March 9th, 2007 - We Have Arrived!!!!!

We made it, what a loooooooooooooong two days! Wow!

We were to fly out of the SLC airport at 10 AM and arrive in LA to then flight to Taiwan, our flight kept getting delayed though. First it delayed to 11 AM, then Noon and of course we started to worry. We showed them our tickets to leave from LA at 1:50 PM to Taiwan. They quickly switched us to another Delta flight leaving out of SLC airport @ 12:05 PM so we would make it. They were worried our original flight we booked for might delay again and didn't want to risk it. The other Delta flight was scheduled to leave on time. Let's just say we had PLENTY of time to catch our flight that morning. Instead of a three hour layover in LA as planned we flew @ Noon and arrived there @ 12:30 PM and went straight to our next flight leaving at 1:50 PM. No layover, we just spent our time at the SLC airport all morning.

Our flight to Taiwan was 14 hours. It was crazy! The first 6 hours were bearable and then Lindsay and I were starting to get VERY uncomfortable. I could not sleep, I could not get comfortable, the flight was packed, there was no leg room, people all around us, this airplane was not one of the nicer big ones we have seen before. It was HARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Linday seemed to be doing really well and trying to make me comfortable and help me sleep. Little did I know, once we arrived he said he got to a point in the flight where he said he wanted to get up and scream, hehe! He sure covered it well. He said he was going to lose it.

We arrived in Taipei, Taiwan @ 8:30 PM on Friday night. We went to baggage clam and there was a sign stating our luggage did not arrive on our flight (agh!). Because we switched Delta flights in SLC our luggage was due to arrive in when our original flight arrived later that night. They told us to go to our hotel and they would have it delivered by 11 AM the next morning. I wanted to cry, I told them we were catching another flight the next morning to Tainan and had to leave our hotel at 11 AM. They tried to help and put a rush on it so it would then arrive bye 9 AM. So not only did we spend almost two days in the same clothes but we had to go sleep in them and wait for our luggage to arrive to get cleaned up and then head to the domestic airport in Taipei the next morning @ 11 AM to fly to Tainan. Tianan is where Faith was born and where her birth mother lives. Faith is at St. Lucy's orfinage, which is also in Tainan. We wanted to spend a few days there before picking her up to see and learn about the area so we could some day share our experience with her.

We checked into our hotel for the night 10 PM, Feeling Hotel, got settled and prayed our luggage would arrive on time the next morning. As you can imagine,I was so worried. We went to sleep hoping we could rest and wake in the AM and be on there time (they are about 15 hours ahead of our time in Utah). We had an exciting day ahead and wanted some rest after that the crazy few days we had.

We woke at 8 AM, I called the airport to make sure our luggage had arrived and they said the driver had left already and had all four pieces with him (we don't pack light, better to have to much then not enough).

It had all arrived safely to our hotel at 9 AM and I was SO HAPPY!!!!!! We got cleaned up and packed one bag for the two nights in Tainan, baby items, and gifts. Our taxi driver picked us up at our hotel to go to the domestic airport for our flight to Tainan (30 minute flight, up and then back down again). We kept our hotel room booked at the Feeling hotel for all 7 night of our trip so we could pack light and not have to worry about all our luggage when we picked up baby girl.

Posted are a few pictures of our first day in Taiwan at our hotel. It is down a small side street, which you see a picture of and then Lindsay and I took a few pictures at the etrance and the view from our room. Taiwan is green and tropical, yet a city like New York. Taxi's and scooters everywhere, people weaving in and out, there are no street laws it seems and there are no car seats for babies, you just hold them on your lap. This freaked me out a bit thinking of Faith not being safe in her car seat but we quickly got use to it and it was so nice.

Off we go again!