Finally, Homeward Bound!
Trip Start
Oct 30, 2008
1
19
Trip End
Nov 15, 2008
Seattle,
Washington,
United States
Saturday, November 15, 2008
After arriving in Tokyo at 5:20pm, we got off the plane only to go through security and get right back on the same plane to continue our journey from Tokyo to Los Angeles, CA, departing at 6:30pm. It's an odd arrangement, but passengers who are just now getting on the flight haven't been screened yet, so it's apparently easier to just send everyone back through security. One leg down, two more to go!
After almost 10 more hours in the air, we finally arrived back in the good old US of A at 11:25am. Another leg down! Here's the cool part though. We left Singapore on the morning of 11/15, only to arrive in LA on the morning of 11/15! Gotta love time travel. Okay, not the science fiction version of time travel, but crossing the International Date Line helps! We were actually greeted very warmly by Customs and Immigration and welcomed back home. That was definitely a nice change from past experiences. We breezed through those lines and had four hours to lounge around LAX before our final leg home. Everyone took advantage of the time to make phone calls and grab some comfort food in the form of Starbucks and Burger King. Man, did we miss those!
Finally, we're on board an Alaska Airlines 737, departing at 4:30pm. Last leg! After 2 1/2 more hours in the air, we finally arrived back in Seattle at 7:15pm and alas, it was finally time for our little group to part ways. It's been such a long, fun and relaxing time for everyone! It was tough to say goodbye, and we will all be mising eachother after such a great time together. We finally arrived back at the house at about 8:30, where we were very, very warmly greeted by Victoria, our corgis Buddy & Isobel, and even Rylee, our cat! The fish seemed pretty much indifferent.
We greatly enjoyed nearly every aspect of our airport and airlines experience. Sea-Tac was of course, well, Sea-Tac. Nothing special there and like usual, under construction. LAX was no different and was under major renovations. Both are pretty ugly airports for now when put on the world stage. The airport in Manado was small but very functional, clean and smoothly operated. No construction there, either! Our domestic airlines and airport personnel do leave a bit to be desired in terms of friendliness and such, but overall it wasn't bad. Tokyo Narita Airport was great; although we certainly didn't get around much there as all we did was get off the plane, only to go back through security and right back to the gate with little time to spare. What was most impressive of all was Singapore Changi International Airport. The place is simply amazing in its design, architecture, beauty and comfort. It was squeaky clean and totally sparkled. No construction to be seen! We saw workers scrubbing and cleaning things there that would have about 20 years worth of dust accumulation here in the US. There seemed to be such civic pride all throughout Singapore. You could spend a day just hanging out at and enjoying the Singapore airport. It was really that nice.
We had such an amazing time on this vacation! Our Emerald Sea Dive Club friends made it such a good time all the way around. It was really a treat to travel with such a great group of people. We really look forward to our next chance to get away with this incredible group.
Minahasa Resort was top notch and really has a great thing going. It's absolutely beautiful, for starters. Their staff and service is impeccable, although it does come with a bit of a price tag. Still, we'd happily stay there again. And there just aren't enough words to describe the beauty of diving in the Bunaken Marine Preserve! The diving and dive staff was truly world-class.
Lembeh Resort was a little rough around the edges, but again their staff and service made up for any short comings. The accomodations were comfortable though not as luxurious as Minahasa, despite the resorts being about the same age (5 years old). We would happily stay at Lembeh Resort again as well. And muck diving? Don't ever let anyone discourage you from doing it solely based on that name. The creatures we saw were amongst the most beautiful and bizarre out there, and the undersea beauty was also unsurpassed in its own way. And again, the Lembeh dive staff was also top notch.
High marks all the way around for the best vacation either of us has ever had!!! We truly have memories to last us a lifetime.
So how are we ever going to get used to cubicle life again?? One idea... Start planning the next big getaway! :-) Thanks for following along with us on our big adventure. We hope you've enjoyed it and that when our next big trip comes along, you can join us then, too. Until then, we wish you well and thanks for coming along!!
Pam & Andy
