Hello (Kitty) long flight

By CP

Our stay in Houston was nice, if brief. Thanks Yen and Mitch for letting us "Uber" crash your house for a bit. We ubered to their house, talked, and had dinner. 

I picked up a few Vietnamese language tips, thanks to their daughter's Vietnamese school books. 

After dinner, we then ubered to the airport (why again did the city of Austin vote out Uber?) Despite Houston being a major international hub, there's not a lot of flights departing the international terminal at midnight. 

We took a nap at our gate to await our 1:15 departure. Once it was time to board, EVA airlines did not disappoint. 

I really hope Hello Kitty is getting a cut of all this sponsorship. Because that cat was everywhere!

Initially, Mer and I were seated apart on this 3-4-3 plane. Although only a row and a few seat difference, we still wanted to sit together and none of the desk agents could help. So, once we boarded, we talked with those around us. Finally, an older woman (who also wanted an aisle seat) started negotiated on our behalf. Eventually we got it, with little thanks to solo traveler at our end aisle seat. We then settled in for the long flight. 

Personally for me (Chris) the 15 hour flight was the longest I'd ever been on. I stayed awake long enough for dinner. (Even the silverware featured that lovable white feline.) I watched a movie before falling asleep … for 8 hours. I woke up for a snack. Then Meredith suggested that I had now slept for US night. Now it was time to sleep for the Asia night. So I settled in for more sleep. We woke up in time for breakfast. We each watched another movie. We played some games on EVA airlines entertainment (Sudoku!) And, before we knew it, Taipei was in reach. We took an interesting arc to get there (for straight line globe people like me). 

It included a slice up toward the Northeast, by Alaska, down through Siberia, over Japan, and then into Taiwan. Despite our long night/day/night, Taipei didn't lack for ambiance notwithstanding our tired/disoriented state. 

So interestingly themed and decorated. (Hello more Hello Kitty!)

As I type, I can see our next plane might lack luster. 

But our trip has been good and interesting thus far. 

Next stop, Hanoi!