Global Wandering

Mt. Rainier

Seattle is one of the more fascinating cities to approach by air. When flying there or departing, always sit on the left side of the plane to have the best views of Mt. Rainier. I wish I had something better than a cell phone to take the above picture, but I’m too lazy to haul a camera with me on overnight trips.

In addition to the stunning view of Mt. Rainier, my flight home from Seattle was notable for the man sitting in seat 2B. He was large, with a lengthy black beard, thick glasses and he wore a baseball cap. He leaned his head back and was asleep before the plane had pulled away from the jetway. Within minutes, the first class cabin was filled with a raucous snore. I’ve never heard someone snore so loud. My Bose noise canceling headsets and blaring iPod couldn’t block this Rip Van Winkle’s exhalations. The snoring continued incessantly for forty-five minutes, at which point the man awoke, well rested and oblivious. He then proceeded to stand and extract a jacket and belt from the overhead bin. He slipped on the jacket, tied the belt around his waist and retrieved a Torah. He remained standing in the aisle as he began to read prayers with an occasional head bow and bend of the knees. The ritual continued for five minutes, at which point he returned everything to the overhead bin and took his seat.

I admired his self-possession.

In other travel news, I can no longer recommend Samsonite rollerbags. After my first Samsonite handled flawlessly for years, I’ve gone through two in just eighteen months. I put too much faith in products with lifetime warranties. I assume if a company offers a lifetime guarantee that the product is of such high quality it rarely breaks so I don’t need to register the warranty. Which in the case of my last two rollerbags was a mistake. I junked the first one because the handle kept breaking. My current bag works fine except the wheel squeaks. I’ve tolerated the incessant whine for months, but I can no longer stand it. My friend, who meticulously researches everything before buying, recommends Travelpro luggage. Apparently, this is what airline pilots use, and I’ve never seen a pilot pulling a squeaky bag. My new 22 inch rollerbag should arrive this week.