Departure

And it begins. Mom didn't get too sentimental in the airport, but she still insisted on tagging along all the way to the security gate. The mechanics of the start of my trip were quick and painless — e-ticket check-in, non-existant lines, and friendly security agents obviously relieved to be rid of swarms of cranky travelers. But the lonely trek to the end of the empty terminal was bittersweet.

At 23:30, my new travel partners were a family of elderly southerners, twanging their complaints about $11 deli sandwiches. What business they have in Asia — or in Seattle for that matter — I can only imagine. Plantation owners trading textiles from Taiwanese sweatshops? No, the old ladies' poke-a-dot jumpsuits say otherwise. The other travelers, mostly asian, are quiet and pay no heed.

Now the southerners have fallen asleep by the window overlooking our plane. A long day lies ahead for all of us.