From Vietnam To China Day 2
From Vietnam To China
Day 02 - Wednesday, April 11, 2012 - Overnight Flight to Taipei, Taiwan; International Date Line
We were able to cool off a bit and calm our nerves in the Dynasty Lounge compliments of China Airlines. The atmosphere was very quiet and set the tone for the Asian Culture we were about to experience.
At 12:00 we found our gate and looked for our travel companions Joanne from Wisconsin and Duane from California. We had traveled with them before and jumped at their invitation to join them on this Myths and Mountains Adventure.
We were thrilled to find Joanne waiting for us. As we caught up after not seeing each other for four years since our last trip to China we waited for Duane to arrive. He had the shortest flight from Redding, CA but also had delays because of the rain in the Bay Area.
The flight was called at 1:05 am and we joined the throng of passengers to Taipei, Taiwan. Our seats were on the top level of the Boeing 747-400. We were greeted by a bevy of beautiful Asian flight attendants.
Our personal assistants Lucy and Li offered us a welcome drink and soon gave us a menu for dinner. We had eaten a snack in Denver during our delay time and a heavy meal at 1:30 in the morning did not seem appealing.
As soon as the wheels left the ground and it was safe to recline our seats, we said goodnight and went to sleep oblivious to the sounds and smells of the dinner being served around us.
The cabin was exceptionally quiet. There was no talking above a whisper so it was easy to sleep. After about nine hours people started to stir although it was still very dark, 2:00 am.
The flight route took us north from San Francisco up the Northwestern coast from Seattle and following the Alaskan shores and west over the Aleutian Peninsula. We crossed the International Date Line and in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and followed the Japanese Islands heading south west to Taiwan.
Our 13:20 hour flight once again proved Columbus correct when he suggested sailing west to get to the East! We arrived in Taipei at 6:15 am on April 12th.
Our connecting flight to Hanoi was at Gate A3. We already had received our boarding passes so we walked to the gate and found the Dynasty Lounge for a quick internet fix.
The flight to Hanoi will be a short one and will begin Day 3.
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