Returnified and Sleep Deprived

Here's a rant for you. Really, it's only been about one week since returning to Beijing, but it feels like a month. Jet lag is usually easier for me when returning to China. Maybe it's because the body never fully adjusts in only 2 weeks, so it's like returning to its natural time zone. But i think it's because of the United flight times.

Going to America, we arrived in SFO at 9am, dead tired, no sleep on the plane, AND we needed to stay awake the whole day to have a chance at beating jet lag. Taking a nap, while completely satisfying, would mean being awake all night and messing up your sleep schedule for days/weeks. You must wait until nightfall. It's the ultimate test of willpower.

Returning to Beijing however, we arrived at about 4:30pm. You can just go home, eat dinner, unpack a little, and sleep. And it's the most delicious sleep you've ever tasted. Mmmmmm.... slumbery.

So, after only three nights in my own bed, i went to Kunming last weekend for the Second Annual Kunming Hat Tournament. It was amazing again, great city, great ultimate, great people. But i couldn't sleep for crap.

On the first night, one mosquito kept me up the whole night. I would hear it land on my face, a buzzing sound that gets closer and suddenly stops. I'd swat it away, get comfortable again, it lands on the face, i swat at it, get comfy, lands, swats, roll over, sleep, sting, swat, scratch, comfy, land, swat. Such was my first night. I was surprisingly refreshed the next day.

I also discovered that Kunming has found the secret to airport awesomeness: a massage place just before security. True, it would be even better right after security, but whatever. Think about it: you get to the airport two hours early, you're at the gate 90 minutes early and you have to sit on those rigid, uncomfortable chairs with the mandatory armrest waiting to board. For $10, i had a 60 minute foot massage, got to lie down, sip tea, close my eyes, and just relax.

All airports need to have this.

~Kev