New Zealand 2016 Day 0. LAX

I am finally in LAX, after nearly 24 hours of travel from my parent’s home in Monclova Mexico, and facing another 24 hours of travel before reaching my final destination in Auckland, New Zealand. I knew there was a reason why I had not gone there before. I am exhausted and I have not even started. I made the last leg, between San Antonio and Los Angeles, in the middle seat and in intimate contact with a very obese young man that had me pinned against the man on my left. But I really should not complain: My travel companion for this adventure, Anna Kobberger, left yesterday from Frankfurt, and will go through Istanbul, Beijing, and Guangzhou before arriving in Auckland, after 72 hours of travel!

From LAX, where I will have sat for nearly 6 hours, I will be heading to beautiful Tahiti (but, alas, will only be there for about 2 hours, longing for the paradise beyond the walls of the airport), where I will arrive at 6 am on Saturday January 2, after 9 hours of plane travel. I managed to wrestle an aisle seat from Air Tahiti, which originally wanted me to travel for said 9 hours in the middle of a set of 5 seats, so it should be an easy flight. The second leg of the trip will take another 6 hours (aisle seat again J), and will take me over the International Date Line, so I will instantly become a day older and land on Sunday January 3 in Auckland. Older and wiser I will start my adventure there.