Leave a Comment TW 2010, Day 1 (Indy – Dallas – Tokyo – Tao Yuan)

Our 20+ hour flight had finally concluded, thankfully, everyone had done quite well especially our two sons. It was the first transoceanic adventure that they had ever embarked on. I must say that they were very well behaved. Quite
frankly, I didn’t know what to expect as the plane was pulling up to
the designated gate. "Will my friends and relatives greet us cheerfully
and warmly? Or, will there not be any welcome mat at all?", I wondered.

As I placed the last piece of luggage on the cart, we began heading toward the ground transportation exit. Like a migrating herd, we followed the rest of the travelers. Through the exit doors, I looked and saw my uncle awaiting from a short distance . Uncle Lai waved at us as soon as he spotted me. The familiar smile put me at ease as he lead us to the outside of the terminal building.

We waited at the curbside for several minutes before Uncle Lai drove his car around. We loaded our luggage swiftly and soon were on our way to Shih-Pai. Uncle
Lai is married to my mom’s 4th sister, in case anyone is wondering. I asked how he had been and how everyone was as we entered the freeway.

Nearly twelve years had gone by since our last visit. We actually didn’t get
to see Uncle Lai on our last trip due to circumstances. It had been close to fifteen years since we last chatted. It didn’t take long for our sons to fall asleep in the back of the car. In a little over 30 minutes we arrived at Uncle Lai’s old home in Shih-Pai, now occupied by his eldest daughter. I buzzed my cousin – Angel, on the second floor, she unlocked the security door and let us in immediately. I was sure
that she had waited by the door soon after the plane had touched down.

Another familiar, smiley face greeted us. Angel looked the same despite the
time had elapsed. She was as friendly as I could remembered. The English name she had chosen was a perfect match to her easy-going, always helpful personality. Our sons were too tired to take a shower so a quick head to toe wipe down was all they got before sending them to bed.

Uncle Lai’s parents still live next door but it was too late in the evening to say hello to them. My Mrs. and I were very tired as well. We said good night to Uncle Lai and Angel before we retired for the evening. I think it was close to 1 am when I finally succumbed to fatigue. I remembered thinking to myself, "It was great to be back!".