a 27-hour trip: Detroit

September 10, 2012. Detroit.

If my calculations were correct, I had been traveling by land and by plane for the past 21 hours because I left Calamba at 3:00am and I arrived in Detroit at 12:15pm (which is 12:15am, September 11th in Manila). Oddly enough, if I just look at the departure and arrival times without considering the time changes, it appeared that I've traveled around nine hours only! That never fails to amuse me. One more thing: the sun was up in Nagoya; the sun was also up in Detroit. If I weren't taking note of the time, I'd think my flight only took a few hours!

Anyway, my stop in Detroit was the second time I was at the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. The first time was when I flew from Detroit to San Francisco after my cousin, Rico, got married in 2008. This time, though, I was entering the USA in Detroit and not flying domestic. And just like my experience in Los Angeles back in 2006, I had to collect my checked-in luggage at the bag carousel before I checked them in again for the flight to New Orleans. Take note: I didn't have to pay for my domestic flight checked-in bag :)

The express tram at the terminal is one of the main attraction (for me) at the airport. I didn't ride it this time, though. I thought it would do me some good if I walked to the boarding gate after I got through immigrations and cleared customs. After all, I'd spent most of the time in the plane sleeping in a sitting position. Walking would get the blood flowing properly before my next flight. 

I arrived at the gate an hour before my next flight. While waiting for the boarding call, I met group of fellow passengers that came from Manila on the same flight that I was on. They were also going to New Orleans; but unlike me, New Orleans was just another layover for them because they were going to Mississippi.

One more flight and I could rest. Couldn't wait to get to New Orleans!!