I guess that’s it…

by brokenrecordbaby

I have been neglecting this blog. First I didn’t have internet access, then I posted one thing and then little distractions in form of an earthquake (or ten), a tsunami and fucked nuclear plants kept me from blogging.

I am currently in a business lounge in Vietnam sitting on a huge armchair that is massaging every part of my body. There is a huge buffet, wifi, open bar, an aquarium and TVs. I feel like a complete dick sitting amidst this unnecessary decadence while the country I just left is having its biggest crisis since WW2.

About 26 hours ago (Saturday night Tokyo time) my friends in Germany hysterically skyped me, screaming at me to get the fuck out of Tokyo. They called me stupid, naivee and idiotic for staying in a country that was experiencing nuclear meltdowns in three different plants.

I hadn’t felt scared or much affected by anything in Tokyo. Everyone was going about life as usual, the sun was shining, most trains were running again and I was planning to extend my stay come Monday when the travel agency was open.

But when I saw my friends emails, my parents emails and when my best friend was screaming at me so profusely that she brought me to tears I started to consider agitating the gravel as a serious option. It wasn’t so much that I felt scared or in danger – I couldn’t stay in Tokyo fully aware of my friends who are my family being in bits and pieces at home. Putting them through so much anxiety and pain would have been so selfish. And to add to that – they are the most rational, undramatic and well informed people I know and I trust them with my life. When my friend’s friend who was in Kobe, Japan last night skyped me and told me to come where he was, that he would pay for my flight if that was an issue even though I had never met him before I knew it was time to get the fuck out of there. I was devastated to abandon my trip but putting my friends at ease was my main concern.

I quickly chucked everything into my bag, my amazing host Alex walked me to the train station and put me on the next subway to Narita. This ended up taking almost 5 hours as a lot of trains (especially the ones airport bound) are still cancelled due to the shakes.

When I was on the train I was thinking about where I could possibly go. I was just going to get the first flight out of there. I had my heart set on New York.

There were queues of cars for the airport, so many people, the airport was handing out sleeping bags and thank god for the free wifi there – I was able to skype with my friends and book a flight online. Getting a ticket at the counter like I had planned would have been a hopeless cause.

I tried finding NY bound flights but they were all cancelled like most flights. Bangkok flights were hard to come by. It was impossible to find any flight. All of a sudden a German lady approached me having heard me speak German. She had a flight to Frankfurt, a city 30 mins. from my hometown, that was leaving 9:30 AM Sunday Tokyo time. We checked online and crazily enough there was a ticket left in business class and as every other destination seemed to be a lost cause I booked it. I didn’t want to go home but I promised my friend to book the first flight I found.

GOTTA GET MY PLANE. MORE LATER

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