Harmonica-playing elephants

Our time in Asia is quickly coming to a close. We fly to the island of Koh Samui today, beach it up tomorrow and head to Bangkok on Sunday night for our early flight out on Monday. We're trying to soak up as much as possible!
Yesterday was great. We started out early and went to an elephant preservation camp. These creatures were amazing. Asian elephants are shorter than African elephants, but have bigger brains and smaller ears. This particular camp houses ~77 of them. Naturally, I fell for the babies. We got to pet them, they picked us up with their trunks, hugged us and wowed us with their skills. Yes, they can play the harmonica, but that's not all. (Forgive me if I sound like an infomercial). They can kick soccer balls, dance, and best of all: they paint! Real pictures of flowers, elephants, trees, etc. it's amazing. There's even a resident art teacher who regularly gives the animals lessons. We rode a sweet "full figured" gal through the river and mountainside then hopped on an ox-cart back to camp base (naturally!). Lunch consisted of more (!!!!) Asian food then a trip downriver on a bamboo raft. Not bad for a day trip. ;)

I hope everyone is well back home and I hope I remember how to do my job once I get back. Ha! Shhhhhhh...don't tell my boss I said that!
Until next time,
ER

Two days in Thailand....

Of all the places I've traveled, Thailand is quickly becoming a favorite. The people here are delightful. Our guide, Dare, is a happy old soul who tells jokes and giggles incessantly. I asked him how he was this morning and his response was, "Every day is a good day for me!".  The best thing: he truly means it. His attitude is infectious and seems to be the way of life here.
As I reflect back on the past 48 hrs, I hardly believe the words that come from my mouth. We have gone to temples with monks, visited orchid farms, played with baby tigers and cuddled with huge adult tigers, wandered the local markets to taste fruits I've never heard of before and ate incredible Thai food. I can't wait to show you the photos. If I stay much longer I will undoubtedly be spoiled rotten. I cannot recommend Chiang Mai highly enough.
Tomorrow we will head out to an elephant sanctuary to ride and feed the beautiful animals then try out bamboo rafting. I can't wait! What a great few days left in SE Asia to round out a great trip.
Until next time...
All my love,
Erin
P.S. Safe and happy travels to my mom, dad, aunt Judy and Uncle Greg. I love you all! Take good notes because Spain is high on my list.

The rainy season is here!

The last two days have been spent here in Laos, with one more to go. It has poured here. It's tremendous, soaking and it has made the landscape lush, green and gorgeous! It hasn't slowed us down a bit but there are times that I feel like Bubba Gump ("it rained down, sideways and sometimes it rained up!"). Despite neighboring both Vietnam and Cambodia, it couldn't be more different. Instead of plains, there are tons of mountains. The people are much more laid back and smile-y. (I know my fourth grade teacher is reading this so I hope my grammar isn't too appalling Mrs. Jones!).
The population consists of 130+ ethnic groups. Up until recently, none of them interacted or inter-married because they all speak different dialects. Our home base is in a small city called Luang Prabang. It's a UNESCO world heritage site and its well preserved charm is due in part to their numerous temples which still houses 300+ monks. Boys can become monks starting at the age of 12 and can stay for days to years. Most young boys join in order to get a free education and learn English. There are no scholarships or government funded student loan programs and free public education only lasts through elementary school. The monks wear bright orange robes and can be seen all over town. We even saw a few riding motorcycles! Every day they go into town around 5:30 to collect alms from the locals. They all line up along a 1-2 mile road and offer rice, bananas, cookies, etc to the men as the walk by with their buckets. We got to watch this morning. Very surreal experience. Felt like we were being let in on a secret.
Yesterday we hiked to their well-preserved, spearmint-colored waterfalls to swim (brrrrrrr) and today we head out on the Mekong river to see small villages and caves where all retired Buddha statues are placed into retirement. The river is huge! Nearly 2-3 times as wide as the Mississippi. Hopefully my sea-sickness will remain dormant...
I'm starting to get vacation saturated. It's the downslope of our time here and we're quickly starting to count our blessings back home: safe water, diverse food (not sure ill eat rice or Asian food again), no malaria meds needed, etc. It's a good thing. It's part of why I travel. Never in a million years did I ever dream I'd be sitting in Laos, but I'm so grateful for the opportunity. I'll catch up with you again in Thailand!
Erin.

The day I ate a cricket!

So the title gives away the big suspenseful moment of the last two days but let me start from the top. I LOVE CAMBODIA! This country truly is beautiful and the people are some of the nicest I've seen. Over the last 2 days we've toured countless temples that take my breath away at every visit. Unfortunately I can't post photos until I get home but take my word for it. The history is fascinating between Hindu and Buddhist reign which has produced the most exquisite architecture. Angkor Wat is the largest followed by Angkor Thom then lastly jungle temple. Google them. It blows my mind that mere humans created these.
Besides our tours, there are a few other interesting facts about this country. The recent history (Pol Pot, Khmer Rouge) is still a fresh wound. Our guide today lost his grandfather to the genocide and his parents were forced into an arranged marriage during the regimes' reign. The stories are horrific. The lasting effects of poverty, orphans, land mine amputees, etc. are heartbreaking. It's given me a renewed desire to adopt. The children are absolutely precious here yet forced into early hard labor. A girl no older than 4 chased us down to sell us bracelets. The guidebooks ask the tourists not to buy from them because it just worsens their situation. I can't even imagine.
I was feeling adventurous on our way back to town that I asked our guide to show us the weirdest thing they eat here. We ended up at a street side vendor with several baskets of deep fried goodies: crickets and cockroaches. I chose the former (when in Rome, errrrrr Cambodia, right?). In case you're wondering, it tastes like buttery popcorn. Praise God I lived to tell the tale! Ha! Other than the insects, the food thus far has been excellent. Lots of rice, veggies, chicken and pork with fresh fruit always for dessert. It's fabulous!
We get massages tomorrow morning then off to Laos. It's a rough life...so thankful for everything.
God is good,
Erin

The last of Vietnam

So today has been a whirlwind of a day. We started with a tour of the Ho Chi Mihn complex...what an experience. He died only ~40 years ago yet the Vietnamese regard him as a God as he was responsible for securing their independence. As Americans, we view communism as evil and democracy as good. We've fought many wars (including the loooooong one in Vietnam) to rid the world of communism yet these people seem to think it is perfectly fine. Very interesting perspective....
Our first stop was at the Ho Chi Mihn mausoleum. What a surreal experience. The man is literally embalmed and on full display for everyone to see from 7-12am during the spring and summer. He is actually flown to Russia for a "touch up" during the off season. The man waiting in line in front of us was a war vet from New Jersey there on his psychiatrist's orders to help treat his PTSD, while the family behind us were Vietnamese there to honor their hero. What a strange dichotomy. From there we toured his bunkers and homes before heading to the "Hanoi Hilton" (i.e. war prison). Most Americans know it as the place where the American pilots gunned down during the Vietnam war were held, the most famous being John McCain. The locals have preserved it mostly as a museum to remember their ancestors that were tortured there during the French colonial reign. The propoganda and slanting of the facts of war are astounding. Photos of our soldiers playing billiards and raising chickens plasters the walls, whereas our textbooks report our men being starved and tortured. Perspective is everything!
We made it to Cambodia this evening and the people here are so warm and kind. We're off to the Angkor Wat temple tomorrow so off to bed early. I'll post more pics soon!
Hope all is well back home,
ER

Exploring Vietnam

Sin Chao! We're back from Halong Bay! What an experience it has been so far. Our guide picked us up yesterday morning and we drove through the countryside for 3 hours and somewhere along the way I've discovered a new appreciation for the people of this country. Our poor tour guide got bombarded with a million questions from Noelle and I. Over 90 million people live here (less than 20% of the population live in the 2 biggest cities) and the vast majority do labor intensive jobs. They work in rice fields, tend to water buffalo, manage oyster and pearl farms, and cater to tourists. Very few people have an abundance of earthly possessions yet they're so very happy. So many striking differences between our two countries: they want no sun exposure while we bake ourselves until we're bronze. They hear the buzz of the first McDonald's coming soon while we cringe at the thought. They are resourceful and eat anything ( literally: dog, rat, snake blood) while we often are painfully picky and often choose the least nutritious items. I know, I know. I'm rambling. Anyways, we got to Halong Bay and boarded our ship and set off promptly at 12:30. Gorgeous. There is no other word for it. 250 limestone islands sit in jade green water with skies that stretch on for days. Legend has it that a dragon swung its tail about and created the deep bay between the islands. We went cave exploring, swam in the sea, and drank wine and giggled (anyone who knows the two of us will know we focused on the latter). Check it out:


Tonight we're headed out to explore Hanoi by foot then Rickshaw tour of the Pagodas and war prison tomorrow before our flight to Cambodia.
Best wishes to you all and congrats to Will & Kate on the birth of the new royal!
God is good,
ER

We have arrived!

I am finally in SE Asia! It only took a 30 min flight to Dallas followed by a 13 hour flight to Tokyo followed by a 6 hour flight to Hanoi followed by a 1 hour drive to our hotel. By my calculations, that's 20.5 hours of flight time.  It's just before 11pm here. The people have been warm and accommodating and the energy of Vietnam is truly vibrant.  I'm sitting in our beautiful room listening to the bustling of the city below and enjoying our welcome snack of Vietnamese beer and pineapple. Tomorrow starts early with a 3 hour drive to Halong Bay to enjoy the jade green ocean and sunshine. Thank you to all my friends and family for the well wishes, thoughts and prayers. I'll write again soon!
ER