From a letter to my brother.
The California trip. The first flight was a 6+ hour excursion, due to what the pilot called “strong headwinds.” I didn’t think it was too bad, because the plane was pretty comfortable and the accommodations were very nice (we basically had a fully functional TV for each seat, and also soft drinks on demand. I like Virgin America). However, Mom and Dad were not having such a great time. Though Mom handled the trip very well overall, she did admit that she was feeling claustrophobic for the duration of the flight. Dad was also mentally sore by the end of that trip, later saying it was “pretty much his limit” for length of flight. None of us slept very much. The lousy travel, mixed with the jet lag, meant that Mom and Dad had very limited energy for the next three days. But they were good soldiers, and kept a good attitude throughout. I am very thankful to them for that. Farda and I plan to get them something special for their anniversary, as a thank you. I guess I should find out when their anniversary is.
Farda picked us up at LAX – an adventure in itself. Fortunately she knew what she was doing, because we were like logs in the river. I looked out across 3 or 4 parallel roads, all with different functions, and wonder how anyone ever gets where they are supposed to be.
We did breakfast the first morning, with Farda’s immediate family. That’s when we “made it official.” Mom asked Farda’s Mom for permission to join our families. Everyone was happy, and that put me at ease. Mom and Dad also tried some new food, and liked it. The whole thing was about as good as I could ask for.
Then we went to see the Pacific. They took us to all the local beaches, and some of them were simply breathtaking. Makes Jersey look like even more of a dump. Huntington Beach was massive – long and extremely well maintained. You could fit hundreds of thousands of people there, comfortably. Newport was another experience. It felt like a private beach, but it wasn’t. They built those fancy houses almost to the edge of high-tide. It was beautiful, and I envied the people living in that place, with the ideal weather, with their roof-top lounges and sweeping balconies. What a life that must be. Then, we went further south, towards Laguna, and stopped at a cliff face overlooking the ocean. We didn’t know what the beach was named, but it was stunning. There were a line of rocky hills, and between them were white-sand beaches. They built condos and houses into the cliffs like the elves of Rivendell. Quite a display. I even took a few pictures with my phone. Finally, we made our last stop at Laguna Beach. It was a very nice town, swollen with shops but not too touristy. We ate an early dinner there, outside (in January), at a nice little Inn overlooking the beach. That alone was worth the 6-hour flight, in my opinion.
By the time we got back to the hotel, which was about 6:00, Mom and Dad were struggling to stay awake. I was also struggling, but I wasn’t afraid to use coffee. Coffee definitely saved me that night.
Farda took me to a Sushi place, to meet her friends. That was pretty great – they were very nice, and the Sushi was beyond excellent. West Coast Sushi is simply better. Like New York Pizza, there’s no comparison. I also tried Jamba Juice. Overrated.
And that’s about the end of the end of the excitement. We went to meet some extended members of Farda’s family the next day, for an engagement party. Farda was dressed up to the teeth, looking very pretty. The party at first was a bit unsettling, because everyone there was treating me like I was the man. Like, the man in charge. Everywhere I looked, people wanted to get me things – tea, food, a seat, gifts, etc. They were asking me for permission to do things, like start eating, or to introduce themselves, or to leave the house. I was the center of attention. It’s a cultural thing. And, by the end of the party, I was enjoying it. I might feel like a real King at the wedding.
The plane ride home was much better. 4.5 hours, smooth flying, plane only half-full, and in the sunlight so it felt less like a prison. We landed tired but happy, and drove back to our normal lives.