6 flights, 5 countries, 4 boat rides, many tricycle and tuk tuk rides, and 2 overnight trains later, my summer trip has ended.
This has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and I will never forget it. The people I met, the food I tasted, the places I saw, and the things I experienced have surely left a mark on me.
Traveling teaches you a lot about yourself, and about those who you are with. I am so glad to have been able to share this experience with 3 incredible people-Mitch, Alex, and Carissa. We are 4 different people with extremely different talents, likes, dislikes, etc...but we really became our own little family over the course of the past 11 weeks.
I hope to continue to write about this trip as things come up, and will insert them into their place in the blog. Thanks to everyone who has prayed for this trip and was interested in the work I did this summer.
Where will I be going next?...London- in January for Winter Term! To do a Human Services practicum. More on that to come!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Hong Kong
Well this was our last stop on our trip, and I can't believe we will be flying home tomorrow.
Hong Kong is beautiful at night. The buildings, all set up in traditional feng shui arrangement across the city, light up once the sun goes down. Every night, the city puts on a lazer and lights show with the buildings that can be viewed from across the harbour.
We went up Victoria's Peak and saw the wax museum one day, and that was a highlight!
We also traveled along the world's longest escalator that took us up the city streest to different shops and restarants.
We made a stop at Kowloon Park and watched Kung Fu demonstrations and cultural music.
We also had an interesting run-in with a dim sum restaurant that was less than satisfying- absolutely nobody spoke English and we couldn't figure out how to order or choose the food, or the prices of each item for that matter (remember we are on budgets!) It was quite hectic as women with carts of food swarmed us with dumplings that we did not know if we wanted or could afford. This was a cultural experience we will never forget.
Possibly my favorite part of Hong Kong was visiting the large population of Filipina women who work in Hong Kong as maids. Every Sunday on their day off, thousands of them picnic in the city after church. This was, of course, something we wanted to see because we love the Philippines and the people there! It was an amazing sight to see...women were not only in the parks, but many just sat on the sidewalks near the train station and malls, with their blankets spread on the ground, and tons of familiar Filipino food that we had become accustomed to. We loved hearing the Tagalog being spoken and were able to visit with some women for a short time.
Hong Kong is beautiful at night. The buildings, all set up in traditional feng shui arrangement across the city, light up once the sun goes down. Every night, the city puts on a lazer and lights show with the buildings that can be viewed from across the harbour.
We went up Victoria's Peak and saw the wax museum one day, and that was a highlight!
We also traveled along the world's longest escalator that took us up the city streest to different shops and restarants.
We made a stop at Kowloon Park and watched Kung Fu demonstrations and cultural music.
We also had an interesting run-in with a dim sum restaurant that was less than satisfying- absolutely nobody spoke English and we couldn't figure out how to order or choose the food, or the prices of each item for that matter (remember we are on budgets!) It was quite hectic as women with carts of food swarmed us with dumplings that we did not know if we wanted or could afford. This was a cultural experience we will never forget.
Possibly my favorite part of Hong Kong was visiting the large population of Filipina women who work in Hong Kong as maids. Every Sunday on their day off, thousands of them picnic in the city after church. This was, of course, something we wanted to see because we love the Philippines and the people there! It was an amazing sight to see...women were not only in the parks, but many just sat on the sidewalks near the train station and malls, with their blankets spread on the ground, and tons of familiar Filipino food that we had become accustomed to. We loved hearing the Tagalog being spoken and were able to visit with some women for a short time.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Thailand
Thailand has been amazing! What an awesome place. Flying into Chiang Mai is beautiful and very green. The Centara Hotel we are staying at is beautiful and the concierge service there has been so helpful in booking things for us to do.
One of the coolest things in Chiang Mai was the Thai boxing matches we saw! The matches attract locals and tourists who are up for an exciting night of gambling or just watching a few good fights. Some of these guys are really tough!
Chiang Mai also has an awesome night bazaar that is ridiculously extensive. The guys are buying lots of things and each probably have more than Carissa and I combined!
In Bangkok, we attended a Thai puppet show, which was a very different experience. I had never seen a Thai puppet show, and was surprised when the puppeteers were an onstage act instead of hiding behind the stage. 3 to 4 people handled and controlled one puppet at a single time and gracefully took on the characters they were portraying.
I hope to be able to come back to Thailand and explore just this country entirely, from the mountains, to the beaches, to the cities. Thailand is called the Land of Smiles, and for good reason- we met a bunch of great Thai people who were eager to help us and happy to see us.
One of the coolest things in Chiang Mai was the Thai boxing matches we saw! The matches attract locals and tourists who are up for an exciting night of gambling or just watching a few good fights. Some of these guys are really tough!
Chiang Mai also has an awesome night bazaar that is ridiculously extensive. The guys are buying lots of things and each probably have more than Carissa and I combined!
In Bangkok, we attended a Thai puppet show, which was a very different experience. I had never seen a Thai puppet show, and was surprised when the puppeteers were an onstage act instead of hiding behind the stage. 3 to 4 people handled and controlled one puppet at a single time and gracefully took on the characters they were portraying.
I hope to be able to come back to Thailand and explore just this country entirely, from the mountains, to the beaches, to the cities. Thailand is called the Land of Smiles, and for good reason- we met a bunch of great Thai people who were eager to help us and happy to see us.
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