Highly recommended: Sleeping during your flight

by Jessica Sovie (Canada)

A leap into the unknown China

A collection of thoughts from my solo flight to China because what else do you do on a 13-hour plane ride with no internet access? I was supposed to be on this trip with a friend but he didn't make it. So, now I'm headed on a 10 day guided tour of China by myself. So, first impressions... I never want to take a 13-hour flight again. The window seat isn't all it’s cracked up to be, especially when it’s pitch black outside(currently flying over the North Pole... Awesome!). ————————————— The person behind me keeps kicking the back of my seat. I feel stiff, but the people beside me are sleeping so I don't want to wake them up. I wish the flight attendants would walk around with drinks or snacks or something, but I mostly want a drink... (Water! Please!) ————————————— I feel like I should be trying to sleep but A) it’s not even 10 pm(Toronto), and B) when we actually get off the plane it will be 6 pm(Beijing) ————————————— We are still roughly 3600 miles away from Beijing. I’ve listened to music, watched Gaslight, ate dinner, watched a show about car hoarders, then all the infomercials about travel arrival and departure protocols and the cities I’ll be visiting. A couple of the videos weren’t that informative, they were just shots of the city with no narrative at all. ————————————— I tried watching Shrek but wasn’t feeling it, and then America’s Next Top Model but I'm not really into it. Oh, and I accidentally dropped the book I brought under my seat, of course it's too cramped to grab it... ————————————— At this point, I’m praying for sleep but my armrest is jabbing me in the ribs and I also just lost my pillow. Sweet. ————————————— I really want a cigarette, guess who’s chain-smoking as soon as they get to the hotel? It’s been 10 hours since my last one and I’m dying. The constant smoking in the movie scenes didn’t help either. ————————————— God, we’re still 7 hours away. On the plus side, the plane entertainment catalogue has a decently sized Bowie section. So I’m giving it a thorough listen without killing the battery on my phone and thank youuuu, Bowie. ————————————— The outside temperature is apparently -67 degrees Fahrenheit at an altitude of 34000 ft so that’s pretty cool(so punny). I suddenly smell coffee and I hope that’s a thing that’s happening soon because yaaaas. ————————————— This is the flight that never ends, yes it goes on and on my friends... ————————————— Couldn’t take it anymore. I woke up the sleeping people in my row so I could pee and stretch my legs. Then when I got back one of them went to the bathroom(I’m assuming, she's been gone since before I left), but she’s been gone for a really long time. ——————————— She still isn’t back, its been more than a half hour.. I hope she didn’t die in the toilet. —————————— She’s back, and the person behind me rescued my pillow and book. Yaay. The lights are all off and it’s too dark to read, but maybe I can get some sleep now. ——————————— Can’t sleep. My body is screaming. There’s still 5 freaking hours left and I think this must be what purgatory feels like. ——————————— A baby is screaming and I kind of want to start crying with it. Dem feels. —————————— Just finished watching Annihilation and thank god(or whatever) for that movie. I’d use descriptive words like fascinating or captivating but I think the best review I can give is that it kept me totally distracted and entertained during this hellish period of my life. —————————— There’s still 2 hours left and I still haven’t slept at all. If I ever decide to willingly take another 13-hour flight I’m going to punch myself in the face. Alright, more car hoarders it is. ——————————— Everyone on this flight seems to have a scary sounding cough and I’m certain that I’m going to end up with something terrible. ——————————- Half an hour left and I’m watching Say Yes To The Dress Asia.... get me off this plane. —————————— So we finally landed and I totally dozed off while driving around the tarmac... What is the matter with me?