Thursday October 5, 2000

The plane was scheduled to take off for Vancouver at 8am Thursday morning.   We arrived at the gate at around quarter after 7am.  Since we did not have any luggage, checking in was a breeze.  Serena and Sam were already at the gate.  It was a pure coincidence that we're taking the same flight to Vancouver before going our ways (S&S were going to Hong Kong).  The flight was not full, so the lady at the counter was kind enough to reserve three seats for us so we can stretch out comfortably.   The weather was beautiful and I had a feeling that it was going to be a nice ride.

Somewhere North of Boston (probably NH beaches)
Taken at: 8:31 AM, Thursday 5 October 2000



Russ was kind enough to give me the window seat  :-)
Taken at: 8:31 AM, Thursday 5 October 2000



The rockies about an hour from Vancouver.  Luckily we have clear skies most of the way and were able to see some really great views
Taken at: 2:03 PM, Thursday 5 October 2000



What are those black things?
Taken at: 2:09 PM, Thursday 5 October 2000





Taken at: 2:10 PM, Thursday 5 October 2000

It took about 6 hours to get to the Vancouver airport.  The second leg was an hour away so we stopped by a duty-free liquer store and Russ got a French Champaigne for my parents.  The second leg was going to be the bad one - 12 hours total.  I've always been bad about sleeping in any moving object and this time was no exception.   While Russ snored away for a few hours, I barely got any shut-eye.  The moment I got any, Russ took a snapshot.  Very misleading.

Taken at: 6:10 PM, Thursday 5 October 2000

Friday October 6, 2000

I thought the flight would never end.  By the time we got to Taipei it was 3pm the next day, my neck and arms and shoulders and back were screaming for a real bed.  It was a bit of a pain going through custom.  Russ and I had to separate since there're different lines for citizens and visitors.  The custom officer asked me a question that I couldn't understand so I mumbled something and he seemed pleased with it.  My mandarin was very rusty.  My parents were there to meet us when we finally got through all the red tape.  Mama seemed to have just gotten a perm and father looked good too.  We hooped on a taxi and went straight to the hotel that my father has booked for us.  It was only a 2-minute walk from my parents and was brand new.  After my parents left us, we collapsed on the bed and rested for about 2 hours.  The whole flight was 20 hours not counting going through custom and riding the taxi home.  We had a wonderful dinner at my parents after the break and went back to the hotel.

My father at his computer desk
Taken at: 9:38 PM, Friday 6 October 2000

Taiwan is crowded, humid, polluted and filled with crazy drivers with no regard for pedestrians.  It took us 10 minutes to cross two one-lane off-ramps.   I felt like a country girl visiting a big city for the first time.  Compared to Taiwan drivers, NYC cab drivers are like little lambs.