I nearly leave my hat on the bus at the airport, but the bloke behind me picks it up and returns it. I head for terminal 4. I'm very early, so I wander around a bit, take some video footage. Check in, and then I'm through security and on the plane. Next to me is a couple from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne who used to live in Botswana. The flight is the usual dullness, except when I look up and see a radio telescope on the screen. Its a film called 'The Dish' about the radio telescope that received the first TV transmissions from Apollo 11 on the moon. Its quite funny, especially in the Australian depiction of the US people. A strange choice for a flight to the states.
Arrive at Seattle Airport on time - its 3pm or so. I get my luggage and head for customs. Bloke there checks my boots for foot-n-mouth infected mud and asks where I've been walking. He seems happy with them and lets me through. Also in the queue was a bunch of girls who are returning from a soccer tour of Europe, and are worried that they will all have to dig their muddy boots out of their bags for inspection.
Immigrations is straight through, and then a small shuttle bus takes me to the main terminal. I find some US currency and stick a couple of quarters in the phone and call Dave Smith. I get his answering machine and leave a message. A little while later I try again. Same message. Then I wait a while and try yet again. This time the message has changed to tell me that he's on his way. Shortly after he appears at the baggage carousel (not down the conveyor belt). We head off to the garage and drive back to his flat just out of downtown Seattle. I check my email and sleep on the couch.
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