It's only 11 AM but I'm cracking a beer. I can't help it. My body thinks it's midnight Wednesday.
We are successfully installed in the New Brunswick countryside coping with massive jet lag but elated to be here. It's 30 degrees and muggy but refreshing compared to those last hectic days in Taichung, packing and sweating.
We caught the midnight flight to Vancouver Monday and arrived there 11 and a half hours later, which turned out to be 5 and half hours or so before we left. So we got to do parts of the 7th twice. We struggled through immigration and customs, spent 7 hours at a hotel in crappy Richmond before flying the next morning on a delayed (2 hours) flight to Toronto, hence missing our connection to Freddy Town. That flight, which we were lucky enough to reschedule for the same day, was delayed a further 2 hours due to heavy rains. We arrived in Freddy Town at 1:15 AM Wednesday morning and to my parents' house at 3 AM, putting the total travel time at somewhere around 44-45 hours.
Here are some things I learned moving half way around the world with my wife, 2 kids, 7 20+ kg bags, 4 carry ons, 2 laptops and a stroller.
- We had a lot of shit. More than I thought. We were still moving it an hour before departure.
- Kevlar will take your stuff. He may say he won't but in the end he will. Thanks Kev.
- I needed to hire 2 cabs to get us and the stuff to the HSR in Wu Re.
- The HSR station doesn't have any carts for carrying luggage. No porters either.
- There are no carts because they are "...unsuitable and dangerous."
- It became clear once we got to the platform that managing our luggage and the kids was going to be impossible. We decided to get a cab. Rather, cabs.
- The HSR staff will refund your purchased tickets at a 20 NT penalty.
- I probably paid too much but both drivers were awesome and friendly. It was a smooth ride. I should have arranged a van to begin with.
- The red eye to Vancouver is great if you have kids. They slept most of the way.
- Vancouver airport has porters. I hired a man named Amir immediately after getting through immigration. He ended up waiting for us while we were being detained at customs.
- It's easier to say that you're just visiting Canada than you're actually moving to Canada, especially if someone in the family isn't Canadian. This mistake cost us an extra 2 hours.
- Telling the truth is for suckers. And this just in, nice guys finish last.
- You can store your bags at the airport.
- Richmond BC is pretty lame after 11pm. Everything was in Chinese but there were no people around. And no food. Weird. Had to walk a mile to a Tim Horton's.
- 3 year olds will pick gum from underneath seats and while chewing ask, "What is this?"
- 1 year olds, at least mine does anyway, love pay phones.
- Air Canada will give you a free drink if your flight has been delayed. Otherwise it's 6 bucks per.
- Headphones are free but a blanket and pillow combo costs 2 bucks.
- 3 olds usually need to use the facilities near or at final boarding calls.
- We were the last ones off every flight.
- AC flight attendants like to gossip about who's screwing the pilot.
- Don't let your kids play in the path of shackled convicts under police escort.
- We traveled with 2 laptops but no one ever asked us to turn them on and we only had to show them once.
- After each flight landed Ivo asked, "Are we in Canada now?"
- This beer tastes like another.
