Our journey home started at the Bali, Indonesia airport where we took a 4 hour flight back to Bangkok. Before we left, we all stood outside the airport trying to take in the last of what we called "equatorial paradise". The warm weather, tropical birds, palm trees, ocean waves, amazing flowers, and of course the busy streets full of people and motorcycles. The kids now tease me about the "Daddy moments" we had during this trip. Several times along the way, I would stop and ask the kids to close their eyes, to look at something, to smell something nice, or to listen to interesting noises. I told them soon these experiences would feel like a dream and they will want to remember all the different sights and sounds. The kids would usually just roll their eyes. I think the kids were glad to have their final "Daddy moment" on this trip.
We landed in Bangkok, Thailand, which always seemed like our "Home Base" in Asia. We had 9 hours on a Friday evening before our next flight, so we decided to visit our fun friends one more time - the Gibbons. They are such a great family and we felt very comfortable "hanging" with them at their house. We ordered many yummy thin crust pizzas, talked, watched TV and checked our emails on two of their personal laptops. It was so nice to rest and relax before taking our final taxi ride in Bangkok - our final taxi in Asia for that matter. As we left, we were a little sad to leave our friends, but we will see the Gibbons when they come to Utah for a visit this summer.
Our flight left Bangkok at 1 am and we arrived in Seoul, Korea, the next morning after five hours of flying. Our next flight delay was ugly, as we had a 12 hour layover. When we booked our flights last year, we thought it would be fun to tour Seoul during the long layover. Not sure what we were thinking as it is freezing cold in Seoul. Kristin sent an email to Asiana airlines asking if we could get better flight options. The airlines told us that all flights were full, however, they would be happy to give us two rooms at a hotel in Seoul, so we could sleep. We decided this was our best option. We were picked up by a nice hotel shuttle and then taken to our hotel. It was odd checking into a hotel room at 10:00 am and then asking for a wake up call at 3 pm in the afternoon. However, we all slept 4 or 5 hours, which really helped us to start our adjustment back to the US Mountain time zone. Asiana also gave us food vouchers, so we had a great meal at the hotel restaurant before we left for the airport.
Our next flight was 11 hours from Seoul to Los Angeles as we had more of a straight shot over the Pacific Ocean. We ate several meals and everyone slept another 2 or 3 hours before we landed back in the US - Los Angeles. It was great to be back in America, but we felt our first cool breeze as we walked outside to our domestic gate. I think everyone started to think about the warm blanket of Asian air that embraced us non-stop for 2 months. We were already missing it!
We had a 2 hour layover and we weren't very hungry, so we decided to get a snack. The kids wanted a couple of muffins from Starbucks and when we saw they were $2.50 each, we couldn't believe it. We were definitely "Asiatized" and now had to get used to the higher prices in America. For $2.50 you could have an hour long massage, eat a fantastic Italian or French meal, purchase a pound of cashews, get 3 large Mango/Papaya/Coconut/Orange shakes, and the list goes on and on. Oh how we will miss Asia prices!
Our flight to Salt Lake was a "very short" hour and a half before we landed. We arrived around 9 pm on a Saturday night and it was nice to see the mountains topped with snow. It wasn't nice when we left the airport in short sleeves and shorts and felt the wind smacking, no "kicking" us in the face. Can you tell we miss the weather, lol?? Adam was greeted at the airport by several of his friends - Tyler and Jason. Our good friend Dan drove them down with his other son to welcome us home. It was fun to see them and to hear that somebody actually read this blog. Dan told us he spent some time on Google Earth looking at the places we had visited. Kristin's parents picked us up at the airport and it was great to see them. Anna was a little disappointed that we didn't have people with signs at the airport welcoming us home. You know Anna, she loves a little attention, friends and a reason for a party! Anyway, the 30 minute drive home went by quickly as we discussed some of the highlights of our trip.
The last three weeks we have been home have been......interesting. It took us longer than we imagined to adjust to the 13 or 14 hour time zone change. The kids and Kristin and I had a really hard time getting up in the mornings until just a few days ago. It snowed the day after we got home and ever since it has been unseasonably cold. The sun only came up two days out of the last 20, which is not normal weather for Utah (which usually has 300 days of sunshine per year). We have been in somewhat of a daze trying to get back into the many routines of life. We often bring up what were doing a few weeks ago, or a month ago and enjoy reliving the amazing things we did and the great people we met.
When we came home, we were surprised to see a large yellow sign on our garage door with the words "Welcome Home" in Thai and in English. Our friend Lori went out of her way to give us a nice memory as we pulled into the driveway. It also had some nice pictures and notes from some of the kids in our culdesac. As you can imagine, Anna was especially tickled with this fun surprise as she got the "welcome home" sign she was hoping for.
One of the things we have noticed since being home is just how "clean" things are in the US. The roads seem enormously wide and perfectly painted. And where are all the motorcycles, chickens and goats?? It was odd for me to drive a car again after 2 months of being "chauffeured" everywhere. I made a comment to Kristin in regards to how difficult it must be to get in an accident with the amount of order and procedure in our roads. We both agreed that because driving doesn't take your full and undivided attention as in Asia, people probably get in accidents in the US mostly because they are distracted. In Asia, it takes your complete and undivided attention to drive as you are constantly dodging dogs, goats, chickens, motorcycles and people.
Another thing we have noticed is how much "stuff" we have in America. We walked into our home and it seemed like a mansion. We all felt like we were very indulgent and living lavish lifestyles as compared to southeast Asia. The kids said they felt funny sleeping in their "own" bedrooms. I think one of the goals we had was successful. We wanted our kids to really appreciate everything they had (3 provided meals a day, beds, a warm home, a closet full of clothes, nice schools with competent teachers, money, etc) and to not take anything for granted. The kids are quite grateful for these things and at times now wonder if we need so much. Kristin and I have both taken several trips with bags of clothes and other items to the DI (charity). We saw many poor people wearing clothes in Asia that were donated from the US as they had "Monsters Inc" or Las Vegas or Gap on them. The people wearing them had no idea what these words meant, but they were happy to have something to wear. I would encourage anyone to clean out your homes with the "stuff" that hangs in the closet or sits on a shelf in the garage, only rarely used. If you give it to a charity, these things will get used by people who have a real need and they will really appreciate them.
Am I glad that we took this trip? YES! Would I do it again? YES! Has it changed our outlook in life and even changed things we want to do in the future? YES! It made me realize that almost everyone in the US are blessed with many "opportunities" if we choose to do something with our opportunities. We choose how to spend our time each day and sometimes find ourselves "crazy busy" with tasks or with busy work. We don't spend enough time connecting with family and friends. Friends and family are a major part of our lives! Some of our best memories of this trip were being together as a family 24 hours a day over a 2 month period, without any distractions. We bonded in ways that I personally believe will pay back dividends in the future. Especially as were are now commencing right into the "teenage" years. We really enjoyed the many new friends we met along the way in the various countries. It would be a shame if we didn't maintain these new friendships because we become too "busy" back home.
THANKS to everyone for taking time to read this blog which allowed us to share our adventure with you. We really enjoyed the comments made by everyone or those who had a chance to say hello on the blog as we traveled (Aunt Susy and Family, Makell, Lori C, Rob, Bret, Renee, Annabel & Sammy, Mike & Kristin D, Mike and Tonia J, Courtney, Lang, Jeremy and Jeff). I also have to give credit to Jeff for sending me a simple, but firm email about a week into my trip "strongly encouraging" me to set-up a blog.
I know there are many others who read the blog that didn't have a chance to make a comment. In the spirit of cherishing the family and friends that we have, please send us a note to say hello at relinkowski@msn.com. We would love to hear from those of you who shared this blog with us!!! To all of our new friends across southeast Asia, please keep in touch or come visit us in Utah!
Sawateekhap!
The Elinkowski Family
DEAL OF THE WEEK: Ouch....we haven't found too many deals since coming home. For example, the only issue we had from leaving our house and cars for 2 months was coming home to a dead battery in my car. A new Mercedes car battery cost me $150! I could have had 50 hours of massages or 100 fresh fruit drinks for the same price! I have to quit comparing everything to fruit shakes and massages, for my own good...
FUNNY STORY OF THE WEEK: Nothing funny about the cold weather and snow! Kristin and I have decided that if you can't beat it, then join it - so we are going skiing tomorrow (April 16th) in two feet of fresh powder!
