We Made It! Can You Believe It?

It feels great to be sitting down to a computer again. I can't believe that we've been here in Perth for three weeks! So much has happened! Before leaving Edmonton I remember preparing mentally for the flights by telling myself that it would be like camping but without the bugs. This helped, but I have to admit that it really wasn't as bad as I feared it would be. As many of you know, our trip here included five flights with layovers that varied in length. Our journey began in Edmonton...

Edmonton to Seattle:

This was by far the best flight. We were all fresh and relatively well-rested. Peter slept for a good portion of it and Eliot was happy to show Yellow Bear the view out the window, and munch on his snacks. We were in the Seattle airport for three hours. Long enough for Eliot to get a nap and for Peter to go exploring with Daddy.

Seattle to San Francisco:

This flight doesn't really stand out in my mind. Pretty uneventful. Peter took another nap and Eliot played well in his seat. It was the layover in San Francisco that was our undoing. We were in the airport for about 6 hours. The trick was that the Singapore Airlines desks didn't open until 9:30 pm so we didn't get to our gate until past 10:00. By the time we got there Eliot was happy to get into his pj's and he and Peter both crashed and had a good sleep.

San Francisco to Singapore via Hong Kong:

I thought the boys would go right back to sleep once we boarded the plane, around 1:00 am. Peter didn't have any trouble with that, partly because he was exhausted and partly because he was zipped into a snug little bassinet. Eliot, on the other hand, got his second wind and stayed awake for several hours, playing with the remote control for this TV and tucking in to the meal they brought him. I should mention here that we weren't able to use his carseat as we had planned. Something about the carseat only working on a window seat and the bassinet not being able to attach to the wall in front of the window seat...anyway, whatever. Eliot finally dropped off into a fitful sleep in his seat. Peter clearly had the best rest of any of us. Whenever the seatbelt sign lit up I had to take him out of the bassinet and strap him into an infant seatbelt that was attached to my own. Unfortunately this was not infrequent due to a squall that we hit out over the Pacific Ocean. But he was pretty good about going back to sleep. The real squall hit just before we were about to land in Hong Kong. Eliot, who felt he had put up with quite enough at this point, came totally unglued. It was that sort of sleep deprivation-induced insanity that all parents know and dread. I felt badly for the flight attendants who sort of fluttered in the background, wondering if there was anything they could do to help. Of course there wasn't. But mostly I felt badly for little Eliot as his maniacal screams roused the rest of the passengers to prepare for landing. (Interesting side note: The water that came with Eliot's meal was Nanton water which is bottled in southern Alberta, which Spencer enjoyed)

In Hong Kong we were quickly ushered off the plane, through a security check point and right back onto the plane, which by that time had been freshened up and refueled. It felt good to be back in our little row of seats again which, after the trans-Pacific flight, was starting to feel like home. Now we were off to Singapore.

The layover in Singapore was unquestionably the highlight of the trip. We'd heard that the Singapore Airport was some sort of travellers' Shangri-La, and during some of the more difficult legs of the trip it seemed to flutter mirage-like in the distance. Even though our bodies thought it was the middle of the night, we all rose to the occasion and took advantage of as many amenities as we could. We explored orchid gardens, enjoyed the goldfish pond, got a free foot massage, then another free foot massage, and took a few naps. But best of all was the free tour into the city. We were whisked through customs, loaded onto a bus, and away we went. The tours were started as an attempt to drum up tourism--which is a major part of the Singapore economy. So as the tour guide pointed out the historical buildings and lovely parks, she also pointed out the lavish hotels and the best restaurants. The tour included a walk along the river so we could stretch our legs and take some pictures. It was really lovely, and the kind of Disneyland clean that you only really get under a benevolently dictatorial government. If the tour was intended to spark interest in returning for a longer stay, it certainly worked on us. It was also the closest any of us had ever been to the Equator. Pretty cool.

Singapore to Perth:

We boarded the plane in Singapore, laden with all kinds of free toys that had practically been forced upon us by very friendly airport attendents in bright pink blazers. One more flight to go. I have to say, with the kids it wasn't so much the long flights as it was getting on and off so many times. We were glad that the disruptions were coming to an end, and as much as we had enjoyed our time in the Singapore Airport we were ready to get to our destination.

Both Eliot and Peter slept nearly this entire flight. I know Spencer managed to get a little shut eye, I don't remember whether I did or not. It was all becoming a blur at this point.

We arrived in Perth around midnight local time and Eliot and Peter didn't even stir when we picked them up and carried them off the plane. Eliot continued to sleep in the stroller all the way through baggage claim, customs, and quarantine. All of these stops were mercifully brief because of a kind airport attendant who helped us through and took us to the front of the line whenever she could (one the few advantages of travelling with small children). I don't remember much about the Perth Airport other than a large mural above the baggage carousel explaining to us that Perth's deadliest marine creature is not, in fact, any of the various sharks that hang out in the water but the small blue bottle jellyfish. Good to know. And then we stumbled out into the arms of the driver that had come to pick us up and take us to the home of some very kind church members who were waiting up for us (more about them in a future post). Little did I know at the time that our adventure had only just begun. New challenges and adjustments and wonderful discoveries awaited us. But at that moment all we could think of was how grateful we were that the children were both asleep, and that we had a place to stretch out flat and lay down our weary heads.