next stop DC

wilmington train schedule

all aboard on this acela express headed to the nation's capital, passing through baltimore. travelling business class of course. not that that means anything coz there's no economy on this train. on company's expense, thankfully. here i am fortunately seated in the quiet car, where cellphones and loud talking are prohibited. none of that annoying polish old man seated right next to me on the chinatown bus to delaware who was on his cellphone the whole trip. and even worse, in a language i knew not a word. instead across me a grandma quietly knitting, occasionally dropping her needle. but that i dont mind, really. coz here i am stealthily typing while listening to some middle eastern trance-like music.

it was a great impromptu trip to delaware for the weekend. my mom was finally leaving back home so i decided id come over to my sister's to send her off. fighting off a cold and sore throat, and hopefully not passing on the germs to my nephews. none of the usual crying that accompanies airport goodbyes yesterday. a bit of confusion while checking in rendered my mom anxious more than anything. and an emergency siren sounding off as my mom went through the security gates. drowning out any quiet moment for sadness and thought. in a way, it was a good uneventful farewell. besides. ill see her again and the rest of the family in manila in less than a month. that should be nice. a good 2 weeks and a half with family and the added bonus of having the flying dutchman coen around, and it being his first time in asia. so it's sure to be fun.

halloween decor in delaware

but first things first. next stop washington DC—the second leg of our market research. i kinda like it much better being on a train like this instead of kilometers above, needing to deal with all that circulated air and nauseating rough weather. down here you actually see the changing terrain. and the rows of trees starting to turn. and the occasional lakes with several sailboats. reminds me of the intercity train rides in the netherlands actually. or the peaceful run around the delaware neighborhood this morning—where all was still except for the occasional neighbor's dog or SUV and several flocks of migrating geese.

fall has arrived, i guess. nice little reminders here and there of the dynamic nature of life. especially for one who grew up in only rainy and sunny seasons, having 4 distinct seasons is something that's appreciated. all this recent travelling as well has been great reminder of the greater world there is. granted i really cant wait to be sleeping back in my own bed for at least a whole week—and granted the several annoying instances of needing to deal with other state's depressing stupidity—it's been a great ride so far.

alright, here we are now in baltimore for a brief station stop. will stop typing now. starting to develop a headache which id rather not have, really. will try to keep tabs on all the adventures while travelling. next stop, washington DC.

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horchata @ mi rancho

21:50 now. just got back from dinner. turns out we're not stationed in DC DC. am actually here now at a residence inn in bethesda, maryland, some 40 minute cab ride from union station, DC. a colleague's boyfriend's sister and her boyfriend took us to this excellent tex-mex place in silver springs called mi rancho. great food and great company as well. nice couple actually. very unassuming. which is probably how everyone is outside of new york anyway. nice little surprise spending some time with locals who know their way around. had really good horchata, some quesadillas, and beef fajita. just what i was looking for. especially that first thing i did here at the hotel was hit the fitness room to get some of the blood running again.

still too early for bed now. just might go walk around a bit. that would be good. oh and my mom's back in manila now safe and sound from her layover in amsterdam. well, that's good too.