Some fifteen hours later, I land at Narita Airport. Outside, the sun is blaring and it's supposed to be 23C. I wouldn't know, as I'm stuck here for the next four hours waiting for my connection to Taipei. I originally wanted to leave the airport for a few hours, but arriving here I just decided not to do that... I'm not feeling all that adventurous at the moment. All I want is to get home quickly and to see my mum. Besides, I have some work I need to finish off...
It feels so surreal to be back in Asia... On the decent towards Japan, I saw the coastline, the rice fields, the green mountains and paddies. A land dotted with squarish architecture that's iconic of the region. To think, a dozen hours or so ago, I was looking down at the seemingly endless vast expanse of Canada that stretched to the horizon and beyond.
Right now, sitting at a desk in a quiet corner of Terminal 1 away from the crowd, away from the Asian shoppers (and there are many, as this is Asia after all...). The broadcast in a foreign language, and every few minutes the vending machine next to me bursts to life with (what I presume) is "Feed me with your coins!" That is... if I have any local currency.
I feel somehow so estranged from this reality, like I'm existing in another plane (no pun intended). I see the passengers walking around me. I see the jumbos parked on the tarmac, waiting to leave to destinations around the world. And to think last time I walked around I was in Montreal, where it was snowy on the ground, where the sun was barely piercing through the clouds...
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