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July 5, 2009 The past two days in my city had heavy rain. Today I went downtown to meet friends at McDonalds. After we studied together, Amy and I decided to walk around downtown and take pictures of the flooding which has resulted from the rain these past two days.
This kind of flood happens in my city about once a
year. You'd think it would make people stop building in the flooding
zone, but it sure doesn't! This guy had a broom and kept sweeping the river back.
I think he might be out-powered. Many people got trapped in their buildings as the
river quickly rose overnight. There were several small boats transporting
people back and forth from their flooded building to dry land. Amy and I walked across one of the main bridges downtown
to watch the huge river rushing by. The roads were packed with local
people walking around taking pictures and gawking at the flooding.
It was pretty impressive. I have pulled up some previous pictures of this area
to give you a view of what it looks like when it's not flooded. First
are the pre-flood pictures. Here's more pre-flood pictures of another bridge,
and me sitting by the river, just to show you the height of the trees
which are now covered. I have been wanting to go visit my friends in the
countryside for the past several days, but haven't been able to travel
because of the heavy rain. Now the roads out there are all flooded,
so I'll have to wait a couple more days before I will be able to get
there. Hopefully we won't get any more rain for a few days so I can
get out there and spend time with them. I called Lisa and BinBin's
family to make sure they are all okay, because that area has had much
worse flooding that my city. They are all okay, and BinBin's mom invited
me to come visit them so I can look at the flood. People here are
so considerate! P.S. As I posted this blog, it started pouring again! ********************************************* July 9, 2009 That last picture describes what was happening along the riverbanks throughout the city. Workers were sweeping the mud and water back into the river. They did a great job! Just during the few hours that Lucy and I climbed up and down the mountain, most of the roads along the river were all cleaned up and back in use. Here are some pictures of Lucy and I enjoying this
landmark spot in our city. It was really hot and humid on Tuesday.
Lucy kept her umbrella open to block out the evil sun which tans her
skin, and I walked without an umbrella, enjoying the generous sun
which tans my skin. After hiking and enjoying the beautiful weather and
views of the city, we walked back downtown for some lunch. Lucy wanted
to try out this small restaurant she heard about, with really spicy
food. We ordered some green veggies, and a spicy noodle dish. It was
served cold, which isn't really my favorite style for these noodles.
It looked kinda gross to me, but it wasn't too bad. Lucy really liked
it, by the happy smile on her face. We had a great day playing around the city together,
and talking about some many different subjects. Lucy is such a great
friend. I am thankful for her every time I think of her. July 12, 2009 July 15, 2009 A couple of days ago I went over to a friend's house
to play Settlers of Katan. Yes, these are American friends. We had
fun, and had an entire dessert buffet with cheesecake, brownies, and
coffee cake. It was so good, and they even used my Hawkeye paper plates
to eat on. This morning I was up before the sun, having some
breakfast and preparing for a road trip on my motorcycle. My plan
was to drive it out to my favorite small town in the countryside.
I expected the trip to take about 4 hours by motorcycle, and it did.
That included a 30 minute detour when I took a wrong turn, and several
stops along the way for pictures. Beginning the day with a few anticipatory
pictures in my house, I will let the photos show you the sights. Driving on all the curving mountain roads, up and
down, through villages and around water buffalos, it was the most
fun I've ever had driving my motorcycle. It made me wish that I had
more time here to take more trips out to the countryside on my bike.
But this journey was my last run on a motorcycle in this country.
I had offered to give my motorcycle to BinBin's family when I left
the country, and they were thrilled with the idea. It was so fun to
pull up to their house and watch them come outside to check out their
new toy! I don't know what they'll do with the motorcycle. The father may use it to drive to work, the mom may use it to carry vegetables from one market to the other for her work, they may convert it into a 3-wheeled taxi, or they may sell it. Whatever they decide to do with it, I hope it can help make their life just a little bit easier for a while. The kids were happy to see me and ready to play. I
arrived shortly before lunchtime, so BinBin's dad ran off to the market
to buy some meat to add to their meal, in honor of their special guest
(me). We played together, taking silly pictures, and had a great lunch.
After lunch I changed out of my motorcycle clothes
into something more temperature-appropriate. BinBin's mom was so thankful
for the big gift that she decided her and the kids should accompany
me as I wanted to climb up the mountain near their home. She put hats
on the kids (instead of sun block) and we walked to the base of the
mountain together. It was really hot and sunny today, so we decided
it was best that I climb the mountain on my own. They were so sweet
in wanting to show their appreciation for the motorcycle, I had to
be insistent that they didn't wait at the bottom of the mountain for
me, considering it takes me almost an hour to go up and back down. At the top of the mountain I was overwhelmed, as usual,
with the beauty of the creation and wonder at the One
who made it all. I almost always begin singing as soon as I get up
there and see the view. Some sights just invoke particular
responses each time you see them. I took the bus home, in case you were wondering how
I got back home after leaving my motorcycle in the countryside. It
was a great day, and now I am so tired! But I wanted to share a few
of my pictures before going to sleep. July 19, 2009 We were traveling on buses from 10am until about 3pm.
Finally we reached this beautiful small town. We checked into a hotel
and then went down to the riverside to rent a boat. On the way I saw
some unusually large bamboo trees and other pretty sights. The man lucky enough to be our boat driver pulled
up and we began our photo session.... I mean .... our beautiful scenic
journey up the river. We came upon a riverbank full of tents with vendors
all selling variations of the same trinkets, souvenirs, polished rocks,
etc. There were horses and water buffalo to take a ride on, naked
kids swimming in the water, and fried fish everywhere you looked.
Lisa really wanted to buy a small gift I can take back to America
and give to my nephew, Kye. All my friends have seen pictures of my
family and have heard many stories. They love seeing pictures of my
nephew, and Lisa wanted to find something special to give to Kye.
She settled on some small carved ducks, mostly because they are small
and my suitcases are already going to be overweight for my flight
home in a week and a half. After this we headed back down the river to find some
dinner. The sun was starting to get low in the sky and it was just
so gorgeous. We were having such fun enjoying creation and the beauty
around us that we decided to take the boat all the way to the main
tourist town the next morning. We booked our driver to meet us at
6am for a sunrise boat ride, which would take about 3 hours along
the peaceful river. Here are the pictures we took as we headed back
to the small town for dinner. It was a really hot day, and I tried on a sun hat,
but decided it wouldn't be the kind of purchase I would get a lot
of use out of once I return to America. The next morning we were checking out of the hotel
(pictured below) and headed to the riverbank to depart at 6am. I was
so happy to be up early and setting out on a river adventure. The
morning was totally beautiful as the sun rose behind the unique mountains
surrounding us. We stopped at a small fishing village along the way
to the tourist town. There was a sign which called the village a "model
of renewable energy", which I found very funny. We also stopped
at a swimming spot along the way. Lisa and Spring went swimming while
Lucy and I made a short video to share with friends when I get back
home. We arrived in the tourist town in time for a late
breakfast at my favorite spot. The day got hot early on, so I chilled
in an air conditioned shop reading a book and drinking a diet coke
while my friends shopped for gifts. This was Lisa's first time coming
to this famous town, and it was really fun to see all the things they
bought for their families at this foreigner tourist trap. While we
had breakfast on the 2nd floor balcony, we saw about 60 white foreigners
walking down the street and Lisa exclaimed, "It's like we're
in America!" I thought it was funny that white faces are the
thing that represents America, even though we were surrounded by traditional
Asian buildings and many things Americans have never seen. I love
sharing perspectives with my best friends in Asia. Lisa and Lucy are
really great ladies and we all had a blast together. We took the afternoon bus back to my city, and Lisa crashed in my guest room last night. This morning she was able to join my city friends at McDonalds for a study session. That was really cool to have her join us for my last weekend here with my dear friends. ********************************************* July 24, 2009 This past Sunday was my last time to gather with my
friends at McDonalds. Lisa joined us, and she contributed some great
thoughts, which was a joy. Lucy brought her son, and we all ate lunch
together after our study time. Here is Lucy and her son at lunch. I went out to the countryside on Monday and Tuesday,
and my city friend Amy came with me. We had a great time traveling
together, and it was special for me to show her the small town that
has been my second home here in Asia. We met up with Lisa and spent
most of our time with her. She had to work in the afternoon when we
arrived, so Amy and climbed the local mountain in the midday heat.
It was totally worth it and we really enjoyed the view. That night we went out to eat with Lisa and BinBin's
family. We had a great time at one of the nice restaurants in town.
I loved having my friends with me who could help translate all the
cute little things BinBin and her brother DiDi were saying. Normally
I can only communicate in simple ways with BinBin's family, so I love
having english-speaking friends to help me out. The next afternoon
we took BinBin shopping for a new dress. BinBin loves to wear pretty
dresses and feel fashionable. It was such a treat to let her pick
out a new outfit all by herself, and be able to buy it for her. It
didn't cost much money for me, but it is something that BinBin rarely
gets to experience. She only has about 3 outfits, and it was so fun
to get her something new. She put it on and twirled around in circles,
totally excited and feeling beautiful. I went on a road trip to the capital city on Wednesday,
had lunch and played Settlers with some great friends, and took a
bus back home that same night. Thursday I traveled back out to the
countryside for my last visit in my favorite small town, and to say
goodbye to BinBin's family and to Lisa. I brought a few items from
my apartment that I thought they might enjoy, including a watch for
BinBin, because she's always asking to play with mine. Lisa came with
me to their house where we all made dumplings together (kind of like
Asian ravioli) and enjoyed a great meal. After dinner we had cake
and Lisa brought her nephew over to eat with us. It is DiDi's 3rd
birthday next week, so we celebrated his birthday and the kids were
jumping up and down with excitement to eat the cake. The videos I
took of this are hilarious. Once we started eating the cake things got really messy and it was so much fun. At the end of the night all my friends walked me back to my hotel and we said goodbye. It was a great sendoff and I will miss these people so very, very much. But I have their address and phone numbers, and I'm looking forward to sending them little gifts and giving them calls in the future. I hope to return to this special small town someday. Who knows what the future holds.... but I am so grateful for the time I've had to spend here with such loving friends. ********************************************* July 28, 2009 Before I left, many friends from my 2 years here wanted
to give me small gifts for me or my family. One of the pictures above
has me modeling a large silver bracelet a former teacher gave me.
I received many gifts in a short time, and will only be able to catalog
them all once I return home and unpack my over-stuffed bags. BinBin's
family gave me some very expensive and special dried beef. It came
in a nice box, but I had to unpack it to bring it home, so I took
pictures to capture the quality of their gift to my parents. I took several videos of friends before I left, so
my pictures are really limited. I'm glad to have video to capture
the fun moments we had before I left, and I'll look forward to sharing
them with those of you who are interested, once I return to America.
My train ride across the country to the nations capital was interesting
and pleasant. I bought the most expensive ticket (about $100 US) so
I was in a private cabin with 4 bunk beds, all with a soft mattress
for comfort. I'm so glad I purchased this kind of ticket, as the other
accommodations would have been uncomfortable and awkward. Because
I'm carrying 3 large bags, 1 medium bag, a full backpack and computer
bag, I needed the extra space to store my luggage. I ended up sleeping
with my trunk on the foot of my bed, which didn't bother me much at
all. In my small cabin, another single girl was on the bunk below
me, and a married couple along with their two young children shared
the bunks across from me. Their kids screamed and fought the entire
train ride, which was kind of annoying but not too bad. I was so exhausted
from a week of traveling and saying goodbye that I slept 3/4 of the
25 hour trip. ********************************************* |
