Fresno

So who were we going to visit in Fresno? Ed’s mom uncle (Kow Goong), his wife (Kum Paw), and their four children (Wilson, Aileen, Peter, and Lai Ling). I had not met them before and the last time Ed visited them was for Lai Ling’s wedding last Oct 2003.

We stayed at Wilson’s place during our visit. He, his wife Lalia, and son, Elijah live in a beautiful house with big windows, a 20-foot ceiling, and very nice furnishing. It was very well decorated but it wasn’t stuffy. In fact, the house felt very comfortable and welcoming. Wilson and Lalia were very gracious hosts; we really enjoyed their company. And cute Elijah! So adorable.

We got to Fresno on Friday evening and we went out for Japanese food. On Saturday, we hung out at Wilson’s and lounged by the pool. The temperature was around 97 deg F and I found it too hot sitting under the sun. I had to go sit in the shade and that reminded me of when my mom used to always sit in the shade while we kids baked in the sun. ☺
By around 4pm, Wilson’s parents, siblings and their spouses started arriving. Wilson and Lalia had invited everyone over for a BBQ so we can have a chance to spend time with them. Plus it was Lalia’s birthday the previous week so it was a double celebration. It was a good party and I had fun meeting everyone. Everyone was very friendly and it was obvious that the family is quite close. I could tell they genuinely were fond of each other. I love that!

Sunday was our last day in California. We spent the morning chatting with Wilson and Lalia. Then just like that, it was time to head back to San Francisco to catch our flight back to Vancouver. It was a three hour drive from Fresno to the airport and thankfully, the drive was quite uneventful. We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare so we hung out in the food court. Turns out our teammate, Cherize, was on the same flight as us so I asked her to take into Canada the two extra bottles of wine Ed and I had over the allowed limit. It was our lucky day.

We got back to Vancouver safely. Yay. Then Ed got a voicemail that his dad who lives in Trinidad was in town for a day, en route to China. What a surprise! This weekend turned out to be all about family.

It was a very good trip that we had. We had a successful dragon boat festival and an enjoyable visit to the Napa valley and Fresno. It would be great if the team decides to go back next year for the gold medal.