Our Trip across the world

It all started two years ago when Mike passed his oral exam for the U.S. State Department Foreign Service Officer. We were accepted, but what did that mean? We'd live all over the world and have experiences most people haven't had, but first we had to make it to D.C. No problem, we'd just pack the minivan and head that way...wrong. We ended up having way more stuff than we thought and the day we planned on leaving D.C. was hit with 20 inches of snow. Scratch that, new plan get a small UHaul and go the next day. Success, we made it. Next we had to bid on a job from a list of 94 cities all over the world. What the State Department calls flag day was a very intense, nail biting experience. As the Career Development officers called off the names of the cities, I scratched off each one we had asked to go to. Boy, our list was getting smaller and smaller and it was starting to feel like our name was never going to be called. Then I hear Vientiane, Laos Michael Pryor ...huh? Where is that? Well, I had a whole year to learn where it was, while Mike took language and I had a baby.



With a whole year in between getting our assignment and leaving, I had a lot of time to think about how to deal with a flight across the world. Reading blogs and getting advice from fellow Foreign Service spouses who had already made a trip this long...how long do you ask? 40 hours. Yup we were to leave D.C. at 9 a.m. Saturday morning and arrive in Vientiane at 1 p.m. Monday.



Here is a picture of how our bunch looked right before we found out our first flight had been canceled!!

Yes, the first of 4 flights was canceled, but no worries we were switched from 1 airline to another, and our flight was to leave 20 minutes earlier. We never thought to check on our flight status due to the fact that the day before we left the temp in D.C. was 74 degrees and sunny, but in just a few short hours it all changed and the wind picked up. Our tiny airplane couldn't take off. We make it through security with our 8 pieces of carry on luggage a car seat and a double stroller (remember entertainment for children for 40 HOURS), a car seat and a double stroller no problems.



Then we arrive into JFK airport...Dun Dun Dun...why so bad? We landed in a tiny Delta terminal and needed to get to a larger international terminal for American Airlines, which was our original airline. Oh did I mention in order to switch terminals we had to LEAVE the airport and go back through security. Remember those winds that canceled our flight in D.C., yup they were affecting NY too, but we had to take our 3 kids out in the cold and wind, did I mention it was 70 degrees the day before we left and we were due to arrive to 91 degrees in Vientiane? So I sent our winter jackets and only put sweaters and pants on the kids. Complain fest! The reps at Cathay Pacific (an American Airline counterpart) were pretty helpful in getting us checked in, but then realized we had an infant, but couldn't use the infant car seat on the airplane because there were airbags in the seat belts...never heard of that. So in order to keep us from having to hold Tess for 16 hours they rearranged our seats to put Tess and I in Bulkhead (sp) seats where there is this cool table that pops out and a bassinet can attach to it. Who is lucking out here? Me with the baby or Mike with Finn and Maggie?

We get our boarding passes and head for security. We have about an hour till our next flight to Hong Kong and I really want some McDonalds one last time before we leave for 2 years, but the line was long and our flight was starting to board. It was pure chaos trying to get on this flight where there were 3 cabins with 3 rows of seats, but we managed, and Mike had all the bags. Don't worry he pays me back for that one. Anyway, the kids get settled, and I get settled with Tess. The service on the flight was great, the bulkhead seats were great, did I mention there was an empty seat between me and the other passenger since Tess couldn't technically sit in it. So lots of leg room, no need to hold a baby, but we were in the middle isle, right by the bathrooms...so people would try to step over us to get to the bathroom on the other side of the isle without realizing that the bathroom they were just standing in front of for the past 5 minutes was EMPTY. Tess managed to cry about 1/3 of the flight and refused to eat most of it and Mike managed to spill just about every drink he got onto his lap. By the way Cathay pacific serves free booze! So if you're not pregnant or nursing...take some edge off.

Next stop Hong Kong...the flight attendants thought they'd be helpful by trying to get us onto an earlier flight for Thailand leaving from gate 15 at 8 p.m. (it was 7:30 when we landed)No problem only Mike is under the impression we don't have boarding passes for the next flight so we go in search of the Cathay Counter to get our new boarding passes, after about 10 minutes of running around I ask him to check to see if we do have boarding passes, because it'd be ridiculous not to if we weren't changing airlines, I distinctly remember the woman at the counter telling him we'd need to get boarding passes in Thailand, but maybe I wasn't paying that much attention, 3 kids ya know?...Ta Da they were in his bag so we head for connecting flights security...yup count it 3 times we've gone through security with 3 children 8 bags, a car seat and a double stroller. we arrive to gate 15 with 5 minutes to spare, but the flight is over sold and we're not on it...don't worry it wasn't our flight anyway, we needed to be at gate 60 on another side of the airport. We got to our gate with an hour and a half till our real flight left and i was happy to find free wifi and some Taiwan Beef Noodles. Maggie managed to spill Mike's on his lap. He came out of this trip smelling of booze and beef.

Next stop Thailand. Mike managed to get on the plane with all the kids and his backpack...leaving me with all the bags. Told you he paid me back.This flight was great, too easy, get on and 1 hour 40 minutes later we're in Thailand. We don't get the customs sheet the flight attendants were handing out because we thought the hotel we were staying in was in the airport. We weren't going to even step foot on Thai soil...wrong. We had to go through customs to get our bags, but wait where were our bags. There was a car seat, but no bags. In the long run the loss of our bags was no big deal, but to find where they were (JFK) took a while. We caught a shuttle to our hotel, which was actually right next door to the airport, and got settled in there. YAY! a bed to sleep in. We caught some much needed zzz's a whole 3 hours of 'em then went to the breakfast buffet before heading back to the airport. the Thai airport seems to be very well organized and we were taken to our own special line to check in to Thai airways because we had 3 kids. This airport experience was not so eventful, but we did have to go back through customs and security...Yup 4 times, we went through security 4 times. We must be pros by now.

Next stop Laos. This flight took a total of 50 minutes and all the kids slept. Which brings us to now. Living in a temporary serviced apartment in the city. Stay tuned for our first impressions of the city...