After 30 hours -- from the time we woke up at our home in Charlotte on Wednesday, March 17 to the time we set foot in our hotel room on Thusday, March 18 -- we have finally arrived here in Taiwan! It has been a fairly uneventful day, in a good way. Travel included a drive from our house to CLT airport, three flights (Charlotte to Chicago, Chicago to Tokyo, Toyko to Taipei), and a cab ride from the airport to our hotel, Dong Wu. Traci and I agreed that our longest stretch, 12 hours from Chicago to Tokyo, was not that bad at all. Luckily, we were entertained by a few fairly decent movies (Fantastic Mr. Fox, Everybody's Fine) and at least one really awful one (Whip It!, Drew Barrymore's directoral debut. What did you expect?).
Our layover in Tokyo was when the fatigue really caught up with us. Though we were there around 3:00 PM in the afternoon, our bodies were telling it us it was about 3:00 AM. I try not to think too hard about the time difference anymore because one time I actually almost convinced myself that if you fly in just the right flight path over the north pole, that time travel is actually possible. Anyway, we got some good sleep in Narita, as well as the final flight.
Had no problems whatsover in any of our various checkpoints, and so far, everyone we have dealt with has been quite friendly to us gringos. Especially the cute, sassy old lady on our Tokyo-Taipei flight -- she was a vegetarian, so I traded my salad for her chicken. The Taiwanese have been incredibly friendly to us, as we were told they would be.
I'm so glad we had the opportunity to travel with Kristi and Ian a few years ago when they adopted Kylie from China because I think it prepared us for the jet lag and culture shock of being in an Asian country. It's still a bit of a shock, but I think being in China lessened the blow a bit. It STILL feels like you're on a completely different planet, what with all the Chinese characters, different styles of dress, different sights and smells, etc.
The bad news right now is we can't upload pictures just yet -- sorry, world! We are still unpacking, and I'm not sure which pile of clothing and beef jerky our camera adapter is hidden in. Once we locate that, we promise to get some pictures up.
Stay tuned! And thanks to everyone who is/has been supporting us back home through your prayers, financial aid, love, and friendship. You all are in our hearts as we embark in this journey, and we can't thank you enough.
Zai jian!
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7 comments:
I was stalking to see if you guys managed to post before you crashed. And I sit here with tears in my eyes as I so desired to be able to be along with you when my baby sister becomes a mom. Thank you for including me (along with everyone else) by blogging!
Glad to read that Traci's back must not have bothered her too badly on the long haul. Love you guys so much and can't wait for pictures of the trip so far!
(Headed now to the link to your hotel so I can feel like I'm there with you...) Rest well!
So glad to see that you arrived safely and that all is well. I can;t wait to see pictures! Especially pictures of you as a family of four! It won't be long now!!!
I glad to hear your sense of humor is intact - it reassures me that you are doing well. Thank you so much for posting to let us know you arrived in good shape. You will be in my thoughts and prayers until we can hug all four in person. Love you.
Kathy
So glad you guys made it safely and Traci's back seems to be on the mend. We have been praying!!! Can't wait to see your pics and your new little ones! Love you both!
Glad you made it safely! I cannot believe you can't find all the camera parts to upload pictures. That should have been in your pocket! :) Can't wait to hear and SEE more.
My word verification was squat. I think that's funny. Have you seen any kids squatting?
I am so excited to be able to follow along with you on your journey. Camie and Megan came in this afternoon, and we all agreed that we can't wait for pictures! May God bless and keep you and your little ones as you form a new forever family!
So glad to hear you made it there ok!! Looking forward to pictures & we'll keep praying for Traci's back!!!
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