Happy New Year from Colombo. January 15, 2009

This morning Madeline and Dad woke up at 03:00 and by 04:30 we were playing and painting together.  Jet lag!

We arrived in Colombo on Monday morning just after midnight after another long journey from California.  We left San Francisco at midnight on Friday (noonish on Saturday Sri Lanka time) on a 14 hour, 30 minute flight to Hong Kong.  There we had an almost 12-hour layover and decided to make the most of it, especially since we got some semblance of a ‘night’s sleep’ just before.  Cathay Pacific provided us with an exceptionally nice room for the whole day in the Hong Kong airport hotel (what luxury!), and after dropping our carry-ons there, taking showers, and getting refreshed, we hit Hong Kong.

We took the very fast MTR train (green line) from the airport into the heart of the city.  Madeline was enthralled, as she is obsessed with any mode of transportation (airplanes and trains being her current favorites). We were in awe of Hong Kong’s buildings and exceedingly modern infrastructure – one must see it to believe it.  The transport system is truly remarkable.  Maddie had a 10 minute drooling power nap on the train. We dropped at the main Hong Kong station, and walked several blocks south to the Peak Tram.  We took the rather touristy (but spectacular!) tram to near the top of Victoria Peak and spent much of the afternoon there.  What a magnificent spot, and one of the coolest cities we’ve been in.  Perfect weather, cool and clear, with great views on all sides of the island.

Madeline was fascinated by Hong Kong.  So many people to look at, immense shiny buildings, mountains, water, boats, etc…. and lots of other little kids too  (being Sunday, there were lots of families out and about).  The Chinese are as enthralled by Maddie’s blue eyes and locks of fine hair as the Sri Lankans are – many kisses and even pictures posed with Madeline who was frequently whisked away by adoring strangers.  We had an all-American lunch at Bubba Gump’s on top of the tram tower and strolled along the high walkways that encircle the summit of Victoria Peak through beautiful forests.

Back to the airport, a quick nap, and an uneventful flight to Colombo via Bangkok had us in our bed reading a story by 01:30.

Everyone is suffering a bit from jet lag, but it doesn’t seem as severe this time as it was when we went to the states.  Madeline seems to be adjusting especially well to the change back to Sri Lanka time.  She fell asleep just before we left Hong Kong and didn’t wake up until we were about an hour outside of Colombo!  Then fell asleep just around 02:00 and awoke at 06:00.  So she is actually on a fairly normal sleep schedule already – out of sheer exhaustion.

Maddie was again an absolute pleasure to travel with.  Never ever had even one meltdown, completely mature for her age and kept herself busy.  There was one child not much older than her a few rows back on the SFO-HKG flight that cried for about 14 hours… and we were reminded of how lucky we are to have such a stellar little traveler!  She’s the best.

We were a bit concerned about Maddie’s ‘reversion’ from essentially being potty-trained in Sri Lanka before we went to the United States – throughout our time there, she was in diapers as she quickly seemed to ‘forget’ how to use the potty.  But on our first day back, she picked up where she left off, wearing pants for the day and using the toilet.  Hooray for her!  She went to school on Tuesday and reconnected with all of her buddies.

We have a holiday on Wednesday Jan. 14, a much-needed day for Mom and Dad to recover and try to get completely straightened out from the trip.

American Holidays. January 14, 2009

The very day that school released for the extended three-week winter holiday, Madeline, Mom and Dad got on an airplane and made the long haul back to the United States. We left Sri Lanka around midnight on Friday and arrived in San Francisco, California on Saturday morning. That sounds like a really good itinerary… until one realizes that we actually spent two days getting there (two full nights of flying!) Maddie, ever the traveling champ, was very good on the airplane. In fact, once on the ground in San Francisco, she didn’t want to get off the plane!

Unfortunately, adjusting to a 13.5 hour time difference is about as bad as it gets, and each of us felt it for about a week. Madeline probably adjusted better than Mom or Dad, though the instant power naps during the days really did her in. Her little clock was exactly opposite for sleeping – and she was up around 04:00 each morning for a week, ready to rumble.

But what a pleasant and relaxing holiday it was. Not much happened and not much moving around – just the way a three-week stateside holiday should be. We spent much of our time in Green Valley with Mom’s family. Green Valley days were spent strolling, watching Christmas shows on TV, baking, swinging/sliding, tormenting Bogey and Cammie, and hanging out with the family. We golfed, played tennis, worked out at the club, and even took part in a mini-slog. What a life!

Uncle Drew spent two days getting to California after being snowed under in Portland, but made it in time for Christmas. We spent time in Burlingame with Todd, Karen, Henry, and Scarlett at their beautiful new house. It’s such a pleasure to have all of the kids together in one place. In the great pecking order of youth, Henry pushes Maddie around, Maddie pushes Scarlett around, and Scarlett pushes…. well, she is waiting for Paco to arrive so she can push him around! What goes around comes around. We also attended a legendary Purvis Christmas Eve dinner in Napa which, as always, was a great chance to reconnect with so many good people and watch the kids go bonkers.

The day after Christmas we packed up the car and headed to Tahoe for a few days. It has been a fairly dry winter in the Sierras but we were lucky that just before we arrived, a huge winter storm had dumped lots of snow. So it was a winter wonderland! Lots of fresh powder for Maddie to play in. She had seen snow before (first in Morocco and then Colorado) but at this age she could really get crazy in it for the first time. When the weather cleared we made a great sled run and had lots of fun flying down it. Mom, Maddie and Nonnie went on the aerial tram and Dad and Uncle Drew went downhill skiing at Northstar on Drew’s birthday. Mom and Papa G went cross-country skiing, too. Finally, Dad went to Colorado for four days where he reconnected with his family (sadly, without Mom and Maddie – too much traveling for a 2 year-old and a pregnant woman!) Everyone was well there but missed Mom and Maddie very much.

Wait, did I say that not much happened over the holidays?  Maybe we were busier than I thought!

The weather was COLD everywhere. I know that we have been ‘ruined’ by so many years living in the tropics, but this time conditions seemed extreme. In fact, thinking back on this holiday for some time to come, the thing that will first come to mind is the cold. No matter how many layers we had on, it seemed like we were constantly chilled. It was bad enough in San Francisco where it is always humid and chilly in the winter, but Colorado’s near zero temperatures and wind were almost more than Dad could handle!