Day 0: Last day of prep
Day before our trip, and we have to pack everything into our bags to make sure they fit. Igors mom keeps trying to convince me to bring her long down coat (to cover my butt), but I refused as it is the size of a sleeping bag. See below full list of items suggested but left behind:
List of Things Igor Wanted to Bring:
DJI Phantom Drone Suitcase
2 Sleeping Bags
Machete (I think he was kidding)
Zoom Camera Lens (2 lbs and 12” long)
List of Things Lindsay Wanted to Bring:
Go Girl (decided she didn’t want to clean it)
Journal
National Geographic Top Travel Food Guide
Fish Eye Camera Lens
List of Things Igor’s Mom Wanted Us to bring:
Long Down Winter Coat
Down Vest
Snowboarding Shell (not waterproof)
Floppy Hat
Mosquito Net Jacket/Pant Suit/Hat
Pochos (We caved and actually brought these)
Matching White Thin Long sleeve jackets (2 sizes too big)
Cans of salmon
Umbrellas
Box of Emergen-C
Box of Theraflu
Bottle of Vitamin supplements
Rick Steves collapsibleday-backpack
Cruise Ship Collapsible bag
Clothes for a Year
I did make one last shopping trip to pick up all the final items of clothing and toiletries that we forgot. I also made a 2-hour detour at a salon Tribeca to get my hair chopped off (no need for daily cold showers in Africa), much to Igor’s surprise.
Reactions to Lindsay’s Haircut:
Grandpa: “Ah – a boy.”
Igors Mom: “Cute!”
Igors Dad: (no reaction – didn’t notice)
Igor: “I’ve always wanted to try a lesbian.”
We packed everything that made the cut into our bags…and success! Everything fits!
Day 1: Bon Voyage
After a final Russian breakfast of red caviar and sirnitchki, we say good bye to Igors Dad as he heads to work, and farewell to Igor’s mom as we head toward the airport.
Red Caviar – the Breakfast of Champions!
As if New York wants us to remember her fondly, we have some of those rare, heartwarming moments on the subway: a Russian man singing with his own carry-on karaoke set around Sheepshead Bay, and a trio of otherwise thuggish looking guys, bonding over their rather colorful skateboards and a mutual admiration for Tony Hawk.
We catch the NJ Transit without a problem, and arrive at Newark just in time for Igor’s Global Entry interview. With his new Golden Ticket in hand, we head to the first of *many* lounges of the day. First is the Premier Access lounge outside security, which I must say had quite a nice breakfast spread, sandwiches to go, and salad bar.
After I down my first complimentary glass of Cava, Igor joins me in the regular security line (my hubby loves me! He’d rather suffer security then use his new TSA Pre-Check Pass and hang out in the next lounge without me), then it’s off to the United Lounge! Unfortunately, we had chug our booze and go since we had 15 minutes until boarding, but the view was awesome!
United Lounges – East Coast & West Coast
We had a rather pleasant cross-country flight – one particularly sweet aspect was an adorable 7-year girl and her mother in the seats in front of us. The little girl was clearly new to flying, and kept remarking on how cool everything was (“Look! The Statue of Liberty! Wow! Everything looks just like a map outside! I get my own TV? I can play games! Cool!”). She even maintained sense of wonder during a particularly turbulent landing (which had me gripping Igor’s hands for dear life) – it was rather reassuring that the idea of the plane catching a strong jet-stream and us plummeting uncontrollably to our imminent deaths didn’t cross her child-mind – instead she giggled and said it felt like the elevator in her building. Clearly an Upper West Side high-rise.
Once we made it safely to the ground, I tottered over to the next United Lounge for a much needed glass of Prosecco.
Next stop: New Zealand.