The Long Way Home

Waiting for the Train to the Airport - First Leg of the Trip

It took us over 3 years to finally bite the bullet and book flights back home. I had been back to the States in September for an unexpected visit, but this time around Dave and I would be together visiting my family in Texas, his in Canada and some friends in LA. We opted for the cheapest available flights, which was still $2600 each. However, this flight would keep us in transit for 38 hours! We would fly from Sydney right after work on Friday, 14 December to Beijing. We would have an 8 hour layover in Beijing and continue to Los Angeles arriving midday on 15 December. After a 3 hour layover, we would fly to Houston at 6pm in the evening and drive another 2 hours to my hometown Lufkin, Texas.

To save on cost, we sublet our apartment during our 3.5 week vacation. We live right in the party areas of Sydney close enough to the beach, parks, CBD and opera house all in walking distance! Using Airbnb.com, we listed our place for $700 per week although we pay $410 in rent per week. Within hours, we had 3 requests! We accepted the one who would stay the longest; 18 days allowing us to break even in rental costs. We had let someone sublet our apartment in the past through Gumtree, but were very nervous about the transaction because there were no deposits, credit checks or security. Airbnb.com acted as a third party holding the deposit and payment until both parties were checked, verified and satisfied.

Handing over our keys to our new tenant on Thursday, all we had to do was work one more day of 2012 and we would be on a plane out of Australia. At 5 pm, we began our journey. We met at home, grabbed our luggage, took the train, arrived at the airport at 6:30 pm and were in the air at 9:30 pm. Eleven hours later, we hazily woke up to the tundra that engulfed the Beijing airport. We walked onto the tarmac feeling the coldest we've felt in 3 years and seeing an abundance of snow we haven’t experienced since living in Seoul, Korea.

Pandas: China; Kangaroo: Australia

I was dead tired when we arrived at 4 am. We had 8 hours to kill and spent 3 of them right at the arrivals gate before passing through immigration. I wouldn't have moved, but we were reprimanded by security. We ate at food court sharing plate of noodles and 4 containers of dim sum. Afterwards, we found an area to charge our phones and computer and rigged up the lap top on the Smarte Carte and watched three episodes of Boardwalk Empire, our new TV show addiction. After another stroll through the various duty free shops, it was time to board for another big push to LA. We took sleeping pills that didn't work very well, but we did manage to get 5 hours of sleep on this 12 hour leg of the journey.

First Meal in America

Bacon Cheeseburger, Parmesan Fries, Onion Rings & Ranch Sauce

When we arrived in LA, it was such a relief because we knew the trip was mostly over. We went through immigration, picked up our luggage and transferred to the domestic terminal. Upon arrival, the first thing we wanted to do was eat something greasy, American and not airplane food. We sat down at Ruby’s Diner and shared a bacon cheese burger, Parmesan herb fries and a huge order or onion rings dipped into blue cheese. I’m sure our bodies were in shock, but this was home and it tasted amazing.

The three hour flight to Houston was nothing compared to what we had endured. Luckily, my brother left our family van at a park n’ ride. I punched in the code on the door, found the keys and was on the road. We had to hurry because the Annual Filipino community Christmas party was already underway and we promised my family we would be there. But first, we had to make one-stop at Sonic Drive-In. Filled up with tater tots, mozzarella sticks and a strawberry limeade, we were ready to face a community I hadn't seen in 3 years. We arrived in Lufkin and I couldn't even remember where the Civic Center was! The last time I was there was for prom in 2004!

When we arrived my parents were flush with excitement and sweat because they had been on the dance floor. I was bummed that I missed their performance because they danced traditional Filipino dances. It was good to see them, my sweet grandmother and my sister with her two kids.

We were home by midnight and were feeling the effects of jet lag. My house was surprisingly decorated inside and out with Christmas decorations I though my parents had gotten rid of. It still smelled familiar full of Filipino food aromas. It really is good to be home.