cdymek's Blog!

I read when I’m on the road. Sometimes significantly.

Take my trip to Thailand. By my second day in Thailand I’d polished off three or four magazines and a book on Darwin. I picked up a few books along the way, reading China Doll (I think that was the title), a new book by Haruki Murakami, and finally The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh.

In fact, it was my addiction to the written word that amused Lek and the other staff working at Cafe@2. Every time I was there, it seemed I was reading yet another book with my meal. And of all my reading material from the trip, it was The Glass Palace that topped everything.

One of the best fiction books I’ve read in awhile, the novel presents a sweeping epic of almost 100 years of history, politics, and culture, spread over three Burma, India, and Malaysia, through the threads of three interrelated families. While the characters are fictional, the larger historical setting is largely true and very vivid.

The novel begins with the fall of the Burmese Royal Family, traces its way to India and eventually back. Slowly tracing its way out, the web of characters is spun wider and wider, with love, hatred, tenderness, and arrogance are all mixed with the whims of fate.

It’s a great novel, if you have a chance to read it. Certainly it beats this rambling, offbeat blog posting.

The real jet lag never kicks in until the second day I’m back. That’s when my body decides that it’s a good idea to go to bed at 7 pm and wake up at 4 am. I’m now in my third morning of having spontaneously arising at 4:30, only to toss and turn until giving in and waking up sometime between 7 and 8.

On the flip side, I did finally shave. And it felt so freakin’ good.

Even before I left for the airport, I knew my flight from Tokyo to Los Angeles was delayed by an hour and a half. I checked Northwest’s website, looking for the minimum connect times. With my flight from Los Angeles leaving at 10:15, and my Tokyo flight scheduled to arrive at 9:25, was I going to clear customs, immigration and security in time to make my flight.

When I checked in at the counter, I asked the friendly agent what she thought. She checked some things in the system, looking for options that would get me to Newark without too much difficulty. In the end, the only option that worked was Continental’s nonstop. A few phone calls, some printouts, additional phone calls, and some stamps, and I was on my way to the other terminal to check in for a new flight that would bring me home 4 hours earlier than scheduled.

Thank you, Makiko.