Saturday, 23rd of January:
We said our goodbyes to everyone yesterday and drove over to Tampa. This morning we had to get up at 3AM to get ready for our flight. We're flying out at 6:40 and must be there 2 hours in advance. We got ourselves dressed and headed downstairs to catch the shuttle to the airport. Everything was going very smoothly until we got out of the shuttle with our things and realized Jim left his briefcase that contained all our flight information and passports in the shuttle bus that was now gone. We had a small crisis on our hands. Jim had to catch a taxi back to the hotel to retrieve his briefcase. Fortunately for us, the hotel was only about a 5 minute drive and he got back in time for us to check in and pass through security. What a morning!!! Hopefully the rest of the day will be uneventful.
We arrived in Houston, TX around 9:30 where we had to deboard and switch planes. We grabbed some breakfast/lunch and boarded our next plane.
Arrived in Hawaii safely. I hate flying. I was a nervous wreck and trying to conceal it from the kids was nearly impossible. The last thing I wanted to do was pass my fears onto them. Hawaii looked amazing from the air...I hope the next time we come here it will be for more than just a layover at the airport. Next stop...Guam!
Sunday, 24th of January:
I was so relieved when we touched down safely in Guam. Only one more stretch to go and it's a short one! We've reached about 20 hours of flight time at this point and we're exhausted. The kids slept most of the flight; however, Jim and I got very little sleep. Landon really liked to fly. He loved being served drinks and food and thought it was so cool that there was a potty on board. For the next 2 nights we're taking a break and staying in a hotel in Guam.
Monday, 25th of January:
We rented a car for the day and drove around the whole island of Guam. What a beautiful, peaceful place! They call Guam "the poor people's Hawaii" and I can see why! The mountains, blue-green water and the cliffs take your breath away. We found a natural saltwater pool that was safely nestled between two cliffs that protected the pool from the ocean's currents. The water from the ocean hit the cliffs and formed these 20+ foot waves. The water then waterfalled into this natural pool. Stunning! We put on our swimsuits and jumped in. It was at least 20 feet deep and the water was crystal clear so we could see straight to the bottom. We wished we had some snorkle gear with us because there were some really colorful fish.
Tuesday, 26th of January:
Off again. Thank goodness it was only a 4-hour flight to Fukuoka, Japan. After arriving, we learned real fast just how efficient the Japanese are. After we got off the plane, of course I had to make a pit stop by the first lady's room that I saw. I made it quick and we were off to customs and then to get our baggage. By the time we got to the conveyor belt to get our luggage, our's was the only luggage left. As we approached, there were 2 Japanese women (they obviously were airport employees) looking around with worried expressions on their faces trying to figure out who these bags belonged to. We couldn't believe that the airport staff was that quick to unload the baggage from the plane. So that 2-minute pit stop to the bathroom almost caused problems. After collecting our stuff, we headed for the exit and found a Japanese man holding up a sign with our name on it. We followed him to the van and loaded our stuff up and buckled in for another 2-hour trip to Sasebo. I couldn't understand how it would take us 2 hours when Fukuoka is only about 50 miles from Sasebo. What we di dn't know though was that we would be driving mostly through mountains and at a speed no more than 40 miles per hour! They drive so slowly here! Oh well, it was better than flying.
We said our goodbyes to everyone yesterday and drove over to Tampa. This morning we had to get up at 3AM to get ready for our flight. We're flying out at 6:40 and must be there 2 hours in advance. We got ourselves dressed and headed downstairs to catch the shuttle to the airport. Everything was going very smoothly until we got out of the shuttle with our things and realized Jim left his briefcase that contained all our flight information and passports in the shuttle bus that was now gone. We had a small crisis on our hands. Jim had to catch a taxi back to the hotel to retrieve his briefcase. Fortunately for us, the hotel was only about a 5 minute drive and he got back in time for us to check in and pass through security. What a morning!!! Hopefully the rest of the day will be uneventful.
We arrived in Houston, TX around 9:30 where we had to deboard and switch planes. We grabbed some breakfast/lunch and boarded our next plane.
Arrived in Hawaii safely. I hate flying. I was a nervous wreck and trying to conceal it from the kids was nearly impossible. The last thing I wanted to do was pass my fears onto them. Hawaii looked amazing from the air...I hope the next time we come here it will be for more than just a layover at the airport. Next stop...Guam!
Sunday, 24th of January:
I was so relieved when we touched down safely in Guam. Only one more stretch to go and it's a short one! We've reached about 20 hours of flight time at this point and we're exhausted. The kids slept most of the flight; however, Jim and I got very little sleep. Landon really liked to fly. He loved being served drinks and food and thought it was so cool that there was a potty on board. For the next 2 nights we're taking a break and staying in a hotel in Guam.
Monday, 25th of January:
We rented a car for the day and drove around the whole island of Guam. What a beautiful, peaceful place! They call Guam "the poor people's Hawaii" and I can see why! The mountains, blue-green water and the cliffs take your breath away. We found a natural saltwater pool that was safely nestled between two cliffs that protected the pool from the ocean's currents. The water from the ocean hit the cliffs and formed these 20+ foot waves. The water then waterfalled into this natural pool. Stunning! We put on our swimsuits and jumped in. It was at least 20 feet deep and the water was crystal clear so we could see straight to the bottom. We wished we had some snorkle gear with us because there were some really colorful fish.
Tuesday, 26th of January:
Off again. Thank goodness it was only a 4-hour flight to Fukuoka, Japan. After arriving, we learned real fast just how efficient the Japanese are. After we got off the plane, of course I had to make a pit stop by the first lady's room that I saw. I made it quick and we were off to customs and then to get our baggage. By the time we got to the conveyor belt to get our luggage, our's was the only luggage left. As we approached, there were 2 Japanese women (they obviously were airport employees) looking around with worried expressions on their faces trying to figure out who these bags belonged to. We couldn't believe that the airport staff was that quick to unload the baggage from the plane. So that 2-minute pit stop to the bathroom almost caused problems. After collecting our stuff, we headed for the exit and found a Japanese man holding up a sign with our name on it. We followed him to the van and loaded our stuff up and buckled in for another 2-hour trip to Sasebo. I couldn't understand how it would take us 2 hours when Fukuoka is only about 50 miles from Sasebo. What we di dn't know though was that we would be driving mostly through mountains and at a speed no more than 40 miles per hour! They drive so slowly here! Oh well, it was better than flying.
