This being my first time to the UK, I have enjoyed seeing the sites, such as Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and the Parliament Building, and the red telephone booths.    John starts at LSE on Monday, so he is doing some prep work and meeting some of his classmates.  All in all we are settling in well and are excited to get our flat set up so we can have visitors!

Our US phone number still works here and our email addresses haven’t changed–please do contact us!    Hope everyone has a brilliant week!!!

Cheers!

What a year it has been.  Not only have I proven yet again what an inconsistent blogger I am, but it has been a year of unbelievable highs, intense lows, and through it all we have been blessed with exciting plans for the future.

Since our last entry a lot of good things have happened.  I graduated from the National University of Singapore with my Masters and have been doing some freelance research and consulting.  John got a job promotion.  We have traveled a ton:  we had an epic weekend in Bangkok, visited the majestic temples of Ankor Wat in Cambodia, lived in the Philippines for almost a month, made a trip to Penang, Malaysia with Accenture, saw the majestic beauty of Halong Bay, outside of Hanoi, Vietnam, saw the kiddos in Batam, Indonesia, went back to the USA for the holidays and spent a few long weekends at random beach resorts a short ferry ride from Singapore.  We’ve made new friends, tried new things, eaten weird things, etc.

But, then John got a phone call while on a project in Manila.  It was bad news regarding his mom’s health.  Less than a week later (thanks to good friends and the folks at Accenture), we were on a plane back to the United States to be with Robin (his mom) and his family.  In mid-February, Robin was diagnosed with a rare, rapidly degenerative brain disease that would eventually take her life.  Through it all, Robin had a grace and a dignity that was inspiring.   Below is a link to a speech she gave at the Geneva School (where she worked and where all of her children have attended) on her disease and dying.

On 31 May, 2011, Robin passed away.  She was peaceful and surrounded by her family as she went home.  The memorial service was a few days later and proved to be a beautiful celebration of her life.  We were grateful to have family and friends from around the country travel to Orlando for the service and more supporting us from all over the world.  After the service ended and we saw family and friends, and all of the dust started to settled, we all had to decide what was next.  Matt, Caroline, and Lydia are living in Orlando where Matt found work as a minister.  Steve is beginning his second year of university and Lucy will be a senior in high school.  As for John and me, we headed back to where our lives are:  Singapore.

I am writing this from the National Library Building in Singapore while John is finishing up at work.  We have very generous friends who are letting us stay with them while we work on our next step.  We will be in Singapore for six to eight weeks and then we are moving to……

LONDON!  John was accepted to a graduate programme at the London School of Economics, where he’ll start at the end of September.  I am planning to work and am currently applying for positions and seeking opportunities.  John and I will truly miss Singapore.  We’ve been here for three years and it is our first married home together.  We have incredible friends here, have learned so much and have fallen in love with Asia.  But, we are extremely excited about the opportunities western Europe will afford.  Not only will we be a bit closer to home, but we will also have an entirely new list of options for our excellent adventures 

As always, thank you for reading.  John and I truly appreciate your support–especially during the hard times we’ve had recently.  Hopefully, I can update the blog a bit more often, but as I have a horrible track record, I make no promises.  Until next time, have a great summer!!!

John and I are going to the US for a visit on 26 May and returning to Malaysia on 11 June.  Below is our schedule–we’d like to see all of you!!!

26 May-5 June:  Orlando, FL for Steve’s Graduation and the annual Candeto  family vacation

5 June-7 June:  Greenville, SC to see Patrick, friends who live in Greenville, and FU

7 June-8 June:  Knoxville, TN to see Grandmother and Papaw Allen

8 June-10 June:  Shelbyville, Kentucky to see family and friends

10 June-11 June:  Back to Orlando, FL

If you are going to be any of those places during the time that we are, we would love to see you!  You can email either one of us or call our US phone number and we will do our best to arrange it!

Thanks for reading and we hope to see you soon!!! 

My parents got in at around 1am (as most flights from the US do).  After hugs and greetings my Daddy’s first comment was:  “you live a long way from home, kiddo.”  After more than 24 hours in transit, I can imagine why he said that.  We got into a cab and headed to their hotel where Momma gave me some delicious cake batter balls that she picked up in my favorite Shelbyville candy shop (seriously, a trip to Shelbyville is worth it for these things).  After some more hugs, I was off to my apartment to let them get some sleep.  I know from experience that when jet-lagged, morning can come all too soon.

Family Reunion--minus Patty

To my surprise, when I called my parents at 11am the next morning, they were ready to go and “see the world!”  We started with some delicious Indian food, then headed to Clarke Quay where we took a Bumboat ride through the city centre.  We went all the way to Marina Bay and then back to Boat Quay were we alighted and sat at a riverside cafe sipping drinks and waiting for the afternoon storm to pass.  Later, we headed to a hawker centre where we had stingray, roti prata, satay and fruit juice, before Momma and Daddy crashed.  Bedtime. 

The next morning, John was supposed to fly in from Kuala Lumpur to meet us, except he slept through his flight.  Fortunately, he was able to get on a later one and after taking my parents to our church (International Baptist Church, Singapore) we met him in the Arab Quarter for some Egyptian food after which we decided to check out the new Integrated Resort and casino.  After that, we caught a flight for KL–Momma and Daddy were heading to their third country in less than a week!  They are such jet-setters!

Momma chasing a monkey. It was awesome.

After a good rest and a shower in the most amazing shower in the world (according to my Mother), we headed to the Batu Caves–a Hindu temple about 11 km from the city.  I’ve mentioned this cave in previous entries (think Thaipusam) and it never disappoints.  After the 300-stair climb to the top, we found one of the best spots for monkey viewing ever!  The monkeys had decided to reek havoc inside the temples by throwing offerings at one another and leaping from deity to deity.  The best part, however, was not the monkeys.  It was watching my sweet mother chasing the monkeys with her camera!  I purposefully didn’t tell her that I’ve seen monkeys rip bags out of peoples’ hands before…haha…good thing she was safe. 

Trying new foods...fishballs!

After some prime monkey-viewing, a coconut, and a Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride-esque taxi ride back into the city, we met John for a delicious lunch at the Old China Inn, then went in for some rest before our grand viewing session of the Petronas Twin Towers and some dinner and jazz.

How about a spot of tea?

The next morning, Momma, Daddy, and I left John in KL to head back to Singapore to see some more of the sights!  We took the bus and were home by mid-afternoon at which point my parents proceeded to fall asleep on our pull-out couch.  I think they were having too much fun!  This was our low key day. 

Pros with the chopsticks. Blending right in!

The next morning, we headed to Chinatown for some shopping and food tasting!  We wandered our way through shops and food stalls until we found some bamboo cakes, fish balls, and sugar cane juice!  We watched the shop keeper making the sugar cane juice (by squeezing sugar cane through a grinder and catching the juice that seeps out) and Momma got so close she got squirted!  You can imagine her expression–it was hilarious! 

My sweet parents with the HK skyline. I love this one!

That afternoon we headed to the Fullerton Hotel for High Tea (including scones) and then we were off to the Night Safari!!!!  Momma and Daddy were such troopers, but were pretty tired at this point–they fell asleep on the tram ride.    The following day, we spent a rainy day at the zoo followed by and Italian dinner (per my request) and then hit the sack early.

Some things never change. Momma is quite good with those chopsticks!

The next day, John joined us in Singapore and had a “guy’s day” with Daddy at the Tiger Brewery while Momma and I shopped along Orchard Road.  That night we went out for some chili crab (a Singaporean specialty).

The next morning, we were at the airport bright and early to catch a flight to Hong Kong!  Four hours later, we touched down and got into a taxi to start our newest adventure!  Momma found an amazing hotel in Kowloon overlooking Victoria Harbour–it was fabulous!  We spent the afternoon window-shopping and trying exotic foods.  We ended up in the Mong Kok street market where we did some intense bargaining and came home with a couple of beautiful paintings!  After some drinks in a sky bar overlooking the Hong Kong skyline, we were off to Sweet Dynasty, a delicious Cantonese restaurant and then to bed because in the morning we were off to….

With the ruins in Macao

Macau!  The Las Vegas of China.   We caught the ferry in the early afternoon and spent the afternoon wandering the streets and sampling delicacies such at almond cookies and Bakwa (the Chinese version of jerky…only it’s sweet).  It’s laid out in huge sheets and they use scissors to snip off a small piece to sample before you buy it by the pound.  It is so yummy!!!!  After viewing some ruins and a fort, we headed to the Wynn for lunch and then to the Venetian for drinks, to explore the canals, and a nice dinner!  Then, off to the Hard Rock Casino before we caught the 2am ferry back to Hong Kong.

In the busy streets of Hong Kong...

The next afternoon (we didn’t get up in the morning), we headed to get some dim sum (the pre-high tea meal of appetizers) and then to the jade and pearl market where we found some GORGEOUS pearl necklaces–it was every southern woman’s dream!  We even made friends with a sweet little old lady who kept pulling us away from other people’s stalls.  She offered us the best prices, so we were ok with that.    After an hour and a half (literally–if you know my mother and me, you know this is true) in the pearl market, we strolled through wet market (fruit, vegetable, and meat market) and then back to the hotel to clean up before our big dinner.  For my parents’ last night in Asia, we decided to eat in style–as if we hadn’t been eating that way the entire time!  We had dinner on Victoria’s Peak overlooking the Hong Kong skyline.  It was beautiful.

We were there, too! And, as always, goofballs.

The next morning, all too soon, it was time for my parents to head back stateside and for John and me to head back to Malaysia.  I think Momma and Daddy had a good time and I know John and I had a blast.  We can’t wait for them to come back over!!!!!  Heck, maybe they should move to Asia! 

I’ve mentioned this place before (I’ve been going since last summer) and it never fails to capture my heart.

The ladies and I met at 8:00am at the Harbourfront Ferry Terminal and prepared to board a ferry to Batam, Indonesia–about an hour-long ferry ride from Singapore.  On the way, we weave through Singapore’s islands to the south (most of which are small and uninhabited) check out the Universal Studios that’s being completed and head into Indonesian waters.  Once we reach Indonesia, we get our visas, get our passports stamped and head for the van that will drive us for another thirty minutes into the heart of Batam.

We go to Batu Aji, a small, poor community on the island.  In fact in Batu Aji, I haven’t seen a petrol (gas) station.  Gas is typically sold in plastic bottles that have been recycled from bottled water.  It is a small, poor community on Batam.

Students on the computers

Before we head to the home, we decide to take a side trip by the school.  The school has three classrooms, an extra room for computers (thanks for a corporate donor), and an office.  Another organization wanted to help the school, so they built them a second story on top of the existing story.  However, they did not put in stairs to reach the second floor.  So, there was a two story building with only one usable floor.  Fortunately, this problem has since been resolved and there is now a staircase.  The children have a school schedule different from that in the US.  They go from 7am until 1pm and even go on Saturday mornings.  This particular school educates about forty children in the equivalent of grades 7, 8, and 9.

After our tour of the school, we went to the church (which is a house with one big room and four “dorm” rooms that house about 30 children).  There is minimal running water in this house (if any at all) and only enough electricity to power a few light bulbs and a television set.  They collect rain water from the roof in buckets.  Despite the seemingly harsh conditions, the children are joyful.

Precious Siblings

Today, we taught prepositions and directional words.  We used flashcards to learn words for objects around the room.  We learned how to tell time in English.  We even made tissue paper flowers.  All in all, it was a pretty successful day.

One of the little girls wouldn’t leave my side for a good portion of today.  If I would walk away, she would grab onto my belt loops and hug me around the waist (as high as she could reach).  She even pulled me outside to get away from the other children.  She doesn’t speak English, so I couldn’t ask her what she was doing.  Then, Pastor Willy told me that her mother left her and they don’t know where her mother is.  “She wants a Mum,” he said.  That really struck a chord with me.  I wanted to bring her home.

Sweet girls!

I spent the rest of the day with a five-year-old little girl and six-year-old little boy who, along with their three-year-old little brother, were brought to the home recently.  Their eyes lit up like crazy when we would work with the flashcards.  When they would get an answer right, they couldn’t wait to get a “high five” or a “high ten” as we called it.

To close the day, we danced to a few songs, watched them perform a few songs in Bahasa Indonesia and then got back into the van to head to the ferry.  As we drove away, dozens of little hands were poking out of the fence and waving goodbye to us.  I go every month to this house and every month I feel myself drawing closer and closer to these precious children.

Tanya (our fearless leader) teaches a song

I wish I could bring them all home with me and give them all a better life.

The funny thing is, when I go on trips like this one, I expect to be the one to bless the people and touch them through my service.  It never fails though–I am always the one who is blessed beyond measure.

While John was in Hong Kong about a month ago, I went with a few friends to Thaipusam.  Thaipusam is a Hindu festival to honor the Lord Murugan and to celebrate the day he received his spear.  In KL, hundreds of thousands of people participate.  Devotees make a pilgrimage from a Hindu temple to the Batu Caves, a cave that also serves as a temple.  To reach the cave requires climbing 300 steps.  What’s so unique about this pilgrimage, however, is the manner in which they do it.  Participants pierce themselves (their faces, their backs, etc.) and then carry burdens called “cavadis”.  In KL, many of the devotees had the cavadis on wheels and were pulling them via hooks (large fish hooks) in their backs.  Friends would hold the wheeled carts back stressing the hooks and the skin, thus demonstrating their friend’s devotion to the God.  Periodically on the path between the temples, the participants would go into a trance like state and dance and yell.  To look into their eyes you see nothing and they are seeing beyond you.  They are in a trance beyond their pain and beyond their surroundings.  This year, we even saw a guy swinging a four-ish year-old girl over his head in celebration.

This year, it was about 100 degrees and sunny, so it added to the environment.  Loud chanting was ringing in our ears and the smell of incense was unavoidable.  As usual, it was unbelievable.  Pictures are in a gallery below.  There were too many to upload through out the entry.  View with caution–some are a little painful to look at!!!

As always, thanks for reading!!!

We left our apartment in KL bright and early on Friday morning.  We had a bit of trouble with our taxi.  The taxi system in Kuala Lumpur is not very good.  There are plenty of cabs and fares are low, but the fares are so low that the drivers cannot make a good living off of them.  As a result, they often refuse to go by meter and set inflated prices to get certain places.  As you can imagine, at 4:45am going from a hotel to the airport, the problem is exacerbated and the bellmen like to get in on the action.  When they told us how much it was going to cost to get to the airport, it was about 40 Ringgit (about US$13) higher than it is supposed to be.  I noticed the taxi driver and bellman exchanging something through the window.  At that point, I knew exactly what was happening.  John managed to negotiate with the driver and get the rate to a reasonable level.  Upon arriving at the airport, John asked the driver why he and the bellman exchanged money.  The driver said that he doesn’t get jobs if he doesn’t do that.  I believe it.  Malaysia did raise cab rates once last year but it wasn’t nearly enough to match the increased cost-of-living and the increase in gas prices.

Beautiful Water in Kota Kinabalu

That adventure aside, we got to Kota Kinabalu without incident.  We stayed at a resort that was comprised of two hotels and a marina.  A marine park consisting of five islands was just off of the coast from the hotel.  After a delicious “American style breakfast” we went to our room to take a nap–those early flights really wipe us out!  After that, we went to the pool, had dinner, and then turned in.  We were anticipating a busy day the next day!

On Saturday, we got up, had breakfast and took off on a ferry to the Marine Park on one of the islands off of the coast of the hotel.  We had our snorkel gear and beach mats and were looking forward to a day at the beach!  The water felt wonderful–it wasn’t cold at all, yet it was refreshing.  I also need to mention that it is jellyfish season and signs are posted everywhere!  The water was the clearest we have seen in Asia thus far.  Standing on the pier looking into the water, we were able to see to the bottom and all kinds of beautiful tropical fish including the largest sea urchins we had ever seen (some were larger than 8 inches spike tip to spike tip).

After a yummy dinner!!!

We saw the most beautiful fish colored so vibrantly I never knew those colors existed in the animal kingdom!  We saw polka dot fish, rainbow fish, and even some fish camouflaged against the sandy bottom.  We also saw jellyfish!  The jellyfish were clear, but had a glowing purple center so we thought we would see them before they got us.  Keyword:  thought.  John ended up getting stung all over his feet and I got stung three times:  once the tentacles wrapped around my arm, once around my leg and the other brushed my shoulder.  I know the tentacles wrapped around because when the sting showed up (it affected me more than it did John) it was in distinct lines around my arm and my leg.  It felt like lots of bees stinging me all at once.  Fortunately, after a few minutes out of the water, my stings felt much better and I was able to continue with the day.

That night we had the most wonderful dinner at a Malaysian/Indian fusion restaurant called “Spice Island.”  We had paneer (cottage cheese) in a delicious tomato gravy with cashews and red snapper in a wonderful gravy all over rice.  It was so rich but it was so so so good!!!

Beautiful sunset

The next morning, we had our breakfast and then headed off to the Kota Kinabalu Sunday market!  We’ve been to lot of markets before, but this one was just a little bit different.  There was country music blaring in the background and there were tons of people.  They had not only fruits, vegetables, souvenirs, and clothes, but also live animals!

John with the chickens

We saw cages full of five and six puppies.  We joked that obviously PETA hadn’t made it to Kota Kinabalu yet.  Then, as we left the market, we passed a KFC and standing on the corner was a person in a chicken suit with a crutch and a sling and a picket sign protesting the restaurant.  THEY WERE FROM PETA!

Although I love KFC, this photo had to be taken!

After getting my picture with them (as a Kentucky girl, I had to do it.  I still love KFC, by the way) John informed them that we were looking for them near the dog cages in the market. 

After leaving the market we went back to the hotel where we ate a fabulous buffet brunch, complete with quesadillas (a rarity at Asian tables).  We ate for over an hour, it was so delicious.  Our bellies full and trying to avoid the blistering sun, we decided on an indoor activity:  bowling!!  We got some very stylish socks (see picture)  and ending up splitting games.  After all of the trash talking I endured from John, I was pretty pleased. 

Check out those killer shoes!!!

Later that afternoon, we headed back to the airport and flew back to Kuala Lumpur to get ready for the work week!!!  It was a wonderful RELAXING weekend.  Thank for reading everyone!!!

Although I was home for my grandmother’s service and to be with my family, it turned out to be a joyful trip, after all.  I got have ribs with family friends, have dinner with Whitney and Chris (I was in their wedding this summer) and even go to a UofL basketball game with my Daddy (thanks, Kate!).  Patrick and I got to spend some great time together and Mom and I bonded over chick flicks and shopping.  It was great to see my grandparents and cousins as well.  We all went to see “A Christmas Carol” in Lousiville.  I think we’ve seen the show every year for the past two decades, at least.  It was a great trip home.  The only thing that could have made it better was having John home with me!

At home, I also got make some fun plans!  My parents are coming to Asia to see us in March.  We’ll be doing Singapore, KL, and Hong Kong/Macao.  I can’t wait!  John and I also found out that we’re going to be an aunt and uncle to Baby Newkirk–Matt and Caroline’s baby on-the-way!  Steve, John’s younger brother also made a big decision.  He’ll be attending Furman University (John and my alma mater) in the fall.    Long story short, 2010 will be an incredible year full of blessings and amazing changes.

I hated that John couldn’t come home with me–I know that he misses the US, particularly our family and friends from back home.  Our adventure over here is absolutely incredible.  We are loving every minute of it and have been blessed with incredible friends in Asia, as well.  But I do know it’s just as important to have roots as it is to have wings and I am grateful to have a wonderful home, family and friends to come home to.

Stay tuned…John will be posting an entry on the weddings we’ve been to and his trip to Hong Kong soon.  Yesterday, I went to Thaipusam (the Hindu festival where they pierce themselves) so I’ll be posting about that.  Thanks again for stopping by–we miss you all!

When booking our flight to Manila, we booked a budget airline that flies into Clark, Manila, not the main Manila airport.  Most airports in this part of the world have budget terminals that are separate from their main international terminals so we thought nothing of it.  As it turns out, Clark is an old U.S. airbase located about two hours outside of Manila proper.  So John and I land and hop on a “direct shuttle bus” not knowing what to expect.  The bus took off headed toward the city.  Within twenty minutes, we were stopped at a rest area/bus stop combination where vendors boarded the bus and tried to sell their goods.

John with his pie and pork on a stick...

We were like targets sitting together at the back of the bus.  We ended up buying a box of mini coconut pies and some pork on a stick.  Granted, the pork on a stick may not have been the most intelligent option in the rural Philippines, but we survived.

Three hours later, we were just arriving in Manila.  Our bus driver was supposed to drop us off at a mall, but instead we were dropped at a bus stop located on the median of a busy highway.  Dragging our suitcases along, we were finally able to find a cab that took us straight to our friends’ apartment.  We were so happy to see Yoshie.    She made our day when she told us she had booked a couples massage for us in the spa in their apartment complex.  So, as she went to finish her Chinese lesson, John and I went and had all of the stress of the day massaged away.  That night, we went to a wonderful authentic Filipino dinner with Patrick and Yoshie and talked until the early hours for the morning.

Yoshie and me at the diner

The next two days went by so fast–I feel like we saw a lot in Manila!  We saw the historic area called “Intermuros” (where Yoshie and I got to see a wedding) and got to eat some wonderful western food.  Manila has more western restaurants than any city over here I’ve seen!  We went to a diner, a couple of cafes for tapas, to a few markets.

Our last night in Manila had to be the most eventful.  We went to a fish market where you bargain for the fish, prawns, crab, etc. then take them to neighboring restaurants to be cooked in any style that you would like!  We (Yoshie bargained) picked up some tuna, salmon, prawns, and squid.  The locals were most helpful in the choosing of the seafood and they even let me hold a huge fish!!!

The fins were still twitching...

We took them to a restaurant next door where the hostesses are men who are dressed like women.  That definitely threw me off.  We ordered kalamari (squid) chili prawns, and a couple of types of cooked fish.  The food was absolutely incredible!  I’ve never had prawns so delicious and the tuna was scrumptious!  To top it all off, they had a live band who played my request:  “Country Roads” by John Denver.

Our Hungry Husbands

After dinner we headed to the main event of the evening:  The Hobbit Bar.  The Hobbit Bar claims to have “the smallest waiters in the world.”  Walking into this bar is like walking into a hobbit house, complete with a big round door, roots on the ceiling, and pictures of Gandalf and company everywhere.  Here’s the kicker–all of the waiters and waitresses were little people.  Only in the Philippines would a place like this be possible.  Yoshie and I enjoyed a mango margarita while the boys enjoyed a selection of beers from all over the world.  John even got a t-shirt.

At the Hobbit Bar in Manila

The best part of the weekend was spending time with our dear friends Patrick and Yoshie.  They moved away from Singapore at the end of the summer and we miss them terribly!  Manila was a fun city, but being with them made it even better.  We’re going to have to have another adventure soon!

The next morning, we all went to the airport.  Patrick and Yoshie were off to Korea to spent Christmas with Patrick’s parents and John and I were off to Hong Kong!  We arrived late in the evening and after finding our friend’s apartment (thanks, Mark for letting us stay there) we were off to find a bite to eat.  We ended up at a Dixieland Jazz bar in the middle of Kowloon (across Victoria Harbour from Hong Kong proper) called Ned’s.  We listened to a band sing a mix of Christmas and jazz songs and even joined in with the rest of the Americans in the place for a rendition of Sinatra’s New York, New York.  After eating, we walked home on the Avenue of the Stars (Hong Kong’s equivalent to the Walk of Fame in Hollywood) which has a gorgeous view of the Hong Kong skyline.  Honestly, it is the most brilliant skyline I’ve ever seen!

The Venetian in Macao

The next morning, we woke up and headed to Macao, China–the Las Vegas of the East!  Macao is only an hour ferry-ride from Hong Kong and since Las Vegas is near and dear to our hearts (we were engaged there), we had to go!  We stayed at Hotel Lisboa, one of the classic Macoa hotels.  It’s the equivalent of the Flamingo on the Las Vegas strip.  The night, we ventured over to the Venetian (the second largest building in the world–large enough for every NFL team to play consecutively inside) to see the new Cirque de Soleil show.  We ended up getting first row seats which made for a fantastic show!!!  Before the show, we had an Italian dinner date night where we enjoyed a similar restaurant to where we got engaged (John proposed at an Italian restaurant at the Venetian in Las Vegas). After dinner and the show, we wandered around a bit before heading to our hotel for the night.

The next morning, we checked out of our hotel and started to explore the city a bit more.  We visited the Wynn and MGM and were impressed by what we saw.  The MGM had some Chihuly blown glass and the Wynn had a delightful cafe.  In fact, we sat poolside for a few hours and just talked.  Finally, we caught a ferry back to Hong Kong to do a bit more exploring.  That night, we walked around Kowloon (part of Hong Kong, but across the harbour from the main skyline).  We went to the women’s market where we found tons of purses, belts, shoes, etc. ready for bargaining.  Too bad we don’t speak Cantonese, or our bargaining probably would have gone better.  We then took the subway over the Hong Kong side and went to a few bars before calling it a night.

John and the Wynn in Macao

In the morning, we set out to really explore Hong Kong!  It was Christmas Eve and we were determined to see as much of the city as we could!  First, we ate some excellent dim sum (Chinese appetizers) and then explored a local produce market.  Next, we went for a ride on the world’s longest escalator/travelator that went up the hillside with a plethora or restaurants flanking each side.  Once we reached the top, we headed to Victoria’s Peak for the most spectacular view of a skyline I’ve ever seen.  It was here we ate our Christmas Eve dinner (thanks, Robin!).

View from our Christmas Eve Dinner

We ate at a steakhouse next to a window overlooking a spectacular view of the city.  I couldn’t believe it–it felt like we were spending Christmas Eve on top of the world.  It was beautiful.  Following a Christmas Eve church service, we went back to the apartment and went to sleep.  We had a big day the next day, not only was it Christmas Day, but were were off to….

Hong Kong Disneyland!!!!  We decided to spend Christmas at a place where we knew Christmas would be done right.  And, let’s face it, Disney’s got it down.  We rode the train out there and got there around 11:00 in the morning.  We spent the entire day riding rides (including Space Mountain, the Jungle Cruise, the Philharmagic show, etc.) and enjoying being around something so familiar.  The highlight of the experience, however, was Canto-Mickey.

My husband, Buzz Lightyear!

It’s true.  Mickey and his whole gang didn’t speak English–they spoke Cantonese (a dialect of Chinese).  We also saw Merlin trying to pull the sword out of the stone and yelling at it in Cantonese.  Bottom line:  it was hilarious.  We’ll try to get the videos on You Tube before too long.  Don’t worry–we have proof of Canto-Mickey!

The Disney experience was as perfect as it is in the States.  The only different was the language and the food offerings.  We were hard pressed to find a pizza and a favorite snack seemed to be squid on a stick.  We ended the day watching the “Let it Snow” parade, playing in the fake snow on Main Street, USA (yep, they had one of those) and putting on our 3-D glasses to check out the lighting effects in the trees.

Definitely two Disney kids...

That night, we returned to the apartment and called our families to wish them a Merry Christmas.

The next morning we took off from Hong Kong–such an incredible city.  It would definitely be a fun place to live.  Who knows–we may end up there one day… 

We took off early on Thanksgiving morning from Kuala, Lumpur, crossed the equator and arrived in Bali in the early afternoon.  As we walked out of the airport, we were bombarded by taxi drivers insisting they take our luggage and get us to our hotel.  (We didn’t realize this, but Bali is a large island–not just a little hideaway in the South Pacific.  It can take up to four hours to reach parts of the islands from the airport.)  Fortunately, our hotel was only about an hour away and as we were purchasing our taxi coupon–we saw him.  A sweet Indonesian man wearing a safari hat yelling:  “Mr. John!  Mr. John!  Over here!”  Running up to us was Uru, our hotel’s van driver, who we would become close with during the trip.  While booking the room, we had requested an airport pick-up, but it was never confirmed.  And here he was!  Uru was a sight for sore eyes.  He loaded us up in the van and took us to our hotel:  the Mara River Safari Lodge.  Yes, that’s right.  A safari in the middle of Bali.

Pretty excited about feeding the animals!

Our room overlooked a “savanna” and was filled with zebras, elephants, wildebeests, and even a rhino named Nelson.  We even had an “animal feeding” bucket in the room that was full of carrots so we could feed the animals from our balcony.  So cool!  The pool overlooked the same savanna.  It was and interesting experience to be floating in a pool in Bali and to see a zebra stroll by.  After cleaning up, we received a phone call from our friend Uru telling us he was off work for the evening and he would see us in the morning.  That night we had our Thanksgiving dinner at the Lion Restaurant (thanks, Grandmother and Papaw!!!), a dining spot situated next to a lion enclosure.  Before we entered the restaurant, we had a chance to play with a baby liger–a lion and tiger mix.

With the liger

Although it was a baby, it was a pretty feisty little guy who would growl and scratch at us whenever given the chance.  Never thought I would ever get to pet a liger…Napoleon would be so jealous!

The enclosure in the restaurant had 4 adult lions (1 male, 3 female) with a separate enclosure behind the bar with a large male lion to watch you while you sip on your gin and tonic.  Just as we were enjoying our salads, we noticed large chunks of raw meat flying into the exhibit and the lions leaping towards it.  We found out later that this was kangaroo meat (very lean and healthy, we understand).  The only watering hole in the enclosure was along the glass behind which we sat (this glass was less than an inch thick–if the lion wanted to come through it, he would have had no problem).  As a result, we got up close and personal with the lions.  I have to admit, I was eating my meat very carefully, so as not to tempt the lion.

Pre-Safari Breakfast with the Lions

The next morning, we woke up to the phone ringing.  It was Uru telling us he had come to work.  With that, we went to breakfast in the same lion restaurant and gorged ourselves on a full continental breakfast including PORK bacon.  Most bacon in Malaysia and Indonesia is beef since both of these countries are Islamic and anything from a pig is consider to be “unclean.”  Unlike the rest of Indonesia, Bali is predominately Hindu.  Ironically, the Hindu’s don’t eat beef, so beef bacon is out of the question.  John and I prefer pork bacon (it’s what we grew up with) so this was a welcome treat after spending so much time in Islamic Malaysia.  After a fabulous breakfast, we were off on a Safari.  That day, we saw lions and tigers and bears (oh my!), elephants, white tigers, and even a few crazy monkeys.  We were also fortunate to see a piranha feeding.  Don’t ever stick your hand in the Amazon!  As we were walking back to the hotel, who did we see, but Uru?!?  He had come into the park to find us and tell us he was leaving for the day.  He knew we were changing hotels the following morning (we decided to spend half of our vacation at the famous Bali beaches) and wanted us to book him to drive us there.  He also wanted us to come over to his house to meet his wife and young son.  We politely declined.  After spending months in two different countries, this was our romantic get-away and we wanted to have dinner–just the two of us!

That is one big baby!

After a day at the Safari in the hot sun, we went back to our savanna bungalow to take a little break.  As we were getting ready for dinner, we received a phone call.  “Mr. Candeto, there is a baby elephant in the lobby.”  That is a sentence I never thought I would hear.  We hurriedly got ready and headed to the hotel lobby where we encountered the “baby elephant”–all 18 years and several tons of him.  After feeding him a banana and a quick photo op, we headed into the restaurant for another dinner with the lions.

The next morning, we were off to a different hotel, this time on the beach!  Uru was waiting for us at the hotel lobby after breakfast and off we went!  He took us on a small tour to one of the best “surfing beaches” where we saw little old ladies and children collecting beautiful rounded stones to be sold for the hotels for landscaping and floral arrangements.  We also saw some Hindu temples and some real Bali households.  A few hours later, we were at our next hotel where we had a small villa next the pool, complete with a nice front porch.  We spent the afternoon at a little beach bar sipping tropical drinks and talking.  That night we found a restaurant with tables on the beach and ate under the stars.  We were starting to really love Bali. 

Merry Christmas from Beautiful Bali!!!

The next morning, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast that was brought to our front porch.  We had fruits, eggs, bacon, and pastries and some amazing fresh fruit juice.  After that we enjoyed a morning of reading (me for my dissertation and John for fun) by the pool.  By the afternoon, we were ready to do a bit more exploring.  We headed to Kuta, the touristy beach of Bali.  During the day, this beach was nothing compared the beach near our hotel.  It was crowded with lots of tourist traps.  Kind of like Myrtle Beach when compared to Hilton Head.  I was starting to wonder what the big deal was with this particular part of the island.  Then, the sun began to set and I saw what all the fuss was about.  In the foreground were the shadows of surfers trying to catch one last wave before turning in for the night and in the background, the most expansive sunset I’d ever seen.  It was gorgeous.

Bali sunset

After this, we headed back to the hotel and enjoyed a traditional Balinese meal, then went for a swim before heading to bed.  Our flight back to KL was at 6:00 the next morning, so we hit the sack.  Bali was beautiful and we didn’t even scratch the surface.  We still haven’t seen the legendary rice paddies and temples that are populate the inner part of the island.  I guess we’ll just have to go back.