Today I fly to Hong Kong.
For those who have done this sort of sixteen hour flight, you know that to fly to the opposite side of the planet differs fundamentally from the mere six or seven hour hop between, say, New York and Paris, or D.C. and L.A. Those little trips seem like nothing in comparison, a mere commute.
To fly for most of a day, only to arrive at a place with a nearly 12 hour time zone difference, is to enter another dimension entirely. Day becomes night and night turns to day. You learn to ignore your first instincts for when to wake and when to sleep. You learn to set your body’s clock by the sun you see up in the sky.
It is always worth it. Tomorrow I post from the other side of the world.
Its that longitudinal difference that gets you. I once flew from San Francisco to Sydney, Australia in the winter (~14 hour trip) and it was a much easier adjustment than the ~10 hour SF to Europe trip because Sydney time was only 5 hours earlier than SF at that time of year (though a day later).
Wishing you safe travels!
Quite an experience! I have just arrived in Hong Kong from Moscow.
Are you going to Siggraph?