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| Singapore to Tokyo |
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| Tokyo to Washington |
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| you may recall that our flight from Washington to Tokyo was Flight #1; our flight from Tokyo to Washington was Flight #2! |
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| the shadow of our plane as we landed at Dulles |
At the Singapore airport, our flight was not leaving until after midnight, so obviously it was dark outside. When we boarded our plane, the first thing I noticed was a stuffed Yoda across the galley from the door. I said to C, "There's a stuffed Yoda on this plane," and we just laughed it off. Then as we turned to walk down the aisle to our seats, we noticed that all of the headrest protectors were R2-D2, and we noticed the lighting (red, blue, green, and purple) and the Star Wars theme playing on the PA system. Even then, we didn't realize we were on the Star Wars plane, because it was dark outside, so we hadn't seen the exterior of the plane from the jetway! Some of the announcements were done by C-3P0 and R2-D2, and the flight attendants' aprons were R2-D2, as were the cups and napkins! So adorable! I had one goal when we landed in Tokyo - to get a picture of the plane's exterior! I was able to see one side as well as the front of the plane, but some of it was blocked by the jetway.
Imagine my delight, when a couple of hours later our second plane was sitting on the runway waiting for our turn to take off and I looked out the window to see the Star Wars plane right behind us! So I was able to get some great pictures of the whole thing (even better would have been a pic from above, since the plane is clearly designed like R2-D2, but obviously that was not happening!).
If you've been to Japan, you know how amazing the 7-Elevens are there, but we were pretty disappointed in the 7-Elevens in Thailand by comparison. The ones in Singapore were definitely much better than American 7-Elevens, but not as awesome as the ones in Japan! This might seem like a lot of commentary on 7-Elevens, but seriously, the ones in Japan are so great!
One thing I haven't written about but that has weighed very heavily on my heart is the shocking homeless dog (and to some extent, cat) population that exists in Thailand. There are SO many homeless dogs EVERYWHERE. I didn't witness any outright cruelty (which is not to say that isn't an issue - just that I didn't see it first hand)...it seems like people are just indifferent to the dogs. Heartbreaking. On the flip side, we did not see ANY dogs in Singapore, homeless or otherwise (and I am always on the lookout for dogs!). No pet dogs. Not a single one. I don't know how to explain that. But the stark contrast between Thailand and Singapore was certainly noteworthy.
Such an adventure would not be possible without my mom. She spoils Ginny and Riley and we never have to worry about them; she kindly holds the phone up to each of them during our facetime sessions so we can see them and talk to them. She is the best mom ever!!!
These have truly been two of the most amazing weeks of travel we have ever experienced! By the numbers:
- we took six flights, three of which were 2-4-3 planes, so we had a pair of seats, and three of which we had an empty middle seat between our window and aisle seats, so despite the length of the flights, they were all very comfortable and free of any strangers invading our personal space!
- we were at five different airports
- we flew on three different airlines (ANA, Thai Airlines, Singapore Airlines)
- we stayed in five different hotels
Regardless of the exhaustion after such a long travel day, we were so thrilled to see our dogs when my mom picked us up from the airport! Riley was super snuggly and Ginny came as close to giving me a hug as I think is possible for her!
Finally, I must thank C for the countless hours of research involved with planning such a long trip to two brand new places, from finding great places to stay, to fun things to do, to how to navigate the public transportation systems, he really is the most amazing travel planner. It's become a running joke that when people ask me where we're going and what we're doing before I leave on a trip, my answer is almost always, "I have no idea, but I'll tell you all about it when I get back," because C plans everything and I am just along for the ride! He certainly asks for my opinion if he's narrowed hotel choices down to two or three, and where I want us to sit on a plane, but he also knows me so well that whatever he plans, I will love and we have the best time together! In the past eight weeks, we have spent four of those with pretty much just each other (two weeks in London/Paris; two weeks in Thailand/Singapore), and they have left us with some of our favorite vacation memories of all time! C is the most wonderful husband, travel planner, and adventure partner, and when we are tired or stressed or feeling like fish out of water in a new place, his sense of humor keeps me laughing - the value of which cannot be overstated!
As is customary for us, we were planning future travel over the course of this trip, so we have new adventures on the horizon to look forward to as we return to reality this week!
Happy Tails to you!
