Long way back home.

I’ve begun the final leg of my journey.  The trip from Taipei to the Narita airport in Japan felt blessedly short.  I managed to switch seats with someone on both legs so I could be seated next to my dad, at a sacrifice for the leg room afforded to me with an isle seat.  He seems to be traveling well and has more mobility today than he has in the past week.

Farewells in Taipei were tearful all around.  I wasn’t sure if the tears were because of our departure, or because of the health circumstances surrounding it, but I suspect it was some mix of both.  One part was odd though.  After we checked our luggage and the farewells were in process, two of my aunts and my uncle Joe appeared to be praying Christian prayers with my dad.  The only reason I suspect it was Christian was because one of the Aunts was saying short phrases, and the other two were saying something that sounded like “amen”.  I knew my grandmother was a Christian, but I didn’t think anyone else in the family was.  It was an event that neither me, nor my youngest uncle partook in.

We procured a wheelchair for my father which was fortunate since we were running a little late.  The wheelchair gave us easier passage through security and customs, and allowed us to board the plane early so I could get him situated.  While I requested a wheelchair at every terminal in our journey, it was lacking at the Narita airport.  I’m not sure what oversight caused it, but fortunately, I was sure to address the boarding attendant when we reached our gate, and they let us board the plane early.  It was a little frantic trying to get seated next to him, but it will be worth it since I’ll be able to check his welfare the whole trip.  There was actually a medical emergency on the flight to Narita, with the crew asking if there wa a medical professional on board.  It made me wish Tanja was with us so she could administer emergency help like she has on another occasion.  It’s always a source of joy and pride when I get to watch her in her profession, unexpectedly.  There was a little delay in disembarking the aircraft since the emergency crew needed to clear the ailing passenger before th other passengers could leave.  That gave us just enough time to pass through Japanese security and make it to the gate to board the plane.

So now I’m an hour and a half into this final leg of the journey.  A surprise that should have been expected is that, while the flight will take bit longer with the absence of a tail wind, it is shorter by four hours compared to the flight from Detroit to Japan.  So I’m looking at approximately ten more hours of flight, and the four hours reduced feels like a blessed stroke of luck.  It’s still a long time to sit in one place, but it’s comparable to watching all three extended version of the movie “The Lord of the Rings”, a feat I have done once, with minor physical ailments resulting.

The first meal served on this last flight was dinner-like with a choice between chicken and beef.  While the food had some Asian flair, it was the first non-Asian meal I’ve had since HuaLien, disregarding fast food.  The salad had half a grape tomato in it, and after I bit into it, I realized that it was the first fresh tomato I’ve had in three weeks.  Biting into something that fresh, flavorful, and raw was such a shock, it was all I thought about for the rest of the meal.  I hadn’t realized in all the meals in Taiwan, not one had uncooked vegetables, only uncooked fish.  This will be something I’ll be happy to return to. 

The current movie is, unfortunately, “How the Earth was Made”.  While I might have watched it at home, I’ve had my share of nature education for at least a week.  I might make another entry after my brain is broken by the flight process.  For now, I’ll try to escape into a book.