January 2007: Embarking for New Zealand
After about three hours of packing my bike so securely it could be chucked out of the plane at top speed with no damage I think it may be just safe enough for TSA not to damage. I arrive at LAX with 3 weeks worth of clothing and the tri club double bike box. I must be quite a site. I'm 5'3 this box is bigger than me. The shuttle attendants are asking me if my boyfriend is in that box. "My boyfriend or my bike? I had to choose and it's ......well my bike."( and my boyfriend's bike I didn't add) I smile and giggle as the attendants help me lug my box and luggage into the shuttle. I can feel the cranky business men shooting me daggers as we embark to the airport. First stop Air New Zealand. They glare again while I lug my stuff off the shuttle. Once again I smile and I laugh. They should take up cycling. It would be good for them. They need to loosen up. I bet the Bella Velo's could drop them. Hee, Hee, Hee I smile as I picture there stuffy faces when they can't keep up with a bunch of girls.
Checking in at Air NZ they weigh my box. The attendant tells me my bike box is 0.6 kg overweight. Big deal. So am I. Most of the airline passengers are about 16 kg overweight. She doesn't consider this and wants me to obstruct the line and remove things until my box looses 0.6 kg. Ugg - this is not going to be pretty. I stall and pretend to comply. She leaves happily and another agent comes. He charges me $20 and calls it good. He gives me a receipt and tells me to reuse it if I get hassled again. Whew. Bags are checked I'm boarding the plane. I fly on an overnight flight to New Zealand where my boyfriend will pick me up in the camper van we will call home for the next 2.5 weeks.
If you have seen the movie Bridget Jones perhaps you remember the scene where she is riding along in a convertible and her hair gets all ratted up. I stickes up six inches from her head. Well, this is what my hair looks like when I awaken in NZ. Nothing short of a fire extinguisher is going to tame this mane. So much for impressing the boyfriend I haven't seen in a week. Hopefully he missed me too much to notice.
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