Island to Island

ATV -> Boat -> Van -> Tram -> Plane (x3) -> Taxi

We didn't expect the trip from Temagami to Taiwan to be easy - it did prove to be exhausting and epic - but I really can't imagine it going any more smoothly than it has so far.  I know, "knock on wood", but we are all three happy, healthy, rested, and safe in our hotel room in Taipei, so I think there is room for celebration.  After all, this was no stroll across town.

The journey started on Garden Island with loading up our gear onto Dick's ATV trailer to haul it across the island to the dock. Why did we need a heavy-duty ATV to haul our gear less than a mile? Let's just say that the days of  traveling light with nothing but a backpack are long gone - with the addition of Abel's gear, we would need about 10 backpacks total.  Instead, we had three full size checked bags (two of which are over the 50 lbs max), two full size carry-on bags, two shoulder bags, a diaper bag, and a large jogging stroller with car-seat.  Somehow we managed to get everything loaded onto Dick's boat without dislocating a shoulder or falling off the dock. The ride to the marina was Abel's last boat-ride for awhile, which is too bad because he LOVES boat rides - a certain Zen calm comes over him that is impossible to shake.

In line with their history of making our lives easier, Dick and Marg drove us to the Toronto airport and put us up in the Sheraton that is attached to our Terminal.  I can't imagine a more convenient location to have a celebratory glass of wine, say good-bye, and get a good night's sleep.

The next morning started early (4:30) when we corralled our piles of bags onto carts and wheeled them towards the United Airlines desk.  I thought we were having a stressful morning, until I witnessed the expressions on the staffs' faces at the United Airlines counter.  Either half the employees called in sick, or there is a very incompetent supervisor who thought that two people could check in 100+ passengers for several flights.  Let's just say that it was not a pleasant experience.  A United supervisor did make it up to us by expediting our trip through security and running with us through the terminal while carrying one of our bags.  At least Abel enjoyed the trip - the bounces on the stroller as I clumsily ran down the walkways must have felt great!

The rest of the air travel was blissfully non-eventful.  We got an extra seat on two out of three flights so Abel could stretch out and the flight attendants were extremely helpful.  Abel did AMAZING!  He slept, ate, slept, and smiled.  Pretty much his usual schedule.  Jess and I were pretty exhausted, but very relieved that Abel was happy.

We arrived in Taipei at 8pm with two out of three of our checked bags (the third has since been delivered) and our driver was holding a sign with "Jessica Lewis" written on it as we exited customs.  Even though it wasn't my name, I still felt like a VIP.   We got settled into our hotel**, had a wonderful 10 hours of sleep, and Jess dove right into her job by meeting her colleagues for lunch while Abel and I roamed around the city.

I won't go into much detail about the city yet - I'll save that for the next post.  Now it is time for me to continue to battle jet-lag and get to bed.  I am writing this after having woken up at 1:30 - not in the afternoon, but in the morning.  I like to be an early-riser, but this is a little ridiculous. We have a full day of apartment searching tomorrow, so wish us luck!



** A small foot-note about our hotel - best free breakfast EVER! This deserves a footnote because I take hotel breakfasts quite seriously and over the years I have seen the good, bad, and ugly.  I wake up hungry and I have no tolerance for an establishment that thinks a few pieces of white bread and warm orange juice constitutes breakfast.  I didn't have very high expectations for breakfast at our hotel because in China breakfast is usually pretty simple - a steamed bun, soy milk, some fruit, or rice porridge.  You can't imagine my elation as I walked into the lobby to find eight hot dishes (sausage, eggs, fried rice, fish, vegetables), fresh fruit, rice porridge, baked goods, coffee, tea, juices, and an entire array of Chinese condiments which I don't know what to call and don't care because they are super tasty.  Needless to say, I will be sad to check out in a few days . . .