26 September 11: Phoenix to LA

I just begrudgingly spent $5 on a 12 oz chai at an LAX Starbucks, but comforted myself with the fact that that same denomination will buy me at least 50 chai masalas in the coming months. 

On the flight from Phoenix to LA, I sat next to a man en route to his home in Guatemala. As you know, I'm enamored of Central America. He kindly obliged me as I assaulted him with a barrage of questions. He lives in the mountains, so doesn't have to deal with humidity. The winters are cold; it freezes but never snows. The summers get hot, but I can't imagine they're anywhere near as hot as Arizona. He says the heat is intense because you're so much closer to the sun. The cost of living is cheaper than in Arizona, but no where near as low as it once was. It's natural beauty is breathtaking. I want to visit. 

Things I forgot to pack: tampons, headphones (picked up some cheap ones in the airport), phone charger (though the phone will likely be worthless in a few hours). I'm already grateful that I packed as lightly as I did and will likely ditch this fat Lonely Planet once I get to Delhi. 

I spend all of tomorrow in Beijing. Right now, I don't have internet access because I don't want to pay—f you t-mobile for your wifi monopoly—but hope upon arrival to research the ease with which I can leave the Chinese airport and explore the city for a few hours. I'd really like to ditch my belongings in a locker and ride around town for a bit. Eat some strange food and people watch. Otherwise, it'll be a long day in the airport, and it's my understanding that information access is severely truncated in China, no?