Off we go!

Our adventure truly began the day we heard that the U.S. Government had officially approved the sale of the PC division of IBM to Legend, a China based company. In time Legend was renamed Lenovo, the name the global company currently uses. Once we heard this news, all of our good natured joking about possibly being sent to China if the division of IBM in which Wayne worked was sold suddenly became a reality. From then on it was a race to prepare for the possibility. The kids did their part by immediately rushing over to the computer and punching in "How to speak Chinese.com" into the search engine on their computers. They quickly found an appropriate website and soon were speaking phrases to us in Cantonese, proudly translating. I began researching the country while Wayne stayed on top of current events at work. Possibly turned into liklihood, which turned into most likely, which turned into almost positive, which soon became, "I've booked the tickets for our flights!". Thus began our Asia Adventure.

October 1st, Day 1: We woke in the morning around 7 am, having had only a few hours sleep the night before. Luckily our bags were all packed and ready. We loaded them into our rented vehicle and drove to the airport, feeling quite strange unloading 10 suitcases plus 5 carry-on bags, one being a computer bag. As we turned in our rental car one of the attendants looked to us with a smile and asked, "Traveling over seas?" To which we replied "Yes, we're moving to Hong Kong for a year." He commented, "Yep, everyone traveling with that much luggage is always headed overseas."

Off we went, getting curious looks from many passers-by as the four of us drove well loaded luggage carts through the airport. Enter...the drama! We expected some hitches in our travel plans for rarely does any event ever go completely smoothly. What we were not prepared for, however, was our itinerary to not clearly state which airline we'd be flying during our short 42 minute hop from Sea-Tac Airport to Vancouver's Airport, where we would catch our connecting international flight. Now this likely wouldn't have been a real problem except for the fact that when we reached United's check-in counter we were faced with "Self Check-in" computers. Everyone was struggling with the automated job stealers; improper boarding passes being issued, transactions not completed, or various error messages popping up. Computers are great tools but as with most tools they're best paired with a human user to achieve optimum results, as we discovered. There was no "Hey, we know we have more bags than we're allowed and some of our bags are overweight but can we pay the extra cost and fly the bags over with us anyway?" button on the automated check-in machine. I tell ya, I think it'll be a long, long while before we see any really intelligent i-robots running around. I think it's a compliment to the creator that human intelligence can't be so easily duplicated. (Then again, there are some people who make you wonder...) So there we stood, futilely trying to flag down some human help. When it finally came it was in the form of an "usher" of sorts, who delighted in chastising us over our bags taking up too much space and blocking too many of the broken auto-monsters. Finally we found a decent individual with the knowledge to help us and this first travel nightmare became a thing of the past, or so we thought. Wayne insisted we were flying United and the airport personal kept saying Air Canada. Well, this is why the wise traveler arrives at the airport at least two hours before their flights, to deal with such problems. As it turns out, we were indeed flying Air Canada but they are partnered with United and the names of both Airlines were on the itinerary. Eventually, with some shuffling of items from suitcase to suitcase to make sure each bag was within the proper weight limit, we finally received our boarding passes and were off, headed for the gate! By this time we had only an hour left before our flight was due to depart and sure enough as soon as we reached the security gate we were informed "I'm not sure if they told you, but you've been selected for extra screening." To which I immediately replied, "YAY!!" I figured the poor security guard had heard enough of the other kind of response that day and indeed he looked at me quite strangely as I seemed not to be upset in the least. It was then that I wondered what the "extra screening" entailed. Soon, however, the kids asked "What's that mean?" and I decided that instead of teaching them to be upset over every little hiccup and inconvenience in life that you can do nothing about, might as well celebrate. So I told them, "It means they pass a wand over you, making sure you're not carrying anything bad." Again I called out "YAY!" and they echoed my sentiment. By now the guard was really confused over why we were apparently so happy about getting patted down, having the zipper of one of our bags broken by over-zealous security personnel and learning that staples in passports will make the metal detector beep (which is exactly what happened). All I have to say is, it's really good that Wayne's pants didn't fall down when he was forced to remove his belt. We were running late enough as it is to be slowed down by such as that. ;)

Anyway, belongings gathered up, zippers fixed, shoes and belt on, we hopped on the tram, raced for our gate and made it in time. The surprising thing was finding out that we had booked a flight on a little puddle jumper, a twin engine propeller plane, for the 42 minute hop to Canada. It was also very interesting having to show our passports for the first time since they're now required when U.S. citizens visit Canada.

We walked down a long hall then down some steps and went right out onto the airfield! Our little plane was too small to match up to the size of the typical loading docks. Airport personnel and a roped off section of the blacktop guided us to the proper place. The plane was even too small for our larger pieces of carry-on luggage! We had to leave them on a rack for loading into the plane's belly. Up we climbed the metal steps leading into the plane, feeling very much like we were going on Safari, and tried to find our seats. As it turns out, we had assigned seating on this particular plane but were able to trade seats with a few people so we could all sit together. It's a good thing the flight was short because everyone was cramped into tiny spaces. Amber had a good outlook though. "I can handle this cause the next flight is going to be first class!" She commented candidly. Believe it or not, that propeller plane flight was quite smooth compared to many of the jet flights on which we'd flown in the past.

In no time at all we landed at the Vancouver Airport, a very pretty place. We wished we'd had more time to explore the duty free shops and some of the restaurants we'd heard about from friends but as soon as we landed we had to race off to catch our connecting flight. Enter...the drama! Again we had a little struggle since apparently we were supposed to have received boarding passes for the flight to China way back when we at the United/Air Canada monsterly self check-in computers. Luckily, we were able to speak with someone who could direct us to the proper gate and the security guard at the gate was kind enough to let Wayne in without boarding passes to speak with the Cathay Pacific officials. The guard was also kind enough to let the kids play on the moving sidewalks, one form of automation of which I approve! (They don't talk back and if they don't work you can always just use the normal ground to get you to where you need to go!) That kept the kids busy while Wayne sorted out the hassle and returned triumphant with boarding passes in hand. We then all gave our boarding passes to the kindly guard and were finally allowed to wait at the gate for our flight to begin boarding procedures. Now here is where things started to get...interesting. Never before have I seen such a conglomeration of so many different nationalities as in that waiting area. You name it, it was there and in traditional garb too! It felt surreal, like being in one of those movies where you travel to a foreign country and the only transportation is a near broken down bus where you're as likely to be riding with chickens and goats as with people. We quickly learned, however, that people are...well...people. One gentleman, who wore traditional garb including a turban and spoke no English, was kind enough to motion to Brandon that he had dropped his allergy medication under his seat when he sat down. This was a good thing too, for it was the only bottle we had at the time, the rest being packed away. The bottle was retrieved and we said our thank yous. This happened often along our way, acts of kindness from people of all different nationalities. Truly, one should never judge others by appearances alone. (We already knew that but it was sure nice to have it reaffirmed ;)

"We will now begin boarding our business class travelers." The announcement finally came over the intercom and was repeated in other languages for the benefit of people of other nationalities. We quickly strode forward, a little surprised by this, none of us having flown First Class before. Then when we entered the plane we were asked to turn left instead of right, something else that we were not used to. We stepped into the First Class cabin and I swore I heard angels sing. Turns out it was the kids doing their trademark "glory" sound and they were right, it was definitely glorious. The seats were three sets of two across and six deep, one set on the left side, one set in the middle and one set on the right. The flight attendants helped us find our seats and of course, the kids immediately began learning how to use every gadget available. They had to teach US how parts of the remote to the entertainment systems worked. That's what we get for having to get carry-on luggage stowed first and not getting to 'play', I suppose. Ah, to be a kid again.

Wayne had asked around and learned that Cathay Pacific was one of the best airlines to fly on if you are traveling overseas. We were so incredibly spoiled during that flight. Soon after we had taken off we were brought hot towels to wash up our faces and hands with so we would feel refreshed and clean before lunch. Lunch was literally a six course meal. It started with scallops and freshly roasted nuts (they were still warm) then moved on to a platter of smoked duck breast with grilled mango, oyster mushrooms and cumberland sauce. Surprisingly, the kids ate the scallops but not so much of the food on the platter. "I thought it was a banana." Brandon said of the scallop. "But I ate it anyway." "Did you like it?" I asked. "Yeah, it was good!" He replied. Then we moved on to the salad of fresh greens with balsamic vinaigrette dressing. After that it was time for the main course. Here we were given a choice of stir-fried seafood, grilled beef tenderloin, Kung Po chicken, or Penne with roasted red pepper. Next we were offered a selection of delicious cheeses, crackers and grapes. Then a selection of fresh fruit. After that came a slice of flan and herbal tea or coffee.

After the meal we were again given hot towels to use to clean up. Then the flight attendants handed out complimentary gift sets, which had socks, earplugs, eyecovers, mini lotions, eye cream, lip balm, a toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, a hairbrush and a disposable handkerchief. Now it was time for "lights out". By this time we had nearly reached our cruising altitude of 35,000 feet and the sun was so bright all the window covers were shut. The lights were also dimmed so that anyone who wished to sleep was more easily able to do so. For those not interested in sleeping there were entertainment systems which were mounted in the backs of each seat in front of them. They had movies, music, games, television and flight information all available at the touch a button. We all watched movies for a while and soon the flight felt...strange. Because one couldn't see out the windows it felt like...being on a train, until the turbulance hit. Then you were reminded that it was a plane flight. The flight was actually surprisingly smooth for as long as it was and for the amount of distance we traveled.

I wasn't able to sleep much during the flight; I was too apprehensive to sleep while Wayne and both kids were sleeping. Instead I watched movies and watched over them, seeing to needs such as more blankets and extra pillows, glasses of water and allergy medicine. Eventually, just as I began to feel safe enough to doze off, it was "breakfast" time. It seems that no matter what time it really is, the airplanes flying along international routes run on their own schedule. After passengers board, get settled and the plane is reaching cruising altitude, it's time to feed people. Several hours before the flight ends, it's time to eat again. Breakfast was delicious, if a bit more simple than dinner. Everyone in first class was brought steaming hot towels again to clean up with after sleeping. Then the food arrived.

(Amber writing now)
For our drinks on this glorious day, we had a choice of orange juice, apple juice or a strawberry banana smoothie. For the starters of this wondrous meal we had a choice of 2 out of three; fresh seasonal fruit, fruit yogurt or assorted cereals. Of course, we chose the fruit and the yogurt. For our huge main course, there was a choice herb cream cheese omelette with tomato concasse sauce, smoked bacon, chicken sausage and potato cake or stir-fried rice noodles and Chinese dim sum served with chilli sauce or chicken mushroom congee accompanied by spring onion pancake. After this delicious main course, we had assorted rolls and breakfast pastries served with preserves, honey and butter. Then to tie it all up we had tea or coffee. Pretty huge, huh?

Soon after we arrived at the airport... but that's a post for day 2 since we left America on the first but arrived in Hong Kong on the second of October.