Myra had set the alarm for 6 and we got up soon after. I washed up and then she did. We got dressed. I checked my e-mail. We had packed most of our stuff last night so just had to stuff a few last things in. My rolling case was so full I had to put things in my computer case. I ate the last package of natto. I put the cookies and seed crackers and chocolate in with the computer. We put the luggage tags on Then we carried our bags to the elevator and went to the front desk to turn in our room cards. Then we put on our coats and went outside to the street to catch the airport limousine bus. The man checked the tags and loaded the bags under the bus. We sat in the front seat, discussing the possible routes. The bus stopped at all the same hotels on the way back so the trip was just as long as on the way to the hotel: 2 hours. Myra read and I tried to sleep. We got off at terminal 1, South gate, where the Korean Air sign was. We looked around for the check-in desk. When we checked in, I asked if there was a weight limit for carry-ons and she said yes – 12 pounds. She weighed my bag at 13.3 pounds so I had to leave it to be loaded under the plane. We had just over three hours til flight time so we walked through the stores in the airport, looking at souvenirs and such. I used up the last of my yen (all but 8) buying a little randomly cool something for Michele. If it had come in Hello Kitty form, I would have gotten one for Kelly. Then we hit the restrooms and went through Security. My line took so long that Myra thought I must have gone on ahead. She went down to Immigration looking for me. I looked for her upstairs then figured she must have gone on ahead, and when I got to Immigration she found me. We went through the line together, and then found our gate, stopping to buy a bottle of water. I drank the whole thing because I was getting a headache. I set up my laptop and called up the limited time bonus video that vaccine series posted. I listed to that while eating the rest of the seed crackers and all but two of the cookies. When people lined up to board the plane, I put my laptop away and we got in line and boarded the plane. We filled out the custom and immigration forms while waiting for take-off. There was no movie screen on the seatback. Screens dropped from the ceiling every couple yards. First they played a really long clip on airplane safety. Then they showed stuff from a PGA championship. I did some tapping and Myra read her book. I sucked on a piece of chocolate to help my ears adjust on the way up but survived without it on the way down. Actually, we descended pretty fast. I braced for impact, but at the last second we leveled out and touched down normally. We taxied near the terminal and had to wait for a long long walkway to meet the plane. Then we gathered our stuff and walked into the airport, following the crowd toward Customs. Myra did not want to rush but I was used to it having traveled with Chris. So she went to the restroom while I went ahead to Immigration. I got in a short line and had to show my passport and fingerprints. Then I went to baggage claim. I guess since we checked in so early, my bag was one of the first to go on the plane which made it one of the last to come off. Finally I spotted it and grabbed it. Then I met Myra on the other side of the room and we walked through Customs who collected the form, and into the airport lobby. Mr. Pak was waiting for us. We followed him into the parking deck and up to the top to his car. He loaded the bags and we got inside, where it was much warmer than outside. As he drove us back to base, I handed him the last two cookies. I also called Chris to tell him we were on our way home. Chris said he would be home late. When we got to Chinhae, I made a special effort to spot the door of the Foot Shop. It was locked up. Sadly it seems they are closed down. When we got on base, Myra had the driver stop at the ATM so she could get him cash for the trip. He dropped her off at home and then took me home. I thanked him and rolled my bag of fabric inside. I put my stuff down and found something to eat. I played the rest of the video from the vaccine safely series. They talked about how Merck doesn't tell people the whole story about Gardasil: It has only been tested for efficacy for a 5 year period. And it only protects against certain strains. Women who get the vaccine think they are protected for life and many stop getting pap smears. The lady researcher also said Cervarix offers much better protection. I e-mailed Anna to find out how class went earlier today. Then I called Myra to catch her up. I got absorbed in checking e-mail and then Chris came home. He made himself supper. I found us something to watch on Netflix. None of the suggestions I had e-mailed to myself were available for streaming. We started watching the first episode of The QA but we just couldn't get into the story. So we went back to Colony and picked up where we had left off. We watched one episode and I was falling asleep, so we just went to bed – no blogging. We didn't exactly go to sleep right away, but when I did sleep, I slept all night and woke up hearing Chris take his morning shower. After he left, I did a little tapping to get myself out of bed. I filled up my water pitchers and made a quart of lemon water. I drank it while typing up my blog for yesterday. Then when I was ready to post, I realized my browser windows had crashed. So I saved my post and crossed my fingers for reboot.
* It seems this is the only picture I took during our travel home. *
No comments:
Post a Comment