Day 1 - Friday 5 January 2024

A day of travel; you find me in the Hilton Los Angeles Airport after my Virgin Atlantic flight over to Los Angeles.

The day started early with breakfast at the overnight hotel, then onto the Hotel Hoppa for my transfer to Terminal 3 at Heathrow airport.

Checked in nice and quickly (with an additional charge for overweight baggage), through security and into the terminal for the long wait for my flight at 12.20.

We pushed back a little late, but the flight seemed to just disappear; it went so quickly for the 10 hours and 43 minutes we were in the air. I wasn't impressed with the entertainment offerings at all, and spent most of the flight with my nose buried in either Frank Herbert's second Dune trilogy or the Sudoku book I obtained at Norwich Station yesterday.

We took a route that passed over Ireland and then just to the south of Greenland before entering North America over Canada and Hudson Bay.

I found myself in the expected long queue at the US border Immigration, but was through quickly once I'd reached a desk. Luggage reclaimed and out for a long walk to where the hotel shuttles departed; I suspect there was a closer option, but I was following directions I'd been given when I asked where the pick up point was.

Into the hotel, and I'm on the 14th floor, which I had to double check as I'm not accustomed to such tall buildings in Norwich!

Back to the elephant in the room, and the overweight luggage. I've been racking my brains for things that I could have left at home, and nothing comes to mind yet. It's not like it's just a week away; I'll be gone for 21 weeks to places where I'll be doing a wide variety of stuff, so I think I need everything I have ..... time will tell on that. 

Tomorrow I fly again, and while getting to the airport for 10.50 seems like an early start, my body will still be thinking it's around 7 in the evening. I suspect I'll have no trouble waking up tomorrow!