took off – so an extra 45 mins in the airplane before takeoff.

hrs 27-31
- 2pm – Sitting down on the plane next to Paul, a professor in Hungary, we had a lovely conversation. He noted that the most intimate conversations can be struck up with the person sitting next to you on an airplane, perhaps because we are aware of the limited nature of our correspondence. If more moments in life were this way, perhaps we’d be able to cut through the entire pretense we have with others and enjoy the depth and finality of the individuals we choose to share our time with. Both Paul and I were game for a personal conversation and were able to share some “secrets.” Is a secret something we hold onto because we’re ashamed? Why do some things have such a charge that we can’t find our way to saying them? I think the best secrets are those that yield something marvelous because of the keeping. Sometimes a secret is only a way to delay gratification of what we really want. Sometimes secrets are things we’re ashamed of or worried will hurt the ones we love. Why then if they could cause harm do we do these things? Perhaps it comes to human desire. Desire overwhelms our perceived habits and stability; desire pushes us to act upon something that must be kept a secret. Eventually the desire will push us either to unhappiness for having to give up the thing that creates the pleasure and or to chaos for having to embrace and publicize the forbidden. There are other secrets as well, the kinds that hurt us and keep us from acting, but eventually, even those secrets rise to the surface. As time treads roughly upon us, these secrets eventually become a quite smile or sadness -- just facts of our lifetimes, no longer imbued with the importance they once had.
- 5:40pm arrive in Budapest. I encountered a customs agent who apparently had his “personality” genes surgically removed. I watched him with the people infront of me in line and he would stare them down even when they’d walk away then fix his gaze on his next unfortunate victim in line.
- 7pm airport minibus service to the “hotel”
(en route) Budapest 47deg 28.3min N; 19deg 6.5min E, 401ft above sea level
- 7:30/8p arrive, get to room, meet Odette (one of the artists here and one of my roommates) and get in a quick walk and dinner in.
Total: 31 hours in transit