Home Sweet Home!

Finally today is the day we head home. While we still have colds they seem to be getting a little better as of this morning. We set the alarm for 4AM and were already down in the lobby by 4:30 to grab a take away breakfast and grab a cab to the airport. We arrived at the airport at 4:55 and as I should have guessed the lines were already out the door. We were able to make it inside and then Lyn had to pay a travel tax to be able to leave the country and we both had to pay a terminal fee. These were small amounts for sure but it does seem like they always have to get you for something. Once we were done with that we got in the Delta line and made it through in about 20 minutes. Then we had to go through Immigration and then finally through security. We made it to our gate with time to spare so overall it was a good experience. Our first flight was to Tokyo and would be just under 4 hours. As luck would have it Lyn got to sit next to an older lady that spoke Ilokano. (Her native language.) It was nice for them to be able to chat she found out that she would be sitting with us again on the long NYC flight. I noticed that Lyn was helping her with everything. Showing her how to use the video controls making sure she had everything she needed and just talking with her in general. She later told me it felt like her Mom was with her on the flight. God works in mysterious ways, many we may not understand but we will always appreciate them. We arrived in Tokyo on time and had about a 45-minute layover. I enjoy walking in the stores here, as everything is different from home. Our next flight to JFK would be just under 12 hours. This is the one we both dreaded. It is hard to sit in those seats for that long but we were able to get up occasionally and walk around. If money was no object those 1^st class beds sure look good up front. But wait we did get to ride in 1^st class on the bus I guess that will have to do. After watching several movies and having several meals we finally landed at JFK. (One movie was especially good. It was called The Lunchbox. You can check it out here. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2350496/ )

We got off the plane and went through immigration. We both realized that this would be the last time that Lyn would have to do this using a Green Card. The next time we do this she will be a full on U.S. Citizen! The immigration officer was very nice which is not always the case. After we collected our luggage we had to recheck it to our final destination Raleigh, NC. My daughter Chelsea and son-in-law Justin were going to meet us their with our car and Jasper so we could drive straight from there.  We had about a 3 hour wait for our plane but finally we boarded the final flight. Surprisingly one of our stewardesses was Filipino. She talked to Lyn in Tagalog and asked me if I knew any. Of course I used my handy dandy phrase “Hindi ko alam!” which means “I do not know.” Ha Ha. I did manage to say “Salamat Po” on my way off the plane, a very fitting way to end the trip. Justin and Chelsea greeted us and after getting our luggage we were actually driving our car on I-40 heading home. It seemed like we were flying going 70 miles per hour. After about an hour and 15 minutes we were home! It felt so good that we just sat there enjoying the moment. We went to bed about 1AM with the windows open and enjoyed the cool 68-degree temperature. It seems like a lifetime ago that we started our summer vacation with my Dad and Joanne. I would never have predicted when we were standing on the snowfields at Glacier Park that a week later I would be riding a trike in Solano Nueva Vizcaya. Life can sure throw you curves and difficult situations but as long as you have friends and family you can make it through just about anything. We were blessed in so many ways on this month long odyssey. So many people went out of their way to help us, gave us encouraging words or put us in their prayers. (Way too many to name here.) But from the bottom of our hearts we thank you all!!!!! Next years vacation?!?!!? Not sure yet but as long as I have Lyn by my side it is guaranteed to be an adventure! See you in the Bye and Bye!

In Tokyo.

Frog pocket books.

Crazy sign!

Manila airport at 4:55AM.

Tokyo sign.

Great snack.

Tokyo trash can.

Heading home!

On the way to Manila

We woke up about 5 am with the same colds hat we went to bed with. Uggghhh! Our bus to Manila was scheduled to leave at 11:20. We decided to have breakfast and then walk back to the market to visit the coffee shop one more time. We wanted to get a little more before we headed back home and really any excuse to walk through Burnham Park is a valid one. We went down stairs to breakfast about 6:30. The guy that greeted us in the lobby said that breakfast would start at 7. We decided to sit in the lobby and enjoy the wifi that is much quicker than the wifi in our room. After about 5 minutes the man came back and said they would open the kitchen for us early and we could now have breakfast. I had bacon and eggs and Lyn had hot dogs sliced with eggs and rice. (Hot dogs are served all the time over here and are a part of many dishes.) This meal was not only delicious it also was presented nicely as well. After breakfast we walked to the market. We cut through Burnham Park and saw that it was alive with families already enjoying the bikes, playgrounds and boats. It was a school holiday and so everyone was free to enjoy the park. We went to the Market and bought more coffee at the same store that we had purchased it at the day before. That market really has a life of its own and could walk around it all day. Since we had a bus to catch we caught a cab back to the hotel and packed up our things. Today’s bus ride was going to be about 5 hours long. Once we arrived at the Victory Liner station we were greeted by three guards that helped us get our luggage in. We already had our tickets so it was really just a matter of waiting on our bus to arrive. We had splurged and paid for a luxury bus, which was only about $17 per person. This was about $8 a person more than the regular bus. For this price we were treated with bigger seats that reclined more, a bathroom, wifi with charger and a stewardess that handed out light snacks and water. The bathroom would enable us to arrive in Manila about two hours faster than the regular bus because we could go non-stop. And once again we had seriously strong air conditioning. The ride out was really curvy at first as we left Baguio. Our bus was passing everything in sight and seemed to have no problem doing that on blind curves as well. After about an hour it flattened out and we just sat back and watched the countryside and enjoyed the wifi. The plan was to go to the Pasay terminal, which would be near our hotel and very near the airport. Eric’s Mom met us there and rode with us in the cab to make sure that we got in a good cab and did not have any hassle. She actually offered to let us stay with her again but we were just too sick to be around anyone. (Thank you Eric and Russelle for making our time in Manila hassle free. It really took the pressure off our travel there!) We look forward to going back there when we have more time. Once we checked in we basically crashed on the bed and fell asleep until dinnertime. Our colds were getting the best of us and tomorrow would be about 36 hours of travel. Yikes. Hoping for better health, as this trip is not easy on the best of conditions. Tomorrow we have the alarm set at for so we can leave the hotel at 4:30. This should get us to the airport at 5AM, which will give us enough time to get through all of the craziness. Hoping for a smooth day tomorrow.

Breakfast at the park View Hotel!

Guard at the Manila bus station.

Luxury bus.

Snack

Bathroom on the bus.

Stewardess

The bus.

Along the way.

Snack