03.29.03


SARS precaution! HAHAHA


Ashlyn chillin' at Narita International


me and Ashlyn


Dad, Ashlyn, and Mom

We're all back...safe and sound! *YAY!* I can't begin to describe what a horrifically long day today was. I'll try to break it down so you can feel my pain and give me some sympathy. hehehe.
The time difference is a bit tricky. It's a 16-hour difference and flipped, but my math is never good. =P
Pacific Standard Time indicated with Taiwan Time in yellow:

7:00am (3:00pm Friday) - got up, ate breakfast, loaded up the van, headed to the airport.
11:00am (7:00pm Friday) - flew Taipei to Narita, Japan....a 3 hour flight with a 3 hour layover.
5:00pm
(1:00am today) -flew Narita to SFO...a 9 hour flight that felt like FOREVERS!
10:00am - arrived, got bags, went through customs, and hopped on the Super Shuttle to SJ.
12:30pm -unpacked a bit, had lunch with my family at Pasta Pomodoro.
1:30pm - dropped in some laundry, took a shower, and gave Ashlyn a bath.
2:00pm - after being up for practically 24 hours, I took a well deserved nap.
7:00pm - woke up groggy and disoriented.
8:00pm - had dinner with my parents, Wil, Tony, Ivy, and Oli.
9:30pm - went over to Wil and Tony's and hung out with Bett, Sarah, and Parkin.


We watched parts of "Possession" and play
ed poker, and indulged in junk food till pretty late. It's 2:30am now and I'm pretty tired, but can't sleep. Perhaps it's because it's only 6:30pm in Taiwan. =/

The SARS epidemic is scary. It was scary going to Taipei International and seeing everyone wearing surgical masks. Luckily my mom stocked up before our flight. While I was shopping at Duty Free, I choked on my spit (as I often do) and started coughing. My dad came up to me and kept saying, "Stop coughing! Stop coughing!" The pressure to stop just made me cough harder. He was afraid that they woud quarantine me. Yeah, it was that strict. =/
But the worst was probably when we were at Narita, and my poor niece was illin' with the stomache-flu or something. As we were pre-boarding the aircraft, she doubled over and puked right in front of everyone! Remember the scene from "Stand By Me"? It was kinda like that...she just couldn't stop throwing up. *shake head* Poor Girl. =( We were asked to step aside and the flight attendants and ground crew asked us a bunch of questions. I thought we were going to be quarantined for sure. But we weren't. *Whew!*

Ashlyn was pretty good on the flight home...she barely cried. The only thing that drove me nuts was that she wouldn't sit still and always wanted off her seat to walk freely in the aisles. Funny thing happened when she fell asleep on the plane though...while she slept across part of my lap and part of an empty seat, she rolled off and landed on the floor with a loud thud. I was deeply engrossed in the movie "Tuck Everlasting" and didn't really hear the thud, but felt it. HAHAHA! I quickly took off my headset and bend down to rescue her. HOMEGIRL DIDN'T EVEN WAKE UP! She just sprawled out and slept peacefully. So I placed a pillow under her head and covered her with a blanket and left her there. =P She slept the longest she ever did on a plane! HAHAHAHAHA! I, on the other hand, barely slept a wink. =(

All in all, I had an incredible time with my family on this trip and was pretty sad that it had to end. I really got used to travelling in a posse of seven. hehehe At the same time, I missed Aric and look forward to swapping stories of our travels. =)

Between me, Wil, Sis, and Dad, we probably took almost a thousand pictures! I'm already dreading the backloading...it's going to be tough. =/ hehehehe

Oh, and...HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Denise! I didn't forget you, girl! =D


Dinner at home with Mom, Dad, Tony, Oli, Wil, Ivy, and Ashlyn


me, Wil, Bett, Sarah, and Ivy


Ashlyn pooped!


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