Seattle April 29-May 2nd-2008

(Seattle May 2nd-2008)

I think I am nearly caught up with jetlag now after 3 days, I hope someone invents something to get rid of jetlag without having to get it first.

So the last two days I've been cooking for my aunt's friends, about 8 people each night, keeps me busy. Made prawns (they call it shrimp here)in my famous sauce, pork in black bean sauce, curried split pea soup the first night. Last night we had chicken night, buffalo wings which I havent tried yet, chicken in Baja lemon seasoning, chicken in black bean sauce.

Today I may get to ride on a brand new Suzuki 1300cc motorbike which belongs to my aunts boyfriend, I sat on it and boy it feels soooo good, powerful and light but sturdy, will post a picture of me on it soon.

Going to get my haircut today, and off to the stamp camp in Issaquah tonight, check it out here http://www.pennywisearts.com/annualretreat.html like me maybe you'll make it to this awesome retreat someday, I say its awesome even though this is my first time because I've seen reports of it for the past 3-4 years and have always wanted to attend.

So until the next time I can get on the internet again, keep smiling and stay safe.

(Seattle April 29-2008)

Well what a journey it has been getting to Seattle.

First they charged me excess baggage when usually they honour the baggage allowance for your international flight which in my case was 2 cases each weighing 23kgs each.

Secondly they lost one of my bags from the Canberra to Sydney trip which was only a 45 minute trip after charging me $20 excess baggage, what a cheek!!. It's a good thing I had 5 hours between connections to find it.

Then in Sydney we got lumped with passengers whose flights to Canada and New Zealand were cancelled, so they were very irate and rightly so, so that check in took about 2.5hrs, well there goes my 5 hours of leisure and having lunch which I missed out on.

So finally we board the flight from Sydney to San Francisco and holy canoly we get a woman who is travelling internationally for the first time and she talks all the way and decides that she wont sleep on this flight, there went my peaceful journey of trying to get some shut eye.

So 25 hours later wide eyed and not bushytailed we get in San Francisco, at customs they take your photo and take the index finger prints on both hands.

All goes well until I go to check in my bags and they notice that one of them has lost its tag to Seattle, it's a good thing the guy was on the ball and saw that it was missing as my bag would have stayed right there and not been sent on any flight at all, so back off to the checkin in desk to find a replacement luggage tag. I'm getting stressed out because I only have 1hr and 48 minutes to clear customs and recheck in again.

By this time I am so pumped on adrenaline or something through lack of sleep I fall asleep lining up for the San Francisco leg and everyone in the line ahead of me had moved on, the people behind me didnt say a word or moved me along. I fall asleep promptly as soon as I put on my seatbelt and didnt even wake up for the take off which is quite a whoosh and sometimes can draw your eyes back to your ears with the force of take off. I wake up half way through the flight not knowing where the heck I was. This has been the worst jetlag I have ever experienced in my 30 years of flying.

In Seattle they take you on a train to get your luggage, well I had no idea thats what they do so I just follow all the other passengers and hope they are not leading me astray, collect luggage and wait for my aunt who of course is parked halfway around the corner. Safely in the car we drive to her place which is an hour away and although the journey was lovely through all the trees and countryside to Enumclaw I am about to throw up in her car from all that motion sickness.

Sleep finally grabs hold of me at 6.30pm which is 1am in Canberra by my body clock and I wake up at 9.30pm ready for dinner. I finally get to bed at 1am but toss and turn until 5am to finally fall into another exhausted sleep but woke up at 8am feeling like I have a hangover.

Off to get some supplies for hubby and get back home and cook prawns, black bean pork, curry split pea soup and a meddly caserole for the neighbours and my aunts friends.

It is now 10pm Seattle time and I must be ok with jetlag because I am still wide awake so maybe I'll get a decent nights sleep.

Check out the stuff that Tim Holtz is packing for us for the cruise, and I thought I had a lot of luggage!!! http://www.timholtz.typepad.com/

That's it for today folks.