Each day Asia finds some way to nudge me out of my comfort zone, and I’m learning to expect and even appreciate it. I was none too happy to leave frenetic Bangkok, but it meant a nine-hour, overland journey by bus into Cambodia. Mitch had researched the route diligently, but it was a nerve-wracking decision to … Continue reading Keeping it Riel
I was very excited when my brother decided to come visit us over the holidays. We have been away from our family (physically) for 2 months now. So it was great to see Walker and share some of our adventures with him. It was a big commitment for him to fly halfway around the world. … Continue reading Great to See Family
Happy New Year! We spent the last days of 2015 on the remote and barely-inhabited island of Koh Yao Noi in the Andaman Sea of Thailand. After Christmas at a modern resort, we decided to go ultra rustic and rented a treehouse bungalow with hammocks, mosquito nets and intermittent running water. It was like stepping … Continue reading Simple Pleasures, Extravagant Views
We are in Phuket at the beach for Christmas. The Le Meridien resort has festive holiday lights and decorations, and they even had a Christmas Eve fireworks display – a first for us! We listened to Christmas carols, snuggled up reading the nativity story before bed, and Santa found his way to Luke with a … Continue reading Merry Christmas from Thailand!
If you have not read Suzanne (click here) and Luke’s posts (click here) yet, you should start by reading them. They did an amazing job summarizing our week at the Elephant Nature Park and what we learned about the Asian Elephant and their plight. We were all deeply impacted by what we learned about the … Continue reading Please Don’t Ride the Elephants
We had a fun time at Elephant Nature Park (ENP) taking care of the elephants. They are very cute and you can pet them. My favorite elephants were Jokia and Maepurm. They are BFFs because Jokia is completely blind. She came from a logging industry and when she didn’t do her work, her mahout shot … Continue reading Loving the Eles
Elephants are the largest land animal in the world and they are fascinating, paradoxical creatures. While fiercely strong, they are emotionally fragile. Huge and heavy, but lighthearted and loving. And in Thailand, where they are the national symbol, the people have abused and tortured these animals that they claim to revere. We’ve learned so much … Continue reading Understanding the Elephants
Yesterday we did a really great activity in Chiang Mai. We took a cooking class to learn how to cook all our favorite Thai food that we have been enjoying here. We chose the Zabb-E-Lee Thai Cooking School after reading about it and a personal recommendation (Thank you Erica!). It was an awesome experience. … Continue reading Learning to Cook Thai
Just a few days ago, I sent a note to my prayer group lamenting that although I’m thankful not to be overwhelmed with the commercialization of Christmas this year, I am a bit sad not to see experience ANYTHING related to the holidays since we are in Thailand. My wise friend Kate responded that this … Continue reading The baby in a manger and me
Chiang Mai has some great excursions. We’re posting about a few of our favorites, and this was definitely Luke’s! This monkey was nuts about zip lining through the jungle and climbing the ropes course. We had a blast! And yes, it was safe : ) There are several choices, and we would recommend the Eagle … Continue reading Zipping through the trees
