May 27 - Got kids? No! Got bird embryo? yep...

So we roll out of Tita Oyen’s place at about 5am again to make the 2 hour drive to the airport in Legaspi. This time Iza and her 2 kids are with us because the driver will continue on to take them home to Albay.



After we make it to Manila it’s off to Ate Christine’s house for Sunday brunch. MORE GOOD FOOD. This is NOT a weight loss vacation. I’m tickled to see that there’s no soda. I’ve been feeling bad about all the high fructose corn syrup I’ve been allowing the kids to consume.

Finally, we have the best ending to the trip. We leave ALL the kids with my cousins and Manay Nori and her girls. Tito Eddie and Tita Oyen take us to get massages. OOOOOHHHH YEAHHHHHH….. Geoff and I have adjoining rooms but we don’t talk…. I’m too into the massage.



THEN! We go to the grocery to buy beer and chicharron. Stop by the corner vendor to buy balut and pick up carry out bbq squid, pork and fish. When we get back to the house the kids stay inside while us 4 grownups drink, eat, chismis(sp?) and smoke….. ahhhhh. The best part is the conversation. I think it would be fun for Geoff’s family & Tita Oyen and Tito Eddie to get together to share political activism stories.

April 3 - Economy Plus some phlegm...

Geoff’s parents drive us to airport at 4am.

Jules has been awake since April 2nd at 6am-ish.

Turner discovers his love of 7-Up thanks to the beverage cart. This blog is beginning as a day by day account… but that WILL change.

Somewhere along the way it turns into April 4.

We’re soooo happy to get economy plus seating from SFO to NRT, the 11 hour flight. Those few extra inches make a huge difference. We only need to do half of the “don’t kick the seat in front of you” patrol. Geoff and the kids are taking up the 5-seat center section with Geoff sitting on the end. I get to sit next to Bill. He’s 89, traveling with his step-son Geoffrey(who’s sitting in regular economy). Bill’s a nice guy to talk to… As long as you can ignore the monster phlegm globs he’s spitting out and leaving on his tray table on tiny airline cocktail napkins. Then, once we were in the final 3 hours he turned into grumpy man. But not too grumpy.

Arrive Japan’s Narita Airport. Go through customs… All our bags make it!

We take a shuttle over to the Airport Hilton and are very happy to have some room to move. But we’re in Japan, this won’t last long.