The End of a Long Journey

After a long haul flight with no sleep for 12 hours (I gave up sleeping with kids on flights a long time ago), Dave and I dragged our tired butts off the plane and piled in a cab to drive to San Francisco for the night. We thought by breaking up the trip a little we’d mitigate serious breakdowns (the kids and ours!). And we also just love San Fran, so why not stay a night? We also thought it might help with jetlag. But really nothing helps jet lag—you just have to live with it. We checked in to the hotel and got showers and headed outside for a brisk walk in what was the best weather we’ve ever experienced in San Fran—sunny with no clouds in sight! We headed over to one of our favorite restaurants in the whole world—La Folie. It’s a small French restaurant and the chef there is really talented. REALLY talented, as chefs go. Dash slept through the dinner and Declan was great, given his jet lag. Of course, we all fought falling asleep in our food. It was all we could do to carry on a conversation—we were just SO tired. I was having a hard time trying to keep my eyelids open. Sometimes they would close and I had to really concentrate to open them again! We had promised Declan a trolley ride, so after dinner we hopped on and rode down to Fisherman’s Wharf, but by the time we got off the trolley and started walking, Declan had fallen asleep on Dave’s shoulders.

We finally went to bed last night at 9pm after working really hard to stay awake all afternoon. Jet lag is a great foe, and particularly magnified when you age. Dave and I remarked that in our early twenties we could have charged through the jet lag all night and come out unscathed in the morning. I remember one time I flew from the US to Europe and got in past 9pm, and had a flight out the next day, so hit the town with friends all night till the next day. Wow, what youth can do! No more. In your thirties it’s like getting hit with a mac truck. Jet lag was intense all day and made the usual reappearance again at 12am, when Dashel decided to wake up bright eyed and bushy tailed. I stayed up with him in the dark till 1:30, and then he woke up again at 3:00am. And then Dave and Declan woke up at 3:45, so we just decided to get up, pack and find an all night diner near by to catch breakfast before 7am.

The city is particularly quite in the early morning. All the hubbub is gone and the trolleys are quite and the cabs are scarce. It’s actually my favorite time of day in a big city—just before dawn. When I woke up at 12 am with Dash I was moved by the silence. I gladly laid awake with him in the dark, he smiling back at me and sucking on his pacifier. On this trip Dash has been sleeping with Dave and I in bed because almost every night he awakes from stomach cramping because of some food I’ve eaten. It was just easier to keep him in bed with us so that I could just reach over and help him. For five weeks I’ve been used to this, and though there have been many nights I’ve awoken in a foul mood to take care of him, there have been others where our time together was sweet. It was just our time together. And at 12 am this morning I layed with him for the last night, thinking about how he’s changed just in the past 5 weeks. And I know it’s the end of an “era”. I won’t have him sleep in our bed once we’re home. He’ll go back to his bed and his room. And I’ll miss our nightly “meetings”. There’s a song by Trace Atkins called “You’re Gonna Miss This” and I was thinking of it at 12 am, thinking that we start anew with him in Durango and I know I’m gonna miss this time with him and this age. Soon enough he’ll be as big as Declan, and I’m sure just as independent.

So, what have I learned from this trip? I ask myself this question after every trip from which I return. And I'd have to say that this is a difficult consideration and I've had a to really reflect on this the last few days before writing here. First, I'd have to say that I can split this question into two parts: (1) Life Lessons I've Learned from the Trip; and (2) What I've Learned About My Kids on This Trip. To begin with the first, I've learned to just "let it go" when things don't go as planned, which is hard for me because I'm a planner. Dave's not--he really likes the spontaneous. And I've learned over the past 10 years of marriage to become more spontaneous, but on this trip I feel I was really delivered to a place where I could just easily "let it go" when it didn't work out, and to find real excitement in the unknown and unsolicited adventure. Secondly, I've learned not to be so "protective" of everything Declan does. He IS a boy, and I've had to reconcile myself to the reality that boys are boys and need some space from controlling mothers! There's a book called The Way of the Wild Heart, by John Eldridge, all about men and boys. It's one of those books that helps women understand why men and boys do what they do, and insight into why they need a little space and grace from us women! And thirdly, I've learned that, when traveling, it's imperative to give one another time alone. In fact, it's crucial to a happy marriage. So many times Dave let me bow out and just go be alone for awhile, which I desperately needed--because traveling with kids is an experiment in insanity and being the mom you tend to take on more of the difficulties in the traveling with the kids. It just happens that way, especially with a baby in tow. So having time to myself was paramount in the result of this being a really great trip! And, Dave needed his time alone, too. We both appreciated the time and space away from the kids. Fourthly, I learned more about Dave (and the kids) while traveling and under stress. You find out what you and your spouse (and your kids) are made of under pressure. It can be trying, but also a time when faith confidence in someone is built. Dave is cool under pressure and stress, and it was just magnified more and more on this trip. And continuing on this point, truly memorable moments are there all around you, even in the midst of being stressed-out and overwhelmed. You just have to be open to seeing them all the time. I loved discovering this truth. Okay, fifth, I learned that you always need less than you think you do. You pack, and repack, and repack again, and refine the process until you think you are bringing everything you need and not any more or less. And then you actually live the trip and find out you still brought more than you needed, and unnecessarily weighed yourself down. And we really packed light--particularly for traveling with little ones. But still, I found we didn't use some things, or under used other things. And maybe this isn't a hard lesson for others to learn, but for a planner it's big. And the big consideration for our packing was India. And since we didn't make it to India, alot of things we brought we just didn't need. It was going to be the most difficult and primitive part of our journey, so we needed more things, like steralizing tablets, a packable small baby bed, lots of insect repellent, ect. The list goes on. Things we would have needed had we actually made it there.

And now, for the things I learned ABOUT my kids on this trip...
I learned that my children as so very precious. I learned that they are terrifically bright and engaging and flexible with people and cultures. I've learned my kid's "love languages". There's a great book by Gary Chapman called The Five Love Languages, all about how each human expresses and receives love in a multiple of five different ways. I learned that Declan's love languages are "words of affirmation" and "time spent" with him. I learned that Dashels' love languages are "touch" and "time spent" with him. In fact, knowing this, I've written on my refridgerator a note reminding me to meet their love needs every day. I watched the boys play together and learned that Declan is a terrific big brother. I learned that thy really love one another and were bonding as brothers during the trip. I learned that Dashel is calmed by Declan talking to him, being with me, and being touched. But probably most importantly, I've learned that time spent with my kids is absolutely priceless. It's like a VISA commercial. There's nothing more valuable than time spent with them, getting to know them more as little human beings. It's such an honor to be their parents, and I'm so thankful God has entrusted them to us. It's a huge responsibility, but the best adventure of them all!

So to end this blog, I'd have to say that this was one of the best trips of my life. Particularly because we were together as a family--something Dave and I have started together. Having the kids along was a lot of work, but made it really special. And it was one of the best trips of my life because almost everything we experienced traveling, we experienced TOGETHER. We were never alone in our experiences, good or bad. The kid's won't remember the trip. I know this. But we'll help create memories for them through the videos and photos we show them, and the stories we share with them, from the trip. There's a great philosopher named Paul Ricouer who says that our lives are made of stories--stories we tell about ourselves, and stories others tell about us. It takes both to complete a full picture of who we are. And this trip was just one big story we get to tell our kids over and over throughout their lives--stories that will help define their lives and who they become.

All We Want is Sleep

Sometimes it feels like we’ve only been away for a couple of weeks, and then at other times it feels like it’s been months and months. We are definitely ready to go home and get back into the swing of things. But before we head home, our last adventure finds us in Hong Kong—a city I’ve always wanted to visit.. After a 2 ½ hour plane ride from Bangkok to HK (me, squished between two people with a squirmy, fussy baby!)—one that could not have ended too soon—we had quite a new experience at the HK airport. As soon as we cleared Customs we were greeted by a uniformed women with a big smile on her face and an ear thermometer in hand, asking if she could check Dashel’s temperature. I think this is really odd, but I acquiese, given this is China and I expect weird things here. And while she is taking his temperature, I see a table that says “Temperature Check” and I just laugh. Only here have I ever experienced this! I’m guessing they want to make sure people don’t bring in illnesses to China. But I think, had Dash had a temperature, would they have quarantined him?

My first impressions of Hong Kong are that it looks a lot like a mix between Los Angeles’ San Gabriel Mountains and San Francisco bay area where the city lines the coast and the streets are steep and the city on the hillsides. Then you throw in the massive port that seems to never end, and then finish it off with a vibe a la New York City. So that’s my twist on the place. Oh, and did I forget to mention the ever present smog? A la Los Angeles. Oh, and then there is the fact that they squeeze like a quadrillion people into the small spaces of land between the mountains and the harbour. It's amazing how TALL the apartment buildings are, and how many of them there are! Really, it's quite mind boggling. I'll post more pictures of the landscape tomorrow, so you can see what I mean about the sheer scale and quantity of the buildings.


So we are starved by the time we get to the hotel. We do the tour of the hotel, and check out the rooftop pool—a VERY cool place to see the Victoria Harbour and the city. But we are still hungry, so we grab tea at the hotel. Actually, it’s included in the rate on the Club floor, so we go to stuff ourselves. But afterwards we’re still to tired to get out and about so decide to just hang out in the hotel—Dave and I taking turns going up to the fitness center and using the saunas and steam rooms. Our travels are catching up with us, and especially our 4:45AM morning. The saunas invigorate us and I’m ready for dinner—but at the hotel. Forbid that I should walk somewhere right now! Now I’m sounding way too much like a typical American tourist.

So we head down for a very early dinner at the Harbour Grill, with sweeping views over the harbour and the boats beyond. Now, let me just preface the next sentence with this disclaimer: Declan has had no nap today, and he woke up at an obscene hour. So, about 5 minutes into our sitting down to eat, Declan is chowing breadsticks with his head resting on the table, when I look over to find him chewing with his eyes closed. I try to wake him, but his body is in shut down mode. So, one child to sleep, one to go! Dashel is VERY awake, and a little fussy, so I introduce my 4 month old to breadsticks. Yes, I let him suck on the end of a breadstick till it's almost completely gone. This kid can suck! And he really liked it. Am I a bad mom?
Well, I do finally get Dashel to sleep, so Dave and I can have our second “romatic dinner” of the trip! What’s really great about this dinner is two fold: (1) We’re eating non-ethnic food (we’re ethnic-fooded out!); and (2) We’re eating in an empty restaurant, all to ourselves, with amazing views. We relished it. And with the kids asleep, it was “magical”.

We drag our sorry buts upstairs for an early bedtime and that’s where I’m leaving it for now. I’m off to bed, hoping I have enough energy tomorrow to get out and do so sight seeing…

A Precocious Child

So the morning began opening the curtains and really enjoying the views of the river below. It's so mesmerizing watching the boats going to and fro, and just watching the rhythms of the river below. And then we watched the TV for some rioting updates. We just wanted to know how it had progressed and if there was an area of town we should avoid today. But we learned that the military had really come down hard on the protesters yesterday and pushed them back to one specific area of town. Of course, we know that this little revolt is only one of many to come in this part of the world. Historically, when economies are down, revolutions brew. More regimes have been overthrown in times of economic upheaval or downturn than any other time. It's a recipe for disaster, and this part of the world is much more sensitive to those changes than other parts. I think this is because there is such a disparity between the rich and poor. There really is no middle class. You are either really poor or really rich. And the really poor here get squashed in economic downturns.

I have really been wanting to see Jim Thompson's House. Jim Thompson (James Thompson) was an American who came to Thailand in the 40s and revolutionized the silk industry--actually, he really revived it. He was trained as an architect, so his compound in Thailand was made up of imported traditional Thai houses--much of the home open air. According to Thai law, a foreigner can own 1 hecter or less of land in Thailand ONLY if their home state or country allows reciprocal ownership by a Thai person. Jim was from Delaware, so that worked to his advantage. He is most know, however, for his mysterious disappearance in 1969 at the age of 61. He went hiking in the Malay mountains and never returned. According to our tour guide, the most plausible explanation is that he fell into an animal trap set by tribesman, and probably when they found his body they had no idea who he was. Anyway, we went to the house today--which was really more an event in rounding up Declan than a tour of the house. I don't know what we think sometimes--trying to take a toddler to a place where he can't touch anything. We left for food as soon as we could sneak out of the tour. They did have a terrific cafe there, so we just stayed for lunch. We ordered Massamum curry, again. And I'm really stuck on these lime juice with syrup and soda drinks. They're super yummy.

Later in the afternoon we walked around an antique mall near the hotel and found an antiquarian map shop where we purchased a map of the East Indies from the German owner. Dave and I have always had a thing for old maps. And we love to collect maps from the places we've visited, so when we see them we always remember our vacation. And hunting down antique maps has proved to be a fun thing to do on trips. We talked with the owner and he said that his business had been down 50% in the last year--particularly with the unrest that beset Thailand about a year ago in the military coup which ousted their elected Prime Minister. He said tourism has been off, and like most of the world, Thailand is feeling the economic pinch. We walked around a bit more, and Declan saw this horse, or maybe it was a deer, made of stone in an antique shop and he ran in and asked "How much is this horse? $50 dollars?". It was really funny. The lady who owned the shop looked at him in amazement. But what's really funny is that he says unexpected things like this all the time. I need to write them all down so i don't forget them. They'll be a great source of laughter in my old age.

Well we didn't stay too long in the antique mall, as both Dave and I, and to a lesser extent Declan, have been dealing with a bout of "Montezuma's Revenge"--so we were eager to return to the hotel--if you know what I mean. We found it amusing that we went the whole trip without any troubles, and then the second day we were here we both started to feel some rumblings. I guess it had to happen at some point in this trip. If it's still around when we get home we'll know it wasn't just Montezuma, it was a parasite. Ick.


So being our last night we wanted to do dinner back at the Mandarin Oriental's Verandah restaurant. It was a perfect day and the breezes were picking up and we wanted to sit out on the river for our last meal. So we took our last boat ride over and had, well, Americanish food. We're pooping out on the ethnic thing, especially with Montezuma visiting. So we wanted to find something neutral to settle our stomachs. While we were enjoying our dinner a very nice old Asian lady, probably about 75, came over to our table and made mention of our kids as being wonderful and delightful. And, of course, our very precocious child chatted her up. We've come to expect this of him with strangers. He'll talk to anyone, anywhere, about anything. It's been really funny to see him interact with foreigners. I think they think he's a stitch. Anyway, the lady said her only regret in life was not having children herself, because now she has no grandchildren or greatgrandchildren, and she wishes she had them around her in her old age. It was a sweet and touching moment, and the sorrow on her face was enough to want to make me cry. But she took delight in our kids for a few moments before she strolled away.

Then we headed to the lobby to hear a quartet stringed orchestra play. It was like having our own personal performance because we were the only ones in there listening. We had fresh fruit juices, which I've gotten spoiled drinking every day in the Orient, and then we left for the hotel, to finish packing. I watched from our window as the tiny tug boats pulled 8 large barges behind them in the darkness, no lights to mark out their dimensions to other oncoming traffic. I marveled at the astuteness of the other boat drivers to steer clear of the barges in the blackness. I soaked up the city and the river at night, just one more time, thankful for such an unexpected gift as Thailand has been to me. Tomorrow comes too early, so that's it for now.

Land of a Thousand Smiles

So we've been promising Declan an elephant ride, which we were supposed to take during the wedding in India. Since our plans changed, we decided to hunt down an elephant ride in Thailand. I devoured tripadvisor.com (if you haven't used it yet, you should--it gives the best reviews on everything, everywhere) for reviews on the Samphran Elephant Grounds and Crocodile Park. It got better reviews than the Safari Park in Bangkok (people commented on the cruelty to animals there), so we chose Samphran to visit today, Songkran day--or, Thai New Year's Day--a holiday in Thailand.

Dave says it was the coolest day for him because he got to play with a baby elephant. And Declan was so excited everywhere we went today, that it make us both smile, too. It was pretty obvious, from the time we arrived there, that we were going to be the only caucasians there today. After all, it was a holiday, and about 45 minutes outside of the hubub of Bangkok, and we could have come with a tour group, but since we hate being on "tours", we opted to go it alone. Hence, we are the only caucasians there. Which made for a funny and somewhat interesting day. We were celebrities for a day--people stared at us, ALOT, they asked to take pictures of us, of our kids, you name it. And everything we did drew a crowd. It really was like being a celebrity. Had I picked my nose behind a tree, at least 3 people would have gotten a picture of it! Let's just say, we were anything but conspicuous. But there were smiles everywhere and people were very kind to us. And I've noticed this everywhere in Thailand--everyone smiles back at you. It's refreshing, because in some cultures smiling isn't a norm. It's why they call Thailand the "land of a thousand smiles".

So upon arrival, the first thing we came across was two very large tigers held to a platform by two chains (which seemed rather little to me)--in no cage. They had them out for people to pay to photograph with. Now, I've seen too many of those "animal devours man at zoo" headlines in America to even want to get any closer to those tigers (in Thailand) than I did to take the picture (with the zoom feature on!). Much less let my kids get any closer. But it was amusing, and made Dave and I wonder what we were in for.

Then we mosied on to where you can feed the crocs. Yes, feed them. These Siamese crocs were divided up by age span, and you could buy raw meat for a few cents, and feed it them by throwing it at them. But you had to be a pretty good shot, because their ability to bend left and right was limited. You had to get pretty close to their mouths or heads for them to react. And I don't know if you've ever seen a croc up close, but they really look fake because they hardly move, even with their mouths wide open. Then, all of the sudden they spring to life. We even had one jump for the food, which was surprising. We went to the croc "nursery" and they just have a chain link fence with smaller links covering it, and the crocs are just on the other side. So it's like seeing a dog at the pound--you're that close. And this adolescent one was so close to the fence and didn't move, and Declan came up to the fence and he and Dave put a stick in the fence, and that little bugger moved fast--snapping at the fence. He couldn't have snapped his way out, or gotten Dave or Declan's hands for that matter, so don't worry about us being bad parents. I wish now I had a video of it, because Declan also jumped--about a half foot off the ground!
I kept thinking that just about every boy (no matter how old he is!) would just love this!



Then I spotted the baby elephants, and we went over to play with him and feed him some bananas and sugar cane. You wouldn't believe how fast they can strip sugar cane and unpeel a banana. Let's just say they peel faster than I do! It was a really awesome moment. There is this amazing book I read while in Africa called Elephantoms. If you have ever been interested in the life of elephants, you HAVE to read this book. I'll never look at them the same way again. I watched this little elephant in wonder, and was so thrilled to have such a close encounter with such a mighty creature. The young ones, just like toddlers, are fistey and fast. They move quick and are a bit abrupt. At the Samphram, they color their heads with Hindu designs. And they seem to be treated really well. In many cases, the elephants roamed free, with a couple of "keepers" following them and they seemed to respond to their keeper's directions well. They never were out of control. But they seemed happy with all the people. Even with the kids. They bring out the moms and babies to be fed. And it seemed like they rotated the moms and babies, so as not to overfeed them. But as a nursing mom, I can understand bringing them out to be fed, because they would naturally eat ALOT. It was just such a fun experience.

But the real reason we had come was to ride an elephant, so with Declan way excited about the elephants, we found the elephant riding and all piled onto one large female elephant for a really bizarre ride. I guess I never thought that an elephant's gate would be different than a horses--but it was more like riding a camel. The animal is so large, that with each step the shoulders rise and fall with great drama, causing the rider to sway like on a seesaw. Declan loved it. It was truly memorable. And, again, the elephants seemed happy. Their keepers were very good to them, letting them stop to eat as they went along. And then they take you under a waterfall, and that gave the elephants a good chance to grab some water and spray themselves (and us!) in the process. And at the end the elephants shook our hands with their trunks. It was magical.


Today was hot, and I had had my fill for the day, and was ready to return to the hotel. On the way out we saw a man with polio, his right leg having grown in the opposite direction--being that his knee cap was on the back of his leg, so his leg bent backwards. Amazingly, he was still able to walk--if ever laboriously. Declan noticed him, so we told him that the man had a disease called polio, but that God loved that man just as much as he loved Declan. We told him that when people are different, it makes them no less special in God's eyes, and it shouldn't make them any less special in ours, as well. It was a good reminder that many people all over the world are still affected by diseases that we've essentially eradicated in the US.

On the way back we were also reminded that this was indeed a national holiday. Kids stood on the sides of the roads squirting passersby with water guns and buckets of water. In fact, car load after car load of people with big drums full of water, armed themselves with pales of water and threw the water at people and cars as they drove on. Songkran is not only a national holiday, but also a Hindu festival. It lasts for 3 days, marks the beginning of the year, but also requires of its followers to undertake "purifiying" ceremonies--hence, the water. And then we noticed people with white painted faces, and were told by the cab driver that this was also a sign of purifying. But David and I thought that it was just a great excuse to have one big water fight--which it seemed everyone was doing. Which was a different Thailand than most people were seeing on the news. Yes, the country is having a revolt right now, but you wouldn't know it to see all these people out with white faces and throwing water and celebrating everywhere. And then we thought that technically all of these people should be arrested because according to the state of emergency mandates, groups of 5 or more gathering in public are subject to arrest. Anyway, no one was arrested, but it was a nice change to hearing about all the riots going on (which we have not seen except on TV).



When we got back we sat down in the lounge for some tea because Declan wanted to listen to the "kim" music. Then we went over to the cruise dock to catch a 6PM sunset dinner cruise on an old rice barge. It was a great ending to a really fun day. There were only 4 other couples on the ship, and we were seated in front, which gave us an unobstructed view of the river.
It was really breezy, and with the "kim" music playing in the background and the sun setting, It was like peeling off a layer of time.
We cruised down the most historical part of the river and gorged ourselves with delicious Thai food.
The kim player let Declan come down and play on her instrument, which looks and sounds much like a Hammer Dulcimer. They performed traditional Thai dances onboard, and washed our hands with rose water, in honor of Songkran Day.


We got back, put the kids down for bed, and put our head phones on so we could watch the rough cut of the video that was being edited down from all the footage shot in Switzerland. After all that play, it was time to get down to business.

Easter

Today is Easter, so we sang Bible songs at breakfast and told Declan the Easter story. We liked that we're in another country for Easter, as it gives us an opportunity to worship with other believers from around the world. I found Christ Church--an Anglican church here in Bangkok--where we could go to an Easter service. It is a church from the 1800s, and seems to be Spirit-filled. It seems like much of the Anglican church outside of the UK is Spirit-filled. We were happy to see so many children in attendance. And not just caucasian children, but children from what seemed like all nationalities. There were Indian, and Africans, and Australians, and Thai, and Japanese, and Persian--you name it, they were there. And it was packed--which is typical for Easter Sunday, no matter what country you live in. I felt like I was getting a glimpse of what heaven is going to be like--when what we call the "Church universal" (meaning all believers regardless of denomination) is joined together in worship before God. It made me cry. I kept being moved to pray for everyone in attendance there today, that love would envelope their life, that Jesus would break the chains of whatever sin they struggle with. God is faithful, and someone there needed that prayer today.

After the service we stumbled upon a Thai restaurant in an old colonial building not far from the church. We ate a delicious meal, and then headed over to Chinatown so we could find a gold shop. Years ago when David travelled here with his father, they visited a gold shop and bought a gold Baht necklace. It's a necklace made of even, large links that can be cut off and sold individually, if need be. Dave wanted to go check out what they might carry now days. But I won't tell you what we bought. Let's just say it's really fun. And gold. On our way back we took our first Tuk Tuk ride. The Tuk Tuks are open air three wheeled vehicles that are typically Thai, and will take you just about anywhere in Bangkok. And they are really fun. The only thing is that you have to be persistent with the drivers to take you where you want to go, because they want to talk you into going to a shop or something like it, where they have some deal with the owner to get a kick-back if they bring tourists in to buy things. They tell you "you go, just a few minutes, maybe buy something if you like, then go to hotel". We had to tell the driver 5 times to JUST TAKE US TO THE HOTEL! But I can totally understand why they'd want to take us to their "friend's" shop. I mean, after all, they can't make much money, and if they can get money from stores just for bringing tourists there, why not try and make some extra money. I was sympathetic, but we still had a grumpy toddler on our hands who really needed a nap!


So after Declan's nap, we took a boat ride over to the Mandarin Oriental, a hotel also on the riverbank. Most hotels on the river have shuttle boats that take people too and fro on the river. I really wanted to take tea while in Thailand, and I had heard that the Mandarin Oriental had this amazing High Tea set in the old "Author's Wing" of their original building from the colonial era. It ended up being the most perfect tea I've ever had. We sat in the enclosed verandah of the old wing, filled with views through shuttered windows of the setting sun. We snacked on all sorts of fun things, and decided this would be our dinner for the evening. After all, it was about 5:30. I just love teas. I always have. And High Tea is the best because it is like having a full meal. You really don't even need to eat again after High Tea. Anyway, Declan had fun stirring his herbal tea and eating the sweet cakes and scones (my favorite!) with real clotted cream from England. It was really just the perfect end to the perfect day in Bangkok, and probably one of the best Easters I've ever had. There was just no better way to spend the day.

Bangkok Bingo

Sometimes experiences come completely by surprise--unplanned, but welcome. So Bangkok has been to us. We spent a good part of the morning online, trying to find the Indian Embassy Consulate info. from Bangkok and Singapore. Don had called us back today and told us to try Singapore's Indian Embassy, that you could get an Emergency Visa there any day of the week. So we called, but the Consular General in Singapore wasn't in the least bit sympathetic to our needing a rush on the Visas, even with the offer of paying more to have them rushed. He didn't consider our forgetting to get Visas to his country a true emergency. I mean, our Indian grandmother hadn't died. No one from our family was lost in India. So, no Visa. And a non-Emergency Visa would take 3-5 business days to process. So we would completely miss the wedding. And as saddened as we are not to be there to celebrate with our friends and the children at the orphanage, we are secure in the knowledge that for some reason God didn't want us there. When Don misses a plane or has his itinerary changed by "circumstance", he always says that for some reason he just wasn't meant to be on that plane. In 1988, the big hotel in Johannesburg, South Africa, where Dave and Don had taken some investors, called to say they had double booked their date and offered at their expense to rebook their flights (for 80 people!) which moved their entire trip forward by one week. The plane that they would have been on, had they kept their original itinerary, was PanAm 103, which was blown up over Lockerbie, Scotland. What seemed like an inconvenience back then, kept them all from being fertilizer. And since we had prayed for so long about every aspect of our current trip, we are just sure that for some unknown reason to us, we weren't supposed to be in India this time. When your plans just don't work, let it go.

So, Bangkok it is! We're making some real lemonade with these melons! Bangkok is one LARGE city. It makes Houston feel tiny. It has a river running through the center where there are boats always coming and going. It's quite beautiful. We're staying at a hotel David stayed at in 1993. It's a tall building with gorgeous views over the river and the city beyond. So far, Bangkok feels much like any other big Asian city. But it has it's charms. Of course, it has it's fair share of social unrest, too. There's nothing like being in a city under a state of emergency! Yip, the ASEAN summit (a kind of G20 but for Asian countries) is gathering here now, and Thailand's people are split over the new government. In 2008 there was a military coup overthrowing the past prime minister, but the current prime minister is getting his own backlash--being referred to by "the reds" (no, not Communists) as a "dictator". Now there are protesters on both sides. And some of them stormed the hotel where the ASEAN summit was meeting, leaving one person dead. So the government has called a state of emergency and won't let people gather in more than groups of 5 in public, which means that if we brought just one more person to dinner with us tonight, we could find ourselves in prison for 30 days with no stated charges! Just joking, but seriously, it is kind of funny. We don't see any signs of this "unrest" anywhere. But we are trying to avoid any people in black t-shirts or those in red t-shirts (the of the aforementioned protesters from respective sides).

So after talking with the Indian Embassy and deciding it just wasn't going to happen--getting us to India--we headed over to a large shopping mall (not so uncommon in Asia) called Siam Paragon. We got some lunch, and after getting a caffeine buzz from the Thai Iced Tea I drank (I was literally shaking from the rush), we headed to the basement of the mall where they have the Siam Ocean World--basically an aquarium with all sorts of bells and whistles. Declan loves sea animals and fish, and today I saw fish I've never even heard of before. Some really strange and bizarre creating, reminding me why I have a strange fear of the ocean--you just don't really know what is beneath you!



Then we headed back to the hotel and took a breather from the crowds (it rained today so EVERYONE in Bangkok seemed to be at Ocean World) and get ready to go out again tonight. When I knew we were going to be staying for awhile, I went online and googled "bangkok with kids" and checked fodors.com for their recommendations of best things to do. So we headed over to the Suan Lum Night Bazaar and Joe Louis Puppet Theatre. I've been looking for raw silk scarves for a long time, but don't want to pay American prices for them. And since Thailand is know for their gems and silk, I was on the hunt for a really good deal. Dave haggled a guy on a great price for some handmade and hand dyed silk scarves from ChangMai. It was unbelievable how cheap they are. I mean, in the US they'd charge 1000% more. So I was feeling pretty good. We got some food, talked to an Englander who lives his entire life in new places every few years. He's lived in Bangkok for two years now, and so we hit him up for suggestions on the best places to eat in Bangkok. Then we headed over to the Joe Louis Puppet Theatre, where they perform traditional puppetiering. They presented the birth of Ganesha--the Hindu elephant god. And watching the story I realized that it, like almost all religions in the world, is based on fear. Most religions are about man fearing the gods, or God, and how they can appease his wrath. But true Christianity, the real truth of Christianity, is not about fear as much as it is about love. It is the one religion where God wants to be loved more than feared. In fact, He sacrificed himself in order to show us what love really is. And it was so poignant to me tonight, as I thought through the Hindu story, and as we passed the Hindu and Buddhist temples on the way home where worshippers where presenting gifts and offerings for the Songkran festival beginning next week. And I remembered that tomorrow is Easter and the day we celebrate the great triumph of Jesus in conquering death and providing the final sacrifice for man. No more sacrifice--just love and relationship with God our maker.

Good Friday

You know that verse in the Old Testament that talks about how "man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps"? Well, it was a very real verse to us today. No amount of planning can prepare you for those oh so large bumps in the road that vere you off your course. When we got to the airport this afternoon we were informed by the Thai Airlines official that we did not have Visas for India in our passports, and therefore they could not deliver us to India. We'd have to terminate our trip for the day in Bangkok, which was supposed to only be our stopover on the way to Bangalore. He advised us to seek out the Indian Embassy in Bangkok, where we might get a Visa and then be able to resume our trip. So when we got to the airport in Bangkok, we again talked to another agent and were advised the same. So at a dead end for the day, we decided to find a hotel in Bangkok where we could stay until we could work out the details. We were also told that the Embassy was closed on the weekends, and possibly Monday through Wednesday of next week, due to the Thai Songkran Festival--the Thai New Year's Celebration, which just happens to be a National Holiday, as well. Our chances of getting to India for our friend's wedding are looking grim. And yet, we are unperturbed. Things happen for a reason, and we will take life as it comes--even if it wasn't what we had planned for. And since it's late at night, we'll just have to see what comes of all this...



So, I realized I hadn't finished writing about our time in Bali, so thought I'd wrap it up here. Our last day in Bali was relaxing (besides our stressing at the airport over the news of the Visa issue). We took it easy and meandered our way to the airport. Last night, however, was just magical. Scott and David had this idea to rent motorbikes for a couple of hours (it only cost about $2 US dollars) so we could go for a drive before dinner. There was a full moon, and everything was awash in light. Scott and Jenni took one bike, and Dave the boys and I piled on the other. Yes, all of us. It's the Bali way. You drive down the road and notice the Balinese on their "family mobile". And often it's loaded down with groceries, too. Scott took us on a drive through the rainforests and past little villages outside of Ubud. The air was crisp and there was a wonderful breeze cooling things down. Oh, and there was music in the air. Lots of it. And the smells of food being prepared for the big Full Moon Festival--a Hindu celebration. We passed family after family, all dressed in Balinese traditional clothes, carrying food in baskets on their heads, flowing into the temples where the music permeated the air. David and I held the kids tight and he remarked to me how great it was the kids get to grow up this way. And I couldn't agree more. They'll have so many stories to tell one day--about all their adventures in far away lands.



We had dinner at one of Scott and Jenni's favorite places called Tamtuk. Of course, Scott and Jenni ordered American food--she a grilled cheese and Scott a bagel with cream cheese. They both had orange juice. And Dave and I had Indonesian Beef Rendang-- a traditional Balinese dish. Very tasty. We just laughed at them, knowing this was really special to them because they just eat Indo food all the time at the home. American food is a real treat for them.

When we got home Dave and I watched the movie Taken, starring Liam Neeson. UNBELIEVABLE MOVIE! It's the movie that all parents should, and should not, see. It will scare the living daylights out of you if you are a parent of a girl. Though it freaked me out too because I know that human trafficking is the second biggest money maker in the world (behind drugs), and I know little boys are kidnapped as much as girls and sold on the black market. Modern day slavery is alive all around us, even in America. And it sickens me to no end to think of how hardened a human's heart has to be in order to treat another human as an item. It reminds me that our world view colors all of our choices in life. It directs how we live, even if we aren't conscious of it. Our ideas have consequences. A world view where human beings have little value is apparent in lived life--where woman are objects to be bought and sold and used for the purposes of money. Even governments are in on it. Scott said the Indonesian government turns a blind eye to human trafficking. The immigration office and the foreign office work together to issue "work" visas to 2, 3, and 4 year olds, whom they send to places like Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, to become part of the sex slave trade. It's a sick world we live in, and Scott sees the result of it on the lives on children, every day. And the movie reminded me of all the times I travelled alone outside of the US, and how vulnerable I was to being kidnapped. (A note to my mom: You probably shouldn't watch the movie.) Watching Taken was, for me, like when I first watched the movie Not Without My Daughter. It scared the living daylights out of me--I knew after watching that film that I could never marry a man from the Middle East. And after watching Taken, I'm not sure I'll ever let my kids travel outside of the US without 2 or 3 other people going along.

So the movie rivitted me--I was on the edge of the seat the whole movie! Which is also why I had such a hard time going to sleep last night! It took forever for my adrenal glands to calm down!

On the way to the airport today we talked about how hard it is for Scott and Jenni to get Visas in Indonesia, particularly because everyone wants a handout (bribe money) to make things happen, and no one wants to help them if they aren't willing to pay. The problem is, if you pay one person, you set up a long line of future payments, often to the same person who returns with a higher price or threats of revocation if you don't continue to pay them every year. It's just a big mess. And Scott and Jenni keep trying to get a permanent residency Social Worker Visa, but the government just doesn't want to hand these out, even though they have recognized the work Scott and Jenni do for their people. But when Scott reminds them he is doing this for their people, no one seems to be moved. Scott points this back to the cultural beliefs of Karma. In Hinduism, people are poor because of bad karma which they earned from a previous life. Kids are homeless or beaten or starving because of what they did in a previous life, and if you help them in this life, you yourself risk affecting your own karma. It's a really nasty cycle, but also a good example of what I mentioned earlier about how bad ideas have bad consequences. World views affect our choices and how we choose to live our lives. In Bali, people could care less about helping the needy because they think the needy need to work through their own issues--that if they helped them they too would be in risk of difficulties in the next life. So, as a result, they have little to no organizations helping the needy. This is really systemic to Hinduism. The same results are found in India where the Hindu caste system reflects the karma beliefs, and keeps the needy in society unattended to and left to suffer.

Wow! This blog is getting heavy! So I'll wrap it up for now. Bangkok is outside, and tomorrow we hope to tackle it.

Going Bamboo

So yesterday we checked out and headed Northwest towards Ubud—a village about an hour and a half outside Kuta in the rainforest popular with tourists and Expats. From Ubud you can see the central mountains. All around Ubud are rice patties—a big industry here since it’s the main staple of the Indo diet. They’re really beautiful at sunset and sunrise. It’s Indo pastoral. Ubud is the center of tourism in Bali, and most restaurants and shops in Ubud are owned by Expats or Westerners.

When we first came into Ubud I was really surprised at how Western it felt. You wouldn’t believe the amount of shops and restaurants here. This place gives “going bamboo” a whole new meaning! I mean, if I had to live on Bali, this is where I’d want to live. There are yoga studios, and western style shops and restaurants, and spas—all offering items and services at rock bottom prices. I got 1 ½ hours of spa treatments yesterday for $8—no joking. And they were good. With a tip (which isn’t expected here), I shelled out $10. Heck, with these prices, why not get a treatment every day? And we ate at a terrific organic restaurant for lunch, and ordered an obscene amount of food, and it still only cost us $50 for 4 adults and a child. I mean, at .75 cents to $1.00 per drink and dishes at $2.00-6.00 each, it was a steal. I’m convinced that if you want to live like a king in retirement, this is the place for you. You could do well here on a $1500 a month Social Security Check. Though there would be a few drawback, like distance from America, cultural differences, and the occasional brown out in the hot months (the electricity did go out twice yesterday, but only for about 2 minutes each time), you do have Wi-Fi almost everywhere, meaning you can stay in touch faster than you can order another coconut drink. And this is something that has really changed in the last 10 years of my traveling. When I was 23 my friend, Laura, and I went on a cruise in the Mediterranean. There was no internet access on the boat at that time, so when we got to port we would head to an internet café—and there were usually only 1 or 2 in a town, and not all that easy to find. Wi-Fi has revolutionized all of that. I mean, most places—cafes and hotels—here have satellite connections, making downloading and uploading times a cinch. It’s made doing this blog possible. On the other hand, in places like India—at least outside of the big cities-- Wi-Fi is still relatively unused. So I’m not sure I’ll be able to add any blog entries while I’m in Southern India. And brown outs are a usual occurance there, so even getting an electrical connection for the computer may be difficult. But for now, I’m relishing in our technical innovations.



Today we visited the Monkey Forest on the edge of Ubud village. The Monkey Forest has free ranging monkeys who are friendly to tourists—especially if you come armed with a bounty of fruit. You can feed them, and there are usually plenty of them to feed. Declan is particularly excited about this, because he loves Curious George so much. In Balinese culture monkeys are said to be the bearer of spirits. They play a large role in the tale of Ramayana, and in Hinduism there is a monkey god. Being that Bali is a Hindu island, here you will find the ubiquitous temple to the monkey god, or at least cement statues of bizarre spirited monkeys surrounding temples or on display around hotels. In fact, the little 8 room hotel we are staying at in Ubud has a traditional threshold entrance “protected by” cement Statuaries of Hindu gods, one of them a monkey. And usually at these places you’ll also find the ever-present flower and incense offering to the gods. Almost everywhere you step is a “gift”, or offering, to some god, in hopes of attaining favor, success, protection, and the like. People put them on the hood of their cars for protection from accidents. People put them on the sidewalks in front of their businesses to bring them success and money. Really, they are everywhere. When we were in Kuta in the mall near our hotel, the shoe shop where we bought Declan’s sandals had an offering at the entrance to their store. Declan’s ran over to it to step on it, not knowing what it was. I stopped him before creating a near incident.


The monkeys went crazy over peanuts for some reason. They jumped all over Scott because he had them in his hand and they could smell them. In the Sacred Monkey Forest there is a path that leads away from the forest and to other villages. We walked out to where Scott had asked Jenni to marry him—this tree house built of bamboo called Coco Bamboo. We climbed to the top for unparalleled views of the river below and surrounding rice patties.

The rice patties are little ecosystems all to themselves. The people here plant rice in half of the fields, and they allow the other fields to lay fallow until the previous ones are harvested. In the fallow fields they grow mud fish, and allow ducks to “fertilize” the mud for the next growing cycle. Then they repeat the process over and over between their fields. The rice is harvested much like wheat—the tips of the rice plant hold the rice pieces. The rice patties make for an interesting and mesmerizing landscape because of how objects reflect off the water flooding the fields.

We then headed for a 3 PM lunch at the organic café we ate at yesterday. They have the best spring rolls with peanut sauce I’ve ever eaten. We gorged ourselves on them. Then we walked around the village and headed back to the hotel. We did a little late afternoon swimming at 6 PM to work up an appetite…again. Dave got thoroughly burned because he didn’t wear sun block, and we are near the Equator and it’s darn hot down here. You could fry an egg on the sidewalk. But the pool is the best place to watch the sun set over the rice fields.


Tonight we venture to a new café. Let you know how the evening turns out later…

Well, I’ll try and write more tomorrow. We leave Bali tomorrow afternoon and head to Thailand for a stopover in the airport, and then on to Bangalore. It’s a 2 ½ hour difference in time zones—2 ½ hours behind Bali. We’ll be in Bangalore only one day, and then on to Kovulpati, south of Madurai in Southern Tamil Nadu province of India. While in Bangalore I’m going to try and write, though it may be short. While in Kovulpati I may be lucky to even get an internet connection. So my next entry may not be until Hong Kong. We’ll see. So, till the next entry…

Two for One

So, I’m skipping a full Monday and Tuesday blog entry, because really, who wants to hear my ranting about being on the beach near the Equator with tradewinds cooling us down, spa treatments, swimming, drinking pina coladas….in the midst of winter back home? So, as we prepare to leave the beachside hotel today and head to the rainforests in Ubud, I’ll just highlight some things that interested me about the last three days here.

The last two nights we’ve had some great dinners with the family. Monday night we met Don and Molly for a family dinner at the Un’s Restaurant—an open air restaurant run by a Swiss couple. It’s clean and one of Molly’s favorite restaurants here. Everyone who works there knows them, cause every time they come to Kuta they eat there at least one. It’s considered “pricey” by Indo standards, but at $3 to $6 bucks for a gourmet filling meal, it’s a steal for us. And since the dollar has been strong throughout our trip, the exchange rate offers a considerable discount for us. Un’s is known for their unbelievably good mango and coconut ice creams—really delicious—served in a frozen halved coconut shell.



And last night we went to Scott and Jenni’s apartment atop the girl’s home (they have a boy’s and a girl’s home next to one another) for some fresh made tuna tartare ala Scott. It was really good. We ate Indo style—with our hands. And we had some Butterfish sushi. Butterfish is probably the best fish I’ve ever eaten. It’s a local seasonal specialty, and locally they call it the Devil Fish because it’s totally black on the outside and really pure white on the inside. But we thought that if it’s called the Devil fish it should be pure white on the outside and pure black in the inside. We ate outside on their little balcony, drinking Bintangs (local beer) with our friend Jason, who had just returned from vacation Australia. He is on staff at the kid’s home, and about to become the sole “guardian” of a little 1 year old named Christian brought to the home on Monday by he and his 3 year old brother’s (Yaya) mother. She had returned to Timor for her mother’s death and funeral and when she returned to Bali her husband was shacking up with another woman he had gotten pregnant. So the mom was left to provide for her two young boys by herself since she has no family here, but she couldn’t work and take care of them, so a pastor told her about the kid’s home and she brought them here. Totally heartbreaking. I can’t imagine being in her position. The boys have been crying and having fits and asking for their mama. So Scott asked Jason to take the youngest boy under his wing and be his care taker full time. A big responsibility for a guy who’s never had kids! But the littlest one needs consistency in his care, especially since he’s not potty trained. So that’s two more boys this week, and I think another newborn is supposed to show up this week.

Scott and Jenni came for breakfast with us every morning, so it was a great time to hang out and catch up. It’s been funny because every morning they opt for the very American style breakfast options at the buffet—the pancakes, danishes, sausage, bacon, egg omelets, and waffles—rather than the Indonesian options. As they said, “We never get to eat American food here, and we eat Indo food all the time.” They really stuffed themselves everyday. It really was funny. Meanwhile Dave’s chowing on the Indo breakfasts because they are so different and really tasty. In fact, yesterday morning they brought three of the boys from the kid’s home to breakfast with them before they needed to head off to school—Krishna, Hendri, and Andre. Hendri loaded up on sausage. Because he normally eats fish and rice for breakfast. The other boys followed suit. I’ve never seen a little boy like Andre fit so many bites of waffle with berry syrup in his mouth at one time!

Hendri’s story is really special to David. His full name is Hendri David M... (I'm not using our last name per David's request). He came to the home when he was about 5, after his mother tried to hang him. He had escaped from he noose and run next door to a neighbor lady’s home who had been nice to him. He hid under her house. She was a friend of Tina, the lady who started the street kids’ home, and told the boy he could go to a good home with other boys and girls and find love there, and since his mother had tried to kill him and his father had already abandoned him, he decided to go. He and Scott really bonded and one day while on the beach he told Scott that since Scott was more of a father to him than his own father had been, he thought he should take Scott’s last name. And he also thought he needed a new name. And he wanted one with a strong Biblical meaning, so since David was a great man of faith in the Bible, and also the name of Scott’s older brother, he told Scott he wanted the name Hendri David M...(again, not using the last name per Dave's request). When we first met Hendri but didn’t know it was him, we asked what his name was and when he told David “My name is Hendri David M...”, David said, “My name is David M..., too”. To which Hendri opened his mouth wide and smiled. It was a sweet moment. Well, he’s a lot bigger (I think he’s 11 now) on this trip and a really sweet boy. When we went to the kid’s home yesterday Hendri was put in charge of watching Declan and he did a great job of it. He was very protective of him. It was really precious.


So today David really wanted to take Declan for a ride on the motorcylce through Kuta, so they spent about an hour driving around—just the “boys”. While they were gone Dash and I played, and he crawled for the first time! And David had taken the video camera! He dropped Declan off at the home and then came back to get me, which was a bit of a surprise because I was expecting Scott to pick us all up in the truck and take us back to his house. So David shows up and says to jump on the motorcycle—me and the baby in the Baby Bjorn. So, praying as he’s driving, and “feel” our way back to the kid’s home (the streets are really screwy around here). It was Dashel’s first ride on a motorcycle and he smiled the whole way there.

This has definitely been a faith-building trip for me!