Run, Andrea, Run!

From stepping off the airplane we've been enjoying the fresh air feast on Maui! We've embraced our holiday here and have already been to the summit of a volcano, seen a gorgeous sunset, eaten delicious food (Mexican and Greek!) and picked up my running packet. I run the Maui Oceanfront Marathon tomorrow morning. The run starts at 5:45 am on Sunday! This is the first time I participate in a race in North America. I'm number 22 which is a number of double happiness. I like that! I also like that my name is on my runner's bib. Aloha!

Cool Cats

It was a cold weekend in Taipei. We do enjoy the break from the usual tropical temperatures, but we've surely lost our North American (OK, Canadian!) blood to beat the cold. We broke down on Saturday, and Daniel pulled out our kerosine heater and what a difference it made. Our cats got cozy in front of the heater and continued their lazy day. They don't usually sit together unless they need each other's body heat. We also appreciate the heater effect of having a cat cozy on our laps! The heater also gives us that "fireplace" feel in our home. After we ran out of kerosine, the cats continued to sit in front of the heater. :)

Tickle continues to enjoy his photo shoots! Sunday brought beautiful sunshine into our roof and he was loving it too!

Peeper looking at the world outside. She spends most of the daytime on this perch in the common room. Now she also shares it with Tickle.

We've also pulled out all our woolies and thermal underwear. It's fun to wear them again as it's usually for a very short time :)

"I'm All Shook Up!"

I got a new Elvis DVD for Christmas from Beth Wei. She is married to Leo who I dubbed the Chinese Elvis when I first came to ORTV :) The DVD is called Elvis on Elvis. Today was Elvis' birthday, so I thought it was a good time to watch the DVD and some friends put on their Blue Suede Shoes and came! I was surprised by how many Elvis fans there are! The DVD was a little "interesting", but it had it's moments. This little rooftop random movie night was fun!

We watched the DVD, ate peanut butter and banana sandwiches (Elvis' favourite snack) and shared a few Elvis stories for but a short time. :) My favorite story is when Elvis told a fan to put down a sign at a concert that gave him the title of “The King”. He told the fan that there is only one King, and He is Jesus!

I shared the story of how my goldfish named Elvis died on August 16th. That is Elvis' death day. I'm not kidding! I wore black for the day.

On my first trip (of two!) home with Daniel's family we played a game around the dinner table. We each shared of four people we'd like to have dinner with dead or alive. I said Elvis for one. There was a little shock around the table, and that's when Daniel confessed to his family that I am an Elvis fan.

I became a true Elvis fan the summer of 1990 in Germany. It was my first trip to Germany on my own, and my twin cousins were totally into Elvis. They had pictures up in their room and I was hooked! When I came back home I took down the Kirk Cameron posters in my high school locker and put up Elvis Presley pictures. Then I started reading many books on him, and watching his movies. Blue Hawaii is my favorite. Linda told me this week that I'm not a crazy Elvis fan, but I am a “cute Elvis fan” so I receive that.

In Chinese, Elvis is called "The Cat King" :)Here you see the last Elvis fans before they leave the roof. Gabe has the Elvis groove going on. Or is he really Elvis?A Jail House Rock Shout Out goes to Brandon who is actually from Memphis, Tennessee! He however, has not been to Graceland. I guess he still has some goals ahead ;) I had a rockin road trip to Memphis, Tennessee the summer of 2006. Melty, Jules, Jessie, and Montie – You Ain't Nothing But (the dearest of heart) Hound Dogs!

We saw this picture in a few restaurants in Chiang Mai. The king of Thailand and his queen visited "the king" on the set of G.I. Blues.

Naomi found this Elvis box in Chinatown in Istanbul, Turkey. Elvis was an international man. Daniel's got a little Elvis going on too! "I can't help falling in love with you" over and over again :)

This is a picture our friend Lamont made and gave us as a wedding gift. You can see Daniel as Elvis. :) "I'm in love! I'm all shook up!"

Here's a story of the Changs and Bastkes who were joying in the city of Chiang Mai. It was their second time in Thailand together. It was a Chang Bai Adventure in Chaing Mai. Our Chinese surname is "Bai", and we traveled with Campbell and Linda Chang :)

We got to wear these cool hats for about an hour on a bamboo raft. We sat on the raft took in the wonders around us as we looked pretty cool :) It was a river ride to write poetry and songs. For some it got a little long, but for me time on the water is never too long.

The flag flies at the old city gate in Chiang Mai.

We made new friends! It was nice to meet other tourists and hear of what lead them to Chiang Mai. We met a wonderful family from Spain who live in Japan. We shared stories as we waited in line for our elephant ride. The girls were darling.

I also made a new friend. He let me sit on his leg, trunk and back. Me and Mr. Elephant shared some stories. I even made him laugh. I wanted to take him home with me, but Daniel didn't think it was a good idea. I'm sure he'll remember me though :)

Friendly faces in the river.

Friends with hats. I like how the lady in the middle seems to be eyeing Linda's hat.

We had a great group for our zip line adventure with the Flight of the Gibbon. We were with a family from Australia, two girls from Singapore and our guides - North and Sun. They didn't get tired for joking with us or raising the adrenaline levels even more! It was incredible to fly over the canopy of the jungle, hang out in tree houses 120 metres high, and literally drop down to solid ground.

Old friends adventuring together. Linda was a warrior princess, and Daniel revealed his true identity.
He is Batman!

We went hiking by a waterfall. It was beautiful and refreshing!

We spent a day with the elephants. We went to a show at an elephant camp. Since the elephants are no longer needed to help with logging in northern Thailand, they are now put in camps. Do you know what an elephant's most valuable resource is? Their dung! It's also known as golden nuggets. Since elephants are vegetarians, it makes the best fertilizer. We also saw paper made out of the "golden nuggets".

The Changs enjoyed their time on their elephant!

Eye see you!

We also went on an ox cart ride. Soon we'll be welcoming the year of the Ox. It was a reminder of the colonial times. Many scenes brought me right back to the movie Anna and the King.

We visited and orchid farm and an umbrella factory.

Our evenings were spent at the night market. It was like a treasure hunt. I once again brushed up on the bargaining skills I learned in Mainland China, and enjoyed the challenge. We met some delightful vendors too and found some treasures. Daniel's treasures were once again - soccer shirts!

This is Mango rice. It is also know as sweet goodness on a plate by me. I found a stand by the old city gate that brought a colour burst to this dish. The mango was served with three different kinds of rice - white, purple and light green. It was sprinkled with peanuts and coconut milk. I also ate pad thai every day. I’d have to say that my favourite meal was on our last night at a restaurant in the night market. I had one of the best veggie burgers I’ve ever had and a plate of totally fab Pad Thai!

We had a layover in Bangkok on our way back to Taipei again. We did a lot of walking through the terminals. Daniel also gave me some photography lessons as we found the right light. So many snapshots and memories. What a great way to start a new year! We've saddled up our elephant and are ready to follow the path ahead for 2009!

Happy New Year!

(click on picture to make it bigger)

Thailand is a wonderful place.
Filled with elephants and good tastes.
We rang our new year in at airport in Bangkok.
And were off to Chiang Mai on New Year’s Day! Yay!

2008 was an incredible year. On our New Year's Eve plane trip to Bangkok I found myself reliving the year in my mind. I so enjoyed the reels. 2008 began with a New Year’s Eve on the rooftop watching the eruption of fireworks on the Taipei 101. I was in Daniel’s arms (but my fiancé at the time) and smiled widely at the thought of our marriage ahead and all God has in store for us. 2008 ended with my husband and a sweet little celebration at a terminal day room in the Bangkok International Airport. We were with our dear friends, the Changs, and a few members of the front desk staff.

I like that one of the last things we did in 2008 was land in an airplane. One of the first things that 2009 blessed us with was taking off in an airplane. The new year has taken off with a spirit of adventure, conquering of fears, delighting in surprises and the illumination of lights.

Sunset Heart

During the last week of 2008, just days after Christmas, I looked out our rooftop window to find a spectacle in the sky. The sun was setting with a warm pink glow that sang a heart song. I took it as a heart hug from Papa, and a wonderful way to wrap up the year with love.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Psalm 19:1