Of Air Travel, Avalanche Warnings, and Octopus Salad

Recently, I’ve been enjoying the delights of air travel. In addition to the scores of flights I’ve taken in economy class, I’ve had the chance to check out the C class service of Thai Airways on their A380, the onboard lounge on the Emirates A380, and the 787 (before the grounding) on a trans-India flight.

Whether it is in the front of the plane or in the back, on the lower or the upper deck, air travel takes one to amazing places, and from the 32°C afternoon highs of Bangkok in January, it is pretty amazing to take a short flight and be faced with this daunting sign:

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But despite the warning, I pointed my skis downhill and set off.

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Air travel would take me again, six weeks later, to the snow country, where I ducked under a rope and found acres of untouched powder. Not a bad way to spend a March afternoon.

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Air travel can also take one to visit family, and I had a lovely visit to Niagara Falls earlier this month.

Some laughed at the sight of me behind a baby stroller. I didn’t realize it would be so funny. I am actually quite fond of children, although I realize I am usually photographed behind a mower or a lectern rather than in such a domestic pose.

The panda hat made its way by air travel from Beijing to Canada, with a few stops along the way, and it served its purpose on this cold spring day.

Air travel also brings one to the finest restaurants in the world. If you are looking for octopus salad, I have found a place in a small seaside village, not far from Seoul, that prepares an exemplary version of this dish. No pretensions, just a bed of fresh vegetables, and an octopus, cut to size.

http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=109786