Travel Essentials

Two things I am recently reminded to be grateful for; ipods and noise cancelling headphones. I only have the very tiny 2nd generation ipod shuffle, so just about as simple as it gets, but what bliss to have plenty of music with no weight or bulk.

For anyone who has never tried noise cancelling headphones, good ones really are incredible. I have a pair of Sony in the ear style, again to keep the bulk down. Put them in, flick the switch and the noise of the plane becomes little more than a whisper. Start playing music and realise that you can listen at normal volumes, as opposed to excessively inflated-trying to drown everything out volumes. That has to be better for the ears, let alone the sanity.

Having landed from Europe on Sunday, I've had plenty of use, but to be unexpectedly on a plane to Chicago on Tuesday, it's blissful to not hear the two kids across the aisle who are clearly over tired and exciteable. It's blissful not only because I'm not very tolerant of the parents of such screaming infants, but because sunset at 37,000 is very transfixing. Vivid blue and fading yellowness turning into deep dark black.

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