Bull in a China Shop in Beijing!

I have always wanted to see the Great Wall of China - in fact, admittedly, it is the only thing of China I ever really cared to see... who knew I would end up living here?

This is a long blog post, so I thought I'd divide it up into "chapters" instead of making separate posts!

Chapter 1: Interview with a Cab Driver

So after getting tired of answering a big negatron to the very popular question, "So, have you been to the Great Wall yet?" I said to Curt... "October is supposed to be one of the best months to go see the Wall - this may be our only opportunity until spring, and I don't know if I can wait that long!" So he told me if it was not completely out of this world price-wise, we could go for it so I could get it crossed off the list – how wonderful of him!

We left from the Wuxi airport on Friday around lunchtime! The Wuxi airport experience was so much less stressful than going all the way into Shanghai - 40 minutes versus 2 hours, and maybe 7 gates versus a million. How nice! The plane ride was short, so we quickly got settled and formulated our plan.

Friday night we went to see one of the most famous Chinese acrobatic shows at the Chaoyong Theater. Talk about impressive - contortionists, jumping, flipping, unbelievable balancing, and everything in between. Lots of squealing and dramatic gasping (from me and everything other spectator), and my favorite was when the girls that could bend like pretzels made a pyramid where you literally couldn't tell whose legs and arms belonged to who!

When the show ended Curt and I did some great crowd controlling as we wanted to be sure to get a taxi (Beijing has very affordable taxis and a mess of them, but they also have millions and millions of people who compete for the same taxis). We approached a cab driver that was parked, and he asked us a few questions about where we were headed and then we hopped in for what will probably be the cab ride of our lives... NOT for what you are thinking (this is true, the Chinese are famed for their crazy driving), but because he was hysterical - nutty, even - but in the best way possible!

Turns out we were being interviewed when he was "seeing where we were headed" - he didn't really care where we were going, he wanted to drive Americans! This cabby listens to Learning English tapes that some American along the way gave him, and his English was excellent! He says it's because he likes to practice - he frequents Western restaurants and tourist traps trolling for Americans he can drive around Beijing because a) he wants to practice his English so he can maybe one day be a teacher, and b) because he LOVES Americans - he told us his opinion on every nationality he drives, and surprisingly he was spot on for everyone. He sang us U.S. military songs (we sang Glory, Glory, Hallelujah together), and he told us he also watches U.S. films to help him learn. I asked him what his favorite was and he starts humming the puppet goat song from Sound of Music! I started singing along with him and he made me sing slower (imagine me singing and yodeling in a taxi cab in Beijing while this older Chinese man orders me to go slower).

We sang Jingle Bells, and he told us how the Chinese are starting to celebrate Christmas even though they don't have a clue about why we celebrate the holiday, and when we started talking politics he was VERY clear to let us know that he was NOT a member of the Communist party (no wonder - we haven't met a Chinese person that exuberant and excited about life in all of our time here). He also loved talking about our presidents, and it also became clear that this man was a smart guy. Nevermind that he is not formally educated - he pinned Bush Sr., Clinton, Bush Jr., and Obama in one or two sentences each. How perceptive he is, we thought as we kept exchanging surprised looks! He educated us on the differences between the Chinese in the north and south (Southern Chinese are interested in only money, which we have noticed ourselves, Northerners are more interested in less material things like discussing politics and the ways of the world). It was very enlightening and you could tell he was inching along so that he could prolong the drive as long as humanly possible. It was just wonderful - we took a picture at the end of our ride with Guan, and had a lot to laugh about for the rest of the evening!

Chapter 2: The Great Wall of China (and it is GREAT)

The next morning it was time to see what we came for - the Great Wall! I had done a little research and decided to go to see the Mutianyu section (Badaling is closest to Beijing thus the most popular site, but that also means it's the most crowded. Mutianyu is farther away, but is very scenic and much, much less crowded - worth it to me any day!) We got on our way with our other two tour mates (very nice businessmen from Israel) and after an hour and a half we came to our first stop - a cloisonné factory where we learned all about the art of cloisonné which was very interesting and cool! See pics...

Then onto the wall - I couldn't wait! When it came into view I couldn't even believe it! Following the mountain ridge, with autumn leaves of all colors, it was huge, and awesome (not in how this word is used 99% of the time these days, but in terms of what it was meant to describe - truly AWE-some). The weather was perfect - about 65 degrees, sun shining, and although not completely clear, it was clear enough that we could get the gist well enough.

We spent about an hour and a half running up and down the wall, taking lots of pictures and enjoying ourselves immensely when it was time to go meet the group at Subway (YEA!) for lunch! But first, it was time for our toboggan ride down the mountain! We took a chair lift up, and the sled down which was a blast – the Chinese kept yelling at me to go slower and Curt and I were laughing – SO FUN! I was so excited all day about our experience at the wall… how wonderous!

Then time to head through the countryside to the jade factory to see more of China's arts and then back to Beijing... we didn't make it back in time to see the inside of the Forbidden City, but I saw it from the outside and we made our way to Tiananmen square... it is large, and it is a square. More than the endless concrete, it was sobering to think of the events that have taken place there and know that thousands died there not that long ago.

Then time to go get cleaned up so we could go for another highlight to the day - Peking Duck! My dad had suggested the best place to go, where we would get the best roast duck, complete with a certificate with a serial number for OUR duck. It didn't look good to get in - it was 7:45 p.m. and it closed at 8 p.m., we had no reservation because our Concierge called the day before and told us (mistakenly) that we didn't need one and it was FULL. I almost cried - we had been walking around for FOREVER looking for it, I was cold, and WANTED this duck. I stooped to begging shamelessly to the hostess, Curt was explaining the mistake our Concierge made, and she could see I was almost in tears so she got on her walkie talkie, went back and forth with someone, and after a few excruciating moments she waved us in - HUGE exhale of breath!

But it was WORTH IT! Melt in your mouth, beautiful, roast duck. One of the most scrumptious meals ever, and we have our certificate! Curt and I were in heaven and stuffed ourselves silly, and thankfully weren't the last ones left in the restaurant.

Chapter 3: Bull in a China Shop

After dinner we walked up and down Qian Men, and I found the most beautiful paint brush in an old man's shop - he was the brush maker and had this adorable Chinese to English card so he could show us what type of hair and handle each brush had. They were gorgeous - the one I chose is "ox corner" handle and goat beard bristles. It's quite large, and I don't know if I'll ever have the guts to actually paint with it, so I bought a smaller wooden handled, weasel haired brush that I could actually use.

While we were looking Curt had a less expensive brush in his hand and was trying to get the cap off, and ended up breaking the handle - I was MORTIFIED. This old man was adorable and you could tell was such a hard worker, so proud of all of his work, and Curt was breaking his stuff... Oh my goodness I almost died. Curt told him what happened (he spoke no English) and Curt was trying to find out how much it was to pay for it, but the old man just kept trying to find us a new one. Finally a woman from a nearby shop came in and helped us to explain we wanted to know how much that brush cost so we could pay for it, and he wouldn't take it, so we ended up just giving him extra money when we bought my two brushes and he was so grateful, and I adored him. Sigh - my own personal bull in a china (or Chinese) shop!

I carried that brush like a baby all the way home! I told Curt that maybe one day it will be the brush that paints the most beautiful paintings the world has ever known (whoever I pass it down to, not assuming by me).

Then back to Suzhou on Sunday... at the airport we were quite a spectacle ourselves being the only Westerners. I was reading Harry Potter out loud to Curt as we were waiting and I quickly drew a very curious audience. An older woman sat next to me and starting touching my pants leg, tennis shoe (where my legs were crossed), looked at my rings, my book, peering over my shoulder to look closer, etc. It was quite funny and we could tell we were the topic of conversation for a group of about 10 older Chinese people. When I went to ask the gate agent a question, a group of 3 men came up behind me and were inches behind me looking over my shoulder like they were my posse or something. Sometimes that stuff about China just cracks me up... Sigh...

The rest of the day was spent at the silk factory in Suzhou where I saw silk worms and cocoons (so cool!), then to the fabric market to get a few last items for our Halloween costumes, then for a run, a delicious homemade dinner, movie, and relaxing on a Sunday night!

Sorry this was so long, but it was a big weekend - anytime a Life Goal is crossed off (Great Wall) it's going to be a long one! Beijing was awesome - we had the best time, but of course as everyone knows it is crazy polluted there. Curt and I both had funky coughs and congestion while we were there, and it's a shame because if you took away the dirt and smog, it really would be a beautiful city!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Happy 4 Year Anniversary! Gotta love October...

The last few days have been pretty busy, which has been nice, but I wish I could get one day's to-do list done! I am slowly but surely working through it in preparation for the next trip home, but things will be a little rushed up until then. I am SO excited that Curt and I get to come home together this time, though! We have a bunch of stuff planned, and of course the whole reason for this trip is Courtney's wedding, so that should be a blast as well - we can't wait! Off topic, but wanted to include it is a picture of the Texas Hog Rally - right in front is Kendyl, Mom, and Dad so I just wanted to include here b/c I thought it was so fun! :-)

And speaking of to-do lists and Courtney's wedding, I did knock out a big to-do that I was stressing over a little bit one night this week... Courtney's quilt square! As some of you might know or remember, Curt & I did this for our wedding (Carrie, Curt & Court's mom put it all together and made it into the final masterpiece) and it turned out so wonderfully that Courtney wanted to do the same, which we think is great! I was stressing b/c I wasn't sure what to do and didn't have materials, or a clue where to get them, but I asked around and got some needles and a couple of different colors of thread (for free from our very nice tailor!) and decided to get to work... except I could never find a big enough time chunk to do it, UNTIL Curt mentioned he had a couple of nights ahead of a big quarterly meeting.


Poor guy, he'd worked all day, had an hour break for dinner and to get home, and then had to jump on the phone from 8 p.m.-12 a.m. on Tuesday & Wednesday, so this was my chance to be uninterrupted and get it done! First I ironed on some letters (same ones I used for me and Kendyl's Muddy Buddy jerseys - I just happened to bring them over to play with in case I got bored. thank goodness!). Then I used black thread to anchor them so that over time they'd stay on, and then I accented it with some red thread cross stitches, and even hand stitched a message to Courtney and Adam - without stenciling, so I think it looks pretty good considering! So he was on his conference call, and I was on the couch right next to him doing needlework... and after about 3 hours I finished it! YEA! I'm pretty happy with it, too, so hopefully they'll like it.

Another big to do that was overwhelming was finalizing my marathon schedule - I just want to find that perfect balance of training just enough but not too much, so I was consulting a lot of resources, all the while looking at some of these longer runs up ahead and wondering how the heck am I going to do this? And then the obvious and simple answer, only with God's help. I finally got it where I wanted it and it's completely customized to my schedule and what will be going on until January so fingers are crossed and I'm going to just take it day by day.

It seems as if this will take over my life, though, and I wonder what I will have to think about when it's finally completed?! Sometimes it makes me excited, and sometimes the fear starts trying to take over, and have to tell myself - it's just running - one foot in front of the other - nothing could be more simple.

I take a minute and go back 20 years ago where I was that little girl who adoringly watched her dad running his heart out...the memory is crystal clear - I remember his running shorts, the determined look on his face, and even the older man smiling at our family that was running alongside him. I remember us seeing Dad one time and him telling us to get him some chocolate (apparently a nice man along the way had given him Hershey kisses, I think, and they had really boosted him so he wanted more), so we went and got some, and came back....


I remember looking for him in the bed of the Nissan truck as Mom was inching along the course telling us girls to "look for Daddy," each of us armed with Kit Kats to hand off when we saw him, finally spotting him and going crazy ("There he is! There he is! Mom, I see him!!"), and then leaving him once again to keep running with our chocolate and encouraging words. I said to my mom, "I'm going to do that someday"because I was so proud of him and wanted him to be proud of me too, and when I envision crossing the finish line it makes me kind of emotional - to finally complete this - it just may be my biggest achievement to date.

This week I also spent some time over on Wedding Street. I'm having a dress made (from a magazine - can't wait), as well as my Halloween costume (I'm going to be Ariel, Curt is going to be Prince Eric) and also a copy of a top that I love! Half of the order will be finished Tuesday, and the dress will be done in a few weeks (Curt will have to grab that for me since I won't be here)! And below is a picture of some pretty silk that I may consider making into some bedding for us or a guest room... Chinese silk with Thai silk borders!

I also picked up some other dresses that I had copied that I brought from home, and I am impressed actually, at how well they were copied (without being taken apart or having my measurements taken or anything)! So that's exciting as well!

Last, but certainly not least, today is our 4 Year Anniversary! It was a gorgeous day, today... slept in a little later than I wanted to after Curt went to work, but got up, worked on my to-do list, thought about our perfect day 4 years ago, and then went for a run. It was a little hot by the time I got out at lunchtime, but it was another good one, so I'm thankful for that. Then I worked more on my list, and went and got a mani/pedi (they are so much cheaper here, and I wanted to look great for our hot date tonight!) and chose a dark purple for my nails and toes... kind of Halloween-ish I thought and I actually really love it!

Camera timer shots balance on an overturned glass on my dessert plate - Took several tries but we got some good ones!

Then Curt got home, he got cleaned up and we exchanged presents. I gave him a painting (by yours truly) which he loved, and he gave me a trip to Beijing for the weekend as well as a very good surprise when I get home! I'm so excited - we fly out tomorrow around lunch, and I finally get to see the Great Wall! It's just a short anniversary weekend getaway, but it's perfect... October is supposed to be one of the most beautiful months in China and to visit the Great Wall, and that's another "list item" I get to cross off (The Great Wall is one of the "Wonders" and another Life Goal is to see as many as possible).

For dinner we went out to Da Marco, a new Italian restaurant down on Bar Street and had the most lovely meal. It really was fantastic, and now we're home and going to do a little movie watching to finish off the perfect evening... Happy Anniversary to us!

Oktoberfest in China... hmmm

We arrived safely back from our wonderful vacation on Friday morning - as I was a little sick (just a cold) we really didn't do much but veg for the rest of the afternoon, and much of the same for Saturday... lots of movies, napping, and just general lounging around the house type stuff until we had to start getting ready for... wait for it... Oktoberfest on a Saturday night!

Oh but wait - Oktoberfest in China... hmm… I was very interested to see what this would be like, to say the least!

What's great about Suzhou is that there are a lot of Westerners here also on expat assignments. That means all of the Western hotel companies usually like to hold events “of the Western world,” but as all of their staff are Chinese, they have to try a little harder to really pull it off.

But they try, which I love, and usually they get it mostly right, which is why I was excited! Lisa had emailed us while we were gone to see if we wanted tickets, which of course we said yes to (it's kind of like anything that even could be kind of from home is an automatic yes, even if it costs an arm and a leg - you just don't miss these sorts of things), so after we’d gotten our fill of being vegetables, we got ready and they came and picked us up at around 5:30 p.m. as the event started at the Sheraton at 6 p.m.

Band members

We arrived and were greeted by Chinese girls dressed as German beer maids, which sent us all into giggles… picture it: a Chinese girl with a gray felt German hat that really looked more like a witch’s hat, a white button down shirt, black long shorts to the knees, black suspenders over the shirt, and white athletic tube socks with blue stripes all the way up to the knee. No doubt they were going for an authentic lederhosen look, but all it made me think was bless their hearts. Thank God to them for trying – it really is the thought that counts and I thought it was really sweet.

The Chinese Sheraton employees in "lederhosen" Note: There were several Germans who were decked out in REAL lederhosen so that was pretty cool!

They ushered us in to an outdoor tent (the weather was perfect!) where there were picnic tables set up and everything was covered with blue and white decorations. There were two beer stations with a German food buffet, so we found our reserved table and quickly got in the food line to make sure we got it while it was hot!

A table of Americans and Brits sharing schnitzel

They had all kinds of sausages, sauerkraut, schnitzels, slices of pork, chicken, and mashed potatoes and even a potato soup I couldn’t get enough of. Curt was in heaven, as you can imagine, and he even persuaded me to try the sauerkraut as he claimed it wasn’t too sour and one of the best he’s had in awhile… for the record I *hate* sauerkraut. The only time you can make me eat it is for New Year’s Eve because it brings good financial luck. So he loaded me up a small bite, I told him to reduce that by half, then I put it in… BLECH! I gagged, he laughed (surprised that it effects me so, but it really is beyond gross to me), and I washed it down with the help of my stein.

Lisa and me (laughing)

We had a great time that night though – there was a real German band (the same one that’s been there every year we were told) and they were fantastic. They played tons of great clap-along German songs that just made ya feel good, and when they played Almost Heaven (West Virginia), I almost cried with happiness and made Curt take me out to the dance floor to two-step (Giddings style) with me while I sang my heart out. It was a magical moment…

Me & Curt

Sidenote: I hear this song in China at least once a week. I don’t know how this song, out of all of the American songs became so popular here, but the only other American song played the entire night was YMCA so you get the picture – it’s a big deal here. The Chinese and Germans alike were singing word-for-word right along with me as I was being twirled around the floor. There are only two other American artists you can hear frequently here – Mariah Carey, and Whitney Houston. I’m not sure why, but who cares, they’re classic.

JJ & Lisa

We spent the night just doing what you do at Oktoberfest, drinking, laughing, dancing, and clinking beer steins with cheer and smiles, until it was time to go home around 12 a.m. They had raffles, which none of us won, but everyone gets a beer stein as a parting gift which I thought was GREAT. What was even better is that so many people had already left, that we gathered up their tickets and Curt and I brought 6 home instead of just two so we’ll have a full set! Yes!

Lisa, Me, & Curt

It was a great night of hanging out with friends, meeting new ones, and just general fun and I’m just so glad we have those around us who help to integrate us into those types of things that otherwise we’d never even know were going on.

2 of our 6 Suzhou Oktoberfest Steins!

Sunday we were much more productive – we cleaned, finished unpacking, and I got going on the laundry… sigh. One of my least favorite chores here which I’ve mentioned before… it just takes so long. It took me all day to do two miniscule loads yesterday, and I’ve finished up two more today, though it will be morning til everything from today is fully dry. Just a pain.

We ended the day at Zapata’s for dinner which was delish (good ol’ Tex Mex) and then watched Harry Potter when we got home (a very Fall activity for me) with me in my Halloween pajama pants (can you tell I’m doing my best to partake in the lovely fall that I know is happening without me at home?) while doing a new puzzle on the coffee table.

Today was Curt’s first day back to work which was a bummer, because that meant down to business for me. I’m at the very end of this head cold thingy, but I knew I couldn’t put off my running anymore, even if it was going to hurt and be harder with a weakened body. Finally around lunchtime I couldn’t procrastinate anymore by doing laundry, checking to see if my fam was online (they were – got to talk to Mom and Dad finally, yea!), and the like, so I got Jake strapped on (my Nike+ sidekick) and headed out with the goal of 8 miles, though I told myself I’d just see how my lungs and heart felt overall to see if it was attainable with the cold stuff.

Before we left for vacation I was there, but you never know where you’ll be when you take some time off (even if it’s only two weeks). I mean Curt and I did scuba dive a lot, and even went for a run once, but I hate working out on vacation and it’s really not the same, SO, I was worried when I set off.

But, it was all ok – I had my trusty fuel belt courtesy of my sissy’s birthday gift to me (which had Curt’s phone number for safety, an emergency tissue for my snotty nose, some RMB, and my keys in it) which helped a TON, and Jake was very kind to me today. The cold definitely effected my breathing (you know how a cold makes you breathe more shallow, and how a deep breath hurts and you can feel your heart more – it was like that), but I ran in the shade, and had my water for when my throat got too dry and I got close to a coughing fit.

What is *disgusting* but also hilarious is at one point my exhales had some “substance with bubbles” so I tried to wipe with my shirt sleeve, which just made it run more. I figured if I was going to really go for this thing I couldn’t worry about a little snot so I just blew my nose into my shirt sleeve and literally it was a huge and satisfying blow, which meant my navy blue running shirt sleeve was covered in some highly shiny muck. So gross, but hey, at least I got it out, right? (Don’t worry – I had one more load of laundry to put in when I got back so it’s taken care of).

But I did it – 8 miles and my pace didn’t show any regression so I was relieved. I’ll be a little sore tomorrow I think, but I took a cold bath for my legs, stretched, blew my nose a ton (complete with some black boogers which was no surprise), but it looks like I’m back on track for January’s marathon!

Hope everyone is having a great start to their week!

Fun in the (Blazing) Sun on a Catamaran!

Today is our last day on the island of Samui which makes me think to myself in a very whiny voice, I don't wanna go back to China... sigh. More to the point, I don't want to fly all night on a Chinese airline... for whatever reason Asian airlines schedule flights all through the night with only one option for the one you want - weird and makes for unbearable traveling!

Anyway, focusing on the fun stuff... (don't you love this picture? It's one of my favorites I've taken so far!)

Yesterday we did the most amazing thing - we booked a catamaran for half a day and sailed and snorkeled around the island! We were so excited - we both love sailing and neither of us had ever been on a catamaran before... there is something about being suspended above the bright blue ocean on the net in between the two hulls that I think is kind of magical! I told Curt I felt like I was on the Bachelor, but it was better because I knew him, haha!

The sun was blazing, but we had a nice breeze and the temperature was so nice. The ocean was beautiful greens and blues where the sandbars litter the deep, and it was just us two on a huge net with cute little Ray sailing us slowly around the island (Ray was our Thai guide - so cute, probably early twenties, and so timid with his English but he was great)!

We had the best time - we went snorkeling in two different areas of the island, and it wasn't perfectly clear but really cool kicking it around the shallows. There are different kinds of life in the shallows so we had fun checking it all out. What I find funny is that I am more nervous snorkeling than diving. When I have to clear my mask I worry about stirring up the bottom so I flail a little bit trying to tread water in the top two inches of the surface and then end up sucking water in my snorkel - LOL! I know it sounds weird but when it comes to breathing underwater, I'm ten times more comfortable 60 feet below the surface than at 1 foot, apparently! Though with no gear, I have to say there is nothing like the feeling of swimming in general... water makes me feel at home and one of my favorite things is to feel water rushing through my fingers and toes.

The second spot we went snorkeling in Ray said he wanted to get in the water and check for "jelly shell." I wasn't sure if I understood him correctly with his accent, so I paused, repeated what he said in my head, and then asked, "jellyfish?" He blushed and said yes, and sorry that his English wasn't great... it was SO adorable... I quickly reassured him it was awesome and thanked him for checking for us - it was so sweet! He got in and swam around the boat for a few minutes and let us know we were all clear. He told us how big they were so we could watch for them so you can sure bet I was!

Curt and I developed a good snorkeling system though which we're unable to employ scuba diving, but holding hands helps me to keep track of him and show him things (and vice versa) while we're unable to speak, though we did explore a snorkel language which made us laugh and made me suck in more water! We saw crabs, lots of little fish, some of which we've seen before in the deeper waters, and some new fish we've never seen that were really interesting!

We got rained on a little towards the end, but the coolness of it felt good so we didn't care. When our trip was over, I knew we'd be a little crisp later, but I was hoping it wouldn't be too bad. I applied sunscreen to Curt 3 times, myself once, but like yummy chocolate chip cookies, we kept baking after out of the oven! We decided we'd go straight in for our massage because we were worried it would hurt if it were delayed it too much. There were people in our favorite hut, so we waited about an hour - I finished my book about Gutenberg and Curt worked on labeling Epic photos, and then we walked back down for another delicious massage - this time with Aloe for Curt (fresh from the plant with ice!) and more Lemongrass oil for me... love, love, love!

Curt was starting to really show the redness and he couldn't understand how we were both in the sun for the same amount of time, I applied MUCH less sunscreen than he did, and how I already looked bronze with a slight tinge of red instead of the bright red tomato color he was turning. It is simple, I told him, I am a child of the sun and belong in her rays - it's in my blood.

Poor guy, though - he is in pain. Our learned lesson is that it doesn't seem that spray sunscreens work as well as lotions (even if they claim to be waterproof) so I'll have to work even harder next time to keep him slathered up. His stomach is the worst so we're working hard to keep him caked in Aloe - hopefully our travel won't be too hard on him...

Later after we rested a bit we got ready for dinner and took the scooter out on the town. We had a lovely meal, then hit a stand for a thin Thai pancake for dessert - they are SO YUMMY! The other night I had strawberry, lime juice, and sugar on mine, and this time I tried cinnamon, sugar, and chocolate syrup which was also delicious! Then back to the hotel for some TV and early bed - the sun had sapped our strength!

Today we've had a nice breakfast on the water and are just chilling out trying to rest up in anticipation for tonight. Time to get back to the real world, I guess!

Hope everyone is having a great day!

Here are pictures from our other camera that we just downloaded:

An example of the different colors from sand to deep blue...

Me as Speed Racer (we have the same helmet) doing some shopping

Curt on his Road King, haha (his helmet matches our scooter!)

Our very cute room / bungalow at Corto Maltese (it's a half level so this is from the ground)

My feet with some very fun Henna!

Beautiful rock jutting out of the sea (from the boat when we were on our way back from diving at Sail Rock)

About 100 paces out of our bungalow :-)

Two kids having a ton of fun (pictured on the dive boat)

The Charms of Koh Samui

So as I alluded to, we are currently on Koh Samui, Thailand – Koh in Thai means “Island,” and it’s pretty small so it’s pretty commonly just called “Samui.”

When we got to the airport in Cambodia to go to Vietnam, we were informed at check-in that our lack of visa was a deal-breaker to get in Vietnam… news to us as Curt double-checked with the travel agent and websites that we didn’t need one to get in. Bummer – so our options were go somewhere else, stay in Cambodia, or stay in Cambodia and expedite a Vietnam visa which would cost more than we were willing to pay, so we checked flights and decided to go back to Thailand since we had so much fun and knew we could still get in some good diving there.

So hopped on a plane back to Bangkok, where we discussed where to from there (back to Phuket, or somewhere else), and opted for Samui since it was something different, and on the other side of Thailand (new waters!). When we got to the airport, we got our luggage, did the whole customs thing, and looked at the board to see what we had to choose from. Curt left me with the bags, and came back informing me we were on the next flight (less than an hour later) to Samui – yea! We quickly did a little searching on the web, called a dive shop who said he had a couple of close by hotels to refer us to and that he’d pick us up at the airport – I love how things work out like that!

So we got to Samui and knew immediately when we touched down it was a very fun place… the airport was an open air, cute little hut, so we were pumped! We settled on an adorable bungalow set paces off the beach that I love and could live in forever (despite it being tiny for real everyday living, but hey, I’m all about living minimally these days)!

We settled in, did a little exploring down the beach which is lined with restaurants on the sand, and ate dinner on Thai cushions just inches from the water – paradise!

The next day was pretty lazy – we lounged around our bungalow, I read, Curt worked on photos, we watched a movie, went on a couple errands (scheduled diving, etc.) and really just had a restful day, it was lovely! Had dinner at an English pub, then I chatted with Vicki and Jo for a good hour on Skype which was so wonderful – I am so thankful for technology sometimes it’s not even funny.

The day after was time for more diving! We woke up early to head out, got on a big speedboat with 20 other people and all of their dive masters, and headed out to Sail Rock. Our dive master was a little socially awkward but soon found out he was more at home underwater than above land – bless his heart! The diving was great, even though it was clear to us that we had been spoiled by Sea Bees, but it was awesome to be diving on the other side of the country… so now we’ve dived in the Gulf of Thailand (here) and the Indian Ocean (in Phuket) which I think is so fun!

The visibility was a little low at Sail Rock, but still amazing… we saw barracuda, huge jacks, large groupers, tiny shrimp, eels, lionfish, the biggest angels we’ve ever seen – both majestic and emperor which was AMAZING (really probably the size of a backpack compared to normal ones we’re used to that are like an 8x10 sheet of paper to give an idea). We were pretty sure that would be our last dive day, so I was just trying to soak in all of the soft corals, the HUGE anemones that I’m sure we’ll never see the likes of again (like carpet covering the rocks), and all the different kinds of fish life. We just love it…

We rode back in on the beautiful sea green ocean, got our stuff unpacked and washed, and spent the rest of the day exploring Samui on our scooter which was a ton of fun… we got caught in the afternoon rain shower (read: monsoon downpour) which was hilarious and a great excuse for a stop at Haagen Dazs, did some browsing and shopping, and enjoyed negotiating for a few purchases!

When we got back to the hotel, however, we realized Curt didn’t have our room key, so then we spent the next hour retracing our steps… ugh… the hazards of shallow pockets and bumpy roads of Thailand, maybe? We didn’t let it ruin our day though we’ll be charged for it, I’m sure, but thankfully it was an un-descript key so no one will come and rob us blind!

After that we got cleaned up and went for another lovely walk along the water and chose another on-the-beach restaurant that was delicious. During dinner, a man holding a monkey was strolling along (with his camera – pics with his monkey are his venture) and it was so cute. I’ve ALWAYS wanted to hold a monkey and so there was my chance, right? And it was the cutest thing ever (I’ll have to scan my Polaroid in when we get back to China)… it was a 1 year old black monkey with white on its face (I need to do more research to find out what kind it was).

I held it and it’s long arms went up around my neck while it was perched on my arms, and after a few seconds it started whining for his owner, the sound just melted my heart, it was so cute! We took our picture, I held it for another minute (a too-short minute) and then time to go… sigh. I know it’s wrong to own monkeys and take them out of the wild, but I kind of wish I could have one, for purely selfish reasons. As soon as they left Curt laughed at me and called me a sucker… it’s true, when it comes to animals, I am a sucker, I admit it.

Today is a beach day – we’re going to enjoy the water, maybe go snorkeling with some of our gear, get a massage, scooter around some more, and just relax. If all comes together, tomorrow might be a VERY exciting day but I’m not going to share doing what until it happens as it’s not set in stone… stay tuned!

Hope all is well with everyone!

Angkor Wat, Bug Dances, & Cute Kids!

Note: This post is what I wrote yesterday - another one plus update will be coming soon as we are now in Samui, Thailand instead of Vietnam! Another post coming soon!

We are in Siem Reap, Cambodia now – the location of Angkor Wat & all of the accompanying temples that are so famous. We flew out of Bangkok yesterday afternoon and had a safe and easy flight, and got into Siem Reap late in the afternoon. It’s only an hour-ish flight which is pretty nice, though as we were descending and just minutes from landing I was quite worried about where we were going to land as all surrounding areas seemed to be completely immersed in water!

About 3 minutes before landing sure enough some land showed up in our window – thank goodness! We got picked up by our hotel which is always nice, got checked in, and just chilled out last night as there was a huge monsoon rain that prevented us from venturing out. Where we are isn’t so populated that there are tons of taxis available, so we made due with a delicious hotel restaurant dinner and some movies while listening to the storm outside. It was actually nice to get some rest, so we didn’t mind as we had booked our tuk-tuk driver to come and get us at the hotel at 5 a.m. so we could make sunrise at Angkor Wat… yikes, I hate waking up in the 4’s!

Morning came quickly, and as promised our tuk-tuk driver, Mr. Lika was there to greet us at 5 a.m. A tuk-tuk is like an open cart made for passengers attached to a motorbike, and they are specifically licensed to take tourists around Angkor Wat. We got to the park, got our tickets, and got on our way to the temple. Curt was hyper and hurrying as the horizon was turning a brighter shade of blue, so he turned to tell me to hurry along, or something, and ended up clocking me in the head with the tripod strapped to the backpack! I cursed aloud, which of course broke the peaceful morning calm, but it hurt like hell! He was really sorry, but I was kind of sour so I held back from the hyperness and just followed as we scouted our spot, and started to set up the cameras.

Then we were reminded of Cambodia’s humidity as our lenses started fogging up, and Curt went into overdrive to start trying to defog his so he could get his shot… I just stepped back and decided that I would at least enjoy the sunrise if my lense was going to be foggy, but he was fanning, blowing, wiping, and had set the backpack on the ground.

Next thing I know Curt’s jumping, slapping, and creating a crazy ruckus in the quiet morning of Angkor Wat’s sunrise causing the other tourists to turn and look, and he’s exclaiming he’s covered in ants… apparently he set his hat down on one of the adjoining temple ledges and ants covered it and then rained down on his head, neck, and back when he put it back on… poor guy, I was picking off these tiny, crazy biting ants for a few minutes before we got most of them. But what a bug dance – LOL! I know they hurt, too, I got bit by a couple myself, and it’s no fun I’m sure for them to be in your hair, haha!

I just couldn’t stop chuckling to myself, and when he asked what I explained what a ridiculous disaster the morning had been thus far, and to top it all off, the sunrise wasn’t even a great one as it was cloudy (great for a day of being outside to minimize heat but made for some lackluster sunrise photos)! Hilarious…

Thankfully the rest of the day went just fine… we enjoyed walking around the temples, and were surprised at just how many there were! We saw a large majority of them, took loads of pictures, and appreciated the amazing structures that are so ancient. Imagining so many people making pilgrimages to this place and seeing the tree roots trying to take them over was just really cool...

We wandered around at least 10 temples, and saw even more from our tuk-tuk, and by lunch we were tired and ready to go.

All along the way, as we came out of each temple the kids and even adults were begging for us to buy all kinds of things – t-shirts, cold drinks, snacks, flutes, bracelets, Asian guitars, etc. Talk about tugging on the heart strings – they’re talented, persistent, and adorable – no – beautiful, children. It’s not hard to see how Angelina was affected and ended up adopting! They are well looked after (so it seems) and easy to smile, so we just kept saying no thank you, and when they realized finally we weren’t buying they gave such a sad look that it was killer… aww, all I could hope is that they have the acting down. The other kids on bikes (tiny kids on huge adult bikes, so cute!) and anyone we passed along the way would give us the biggest smile and wave – they so melted my heart!

We also saw along the way two bands at the entrance and exit of one of the major temples playing beautiful Asian music – strings, drums, small cymbals, etc. They had CD’s and a tip jar that went to benefit landmine victims, which almost every member of the band was. I would say the men in the band are maybe 15-20 years older than us, and some had no legs, some had crutches, prosthetics, one limb missing, etc. so I’m guessing they are old injuries from closer to the war. They had a sign posted that said they wanted to live with dignity and earn a living, so they formed this band instead of turning to begging for handouts, and they were really good, so of course we were glad to give some money.

After Angkor Wat we headed to the market to check it out, and it was huge and fun to browse, then headed back to the hotel to grab a late lunch, rest, and let Curt catch up on some work… what a great day!

Tomorrow we head to Nha Trang, Vietnam, to do some more diving and see another great country!

Enjoy the pics (posted the other diving ones, too so see below!)