3 cats travelling from Singapore to USA

3 cats in bags and 3 travel cases for 3 pet slaves

I couldnt resist. During my 1 year stay in Singapore, I adopted a Mama cat who gave birth to 5 kittens. I could manage the Mama and 2 kittens, the other 3were successfully placed in good homes by my great cat rescue friend….. but how would I bring them back with me to the US? Of course I had heard of friends of friends who had done it and all was well, so its a matter of figuring things out for myself. Well, its a lot of Googling and I had 4 months to do it.

So, 1st check state of Washington regulations for incoming pets travelling with paw parents. I found all the info I need from this WA Department of Health webpage, https://www.doh.wa.gov/YouandYourFamily/IllnessandDisease/Rabies/PetVaccinationRequirement/PetImportandExport . Ok, simple, only need Rabies vaccination and Certificate of Veterinary Inspection less than 30 days from the departure date. Next check UA, same thing, but I decided on adding the general feline vaccines just to be on the safe side.

As I want the kitties to travel in cabin, where I will be the one handling them throughout the journey and I feel they be safer that way, I had to choose the only airline that flies Sg to Seattle that allows pets in cabin. …. Only UA, and each person can only have 1 pet. Thankfully, my rescuer friend and partner volunteered to accompany me on this journey so that the welfare of my journeying kitties were not compromised. Each pet in cabin fee is $125 and they occupy the space under the seat in front of us.

Swirly girl in her bag under the seat in front of me, taking up my leg room.

On the Sg side, a export license was required. Just 1 for all 3 kitties, at S$50.

We followed all the pre flight requirements, and on 26th August 0500hrs, kitties fed and thankfully did their last toilet thingy before they were bagged at 0530hrs. With help from my roommate, I got 5 bags down and loaded into a cab (yes its okay if the cabbie does not mind cats in bags). Kitties were a full choir all the way to the airport…. sigh…. I reckon they might be a choir in that whole 15 hours flight too…

Transit lounge in SFO.

0630hrs, at UA counter in Changi T2. Produced all that paperwork that we acquired. Took a bit of time for the ground crew to sort out everything, but we were an unusual group right? And there were many people around us that were curious, talked to us…. fortunately all good vibes. 0730hrs, Mama had an accident…. wet pooped in the bag… needed a full cleaning job. 2 of us worked together to clean her and the bag in the well equipped bathroom at the airport, while 1 watched the bags and the kittens. At the gate, only our travelling bags were checked, the bags with cats were cleared separately by the airport security staff.

Mama loves to be fed.

0830hrs, boarded. 3 of us are scattered in the last 2 rows in this full flight. I have Swirly girl with me and shes really the nicest of the lot ;P. She did meow a lot initially, but she kinda quieten down when I put my hand down to put her. She meows when she need some reassurances… but I hear Smokey boy meowing loudly and constantly on the other side of the aisle…. ok, 15 hours of this on the cards for everybody in this cabin.

Girl gets a bite too.

0900hrs, we arrived at SFO international. Its amazing how we took off and arrived at almost the same time…. but felt like 24 hours has passed! Anyway, we cleared immigration with the cats, collected my checked bag and then clear customs real easy. Nobody asked for paperwork on incoming cats at all. Then we stood in line for the domestic transfer security check… the usual checks and the cat carriers were screened separately in a room. Each cat was removed from the bag and the bags went thru the scanner, and then cats were loaded back in. Thats the procedure for pets and we were so glad that the arrangement ensured pet safety for the screening process.

We had 2 hours before the next flight. Nows the time to feed the cats and give them water. And they were hungry, which is really a good thing. It shows that they were not overly stressed by the journey, altho they are not pleased to be in the bag at all. They didnt really want to drink, so we syringe feed them the water. It is important to keep them hydrated.

1300hrs, we were boarded on the flight to Paine airfield, Everett. We were seated close this time. Again, we were so thankful that our travelling companions are so accommodating to our meowing party. Only a 2 hour flight, phew.

My new kitty family at home in their new home.

1600hrs, landed at PAE, got my check in bag, got a Lyft ride. PAE is totally new to me, so we had to discover where is the ride share pickup. Was only a short walk and it was clearly posted. Much easier than Seatac. I am impressed…. I should use PAE more often ….

1645hrs, PAE to Edmonds was $27 and I gave a $3 tip. Paid $25.50 for 3 adult ferry ride at Edmonds and we ran to board the ferry. Barely made it, but glad we did. 1715hrs, Doug met us at Kingston, and drove us to the cabin in the woods. 1800hrs, we have finally arrived. Time to let the cats out of the bag 😉

Ok, lets see…. from the time that cats were put in the bag to the time that they were let out in their new home, it was a total of 28 hours. I am so thankful for my traveling companions, with their help, that everything worked out well and kitties arrived in great health and spirits. Phew! What a trip.

 

 

 

Recap: Driving cross country solo!

Hey, I missed updating my pictorial diary. Finally have some time to reflect on my doings in the past 9 months.

Loaded Golf

June of 2018, after I left my job in upstate NY, the next thing to do was to pack up and head home to Port Townsend, WA. So I have been well compensated for ditching the work and I was so needing a good adventure on my own, I decided on a solo drive from Saratoga Springs, NY to home in Port Townsend, WA, in my little Golf.

Fully loaded

… and yes 7 boxes of stuff were shipped by BusFreighter.com, which is the agent for Greyhound shipping. They were the most inexpensive by far, and yes only things that can be packed into boxes that can be loaded into buses are accepted, and yes their reputation is good or super bad, meaning so mixed in the extremes that it was hard to trust them or not…. but I tried them out since I am shipping things that are not too difficult to replace if I had too. All other stuff are loaded into my little Golf…. or onto….

So fully loaded is the little Golf that there is no view thru the rearview mirror and I could barely use the right side mirror. I manage to squeeze the 6 ft couch base above the passenger seats, such that when in the driver seat I could just rest my head on it. Yep, real comfy 😉

Most people say I am crazy…. I dun care.

Setting out late afternoon in the mid of July, perfect weather for such an adventure, I expect to be on the roads for 4, maybe 5 days. Would I be staying at hotels along the day, everyday? I dunno, not really in the plan and not really out of question. I mean staying in a room for the night is nice, but I will be worried about things taken off Scootz while I snooze… I am not keen on that, but I do need a break sometimes, so we will see.

Scootz hanging out with the big boys…

Night 1, still fresh out of the apartment, I continued driving thru the night with only 1 stop at the Kanona, NY rest stop. This was a major rest stop and lots of people were using the facilities even at 2am. The word is rest stops are really dangerous, but thats not how I felt about this one. And lots of cars were there with people snoozing in them too, and they are not at all junky beaten up cars, some are really expensive continental SUVs. So I joined the car group and snoozed right in front of a CCTV for 2 hours.

Day 2 started at 4am, on HWY 86 bound Erie, PY, where I will turn south bound for Akron, OH and visit a friend. A small detour, but should be fun. Hung out for an hour and off again.

Sure I made stops every 3 hrs, sometimes I rest, sometimes just to get gas or coffee or food. A good stopping place is wherever there is a Walmart. Clean enuf bathroom and great selection of driving food…. food that is not messy and can be handled while driving. And I take time to have fun too… like I couldnt resist placing Scootz with the big rigs for this fun picture…

See Scootz?

Well well… Scootz could handle the stares and I can handle the cute little comments that some people have made walking by.

Obviously, I was following Google maps direction. At every stop, I kinda search for my next rest stop and head for it. No, I could not remember all the stops that I made and the times when Google led me into some corn maze. But hey, thats adventure right.

Took a little afternoon snooze on Day 2 and back on the road by evening. I feel like a truck driver 😉 driving thru the night…. making 20hrs drive days. At this rate I will be back to PT faster than I think.

Check out this windmill wing that is being transported.

Day 3 begin after a long (3hrs) snooze stop. By now we (Scootz and I) are in North Dakota. Havent quite decided if I will visit the Yellowstone National park, thot I will decide when I get to Billings. Made it there late morning, and just didnt feel like it paying $80 entrance. Did a free drive around Big Horn national forest instead.

Back on I-90 before sundown. Now I am feeling kinda tired, but still not wanting to stay at a hotel. Rest stop facilities have been working out so well. Its so easy to park, get a few shower things, in and out with 20 minutes…. and free! Did just that and pamper myself with a highly reviewed on the road takeout food…. not as good as I thot… oh well, but it put me in a good snoozing mood. Did a long one at rest stop in Missoula, MT.

Going home

Day 4, driving in the dark from Missoula to Spokane, WA. This is the wee hours… and I just couldnt stay awake. Too many days of not enuf rest. Found a quiet rest stop just before Spokane. Too quiet for my liking. No facilities and no lights… Not eerie, but scary. Was too tired, so I parked and snoozed with half a ear and eye awake. Is that really possible? Well, got 1 hour out of it and back on the road. Nothing bad to report.

By 8 am, we were past Spokane and stopped at Moses Lake. I decided on a good country breakfast in a small town breakfast joint. Feels good to be back in WA! And home by the end of the end! But not before I drive around those huge farms and look at those crops.

And I did get home to Doug and PT before sun down, just as I planned. So while I made some detours, I still made good time on the journey. In fact I drove an average of 18 hours each day and wasted no time checking in and out of hotels. So proud of myself that I did just fine and had fun!

 

 

Home work

Who likes homework? Really, I do. Its what I look forward to for months before I get to do it.

Almost home, flying over the Cascades

Yup, my home work is not an assignment put onto me by anybody else. It literally mean going home and working on my property 🙂 … ya, some kind of vacation… Doug and I could have gone on a cruise, but Port Townsend WA is really where we want to be and improving the property is what we want to do.

Redid our fireplace

Time is short 2 weeks for me… have to back at my desk in NY after that, but Doug gets to stay on and indulge in life back home. Lucky him. Well, so we are zipping across in a plane this time… not train, not driving, not cruising… seeing the Cascades from up above. The Cascades is like the great East West divide to me.

Is that straight?

At the airport, we collected our 2 large checked in bags and 4 carry ons, walked over to the parking garage and took Lyft to a off airport rental car facility. Cost $35 for the ride, but I got a mini van from Hertz for a amazing price of $300 for 2 weeks, tax included. Getting it from the airport would have been $500 at least.

Made it to the cabin just before it got too dark. What a relief that everything is just fine, no break in, no fallen tree on the cabin… our 2 greatest fear for leaving the cabin to fend for itself… Its always good to know that this is a good neighborhood and I have great neighbors.

Not a moment to waste

Not a moment to lose, we head out to Poulsbro the very next day and ordered up my largest Home Depot purchase till date. Lots of 12ft timbers and metal roofing sheets, no way we can load those into the minivan… Since I am paying $79 for delivery, I went overboard and ordered lots of materials for future projects as well.

Garden perimeter

While waiting for the delivery, which unfortunately is 4 days away because that’s when they deliver to PT, we sort out this and that around the property, storage and checked on Calliste at the marina.

And I found this amazing fireplace online and felt that I absolutely need to drive out to Lowes at Port Orchard to get it right away. Finally the minivan paid off, the boxed up package just barely made it into the back. At 250lbs, the guys loaded it with a forklift… now its a challenge for us to get it out and shift into the cabin. Long story how we did it, but the picture tells it all… we did it!

The log condo!

This trip, my 3 projects are to build the garden perimeter, planter boxes and log condo. It is impossible to complete all 3 projects, but we got the perimeter ready for gravel and 1 log condo. Doug can build another 2 log condos in his free time later, all he needed was the sample 🙂 . Started on 1 corner of the planter box… sigh… not enuf for Doug to go on and finish, so it will be something that we have to complete in my next trip home… hopefully in time for the growing season.

Sadly I have to go back to my other life… sigh… I had a awesome vacation being home and working on these projects! Money better spent then my other plan of cruising the Carribean onboard Carnival Cruises.

 

Snowed in and super cold Christmas

Preparing to go out.

Deep freeze winter arrive early this year and hung around for the whole time between Christmas and New Years… and still here. To go out in these -ve ‘F temperature, we gotta dress for it…

Standing by the snowbank, ready for the walk.

Long thermal underwear, pull thick woolen socks over the top of them and then fully lined fleeced pants. For the top, I needed a fleece zip up jacket over long sleeve T and my heaviest wind and water proof jacket. Dont forgot fully lined waterproof mittens.

So here I am, fully wind chill and water proof, except for the face, going to walk 1/4 mile to the supermarket. Should have gotten the scarf, but I thought it would be okay for such a short walk. And yeah, I didnt miss it…

What else is there to do? Build a couple of snowman in the patio

1 thing tho, there are a lot of frozen walkway thats really slippery. Doug’s heavy boots worked well for him, my crocs dont quite have the bite… I had a few skids along the way and only once fell hard onto my butt and elbow. I was doing so well until the last 3 steps back to the apartment. Drats!

How does that look?

Okay, so its a long Christmas weekend and I am bored… so I went out to build a snowman. It was so cold that it was hard work to pack the fluffy snow. I had to push, press and blow on it a lot. It takes pressure and some heat to melt a few snow flakes and just enuf for it to fuse and freeze again into the shape.

… Finally I got the right shape for 1 snowman, I was so tired that I abandoned the 2nd one that was started. Went inside to warm up for a while….

Then I decided to really go at it, while inside the warm apartment… to make sunglasses and vest for the little guy… But it dont seem complete without a hat. And I found a key cover that I was crochetting, seems like the perfect size… 🙂

Well, I guess this little fella is gonna stay around for a long time … with the kind of cold that we have…

We’ve moved. Again.

Pre move in cleaning.

Seems not too long ago that we moved into a rented apartment in Malta, NY. Actually its been a year, and now that the lease is up, I chose not to renew.

Might have been a lot more convenient and cheaper to just stay put, but I had a run in with property management regarding maintenance and communication with new staff. Will not and dont have to put up with it. Thats me, and it will happen again in my next rental. I can see it coming… oh no… so what I am to do?

Me and the van at our new digs. Nope its not going to fit in the garage.

Hope for the best….

This time, I found a take over lease situation in Wilton, NY. This lease is until end April 18, then I can have the option of looking for a new place, or quit my job and move back to PT. Its my plan to leave my job in summer anyway, cos I miss my life in PT so much. So anyway, whatever, this short term rental arrangement suits me just fine.

Have enough setup to resume apartment living within 48hrs.

Well, but for takeover lease, the  apartment is in the state as the guy left it. Dirty and with some marks on the walls. We have to do a lot of cleaning, which we did a full Saturday worth.

Moving H/P Yeli and remaining stuff.

Sunday was a better day for renting a Uhual van anyway. I guess too many people try to move on Saturday too, and vans were not available for enough time to run 2 trips. So Sunday it is, and a Uhaul dealer that operates on Sunday is only 1 mile from our new apartment!

Snow season started as we moved the last load.

Its a good thing that our IKEA furniture is very easily portable in 2 Uhual van loads. Actually we could do just the long and bulky items in 1 van load and run 10 car loads with Scootz slowly over the next 3 weeks, if we really wanted to. Yes, we had a luxurious 3 weeks overlap. 🙂 Cost us a unfair bit, but it is what it is. I am not going to break the lease agreement and get into another spat.

Yay. Place for H/P Yelli in the garage.

We needed 2 weekends after moving to clean up the old digs nicely anyway. We didnt have to rush, so cleaning was actually quite therapeutic. Who would have thot.

The last thing we moved is the 12ft kayak. It was just too long for the van, and too difficult to lift it over the roof of a tall van, so Scootz it is. And Scootz will be the one to carry that H/P Yeli all of 3000miles back to PT in summer … We will have to tie down better in that trip… Things we learn… shouldnt have shipped Yeli over here to begin with…

Well, we made it and we are done before the bad pre Christmas snow storm. Phew!

Taking a bite out of the the apple

I have been so busy with work, finally having some time this Thanksgiving Weekend to fill in my blog. That’s something to be thankful for.

Subway selfie.

Not going to talk about the nail biting things that I do for a living, but more of my usual travel adventures, a recent trip to NYC… partly as a favor to a friend and neighbor, also that I had been wanting to go visit but nobody around me is interested in that trip. Friends and family back home will never understand if I work in NY state and never visited the Big Apple. I just needed to say been there done that and move on to things that interest me more.

Stepping out of the subway, into the 911 Memorial

Ok, so visiting NYC was never big on my mind, but I don’t mind going if the opportunity presents itself. Chai needs help driving a rental minivan to deliver her soon to be abandoned furniture to her siblings who are in NYC. So, I being the person who can drive anything, not many of my types among her circle 🙂 , was roped in for this job. My reward will be a 2 night stay in Queens and guided tour NYC. I like that deal.

I am trying to understand the architect…. no luck tho.

1st, get the van from Alamo at Albany airport. Chai drove me there and we returned in separate vehicles. She then begins the loading while I am stuck in 2 meetings. Good thing meetings don’t have to be in the office… so its just so convenient for me to pop out run a errand, back to join in a meeting call, then out to help Chai, then back to pack my bags.

We hit the roads 1645hrs on a Friday afternoon, hoping we wont have too much traffic going into the city at about 2100hrs. Driving this sluggish 2017 Dodge minivan is ….. boring. The fuel economy is surprisingly good, maybe that’s why the pick up is terribly slow. Interestingly, the sun was beating down on the windscreen and it was not hot. The glass felt cool to touch, and even the black lined fabric ceiling in a black van was cool to touch. Quite amazed at the insulation and technology… Impressive. I like the very black interior afterall.

My picture with Liberty says it all

2000hrs, we made it to the outskirts of the City and traffic is a little bad. 2100hrs we are parked at a H-mart close to her sis’s place and waited to meet her bro. Had dinner in Flushing. A Chinese foodcourt, almost like Singapore…. Not quite the same food, but close enough. Then we drove the van and parked at her bro’s and left it to him to unload the next day. He drove us back to the sis’s place. Sis is on vacation so it was just us. Watched a lot of TV before hitting the sack.

Food discovered.

0800hrs, we walked 15 mins or so to the town of Flushing. A Malaysian coffeeshop breakfast, Nasi Lemak is served here. Pretty good, but I am spoilt by the luxury flavored Singapore style of Nasi Lemak …. :p .. Next, a subway ride to 911 Memorial.

This is not a attraction for me … but I don’t mind being there.

Street food served…. not in a cheapie container. Impressed.

I like the remainder of the day very much tho. We walked from the Memorial in the direction of the water. Found my bearings once I see water. I guess that’s a sign that I need to be close to the water… probably conned Chai into a very long walk that she wasn’t prepared for, on a rather windy chilly day.

The greatest library I have been to.

I got my picture with the Lady out on the rocks… then we walked a mile on the waterfront broadwalk, heading north where I hope to eat lunch at Iron Chef Morimoto’s restaurant… but nope we couldn’t walk 5 miles on this day. After 2 miles, we cut inwards looking for a subway entrance and then food in midtown…. but I spotted activity in a fenced off area with blue tents and found food before we found the subway 🙂

My lunch was great! Yakisoba and grilled squid for $15! Cooked by real Japanese and taste real authentic. Perhaps its was a much better deal than $50 at Morimoto’s… I love the outdoor ambience too.

Guess where I am.

We made it to 5th Avenue by about 3pm, and I got to cross another item off my “if I made it to NYC” list… eating a NY cheesecake and drinking coffee. We found Junior’s famous NY cheesecake by Yelping and I ate a slice all by myself. Yummy… it was rich and very heavy, way I like it… but no, not another 1 for a while. It will take a month to digest it thru my system before I crave it again…

Next on the list, Times Sq and 5th Ave. Ok, did that. And we were attracted to visit the grand NY library. I enjoyed that history and display very much. Its so fascinating to me that librarians are not just the people you see working in the library. There are those in the back working with records and filing away information for future generations. I never thought of it that way before. And at this library, I get to feel the work of generations of librarians, generosity of people who gave to education and the preservation of information, the history of it all.

Not really into tall great buildings, but this is a statement of where I have been.

By now, we’ve walked too many miles. More than 30,000 steps according to Chai. And I have my picture with the Empire State building, so I made my point, been there done that. Time to head back. Got a dinner at another Flushing foodcourt. Another foodcourt meal that I did not finish. Not my kind of taste….

Was past 9pm by the time we got back to her sis place. Another movie marathon and then conked.

9am Sunday morning breakfast with Bro and family at Tim Sum place. Classy restaurant. Much better food 🙂 11am got the van and drove out to unload remaining stuff at sister’s place. Follow by shopping at H-mart where I got $80 worth of frozen seafood. Brought my ice box just for that 🙂 . They have all the exotic seafood just like they have it in their Seattle stores.

Me and the Chirashi in Mitsuwa supermarket in New Jersey.

2pm, we made it to Mitsuwa on the NJ side of Hudson. Its a Japanese supermarket and food court that Norithito told me about. Chai doesn’t enjoy the Japanese culture as much as I do … so this one is all me 🙂 . My best Chirashi since Narita! But otherwise, they are not as well stocked in exotic frozen seafood as the H-mart.

Another 3 hrs of driving North on I87 and we got home before 7pm. Very pooped, as I did all that driving. It was intense in the city and just long on the highway in this sluggish van. But I got what I wanted. Was a fair trade…. I feel like I came out tops 🙂

A Singapore gathering in upstate NY

My Singapore day feast in upstate NY.

Well, I couldn’t be further away from home than being in NY, but I am not alone 🙂

A real paper and leaf wrapped Nasi Lemak! … but its missing my fav fish….

I know, I go back to SG every year, sometimes twice, I get my fill of real authentic hawker foods and carry with me lots of canned food and special ingredients, so I really don’t miss much, but still it is nice to meet people who share my heritage and love for native Singaporean foods half the world around.

This is the weekend before Singapore’s 52nd National Day, and I guess there is enough Singaporeans here in upstate NY to come together, organize this gathering and cook up a feast!

Most fresh ingredients are locally sourced, and some packaged foods came in by freight of course…. yes, the popiah skin isn’t as nice as those fresh in SG ones, and there is no “kunning” fish in my Nasi Lemak… but that pandan cake is phenomenal, so is that satay and peanut sauce!

Oh yes, lots of Singapore National day music in the background and lots of Singlish all around… Actually I felt a little out of place … for not wearing red…. good thing nobody wanted a group photo …

And a bag of goodies… my favorite Kong Guan biscuits, Prima packaged noodles … not sure what to do with the flag and red/white longish floats …. Singapore shaped Singlish post its? … hmmm…..

So I am not a missing Singaporean anymore. I been logged…. by the Overseas Singaporean Unit. I guess this 1 reason for me to like being in NY…. for 2 years I lived in SG isolation in a little remote town Port Townsend…

Another 48hrs on the train

22 Apr 1400hrs: We had a 4hrs layover at Chicago Union station, that gave me the chance to do a walking cruise downtown Chicago and had lunch.

Bright and cheery gallery car.

Then we board the #7 Empire Builder. We are doing this ride from the originating station to the destination station… I think we are the only passengers that will be on it for the entire journey, not counting the crew of course. Even then, some crews get on/off at various points along the way too.

I would love to own acreage with flat grassy farming soil and a cliff on the back.

On the Empire Builder, cabins are exactly like our last train, but there is a gallery and lounge car that is such a treat. I guess it doesn’t make good sense to have a gallery car on a overnight train like the #49. Whereas the Empire Builder is going cross country and in daylight everyone would want to hang out and mingle. Again, I am happy that the ridership is about 30%, such that the gallery and dining car were never so full up.

Heading into the cascades.

I am a happy patron of the lounge, no queue, and my beer is nicely chilled. Its surely double what I pay for at the supermarket, but its about the same when I buy it from a pub. So nah, I dun have a problem with buying 2 bottles a day for 2 days. Poor attendant was not getting enuf customers nor tips to make his trip worthwhile, and train passengers are not really the generous tipping kind… sigh… guess why the grumpy lounge attendant was happy to see me? 🙂

Our view from the dining car. A moment of peace as we finish our last bites.

Oh yes, I must say that I am very happy that we have our own kettle, especially on this longer leg where we are stuck on board for 48hrs. We certainly saved money from not buying lousy coffee or cup noodles (chicken flavored only!) from the lounge car. We brought our own coffee mixes, tea bags, cocoa, instant cereal and “hot and spicy shrimp” cuppa noodles 🙂 … I have 1 each morning 🙂 Also on the Empire Builder, cabins have a drinking water spigot and small disposable cups that were very handy. So its less yucky to have to get water for the kettle than from u know where.

23 Apr: We spend all day on the train passing thru flat farming lands as far as the eyes can see, stopping at little towns with train stops where some passengers get on/off or just a cig break. I am happy that we had AT&T network connection most everywhere so I kept up with my little people games on my iPad 🙂

Was difficult to get a good picture in a moving train.

Altho the seats are not as comfortable as beds, it seems we slept quite well and frequently doze off during the day too. I think we are definitely getting 8hrs each day… if not 10 🙂 . The train does rock a fair bit, making it hard to write a diary or draw a house plan, but I manage to do a little work on the computer while at the lounge car. Reading is really quite popular…socializing otherwise, only few people are playing phone games.

Morning in the Cascades.

By 1700hrs, the terrain changed from rolling farming plains interlaced with lakes and rivers to one that is woody and rocky. Seeing the Cascades in the distance with the setting sun in the back is a treat.

Getting a 1800hrs dinner car reservation for us, having a great steak (for me) and salad (for Doug), as we enter the Cascades was the highlight of this ride. Our experience was only slightly marred by the mother and kid that we shared our table with, and other diners near us who ruined my expectation that dining passengers are well heeled high society types…. I guess not on this trip… Well, I was thankful that most diners ate their small meals and left quickly, leaving us (the last 2) to eat up our expensive bigger meal in peace.

Kings Street station in downtown Seattle.

24th April 0700hrs: By now, we have changed time zone for the 2nd time. Morning in the Cascades was beautiful and we are in good spirits nearing the end of our long journey. I mean we go on long journeys all the time, but we are always in the driver seat and its just us in Calliste, or us just in Fordie as we drove east last fall. Sure, we cant wait to step off the train and be in control of our immediate environment again.

My daisies! Planted last summer, survived winter without me.

I am more of the veteran passenger than Doug as I have had been on cruising, flying and train riding vacations in so many countries from childhood…. so I did learn to make the most out of each riding experience. In many ways those things that I pick up makes my next journey more comfortable and interesting, mostly with regard to timing when to do what kind of things when bound in a cabin with other people 🙂

1000hrs: We arrived almost an hour ahead of schedule, in downtown Seattle. Got our checked in bags, they arrived unscathed 🙂 . Leaving Doug to watch our bags at the station, I walked 1 mile, guided by my trusty phone and Google, to Budget car rental.

Got the car that I prepaid for and got Doug and our bags before noon. Back on our home run route, stopped at Walmart to restock the cabin. We are home by 4pm, unloaded the car, and with still a good amount of daylight and energy left, we walked the grounds and smell the flowers 🙂 . Oh cabin, we’re home!

 

65hrs train ride (part 1)

Yup we must be going somewhere 🙂 … slowly

Just us and few others.

Its spring, time to head back to Port Townsend to check on my cabin… and to get summer projects rolling for Doug. Yeah sure we could choose to fly, but with all that luggage that Doug is bringing, taking the train is cheaper and less security hassles. Plus we get to see all that scenery and feel touristy for a change.

Flying feels rushed… there is a very business feel to it…

Arriving at Chicago. So many tracks.

Where taking the slow train seems kinda fun and relaxing to me …. maybe its the novelty, maybe its the wide seats and huge leg room and less than 25% ridership vs 100% on most flights…

Remember seeing this place on the big screen?

21 Apr 1800hrs: A great friend came to transfer us from our apartment in Malta to Schenectady. Car ride 40 mins. Its nice that there is no check in 2hrs early requirement :)… so in fact we were there way too early … yeah, but we didn’t want to be held up by rush hour traffic and miss the train, so it worked out.

Looks that maintenance is a daily chore around here

Me! At Union Station, Chicago, IL.

21 Apr 1930hrs: We start off with #49 Lake Shore Limited from Schenectady, NY bound Chicago, IL. 15hrs overnight train ride, not much to see, but we are just excited to be on our way home. Our mood was light and happy as we settle down into our seats and ate the dinner that we prepared back in the apartment. We brought a travel kettle and instant hot beverage packs so we could have a steaming hot beverage anytime and right at our seat … not to mention we save $2 for each cuppa that we don’t buy from the lounge car :). Yes, we got the water on board… from the bathroom…. yikes? Yep, that’s how I felt about it, but Doug was unfazed.

This almost could be Singapore River.

After hours of eating and talking, we laid our seats fully back and pulled out the foot rest to seat height. To be stuck for such a long journey in a seat, the chair must be a lot more comfy than a plane, otherwise who would put up with it?

I like that globe at the foot of that tower. Wonder what is the significance.

Then I notice the more veteran train riders brought their large swooshy pillows. The real thing, not the travel type. That and a travel fleece blanket made so much sense. I guess on our next trip, we’ll have a few tricks of our own…. nevertheless, I slept most of the night away and maybe was just a little sore in the morning. Doug did pretty well too.

River taxi going by.

Thru the night, the train made quite a few stops. Passengers came and went. Nobody, we learned, was going our distance …. 🙂

Chinese not open.

22 Apr 1015hrs: Arrived at Chicago on schedule. Our next train is 4 hours away…. its so nice to have unlimited mobile data and not lose network throughout this trip, maybe we did but I wasn’t constantly needing data, anyway pre arrival, I google mapped Chicago Union Station surroundings, wondering where can I go to get us some good bites for the next longer leg. Only then did I realize that the station is right downtown in Chicago! How convenient. Unlike airports which is always bus rides away.

Japanese not opened too!

Doug prefers to sit with the bags in the lounge while I go check out the city. We both like this arrangement 🙂 … except that he warns me about the gangs that are everywhere in Chicago, especially in Chinatown … well we just have to trust my guardian angel when I am out there walking myself 🙂

Robinsons it is!

So there I went, checking out the historic Union Station, then walking towards the riverfront, crossing the little bridge into downtown Chicago. Its a Saturday, not many people around… tall building line the river… a river taxi goes by… felt just like Singapore on a Saturday.

Surprisingly real and tasty food.

Oh NO! Just like Singapore, food places that I was so looking forward too were not opened, because its a weekend!

Drats, just have to get whats in Union Station. Well, there is a food court with the usual suspects… then I saw this Mom n Pop shoppe that I just must try because its not everywhere and everyday that I see honest real people behind the counter. And for $8 it was honest real food. Simple and yet very tasty!

1 hour walk, 1 hour to eat, 1 hour to find the boarding platform to #7 the Empire Builder. Time pass quickly, but it was enough time for me in Chicago on a Saturday…

Last snow storm for the year?

Hello beautiful.

Just when we start to get 65’F weather and I was thinking the worst is over… I returned Fordie to the leasing co and got ourselves a cute little VW Golf …. we get slammed again. 12 – 18″ of snow fell and was blown around by huge winds that is prevalent this time of year. Meaning that snow that would normally settle on roof top are blown around and settles on ground finally, making it 18″ at least everywhere.

Good looking butt.

Only days before the storm, was a clear sunny weekend when I had all that energy to cut out a full suit of “decal armor” for the little redsy. A tad too much contrast, IMO… I didn’t have a good supply of light grey, so I used white against my better judgement.

The works!

It was a state of emergency and we are advised to not go anywhere unless it was in a snow plow or emergency response vehicle. Look, less traffic, less accidents, less need for emergency responders and snow plows work more effectively. So yes we are not going anywhere in Fordie in these conditions, and much less in this lightweight little scoot of a car…. we haven’t settle on a name for this little reddy… nothing we think of seems to suit him/her… yes, we are not sure about that too…

Yikes, snow banks taller than me.

Since the forecast sounded really bad, the kind of storm that gobbles up little cars… I move our new little red car into the garage, something I vow to never do after I broke the back window of the Fordie doing so 3 months back. This time, I had help from Doug… phew… Only inches to spare in the front and back.

Banks of snow everywhere in the hood.

Ok, we out lasted the 36 hours storm. We were snug, cozy, warm, well fed from foods that we stacked in the fridgy, little reddy is in a heated garage, what more comfort can we ask for 🙂 . No wonder people in affluent societies get fat in winter…

And look! Right in front of the garage door is where the plows deposited the snow from the cul de sac… Little redsy would have been buried in 18″ of snow and then crushed by 8′ snow bank. Lucky girl (I guess that’s pretty much decided after all that flowers eh?), and lucky us, we don’t have to dig her out … phew.