A Long Time Gone

Wow it has been a long time! So much has happened since our last post I don't even know where to start. The long and short is that we are officially residents of the Netherlands now. 

It was definitely a crazy end to our six years in India. Without going into detail in regards to the India-United States drama that transpired, we really couldn't bring ourselves to blog in the final months in India. We loved our time in India, but we are very happy we made the decision to leave when we did.

We moved two adults, twin two and a half year olds, a labrador, seven suitcases, and one hundred and two boxes from New Delhi to Amsterdam. The actual moving was painless thanks to wonderful relocation packages from our employers. 

Our new house is fantastic. We rented with only seeing photos and are very happy with our selection. We are about a fifteen minute walk and a five minute bike ride to work. Also we are only a five minute bike ride away from a giant shopping center, and a massive forest to explore in.

In our first few weeks in the Netherlands we have met several new people and are having a great time. We were greeted with fantastic weather the first week. Lately though we have been experiencing the normal rain that is typical for the region.

Amsterdam is refreshing and clean, and just all around easy to navigate. Cedric and Ezra are loving all of the public transportation... trains, trams, busses, and bikes they love it all! 

Our family is in love with our new home. We look forward to getting to know this place as we get settled in. 

Oh and we also plan to get back into regular blogging now that life is a bit more calm.

Here are a few pictures since we last posted.

Chad & Cedric in Mauritius

Mary, Douglas, Cedric @ brunch

102 boxes enroute to The Netherlands

This is our life

Ezra - "Jet lag stinks"

Grandpa's story time

Quick trip through DC 

Douglas & Ezra giant slip and slide fun

Chad & Cedric giant slip and slide fun

Fried everything at Columbus Pride 2014

Ezra surfs up in Outer Banks NC

Douglas & Cedric go to Ivanhoes!

Cousin play time

Fresh haircuts

Cedric - "Take my picture!"

Baltimore MD

Our first family bike ride

Playing in our new back garden

Kitchen singing time

Cheese!

Chad

Twin Travel Tips

Our twins are 27 months old. They were born in India. So far, we've traveled with them to the following destinations on planes:

• Delhi - Newark - Indianapolis - 5 weeks 
• Indianapolis - Houston - Frankfort - Delhi - 8 weeks
• Delhi - Goa, India (and return) - 4 months
• Delhi - Istanbul - Paris, France - 6 months
• Paris - Newark - Indianapolis - 7 months
• Indianapolis - Newark - Delhi - 9 months
• Delhi - Hong Kong (and return) - 10 months
• Delhi - Istanbul (and return) - 12 months
• Delhi - Bangkok - Koh Chang (and return) - 13 months
• Delhi - Goa (and return) - 16 months
• Delhi - Newark - Indianapolis - 19 Months
• Indianapolis - Newark - Delhi - 21 Months
• Delhi - Istanbul - Prague (and return) - 25 Months

Over the course of those 13 trips, we've learned a thing or two about traveling with twins. Some of these tips you could probably figure out for yourself. Others may surprise you. 

1. Keep calm and carry on! You choose your attitude during your trip. Having realistic expectations for your child(ren) is helpful in maintaining a cool head. Your child will get fussy or cry at some point. The world will not end. Even if you have to take your screaming child and sit in the bathroom cabin for 30 minutes, the world will still not end.

2. Organize your packing with google docs - Chad and I keep a packing list on a google doc. We can both edit it from anywhere. So, when we're out and about and have a brain flash, we can jump on a smart phone and jot down that we have to remember to take the sleep sheep. Our list has evolved over time as the boys have grown. Things that didn't get much use during one trip get crossed off the list for the next trip.

3. Travel with a friend - This one isn't always possible, and lord knows we've made plenty of trans-Atlantic flights without anyone helping us. But this is really less about the flying than it is about having more possibilities once you arrive at your destination. During our most recent trip to Prague, we travelled with a friend who LOVES the boys. Having her there made the vacation so much better for everyone. When one of us parents needed to stay at the apartment with the boys, the other two adults could still go out and enjoy the city. Our friend even volunteered to babysit once while we ran out and got a bite to eat by ourselves.

4. Know your airline and airplane - Things you need to know include, but aren't limited to: how to book a bassinet, what counts or doesn't count as luggage, whether or not you can take your stroller through security and gate check it, what can and can't go in your diaper bag, how many kids can sit in the same row on a plane (see #5). Finding out all the details before you show up at the airport will save you from stress during your travels.

5. Carry two diaper bags - Not because you have so much stuff (which you will), but because you never know when you're going to be separated. We learned this the hard way on a return flight from Indianapolis to Delhi when our flight got cancelled and we got rerouted through Houston and Frankfort. Because of the configuration of oxygen masks on planes (see #4), we haven't always been able to sit in the same row. On most flights, we're either across the aisle from each other (one parent with one child), or in consecutive rows. On this flight, though, we were 5 rows apart and only had one diaper bag. When you're on a flight and your child needs a bottle, you definitely don't want to have to go hunting to find it.

6. Pay for upgrades to lounges - Seriously! We've had 7-9 hour layovers in Newark, Bangkok and Istanbul. In all of those places, we had access to the lounge and it made the layover easier. In the Newark Star Alliance lounge, there is a private family room with a TV and couches. The boys could lay down, have a proper nap and spread out and play. In the Istanbul airport, there is a play room, changing room (with complimentary diapers and wipes) and nap room with a legitimate crib and frequently changed bedding. In the Bangkok airport (Thai Airways Lounge), there are small rooms similar to the Newark lounge. All of these lounges are so much better than waiting in uncomfortable terminals.

7. Book apartments rather than hotels - Apartments are often bigger, have a separate room for the kids and a kitchen. If you have a place where you can cook your own food, it takes some of the stress out of always having to find a restaurant that is kid-friendly. Also, the kids always enjoy havinga bigger space where they can play. And the apartments we've found are frequently cheaper than hotels.

8.  Book an extra seat on the plane - If you can't get a bassinet, book a seat for your twins even if they're really little (or ask for one on flights that aren't full). On long flights (flights over 10 hours), if both parents have to hold a baby for the entire flight, it gets REALLY tiring -- parents of singletons, never EVER complain! When Cedric and Ezra were little, we were on a flight from Delhi to the US and the bassinets had already been booked by someone else. Luckily, we had a seat in between us where we could make a small bed for the boys (seems funny to me now to think that both of them could lay down in the same seat and have room to spare!) and give our arms a break. When they got a little older, but still could technically be lap babies, we booked them a seat on the long flight from Delhi to Newark and we were all so much more comfortable and less tired on arrival. Trust me, it's worth the money!

9. Soothe the transitions - We have been weaning the boys off of bottles. For several months now, they haven't had a bottle during the day and only have one bottle before bed. They also don't have much time in front of TVs or iPads. However, when we're traveling, all bets are off. During our trip to Prague, they must have watched Cars at least 3 times. They also had a bottle whenever they wanted. They we're super happy to sit with a bottle and a movie on the plane. And when we got home, we resumed our normal routine and the twins didn't miss a beat! (we're totally off the bottle now... but that's another post for another day) When they were just over a year old and had already transitioned to real food instead of baby food, we took along a bunch of baby food on our trip to Thailand on a whim. Turns out, that was all they were interested in eating as they didn't really care for the food on the children's menu at the resort where we stayed.

10. Plan to do less/Let them have space and time to do what they want - This is about managing your expectations (see #1). You aren't going to go see the Louvre, the Musee D'Orsay and the Eiffel Tower in one day with your twins and enjoy the experience. You need to plan days that are manageable and include things like play time, visits to parks and naps. Realize that your trip isn't all about you. It's about your kids too. Once they get old enough to do things other than eat/sleep/poop, they will want to have time to play and have fun. A jam packed schedule full of adult things will not make for a happy set of twins.

Heading into the Unknown

Searching for a job internationally is complicated. Especially when dependents, housing, and visas are factors to be considered by your prospective employer. There are not many places in the world that offer both Douglas and myself a position in the same location where it is not illegal for us to live.

It has been sixteen years since I came out of the closet and since then I have never faced any sort of discrimination because of that (that I know of). I suppose I have just been lucky; however in our job searching we have found that the world is much smaller that we originally thought. We only have two requirements of a country; clean air, and not illegal to be gay.

The unknown is really scary. The fact that we don't know where we will live starting in June is frightening. Even if we move back to the United States we still don't know exactly where we will live.

Whatever happens happens... Everything will work out in the end.

Chad

Leaving India

This year will be our sixth and final year living in New Delhi. We decided last May that it is time for a change, and we are sticking to our plan. I say that jokingly, but we call India the golden handcuffs. We have great jobs, great salaries and live in a great community and therefore it is hard to give it all up for the unknown. Our number one choice would be to remain abroad, but we are also looking at moving back to the United States if that plan doesn't work out.

India has changed tremendously in the past six years, but India is a still tough place to live. I look back to the first time I arrived at the old worn down Delhi airport. It was the first time I had left the United States and my emotions were high. I remember coming down the stairs into passport control and bursting into tears. "What in the hell am I doing?"

India is a crazy place. Most people come for short stays and click pictures of the chaos because it is so wild it is funny. When we first arrived we felt the same way. It is interesting to look back at those first time experiences and compare how I felt then and how I feel now. I think we progress in waves. Our feelings have progressed from this is wild and it is funny, to this is wild and it is normal, and now to this is wild and it annoys me.

Our time in India has been wonderful. Our lives have truly changed because of this place. It is an experience we will never regret. India is full of firsts for us and it is a place we will never forget.


Chad

Too Hot for Shoes

It is officially too hot for me. I am being a wimp this year (5 years in Delhi), and starting to complain earlier than usual. Thirty-five more days until we are up and out. The temps are reaching 105 daily now and will continue to increase until about 115 through the end of June. Yesterday I declared a moratorium on shoes and socks. It is sandal season in Delhi.

Twins twins twins!

Both boys are walking (Ezra running). They are growing very fast. Cedric is tall enough to grab things off the kitchen counters. The boys are tons of fun and full of energy. Play time has become much more fun as their skills are developing.

Our lives have changed so much. Our house is also changing. We have dismantled our guest room and created an entire room dedicated to play time. We painted all the walls blue and put down a padded floor of letters and numbers. We love it right now, but are quite aware it might turn into more work down the road when they figure out it comes apart in a million pieces. Our dvds and books have been removed from twin level. No matter what we tried they couldn't resist the temptation.

The boys also like dancing on the coffee table. We are working on getting them to stop table dancing, but this is going to be an ongoing battle. I won't say if either father has danced on a box before...

Everyone in our house has been sick. The twins and I recovered within two days, but Douglas has been out of commission for the last two weeks. We all hope he is better soon since single parenting is no fun. It is easy to forget how much you depend on your spouse when everything is normal, but when one of you is missing you quickly realize how much help you need.

Chad

Vacation Packing List for Baby

We're back from Goa! Good times were had by all travelers, and we have much to say about our experiences. It seems like every travel experience is a learning experience for all parties. So, expect some upcoming blogs as we have time. But first, an updated packing list for those of you who are interested.

The context: we took a four-day trip with a three hour plane ride with twin 16-month-old kids. I think that this list could probably make it for a week-long trip, or a multiple-week trip if you have access to laundry facilities. Our hotel where we stayed had cribs for the kids, so we didn't need to take our pack and play. The green items are things that we took and used. Orange ones are things we took and didn't use. Red ones are things we've taken on previous trips and decided, for one reason or another, to leave home.

We've kept a packing list since the boys were born on google drive. It is a shared document between us, so that both of us can update the list when we're at home or work (and we think of something we might forget, etc.). I highly recommend keeping your list on google drive so that you can access it wherever you are.

I know it seems like a TON of stuff, but we fit all of the boys things in one large suitcase and all of our things in one medium suitcase. So, in total, we had two suitcases, two diaper bags, two umbrella strollers, two dads and two boys (plus one grandma... but that's a different story for a different day!).

Clothes (total for both children)

• 12 short sleeved
• 6 long sleeved
• 4 pants
• 12 shorts
• 4 swim suits/shirts
• 8 pajamas
• 2 sun hats

Toiletries

• Towels(used the hotels)
• Wash cloths (used the hotels)
• Lotion (in a big ziplock bag)
• Bath mat

• Small toiletry bag
• Baby Shampoo
• Baby Soap/Body Wash
• Baby Bug Repellant (mosquitos weren't bad this time!)
• Anti-Mosquito wipes
• Thermometer
• Dirty diaper bags
• Baby powder
• Pepto pills
• Diaper rash cream
• Neosporin
• Small toiletry bag
• Baby sunblock
• Adult Sunblock
• Bug Spray

Toys

• Toys for bath
• Toys for beach (including flotation devices for swimming)
• Toys for indoors
• 2 stuffed animals
• White noise machine (sleep dog)

Blankets

• 2 Gumdrop blankets (light linen)
• 2 Fleece blankets

Travel Stuff

• Baby bjorn (probably won't take it next time as our kids are getting too big)
• Beach tent (we didn’t use this on our last trip, so we left it behind this trip and didn't miss it)
• Sarongs (used as light beach towels)
• Umbrella strollers
• Monitor
• Umbrella

Eating Paraphernalia

• Bottles and accessories
• Burp cloths
• Sippy cups
• Spoons
• Bowls and plates
• Oatmeal
• Cheerios
• Granola bars
• Teddy Grahams
• Goldfish
• Larabars (new to us, via suggestion from my sister: LOVED them!)

Diapers

• Size 3
• Dirty diaper bags
• Extra Wipes
• Swim diapers

Diaper Bag (we ALWAYS travel with two diaper bags on flights, as we have been split up into different sections of the plane multiple times! With the exception of medicine, everything on this list can be found in both of our diaper bags.)

• Two Large Bottles with accessories (on long trips where I will have to clean bottles enroute, I take a ziplock bag with a small amount of dish soap and a bottle brush: otherwise, this goes in checked luggage)
• Burp cloth (not for burping anymore, but good for wiping up messes)
• Wipes
• Pacifier wipes (no longer using pacifier, but good for wiping faces)
• Changing pad
• Dirty diaper bags
• Diaper rash cream
• Dirty clothes bag
• Hand sanitizer
• Granola bars
• Food
• Cherios
• Granola Bar
• Baby food
• Spoons
• Thermos for milk
• Thermos for hot water for heating bottle
• Toys
• Medicine
  • Orajel
  • Fever reducer
  • Sweet oil (for ears)
  • Rubbing alcohol (for cleaning dirty surfaces - not sure this is legal to carry on a plane, but it's the best for sanitizing, and so far no one has searched through all the vials in my bag)
  • Gas drops
  • Oral syringe
  • Benedryl allergy syrup
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Nail clippers
  • Band aids

• Nylon strap (for all of those places where the high chairs don't have straps... maybe this isn't necessary in the US or Europe, but in Asia it's a must!)
• Change of clothes (baby/adult)
• Light blanket (we didn't bring any pillows for the kids for the plane, but I may try to find a small pillow that fits into a carryon for our next flight).

Books (we left both of these home this time and survived, but if you're going somewhere new, I'd definitely take both!)

• Baby 411
• Lonely Planet

Peace and Happy Holi to you!
Douglas

What Time Is Grandma Coming?

One of the books I remember most from my childhood is "What Time is Grandma Coming?" by Peter Seymour and Kathy Allert. Who knows why this book sticks out in my mind? Maybe it's because I always really looked forward to when Grandma was coming!

Well, I wish I had a copy here in Delhi to read to the boys because their grandma is coming to Delhi! (Actually, this will be the second grandma visit of the year, as Chad's mom has already made an appearance. Our boys are so lucky to have two loving grandmas!)  I never thought this would happen, but the allure of grandchildren must have overcome any fears of long flights, overcrowded markets or traffic congestion that defies reason.

In any case, only a few short weeks until she arrives!

Love and Peace, 

Douglas 

Love and Hate

Our contracts were due the day we returned from winter vacation. It was a little harder decision this year, but we signed up for year six in Delhi. The love/hate relationship continues.

Two of the coping mechanisms that we have developed are traveling and buying rugs. Last Friday we attended a rug party and came home with two new rugs.  These two pictures hardly do them justice.

50 years old from Bukhara (now in Uzbekistan)  

90 years old from Maharashtra 

Love (and hate),

Chad

ER: Indian Style

Chad and I have been living in India for close to five years now. It can be expected that over that amount of time we've had our fair share of trips to the hospital for this and that. Personally, I think I've had more than my fair share of doctor visits in India, but that's a different story for a different day.

In this version of our continued saga living in Mother India, Ezra made his first trip to the hospital for anything other than a routine check-up. Let me just say, it was as positive an experience as we could have hoped for, and I'd like to thank the doctors who took care of us yesterday evening.

Here is the play-by-play:

After our family walk, Ezra and Cedric were playing in the nursery while Chad and I started to get dinner ready. After about a minute or two of play, we heard Ezra crying. When we went in and checked on him, we found him with a bloody lower lip. He was sitting right next to the door, which both he and Cedric love to play with. I can only assume that he got a little to close to the corner of the door. The cut doesn't look too bad in the picture, but it was pretty deep.

We called our resident PA who lives a few doors down from us, and she recommended taking him to the hospital. Our employer has a contract with Max Super Specialty Hospital, and our school doctor arranged for a physician to meet us there. We also called our dear friend Mary, who was in the middle of a massage, but stopped everything when she heard her phone ring twice and hurried over to the apartment. Mary agreed to come along with Ez and me while Chad stayed home with brother Cedric.

Driving to the hospital, which is about 8 miles away, takes forever in Delhi traffic. On the way there, the doctor from Max called to check on us and see how Ez was doing. We told him we'd be there in 30 minutes. In reality, it took more like an hour. At the hospital, the emergency room was crowded, but impressively organized and clean. The doctor looked at Ezra (who was in his usually cheery mood), and determined that the plastic surgeon needed to be called.

We waited for about 45 minutes for the plastics doctor, and when he arrived he gave us two options: general anesthetic or local anesthetic. We opted for local. In the end, though, it was determined that due to the location of the cut and the size of Ezra, that no aesthetic would be used at all. Oh my!  This daddy's blood pressure went up a few notches. We held Ez down while the doctor quickly worked at putting in four stitches. Ez screamed louder than I ever cared to hear any child--let alone my own--scream. But, the pain was quickly over, and Ezra recovered his usual mood after a few minutes. By this time, it was about two hours past Ezra's bedtime. We got the bill taken care of, stopped off in the chemist to get some medicine, and headed for home and Ezra nodded off for dreamland.

A few takeaways from our experience for any traveler to New Delhi, or any IPs coming for surrogacy.
1. Max hospital is definitely a number you need to have on hand. They're a good western-style facility.
2. Indian hospitals, including Max, are quite crowded and the idea of personal space is not the same as it is in the West.  (Our only experience in a non-crowded Indian hospital was at BLK hospital, where the boys were born, which seemed to have plenty of room for everyone... does the exception prove the rule?)
3. You have to pay at the time of the procedure. Have your credit card or cash on hand. FYI: four stitches cost about $175.
4. (apologies ahead of time for the generalization) Indian doctors typically have really poor bedside manner.

That's all for now.

Peace,
Douglas

Vacation Firsts

We're back in Delhi after two blissful weeks in Thailand. We had a very exciting time spending two solid weeks with our boys with no work to do. Love the  family time!

While we were away on vacation, here are some things the boys started doing:

• Ezra started walking -- tentatively, and only about 5-10 steps at a time. But, yes, walking! 
• Cedric and Ezra started giving kisses. Cedric started this a few days ago, and Ezra picked it up today. Cedric had a pretty serious make-out session with a little Finnish toddler in the airport yesterday. 
• Cedric started using sign language more and more consistently. 
• Ezra started holding his breath and putting his head under water in the pool.
• Cedric comforted Ezra by gently patting him on the head when he was crying. 
• Both boys really enjoyed playing and interacting with other kids that they met at the resort.
• Both boys are starting to establish their independence especially by showing possession of toys and other play objects. In other words, we're going to have to learn to share. 
• Both boys did extremely well crawling up and down stairs for the first time. I realized while we were on vacation that our kids don't interact with stairs at all during their day-to-day lives. 
• Both boys were very picky eaters for the entire vacation, which is not the case when we're at home. I can only hope that this was an anomaly and not the beginning of a new trend.  

There's more to be said, but we'll save other travel info for future posts.  

Cheers and Happy 2013, 

Douglas 

Up and Out: Thailand

We are leaving for the airport in thirty minutes. Douglas did a great job at the last minute packing, and I managed to doubt him only once. We are close to being professionals... I think.

This should be a quick, easy, and painless trip. The only bad thing is the overnight flight being four hours and we land at sunrise. So it looks like a short night and a long day ahead. It will all be worth it after spending two weeks on a private beach with each other and our boys.

Happy Holidays!

Chad, Douglas, Cedric & Ezra

Hong Kong with Babies

We've thoroughly enjoyed our time in Hong Kong. Right now the boys are asleep, so I'm taking this time to write about what we've done so far in so that we'll remember it. But, I also want to give a little advise for anyone who is thinking about coming here with small children.

Day One: Arrival in Hong Kong, getting organized at the hotel and catching up on sleep:
We left Delhi at about midnight on Friday evening and flew direct to Hong Kong. The flight went very smoothly. The kind attendants of Jet Airways were very friendly and offered to help us in any way they could. They even moved us into a bulkhead row and gave us a bassinet, which Ezra thoroughly enjoyed. Ezra slept peacefully throughout the entire flight while Cedric was way too excited by everything going on to get much sleep.

When we arrived in Hong Kong we arranged with the hotel to have someone meet us with a car with two car seats. The service was a bit pricey (about US$100), but well worth it given how fast everyone drives (car seats are not mandatory). It takes about 45 minutes to get from the airport to down town Hong Kong. We are staying at the Crown Plaza at Causeway Bay. The hotel has taken extra-special care of us, starting with a free upgrade to a bigger room and two pack-'n-plays delivered to our room within minutes of us arriving. And it's a good thing that they delivered them quick, because we all crashed from a long night journey and everyone took a two hour nap.

When we got up, we went out and explored the neighborhood. What an incredibly clean city! I am seriously amazed. We wandered through a few markets, including a live fish and meat market, and it didn't even smell bad! We talked to the hotel about a restaurant recommendation, and when we asked how pricey the food would be, she asked us where we were from.
"We're from the USA," I said.
"Oh, then very cheap."
"But we live in Delhi."
"Oh, then very expensive."

OK. So, we also had our first restaurant experience and the food was great. And Ezra made quick friends with the owner.

Back at the hotel, we got a great package deal on internet/happy hour/breakfast; so, Chad went to the bar for a little adult alone time and I stayed and relaxed with the babies while they had another nap. Then, we switched roles and I had my turn with some lovely red wine. A very relaxing first evening in Hong Kong!

Day Two: Ngong Ping and the Big Buddha
What we thought would be a morning trip to see the "Big Buddha" turned into an 8-hour day-trip. No worries, though, as Ezra and Cedric are possibly the world's best little travel buddies. I had noticed the day before that Hong Kong is not the most stroller-friendly city (it's by no means, however, as bad as Delhi). Most parents are out and about with their children strapped on front in Baby Bjorn carriers. Since Chad has, what I consider, an unreasonable phobia of damage during travel to our City Select, we opted to purchase two umbrella strollers from Chicco and we have been able to navigate the streets reasonably well.

So, we made our way to the nearest metro station and took the underground for about 45 minutes to the cable car station, waited in line for an hour, took a 20 minute cable car ride, walked around a lovely little tourist village, saw the big buddha, ate some fried food goodies and then repeated the travel process in reverse to get home. Luckily I had enough food and bottles packed to last us! There were tons of families out strolling with children at Ngong Ping, and besides having no secure place to leave strollers when climbing the many, many flights of stairs to get up to Big Buddha (we risked it and just left our strollers near some official looking ticket takers, and our strollers were waiting for us right where we left them after we descended from the statue). It was worth the lines and travel to be out and about and to see the look on our kids' faces when the cable car went up, up, up!
We had had such a lovely time of taking turns at happy hour, that we repeated our routine from the evening before and then we went out for a stroll and found a lantern festival in the park. There were so many people out and about; it was insanity! Yet, even though the crowds rival anything I've dealt with in Delhi, I never felt like anyone was invading my personal space (very UN-delhi-like!).

Back at the hotel, Ezra was beat and crashed pretty quickly. Cedric, on the other hand, thought that Hong Kong hotels were way too much fun and wanted to stay up late and party. His dads put the kibosh on that and everyone had a long night's rest.

Day Three: Shopping and a Lazy Hotel Day
We needed some retail therapy, so we went to the nearby mall, called Times Square. It's a huge mall with nine floors of shops. I got a chance to go into a proper music store and browse the scores, and we had some Ben and Jerry's (there goes my pale diet!!). We had a lovely late lunch at a restaurant called S/M/L which allows you to choose the size of your portions. Yummy steak for dads. Cheerios for the boys.

In the evening we went out to dinner, enjoyed a little happy hour and got massages at a nearby salon.

Day Four: Packing, the Harbor and Flying
I love almost everything about traveling with our twins. But perhaps the thing I don't really love all that much is how long it takes me to pack. Gone are the days of 30-minute throw-it-in-the-suitcase-and-go packing rituals. Now, it takes me about three hours to get everything organized, check the lists, clean everything that needs cleaned and put stuff away.

After we packed, we went on a major walk in the park and found a great Thai restaurant. Then we walked down to the harbor and took some pictures on the Hong Kong skyline before moseying back to our hotel, grabbing our bags and heading for the airport.

We got to the airport with tons of time to spare, which was a good thing because the Hong Kong airport is huge and it seemed like we had to walk for miles to make it to our gate. Going through security, however, was a breeze. There was NO ONE in the whole security area and all of the security works were mesmerized by our boys so they really just waved us through. Nice!

All in all, I feel like we could have gone out and done more touristy things in HK, but part of the reason we were getting out of Delhi was to relax, and as far as that task is concerned, mission accomplished!