The trip back to Chiberia started at 5am. We had called a red truck taxi(also need a pic of this---think of a pick-up with a cover over it, and benches inside..confusing?!) the night before and scheduled for him to pick us up at 5:10am to catch our 7:50 flight. We waited for him with another family that was heading back to China on the same flight. A red truck pulled up at 5:!0, but with another family inside, and the family we had been waiting with knew it was theirs. We continued to wait, swatting at mosquitoes and driving the kids around in the stroller to keep them moving, hoping to keep the blood-sucking bugs off of them.
5:25 rolled around. I told Michael he needed to call. He did, and woops! The driver didn't know which families he was taking, and didn't realize he was supposed to take all 3 bunches of us. So, he said he would be there in 10 minutes. Poor guy, felt so bad. We didn't mind..we figured we would still be ok for the flight.
When we arrived, it was pushing 6:00. We got in line..a long line. It seemed to just crawl. When we finally got to the counter, we had the same problem as the trip there. No ticket for Malachi. For real?! So, just like the first round, the clerk checked us through partially. Through Bangkok, but in Guangzhou, we'd have to retrieve our bags and check in again. I was beyond annoyed, and we had only begun our day. Not an awesome start. And the kids were already getting whiny.
There was nothing we could do at this point, so we took what we had and finished checking in...which also took forever. By the time we got to our gate, it was well after 7:00 and our plane was to board any minute. The other 2 families that took our red truck taxi by accident were already there. (They felt bad, by the way--but they didn't know it was also for us!) We boarded shortly thereafter.
It was a short flight, and Malachi took a short nap. I remember them serving "breakfast." A box with a cup of juice and three 1/2 sandwiches--2 filled with something green, and the other yellowish. None of us touched them! Thank heavens for granola bars.
Bangkok was uneventful except for the fact that we walked another mile or two--literally--to get to our gate. Josiah was already starting to break down, wanting to ride in the stroller. This was only the beginning. We made it to the gate with no time to spare--we boarded immediately.
In Guangzhou, thankfully, we had a few hour layover. Our flight was almost an hour late landing, though. We quickly picked up our bags and headed to the domestic transfer desk. Thankfully, hardly any line. But we still were at that desk for at least 30 minutes. The kids really started to break down at this point. Josiah, whining. Malachi, only wanting me to hold him. All we could do was bribe both of them to calm down with candy. I hated doing that. At one point, I barked at why we should be giving in to their whines. Michael reminded me---we still have half the day left and 2 flights to catch. Oh yeah. My attitude was going downhill as well. Poor Michael.
The clerk was able to check our bags and everyone except Malachi, of course, through to Changchun. We had a second-guess moment, wondering if we should just check the stroller, too, knowing we wouldn't have much time to use it in Beijing. We decided not to. Dropping it off and picking it up at the gate had been working so far, and at least one child needed to be in it to stay calm and quiet. This decision would bite us later.
By the time all of that was over, we had about 30 minutes to get to our gate. Planes board 30 minutes early. We made it, with some running, and 2 very cranky kids and 1 cranky momma. Bless Michael.
On this 3 hour flight, we were separated by a few rows. Michael and Josiah behind Malachi and me. I thought this would be tough, but it actually was better for Malachi. He wasn't distracted by his brother, so he settled down for a nap early into the flight. Sadly, it only lasted 20 minutes. *sigh* Thankfully, we had a seat open next to us and a cute 15 year-old in front of us that helped keep the energizer bunny entertained. Overall, not a bad flight. Except one thing. Right before the plane took off, a flight attendant told Michael we would have to check the stroller and pick it up in Beijing. I was furious, once again, knowing we wouldn't have time to pick it up.
We were scared about our last flight. We landed in Beijing with maybe 45 minutes before our next flight was to leave. And probably the last flight of the night to our city. How could this happen again?! We decided to skip baggage claim for the stroller at this point. We wanted to be on our flight more than get the stroller. We ran into the domestic transfer room with, thankfully, no line. And Josiah had to pee. So I ran the 2 of them back down the 18-mile-long hall to the bathroom while Michael figured things out. We ran back, and found them still trying to figure things out. The clerk was just as confused as all the other clerks were as to why Malachi didn't have a ticket.
I was pacing, trying to stay calm, but thoroughly annoyed. I kept reminding myself that He was watching over us, and whatever happened, it wouldn't be the end of the world. Thankfully, the kids were on some adrenaline high at this point and not too crabby.
Finally, they got all of our boarding passes. Then, Michael mentioned to them about our stroller. The clerk gave us a bewildered look and told us we could choose: catch our flight that was leaving in 20 minutes, or go fetch our stroller and miss our flight. I was annoyed they wouldn't help us...that it was their fault we were leaving our stroller behind. But, there was no time to be mad. We had to RUN!
We caught the flight, thanks be to Him. I was still upset about the stroller, but Michael assured me this has happened to him several times. They would probably just deliver it to us the next day.
When we arrived in Changchun, it was 10pm. Long day! We had to ask around and figure out how to report about our stroller. That took another 30 minutes. The taxi driver we had reserved was waiting for us, what seemed like the last people in the airport. We walked outside, as bundled as we could be, and immediately our teeth started chattering in the sub-zero temperatures. The driver didn't really think things through and made all of us walk across the entire parking lot to his frigid car. Sheesh. I thought we were all going to get frost bite for sure.
Malachi was exhausted and slept the 45 minute car ride home. We walked in to a warm home, all ready to crash. I put Malachi down right away, and he was out for the night. Josiah had fun remembering all the things he had left behind a few weeks before. Thankfully, our stroller was delivered to us by noon the next day. Props to the airport for such speedy delivery!
Lesson learned: No more insane flight plans...spend the extra money to get a hotel for a night somewhere in the middle!
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Time in Thailand
If you read my mega-blog about the trip to Thailand, good for you. Here is what I remember from what we did IN Thailand. Next, the trip home. Sit down with a cup o' something warm for these long ones...
*For pictures of Thailand, go here: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.855705058709.2165540.66804516&type=1&l=fc9dc6facb
We got to Chiang Mai 5 days before our conference started. During this time, we ate tons of great food--most of it being Thai food, which surprised me. Both Michael and I kept craving the sweet and spicy curries with the aromatic long-grain rice. We didn't mind skipping the over-priced Western restaurants. We still hit up a few of those, but the flavors just didn't match up to the scrumptious Thai food. Best yet, we found our new favorite restaurant, and it was right down the street! We could feast as a family for less than $10, which included 3 entrees and a smoothie to share. Why didn't I take a pic of this place?! It's called Lemongrass if you ever find yourself in Chiang Mai. :)
We had tentatively planned on going to the zoo this time since we haven't been yet. But, the kids didn't do so well adjusting to a new place, so we skipped it. Maybe next year! So, for those 5 days, we just hung out, took lots of walks outside--because we could without freezing!--and met up with friends and former teammates we hadn't seen in a year. It's always so amazing to gather with people who are in the same situation you are. Not to compare, but to understand each other. We also met up with a family who knows my Aunt, Uncle, and cousins. They have lived in CM for 7 years doing ministry for orphans and refugees. It was cool to hear what is going on in their lives and what work the Father is doing there.
When conference started, I was a little nervous at how the boys would react to going to child care for half the day while we were in sessions of fellowship and learning. The first few days, we put Malachi in for the entire morning, which meant he was skipping his nap. He didn't do so well with that. He really likes his morning nap! So, for the rest of the time, we would take turns taking him back to the room for a nap. During some of those "room" times, I had some pretty sweet times with the Father. So great to know He doesn't need anywhere special to meet with and speak to us.
Josiah got sick right before conference started, but not with anything terrible. Just a fever and annoying, dry cough. We kept him out of child care the first day, but felt he was good enough to go the second day. I dropped him off in the room full of 3, 4, and 5 year-olds, and he didn't cry! So proud! I asked him daily if he talked to anyone or made any friends and he said, "no" every time. Haha. I challenged him the last day to make a friend. He came out with 3 names of friends he had met. Good job, little guy!
The boys did the worst at meal times. I don't know if it was different food or too many people. I'm thinking the latter, because once we were tired of hearing wailing through every meal, we finally just ate in our room. Less crying and more eating..yes!
The conference for me was refreshing. It was the first time out of 3 years I got to hear most of what was taught and talked about. And boy, is corporate fellowship something! When it's not available for several months, you really soak it up and learn to appreciate every moment of it.
A couple of the teachings were from Psalm 139 and Romans 8. The Father really spoke to me through a few of those verses, giving me practical advice to speak with wisdom and remember that He knows my every thought. I still need to mull over these some more.
The last day of conference, the kiddos--all of them, including the babies!--got on stage and sang a song. I recorded it, but you can't see our kids. When the 0-5 year-olds lined up, Josiah was in the back. When the music started, he just sat down on the back of the stage--ha! That's my little introvert! (Later, I played the same song and learned that he did know the song and motions! Little stinker!) Malachi spotted me before the song started and bawled through the entire thing. Way to go, kids! :)
The last night of conference, we had a special dressy dinner at a nicer hotel nearby. Apparently a donor gave specifically to fund this dinner. Awesome! It was fun to get dressed up and eat good, Western food. After dinner, there was another concert full of heartfelt singing and wo-ship. Awesome.
The last few days there, we just soaked up more sun with walks and more Thai food, of course! It was tough to leave, knowing we'd be losing 100 degrees. It wasn't the warmest welcome home. :)
*For pictures of Thailand, go here: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.855705058709.2165540.66804516&type=1&l=fc9dc6facb
We got to Chiang Mai 5 days before our conference started. During this time, we ate tons of great food--most of it being Thai food, which surprised me. Both Michael and I kept craving the sweet and spicy curries with the aromatic long-grain rice. We didn't mind skipping the over-priced Western restaurants. We still hit up a few of those, but the flavors just didn't match up to the scrumptious Thai food. Best yet, we found our new favorite restaurant, and it was right down the street! We could feast as a family for less than $10, which included 3 entrees and a smoothie to share. Why didn't I take a pic of this place?! It's called Lemongrass if you ever find yourself in Chiang Mai. :)
We had tentatively planned on going to the zoo this time since we haven't been yet. But, the kids didn't do so well adjusting to a new place, so we skipped it. Maybe next year! So, for those 5 days, we just hung out, took lots of walks outside--because we could without freezing!--and met up with friends and former teammates we hadn't seen in a year. It's always so amazing to gather with people who are in the same situation you are. Not to compare, but to understand each other. We also met up with a family who knows my Aunt, Uncle, and cousins. They have lived in CM for 7 years doing ministry for orphans and refugees. It was cool to hear what is going on in their lives and what work the Father is doing there.
When conference started, I was a little nervous at how the boys would react to going to child care for half the day while we were in sessions of fellowship and learning. The first few days, we put Malachi in for the entire morning, which meant he was skipping his nap. He didn't do so well with that. He really likes his morning nap! So, for the rest of the time, we would take turns taking him back to the room for a nap. During some of those "room" times, I had some pretty sweet times with the Father. So great to know He doesn't need anywhere special to meet with and speak to us.
Josiah got sick right before conference started, but not with anything terrible. Just a fever and annoying, dry cough. We kept him out of child care the first day, but felt he was good enough to go the second day. I dropped him off in the room full of 3, 4, and 5 year-olds, and he didn't cry! So proud! I asked him daily if he talked to anyone or made any friends and he said, "no" every time. Haha. I challenged him the last day to make a friend. He came out with 3 names of friends he had met. Good job, little guy!
The boys did the worst at meal times. I don't know if it was different food or too many people. I'm thinking the latter, because once we were tired of hearing wailing through every meal, we finally just ate in our room. Less crying and more eating..yes!
The conference for me was refreshing. It was the first time out of 3 years I got to hear most of what was taught and talked about. And boy, is corporate fellowship something! When it's not available for several months, you really soak it up and learn to appreciate every moment of it.
A couple of the teachings were from Psalm 139 and Romans 8. The Father really spoke to me through a few of those verses, giving me practical advice to speak with wisdom and remember that He knows my every thought. I still need to mull over these some more.
The last day of conference, the kiddos--all of them, including the babies!--got on stage and sang a song. I recorded it, but you can't see our kids. When the 0-5 year-olds lined up, Josiah was in the back. When the music started, he just sat down on the back of the stage--ha! That's my little introvert! (Later, I played the same song and learned that he did know the song and motions! Little stinker!) Malachi spotted me before the song started and bawled through the entire thing. Way to go, kids! :)
The last night of conference, we had a special dressy dinner at a nicer hotel nearby. Apparently a donor gave specifically to fund this dinner. Awesome! It was fun to get dressed up and eat good, Western food. After dinner, there was another concert full of heartfelt singing and wo-ship. Awesome.
The last few days there, we just soaked up more sun with walks and more Thai food, of course! It was tough to leave, knowing we'd be losing 100 degrees. It wasn't the warmest welcome home. :)
Sunday, February 17, 2013
To Thailand
This read may be boring for you, but I like to document our travel days to look back on and see how the kids do. Plus, there are usually crazy stories thrown in there that are worthy of being recorded.
To Thailand:
Ok, this was over 2 weeks ago. My memory is fading already because so much has happened in between. We left the well below-freezing Changchun wearing no long underwear and only jackets. We didn't have room to pack all those bulky clothes!
The taxi we had arranged picked us up at our door right on time, 5.30am. He drove us through the still-asleep city to the airport in a short 45 minutes. The boys were wide awake, and for the most part, happy. I'm sure they could sense the excitement. Josiah had been talking about the airport for days and was happy to finally get to go. Little did he know, we'd go through 4 airports that day.
I didn't remember much about the Changchun airport because the last time we were there, we were ragged and tired from a long flight from America. It's small, so I'm glad we didn't get there much earlier. Or so I thought.
Our flight plan was to be Changchun - Beijing - Hong Kong - Bangkok - Chiang Mai. Yes, a little insane. Here was our thought behind such a gruelling trip: get there in one day. Chiang Mai is a pretty small city, so there are very few flight options to get there in one day. In the past, we have stayed overnight in Bangkok....and it wasn't pretty. The kids like their own sleeping space. It's tough to unpack for one night, get everyone settled after a long day, then re-pack to hop on another flight the next day. So we gave this a shot. And it shot us in the foot.
We got up to the counter to check in for our 8am flight. Everything was fine until they checked for Malachi's ticket. Or lack thereof. He didn't have a ticket. They told us we needed to buy one for him. Um, no. We already did that. Actually, his tiks (lap baby costs) cost more than all of ours because the rest of us used frequent-flier miles. We knew we had purchased them, but they had no record. So after a few calls, the guy behind the counter decided to give him a boarding pass. But only to Beijing. There, we'd have to collect our bags and completely re-check in. Oh boy. Thankfully, our longest layover for the day was in Beijing. 3.5 hours. But in my head, I knew that would go by quickly...planes are almost always late landing; we were going to have to go to baggage claim, practically exit the airport, find the ticket counter, and check our bags and ourselves in again; we were going to have to go through security again; we were going to have to find our gate...which is always a hike in the Beijing airport; and, ya know, Beijing has a ginormous airport with a billion people scurrying around.
The first leg was uneventful. Josiah spent the time looking out the window, oohing and aahing at the sky. Malachi took a short nap, giving in to the exhaustion. But only a little. He didn't want to miss anything.
We arrived in Beijing, a little late, as expected. We grabbed our bags, then headed to the ticket counter. The line was long. The boys were already getting impatient. Here came the snacks to quiet them down. When it was our turn, we didn't tell our story from Changchun, just treated it as if we were new passengers. It didn't work. They had the same error. No ticket for Malachi. For real, people?! Again, they wanted us to pay. No can do, folks. They directed us to another (shorter) line to talk to someone who deals with these sort of things. He made the call to give Malachi a ticket to Hong Kong and check our bags all the way to Chiang Mai. At least that part was taken care of! Our next few connections were much tighter, so we knew we wouldn't be able to do the bag re-check. I was getting more frustrated, not understanding why Malachi's information wasn't showing up. But, I was thankful that the next 2 flights would be with Thai Air. They're Thai...much more customer-friendly than most people in China. :)
We arrived in Hong Kong with about 45 minutes to catch our flight. This was gonna be close. After several minutes of searching, we finally found the right counter. We were sweating. We told them our situation, and finally...finally! they checked us through to Bangkok, then onto Chiang Mai. Yes! No more issues!
By the time we got to Bangkok, though, it was another close call. All of our flights landed a little late, so by the time we got to the last flight, it was tight again. As we were half-jogging 2 very tired little boys, we ran into 3 older people who were catching the same flight. The last flight to Chiang Mai for the day. If we didn't make this, we'd have to stay overnight. The 7 of us literally ran to the gate. It was a long run. Why are airports so spread out?! We made it to the gate, but didn't even have time to sit down. We got in line and boarded. Whew.
There were too many flights to remember how the boys did on each one. But, overall, they did so-so. Josiah is a much better traveller than in the past. A movie or game played on the screen mounted to the seat in front of him can keep him occupied the whole flight. He took about a 1 hour nap the entire day. Malachi was another story. He took 2 or 3 very short naps, totalling maybe 1.5 hours of sleep. Snacks were our best friend, bribing the boys to keep quiet and calm down the tantrums. On the last flight, I remember Malachi getting a burst of energy and just wanting to walk the aisles. I didn't blame him. We spent some time at the back of the plane with the flight attendants. They didn't seem to mind. The most exhausting part is that he is still attached to me. And only me. Michael tried to help hold and entertain him, but he wouldn't have it. I'm sure one day I'll look back on these days and miss all of his snuggles, but for now, it's exhausting.
We arrived in Chiang Mai at 10.30. Amazingly, all of our bags made it through all of that chaos. We got a taxi and made it to the hotel at about 11.30. It was so great to be in the warmth. 100 degrees warmer than where we had been that morning! We were all beat, but were grateful we made all our connections. We set up the boys' room quickly, and everyone was in bed by 12.30. Everyone slept til 10am the next day. That was beautiful. :)
Next...the trip home. Even more adventurous.
To Thailand:
Ok, this was over 2 weeks ago. My memory is fading already because so much has happened in between. We left the well below-freezing Changchun wearing no long underwear and only jackets. We didn't have room to pack all those bulky clothes!
The taxi we had arranged picked us up at our door right on time, 5.30am. He drove us through the still-asleep city to the airport in a short 45 minutes. The boys were wide awake, and for the most part, happy. I'm sure they could sense the excitement. Josiah had been talking about the airport for days and was happy to finally get to go. Little did he know, we'd go through 4 airports that day.
I didn't remember much about the Changchun airport because the last time we were there, we were ragged and tired from a long flight from America. It's small, so I'm glad we didn't get there much earlier. Or so I thought.
Our flight plan was to be Changchun - Beijing - Hong Kong - Bangkok - Chiang Mai. Yes, a little insane. Here was our thought behind such a gruelling trip: get there in one day. Chiang Mai is a pretty small city, so there are very few flight options to get there in one day. In the past, we have stayed overnight in Bangkok....and it wasn't pretty. The kids like their own sleeping space. It's tough to unpack for one night, get everyone settled after a long day, then re-pack to hop on another flight the next day. So we gave this a shot. And it shot us in the foot.
We got up to the counter to check in for our 8am flight. Everything was fine until they checked for Malachi's ticket. Or lack thereof. He didn't have a ticket. They told us we needed to buy one for him. Um, no. We already did that. Actually, his tiks (lap baby costs) cost more than all of ours because the rest of us used frequent-flier miles. We knew we had purchased them, but they had no record. So after a few calls, the guy behind the counter decided to give him a boarding pass. But only to Beijing. There, we'd have to collect our bags and completely re-check in. Oh boy. Thankfully, our longest layover for the day was in Beijing. 3.5 hours. But in my head, I knew that would go by quickly...planes are almost always late landing; we were going to have to go to baggage claim, practically exit the airport, find the ticket counter, and check our bags and ourselves in again; we were going to have to go through security again; we were going to have to find our gate...which is always a hike in the Beijing airport; and, ya know, Beijing has a ginormous airport with a billion people scurrying around.
The first leg was uneventful. Josiah spent the time looking out the window, oohing and aahing at the sky. Malachi took a short nap, giving in to the exhaustion. But only a little. He didn't want to miss anything.
We arrived in Beijing, a little late, as expected. We grabbed our bags, then headed to the ticket counter. The line was long. The boys were already getting impatient. Here came the snacks to quiet them down. When it was our turn, we didn't tell our story from Changchun, just treated it as if we were new passengers. It didn't work. They had the same error. No ticket for Malachi. For real, people?! Again, they wanted us to pay. No can do, folks. They directed us to another (shorter) line to talk to someone who deals with these sort of things. He made the call to give Malachi a ticket to Hong Kong and check our bags all the way to Chiang Mai. At least that part was taken care of! Our next few connections were much tighter, so we knew we wouldn't be able to do the bag re-check. I was getting more frustrated, not understanding why Malachi's information wasn't showing up. But, I was thankful that the next 2 flights would be with Thai Air. They're Thai...much more customer-friendly than most people in China. :)
We arrived in Hong Kong with about 45 minutes to catch our flight. This was gonna be close. After several minutes of searching, we finally found the right counter. We were sweating. We told them our situation, and finally...finally! they checked us through to Bangkok, then onto Chiang Mai. Yes! No more issues!
By the time we got to Bangkok, though, it was another close call. All of our flights landed a little late, so by the time we got to the last flight, it was tight again. As we were half-jogging 2 very tired little boys, we ran into 3 older people who were catching the same flight. The last flight to Chiang Mai for the day. If we didn't make this, we'd have to stay overnight. The 7 of us literally ran to the gate. It was a long run. Why are airports so spread out?! We made it to the gate, but didn't even have time to sit down. We got in line and boarded. Whew.
There were too many flights to remember how the boys did on each one. But, overall, they did so-so. Josiah is a much better traveller than in the past. A movie or game played on the screen mounted to the seat in front of him can keep him occupied the whole flight. He took about a 1 hour nap the entire day. Malachi was another story. He took 2 or 3 very short naps, totalling maybe 1.5 hours of sleep. Snacks were our best friend, bribing the boys to keep quiet and calm down the tantrums. On the last flight, I remember Malachi getting a burst of energy and just wanting to walk the aisles. I didn't blame him. We spent some time at the back of the plane with the flight attendants. They didn't seem to mind. The most exhausting part is that he is still attached to me. And only me. Michael tried to help hold and entertain him, but he wouldn't have it. I'm sure one day I'll look back on these days and miss all of his snuggles, but for now, it's exhausting.
We arrived in Chiang Mai at 10.30. Amazingly, all of our bags made it through all of that chaos. We got a taxi and made it to the hotel at about 11.30. It was so great to be in the warmth. 100 degrees warmer than where we had been that morning! We were all beat, but were grateful we made all our connections. We set up the boys' room quickly, and everyone was in bed by 12.30. Everyone slept til 10am the next day. That was beautiful. :)
Next...the trip home. Even more adventurous.
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