Our December 2006 Vacation
We are finally back from our month long vacation to China and Singapore. This was also the first time Rebecca sat on a plane, and I must say, she did really well considering how long the flight was. We were so busy visiting relatives and friends that I didn’t really get the chance to blog about it until now. So here are some highlights of our trip.
We began our journey from SFO to Hong Kong. I didn’t know what to expect on the plane, and turned out I overpacked Rebecca’s food supply. I didn’t know that SIA provided babyfood and diapers! I also learned how to strap on an infant seatbelt, and got to see how an airline bassinet looks like. The hours passed really fast for me, maybe because I was constantly worried about Rebecca I had no chance to be bored.
I have never been to China, so this was definitely an eye-opener for me. From the Hong Kong airport we took a ferry to Shenzhen. We spent one week there, and I thoroughly enjoyed tasting the different types of food they had. We even drove all the way to Guangzhou for a day trip, as well as one day in Hong Kong. The weather in Shenzhen was pretty similar to here in the Bay Area, but fortunately not as chilly. Rebecca had a great time visiting her Grandparents.
After a week in China we continued on our route back home to Singapore. The weather there hit me like a sticky blob - the minute I landed I literally had perspiration running down my face. And that wasn’t the hottest day either - it had rained continuously for a few days and certain areas of Singapore were flooded.
Bringing Rebecca home was really special. Most of our family and friends haven’t seen Rebecca at all, only pictures, and they were thrilled meeting her for the first time. I would say that this was the first time that Rebecca has seen so many “strangers” trying to carry her or play with her. In the beginning she was all snobby and didn’t allow anyone to touch her, but by the end of the week she opened up and was smiling, laughing and waving to everyone. Another special treat was that she got to meet her cousin, Charlotte, for the first time. Charlotte is 6 months older than Rebecca, and has started to walk. Rebecca only knew how to crawl. When they first met it was such a funny sight - both of them were communicating with loud screams that no one by themselves knew the meaning of. The flashes of the many cameras made them look like celebrities being hounded by paparazzi.
We had a lovely time (busy!) catching up with all our relatives and friends for the two weeks we were there. In addition we had to plan Rebecca’s 1st Birthday Party. Luckily one of our relatives took care of the venue and all we had to do was to order the food, and get the birthday cake. It was a small gathering of close relatives, lots of picture taking, eating, and Karaoke! I made a little slideshow for Rebecca to chronicle her first year of life. We played it on that day and I would like to share it with you (see end of post). Check out the pictures as well.