Taiwan Trip: Traveling in Style

All Nippon Airlines (ANA) is now officially my favorite airline. 

[singlepic id=770 w=320 h=240 float=none]

To start off the strip, the ANA lounge at IAD was over-the-top.  They had a full-service buffet and bar, not to mention great Japanese yummies:

[singlepic id=769 w=320 h=240 float=none]

There was also a separate entrance for boarding directly connected to the lounge.  Mommy & Daddy have never seen such a nice lounge!  If the one in IAD is this nice, imagine how nice it must be in Narita.   Not only did we have the nicest and prettiest airline stewardesses, we also had the best customer service and the yummiest Japanese food.  They even had books, games and toys for me to keep me entertained the whole trip.  The best part of the flight were the smoked nuts my Daddy requested…and you know how I am a huge fan of nuts (just like my GongGong and Daddy).

[singlepic id=764 w=320 h=240 float=none]

We actually had a whole section all to ourselves since ANA didn’t sell out this section, so we felt like we had our own private stewardess and our own private bathroom.

[singlepic id=763 w=320 h=240 float=none]

[singlepic id=765 w=320 h=240 float=none]

[singlepic id=771 w=320 h=240 float=none]

[singlepic id=772 w=320 h=240 float=none]

On the way home, the flight wasn’t as nice since it was on United Airlines.  Mommy & Daddy are sorry to say that United has a VERY long way to go before it reaches the ranks of ANA on all fronts (professionalism of the stewardesses, appearance of the stewardesses, food, anemities, and service).  Not only that, United will upgrade their elite customers to business or first class which means that you will never see any empty seats on business or first class.  This is just not the case for ANA. 

When Mommy & Daddy were traveling by themselves, it really didn’t matter as much because life was much easier.   However, with me in the picture, there are some lessons learned for this trip: 

– For all future trips to Taiwan with me, Mommy & Daddy have agreed that it’s worthwhile to pay the extra money to fly ANA. 

– It is also imperative that the transfers occur in Narita, Japan as opposed to San Francisco to save time and hassle of having to go through customs on the return trip to the U.S. in San Francisco.

The Jetlag Solution

So, after returning back to the U.S. on 1/9/2011, Mommy and Daddy have been dealing with my jetlag.  After about 1 week, I think I am finally more or less back to my usual schedule.  It has been pure torment for Mommy and Daddy because initially, I was waking up every hour from 8 PM until 2 AM and then I would not sleep beyond 2 AM.  Then, I would wake up only once at midnight, but remain awake after 4 AM.  For future reference, after a  bit of trial and error, the tricks to getting over jetlag for a toddler are:

– Keep me excited and awake until as close to bedtime (local time) as possible.

– No napping even if I am tired as heck.

– Push bedtime (local time) forward by another hour each day until desired bedtime hour achieved.

– Must make sure my tummy is full prior to bedtime by eating a big dinner and and drinking at least 5-6 ounces of whole milk.

It was quite easy to adjust GOING to Taiwan because everything was exciting…seeing GongGong and PoPo, sitting in a new car, going to new places, and eating new things.  Coming back was the harder because my nanny didn’t follow the rules stated above and she let me nap which then took much longer for me to adjust to local time.

Next time we make a trip to Taiwan, we’ll know better.  Stay tuned for the photos of this awesome trip!