Well.. took me 2 weeks to get going on my blog. Such procrastination ! :)
Here's the Santa Fe shipment collection 2 weeks prior to departure.. I think it was on 31st December.
A quick recap.. Flew in with the family (a party of 6) on Jan 15th. No major hiccups along the way, except for mom’s mis-step and fell down during the walkalator @ HKIA while trying to tie Jadyn’s shoe lace. Had the lunch at my favorite noodle shop – Ajisen. Very satisfied although it was quite pricey !! The check-in at San Francisco was smooth. Dad/mom were given a 6-month entry pass. Phewww. That was the most worrying part. The immigration personnel were very helpful since they know we come in a party of 6. Had some LARGE lunch meals at the Deli’s in SFO airport. Trying to stuff everything down. Upon arrival at PHX, we were glad to see a Mr Alfred, Bruce Wayne (Batman)’s housekeeper look-alike waiting for us. Bumped into Stanley and wife who were taking the same US128 US Airways flight into PHX from SFO as well.
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| At Penang International Airport, before departure on 1/15/2013 |
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| Enjoyed my Ajisen noddle @ HKIA.. Yummy ! |
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| Always hungry when travelling long-haul. mee-in-a-mug courtesy of Cathay Pacific |
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| Too busy to pose for camera - watching video :) |
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| jaden slept thru most of the 13 hrs flight from HKG to SFO |
I decided to pick up my Dodge Caravan @ PHX airport. A 7-seater, nice car. Sent off the family with “Mr Alfred” to San Cervantes and good thing “Mr Alfred” dropped me off at the car rental center. Took 45mins to get my car no thanks to system glitches. Pretty cold at that time.. Winter, what do you expect but I would have found out later that that was the end of a 4-day stretch of the coldest winter in AZ (Thursday – Tuesday).. It was at zero deg C.. Fuh !! Well, Glad I brought along my old GPS and that brought me to San Cervantes. Had I not bring along that, I would not be able to find myself out from PHX.. I am still figuring out the directions and map.. Arriving at San Cervantes, then realized that the gates are closed after 6pm. Luckily there was a car driving in at that time and I tail-gated him in. Another problem – I remember what is my house #, ie 1061, but not block number.. and we are talking abt a cold winter night which is dark and cold.. Took me 20+mins to locate my apartment, again.. must thank my lucky star because I met a lady who just arrived home carrying some pizzas and she stayed at 1047.. I had to park my car and walk around hunting for my house. Nearly had a frost-bite on my fingers..
The apartment has 3 rooms and well laid-out with lots of compartments and storage place. Check out the photos ! Love it.. Don’t have to walk far and no walking up the stairs for parents !
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| Dining Hall/Table |
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| Kicthen, quite equipped with cooking equipment |
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| walkway, small but well-connected |
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| Kids's room |
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| Master bedroom |
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| toilet - spacious |
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| Parent's room |
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| washing machine and dryer |
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| Living hall |
Spent first couple of days doing shopping for pots and pans, kitchen utensils and plates, pillows and daily requirement, including lots of biscuits and bread.. Jenny decided to get some good quality ones so that we could reuse and place at the new Quayside later. Sounds like a great plan. Registered the kids at Conley Elementary, and the best part is they get to use the school bus ! The kids happily went to school on 2nd day upon arrival. Awesome ! School bus pickup is 8:05am, drop them off at 3:15pm (school starts at 8:30am, ends @ 3pm). We later realized that there are no less than 10 kids staying at San Cervantes and studying at Conley.. One observation. When the school bus arrives, a STOP signboard will pop out and all vehicles must stop at roadside. Very safety conscious community indeed !
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| First stop, Walmart on first night upon arrival |
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| Day #2 spent some time at Target |
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| My Dodge caravan, a gas guzzler ! |
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| Cold weather.. See, 7degC at lunch and 4 at night ! |
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| Kids registering at Conley Elementary |
Rhonda Pawlak from SIRVA was really helpful and friendly. Helped us for school registration, opened an account with Bank of America, then social security card the next week. Thumbs up on her service.
We received our shipment on Saturday, pretty much 4 days after our arrival. Was told this is the fastest ever, a new record. 15 boxes safely arrived J
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| The shipment arrived |
First weekend activities ? More like mine.. Hahaha.. It’s the PF Chang’s Arizo
na Rock and Roll Marathon on Sunday and the Kid’s Rock on Saturday (at Tempe). Check out the details in this link www.mycoolrunning.blogspot.come
