12:37 MST I'm in the Albuquerque airport, enjoying their complimentary wireless (fu, t-mobile). I checked two bags, one of which is a massive equipment case that was considerably over-weight. But because of my uber-status on Delta, they didn't charge me for it. They did, however, launch into a conversation about an impending bowling convention in the Albuquerque area. Apparently this happens every year, and goes on for about a month. During this time, they have massive numbers of people with over-limit baggage, trying to bring five or six bowling balls with them in addition to their normal luggage. Also, there is some sort of hazardous compound used in bowling-ball cleaner that they confiscate by the liter during the convention season.
18:31 EST (16:31 MST) I'm in Cincinnati, eating a turkey club at a restaurant called "Max & Erma's Bar." Due to some serious tailwind, my flight got in 35 minutes early. As a result, I've got a longer layover than I anticipated, so I payed t-mobile for a damn day pass at their non-complimentary wifi hotspot here. And I opted for the sit-down meal, which is always nice. Because... ya know... I'm not spending enough time sitting today. The next flight is the big one, at almost 9 hours. Set phasers on Ambien and prepare for snoring.
10:43 CET (02:43 MST) Frankfurt is a confusing airport. I have a 3 hour layover. Even though t-mobile has their "hot spot" service here, it doesn't seem to be compatible with the thing I bought back in Cincinnati. When I try to log in, it tells me "There is a general technical problem." Awesome. I'll post this when I get to my hotel tomorrow. The longest flight is behind me, which is good. The in-flight movies were Balls of Fury and Stardust, which were good enough that I stayed awake for them. Lots of fun turbulence once we got over the European mainland. Next up is the 7 hour flight to Almaty, the last flight of this series. I'll arrive at approximately 00:30 local time, which means that January 26th is sort of non-existant for me. The entire day in local time was spent on planes and in airports.
02:31 ??? (14:48 MST) Have arrived in Almaty to a thick fog and -20°C temperature. I don't understand how you can have fog at a temperature so far below zero, but that's what's here. I slept for most of the flight from Germany and am now wide awake at 2:30 local time. Tomorrow (er... today) I get the day off in an attempt to acclimatize to the 12 hour time difference. Ran into the IAEA delegation at the airport, but they are staying at a different hotel and traveling to Aktau tomorrow, so I won't see them again until Monday.
