Mrs. ItchyFeet Remember me telling you all about the jet fuel shortage that Việt Nam was about to have starting in April? Well, it’s April now and I’m in the Philippines on the lovely island of Boracay, and Philippine Air let me know 30 days ago that they only had 45 days of jet fuel left and there might be flight disruptions. I was getting anxious, hoping the remaining fuel would suffice to avoid any issues and would allow me to make it back to Seattle, WA, USA! Boracay is gorgeous, but it’s also quite expensive, and I have a very important appointment to keep!
Packing is the worst!
Okay, you know I hate packing, but it’s not so bad this time around because my 7kg carry-on is not going to be weighed with my backpack, which helps a ton. Plus, I get to sleep in on the day of my flight out because it doesn’t take off until 2pm. I used the same transport company as I did when I arrived, and they picked me up promptly from my hotel at 11am. We picked up a few more people on the route to the ferry, which was starting to make me nervous. I like to get to airports three hours ahead of time, but the first flight is domestic, which means there is no point getting there that early. If I got there early, I would just have to wait an hour to check my luggage anyway.
The ferry ride was gorgeous and chaotic yet again, and we all piled into yet another van bound for the airport. Once through security, you could hear one of the other airlines announcing repeatedly that they would weigh every piece of luggage/purse/backpack at the gate and you would pay extra for anything over 7kg combined. The cost of jet fuel is not being taken lightly. I’m glad I got a different carrier! I’ll be really happy to be back on the side of the planet where most carry-on luggage is not weighed.
The flight to Manila, Philippines, was so short that we probably only got about 10 minutes at altitude before starting our descent. I had yet another short layover that went way too quickly, as I had to collect all my luggage and transfer by bus, basically to a different airport (international terminal). With traffic, it can take up to 30 minutes on the bus, but luckily traffic wasn’t too bad. After I checked my luggage, again, and went through security, again, I decided to skip paying for lounge access because I didn’t have enough time to justify the cost. I gave up my fancy travel card when they raised the price to $800/yr and haven’t replaced it yet.
So now it’s 7pm and I haven’t eaten since breakfast. Luckily, the quick 2.5 hour flight to Taiwan comes with food. Why didn’t I just get a direct flight from Manila to Seattle, you ask? Well, that cost significantly more than taking a quick side trip up to Taiwan, and I’m frugal. I should rethink some of my choices, though! For that same frugal reason, I decided to skip paying for lounge access in Taiwan, even though the lounge looked gorgeous. Taiwan is a really pretty airport with different themes for each gate. I had a good time wandering around. I might have to come back to this one!
The 11-hour flight to Seattle finally took off before midnight, and we sped toward the sun, landing the same day I left, before sunset. Time travel!!! The flight had a couple of meals, one of which was salmon. Unfortunately, I got very motion sick and ended up vomiting up said salmon into one of those airline puke bags during landing. Like, right as the wheels struck the ground! Never have I ever done that before! Do not recommend! And now I can never ever eat salmon again, which is not okay in the Pacific Northwest!
Back in the USA
Global Entry was a breeze. I didn’t even have to show my passport. All my luggage made it. All is well again. Plus, Seattle just finished connecting their Seattle light-rail system with Bellevue’s light-rail, so I got to jump on that for the first time. There were some hiccups, which made the trip take longer than it should have, but it’s brand new, so I forgive them. It’s the first of its kind, light-rail over a floating bridge. Pretty impressive! My poor father-in-law had to wait at the Bellevue station for quite a while before I made it there. Thanks, FIL!!!
The drive did my motion sickness no favors, and being back in the cold and rainy weather took away some of my spunk, so I did nothing for the first day. In addition, because of a combination of eating out with no control over gluten cross-contamination and sodium levels, consuming fresh vegetables (and smoothies!) washed with non-potable tap water, and enjoying many different street foods in many different countries in Southeast Asia, I haven’t had a solid poop in many months and have lost some weight.
Now, normally in the USA, I would spend loads of time and money visiting doctors and collecting poop samples for testing to figure out the issue. Luckily, I had the foresight to visit a pharmacist in Vietnam to pick up some anti-protozoan meds ($3.50 USD!) for treatment here. After eating home-cooked gluten-free meals for a week and treating myself for parasites, I finally have solid poops again. Does it get any better than that!?!
Packing again?
Then it was packing up yet again for a road trip to Boise, Idaho, to apply for residency in México. You heard that right! I’ve picked a country to spend the most amount of time in. México is huge and there are so many places I want to explore. It only makes sense to get residency so that I can stay longer. Also, there are many stories that México has begun cracking down on repeat visitors, sometimes only giving a week or two on entry. Just because they can give up to 180-days, doesn’t mean they have to. That could really mess up my plans! And the internet says my best hope for getting MX residency is by applying in Boise, Idaho. Who knew?
My mum-in-law was very excited about the adventure because we got to use her RV to camp at various wineries along the route. She has a membership that allows her to camp for free at wineries in exchange for tasting some wines, with the understanding you’ll probably buy a bottle or two. Wine tasting! I’m in! So here’s the issue: It’s freezing in Idaho in April. Like for real freezing! As in below zero (32 degrees to my US peeps!)! It was extremely cold, and the camper battery kept dying in the middle of the night, but the wine was good and I got a visa to get residency in MX. Go me!
We did, however, get hit by a semi-trailer at a stop sign, but only a little, and the driver, along with the police, were all very nice and nobody was hurt. The driver’s insurance paid for everything. However, due to the current fuel prices, the drive ended up being more expensive than I had planned. The total cost for diesel came out to be $500 USD because that stuff is expensive, and we forgot to fill up before we left Oregon, where it is cheaper. But we still had a good time, and I would do it again! Thanks, MIL!
After getting back, I had a brief window to pack up again for a road trip to Oregon to visit friends and family. With all that driving and packing, I was wiped and just couldn’t make the extra leg to visit a friend in Eugene. Sorry, Friend! I’m bummed I didn’t get to see you. But I had a wonderful meal and chat with my extended family in Salam. I thought I would never eat salmon again, but I was very wrong, and it was delicious! Plus, my family live in a great area for birdwatching. We even got to see a massive chonky ground squirrel! Thanks, Fam!
And then it was off to McMinnville for some wine and cards and hiking with old friends. They took me to the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum to see The Spruce Goose (spoiler: not made of spruce). It is a must if you are in the area! The amount of time and money that a rich eccentric guy spent building the massive plane, to only get a single 30-second flight, is wild. Architects had to build the museum around the plane, it’s so big! We had a good time chatting with the volunteers about their childhoods and war adventures.
Then… then…then… my friends took me to a café for gluten-free beer tasting!!! Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve had beer!?! Too long, I tell you! The entire café is dedicated gluten-free, so I also got a cinnamon roll. Noms! We also went hiking in the woods where we spotted frogs and snakes and so many birds. I had an amazing time. Thanks, Friends!
Back in Seattle, it is confirmed that I’m here too early in the year because of my coconut oil test. Coconut oil melts at “room temp”. So, in theory, it should be mostly liquid in a perfectly warm temperature. It’s rock solid here! And there is so much rain and cold and slugs! But I kept busy with a ton of home cooking and going through my stuff to replace broken items and get rid of items that I did not use during my last trip. Plus, getting all the paperwork together I would need to complete MX residency in MX.
I was lucky enough to get to dog sit for a short time at a friend’s house. She has the cutest pup you could imagine! I also managed a couple of runs with friends, a lunch with former co-workers, and a few meetups with friends and my cousin (who flew in for a conference). Unfortunately, while I was gone, my in-laws’ dog got one of those foxtail grass seeds in the bottom of his paw, and it migrated up toward the top, causing a massive abscess that had to be surgically removed. Poor pup! He was so sad walking around in his cone-of-shame. And he couldn’t go down to the river or play with his puppo friends for two entire weeks. Tragic!
I’m currently in México now. More on that to follow. While in the States, there were so many friends that I wanted to see but could not make it work for one reason or another. If I missed you, know that I’m sorry and will try again in a year, or you can come visit me in MX! It’s an adventure!
