DATELINE: Airport Schiphol - Amsterdam

OK everyone! Wake up! We're still awake, why aren't you?
It's 4 am your time (EST), and we have unlimited internet access for the next about 8 hours while we're here. We may try and go into the city since we have so much layover time. but we're not decided yet. We're both pretty zonked, and I'm too paranoid (I think) to leave my knapsack in a locker, so if we go, it might be with the added burden of our carry on knapsacks.

The airport IS great, as advertised. There are sushi spots, noodle places, reclining chairs you can nap on, a mediation room, a massage area, a branch of the Rijks Museum (Rembrandt), various children's play areas, shops, etc.

Our flight leaves here at 6:30pm local time, noon-thirty your time (again, EST), but I can't promise we'll be on line, but try us if you want at the susieqz100@yahoo.com.

Cory, we're still eating the sandwiches, thanks. Thinking about dumping most of our stuff in a locker and going into town for a few hours so we'll be REALLY tired for the second leg.

I realize I never got the word out about the 1 trip- 2 trip decision. As it turns out, we think we'll be able to do the whole thing in one 4-ish week trip. Apparently in the region where Sultan's baby house is, the judge tends to dismiss cases quickly, dispensing with the standard 2 week waiting period. So what we imagine our schedule being is something along the lines of- get there Friday and start the 14 day visiting period that same day. We visit for 14 days, including the weekends, and go to court once or twice (not clear on this part) roughly sometime between days 15 and 19. Then once everything is finalized court-wise, we head back to the big city, Almaty, and spend a few days getting his passport, getting his required medical taken care of, and doing some sort of exit interview at the US Embassy. We're tentatively scheduled to return October 13th.

Finally, there is some chance that our luggage will not get to our final destination as quickly as we do. If it misses our close connection in Almaty later today, we may be without luggage from Friday-Monday. A customer service woman has sent a message to the people in baggage here to tag our luggage as priority. Who knows whether that will really happen or whether it will really make a difference, but it was worth the try!

Bye for now all!