Bollywood Birthday!

Our friend Becky turned 40 recently, giving us the perfect excuse to throw a surprise birthday party for her. The Bollywood theme was the mastermind of our friends, Lisa and Arlo, also the hosts of this event. I prepared several Indian dishes that afternoon, while Dart had arranged a local photographer to act as paparazzi - the "story" was that Becky (being driven to the party by Arlo) was a Bollywood star arriving at a glitzy party. So we all gathered in the dark, with a birthday sign, Sarah presenting roses and Ed, the crazy reporter internviewing her.

When she arrived we crowded her and asked for autographs on posters that Dart had made, photoshopping Becky's face into a hilarious Bollywood poster! Rose, one of the frenzied fans even pretended to faint at her feet, and Robb (the Director of our High School) had her sign his back in permanent ink.

We ate tons of great Indian food, and did henna on eachother's hands and had a great time. Becky was truly surprised (she thought she was coming to Arlo and Lisa's housewarming party!)

I figure, if you gotta turn 40, this might be the way to do it!!

Hong Kong

We had to go quickly to Hong Kong to get applications submitted for our Indian visas, since we are going there in December!!

So Dart and I headed in and had a lovely day of it, getting the visa apps in MINUTES before the office closed and then wandering around in Hong Kong for the afternoon.

We walked around Central seeing the old (but still in use) Justice building above. The skyline is wonderful, and we got some great views from Battery Park.

My favorite part was the gardens: they are so gorgeous, with a little stream winding through, beautiful flowers blooming and the peaceful sound of the water running through the tropical leaves. I could have stayed there all day.

But...we caught the ferry home in time to have a nice dinner with Jaya and Taj - a great day in all.

A Whole Month!

I realized one whole month has gone by since I blogged. In that time I have traveled to Florida for my father's funeral, spent 3 short days in Virginia and flown back across 12 time zones with my family here to China...I came back realizing that the most precious thing in life is friendship and family. Thanks to ALL of you whose love and support have made this time not a sad time, but more of a reminder that life is lived NOW, so live it well.

We had our lovely cat to come home to, and he seemed very content to have his family home again! He is growing so fast and now, he has enough notoriety that he's on Facebook! The Chairman is on the loose!

You can see more photos of the famous feline on Facebook!

And now...I hope to get back to more regular posts.

Thailand - Game over!

Last day - we'll keep it short and sweet. We played until about 10:30 and then we grabbed our shuttle back to the Phuket airport. We flew uneventfully to Bangkok, had our last delicious Thai meal in Thailand, and then our flight on Air Asia left for Shenzhen...home sweet home. However, about half an hour in, our captain announced that we'd be RETURNING to Bangkok, because the CARGO DOOR WAS OPEN!

Okay, that didn't make us feel real good...but we survived. The second time was a charm!!

Then, after the roller-derby style taxi drive home (to give you a sense: the ride TO the airport took 45-50 minutes. The ride HOME took about 15-20 minutes. It was INSANE) we plopped exhausted in to our own beds.

Happy to be home, but we'll always think of our great trip to Thailand!!

Thailand Day 6

Well, another day in paradise! The breakfast buffet here completely boggled our minds...I wish I'd taken a picture of the full spread...although I'd probably need panoramic view to fit it all in: there is a whole section of dim sum, another full table of Asian/Thai breakfast. Then the two huge tables of fruit next to the bread bar with about 25 choices from buns to croissants to doughnuts. Then there's the omelet bar where you can also order eggs done ANY WAY you want them if you are not in the omelet sort of mood! The two long tables with bacon, sausage, potatoes, pancakes, waffles, chocolate sauce and whipped cream were favorites with the boys (okay...I didn't shy away either!)

We waited long enought to digest our huge breakfast and then we played in one of the five pools, until the boys were in the beach mood and they left me under an umbrella in the shade and went off to have fun in the sun. The whole day was filled with lots of nothing (aaahhh...) until dinner. I'd called our friends Cliff and Becky earlier...they were staying at the Sheraton about 45 minutes north of us, and we'd arranged to meet! They came to our hotel and we headed out in a tuk-tuk to a GREAT rasta place on the side of the mountain that Dart had found on his motorcycle adventures earlier.

We had a FABULOUS dinner with them and their son Owen, and then went and hung out on the soft white-sand beach until way past our bedtimes! It was great.

Thailand Day 5

After another amazing breakfast, where special Thai-style doughnut treats were brought for the boys, (yum) we were taken to the Chiang Mai airport, where we said fond farewells to Nat and Da Wan.

We arrived quickly in Phuket, in the south of Thailand and were shuttled right to Kata Thani beach, where we were staying. Again, what a nice place. We missed the personal touch of Nat's place, but this place was nothing to complain about. We spent the rest of the day "chillaxing"...


...until dinner time, by which point Dart had rented some bikes: these are a cross between a motorcyle and a moped - they are TONS of fun (although you can't tell here by Taj's expression!!). We toured around until we found a good place to eat...and then with our bellies full, we played on the beach until "lights out!!"

Thaliand Day 4

We woke up and ate quickly ate so we could continue learning about the elephants and spending more time with them. Jodi, an American who has lived there (on and off) for over 8 years, gave us a walking tour. We learned about elephant friendships, rescues, torture and salvation. One example: this elephant was forced to mate with a bull, and he crushed her hips and permanently crippled her, but she is coming along well with love and care - she will never be able to have a baby, however.

We watched an ADORABLE four-month old baby frolic with his mother and "aunt" and the boys even played with "push" with it:

After our walk we had a relaxing time, chatting with other visitors, feeding the elephants again and after our lunch, they got another bath in the river. Then, sadly, 5:30 came too quickly and we had to head back to Chiang Mai. We were truly inspired by what Lek Chailert is doing to give elephants in Thailand a better life; here is a shot of her down by the river conversing with our little friend:

We arrived back in Chiang Mai tired and hungry, but were soon feeling pampered and spoiled: we took a swim in the pool while Nat and crew ordered dinner for us and we ate in their sublime pavilion, poolside. Thai food is just too good, and to dine al fresco, after a lovely dip in the pool...we felt like royalty!