Singapore: Same Same...But Different

Hello from Singapore!

"Same Same...But Different" is a beautiful saying. Those of you who have been anywhere in Asia know what we are talking about. That saying is used often by local people in many countries and apparently t-shirts with the saying are even sold in Cambodia. Singapore is "same same" as it has a huge Chinese population (about 82% Chinese), but "different" in that it is EXTREMELY expensive compare to China, Nepal, and anywhere else in Southeast Asia. The hotels in Singapore are about 5 times more expensive than what we were paying in China or Nepal (yes, even the cheap ones...which is usually where we stay). We have obtained our plane tickets and 60-day visas for Indonesia, which is where we are heading next (obviously).

Jaime and I had a love/hate relationship with China. We loved the people, the cultures, and the inexpensive hotel rooms. I loved the cheap beer and the food. Jaime did not like most of the food. We both constantly questioned the government's policies and could not believe how much the government hides the truth in so many actions that they take. China's media made us laugh even more so than America's.

After getting back to Kunming from Lijiang we headed to the Stone Forest, hung out in Kunming for a while, and then headed off to Guilin and Yangshuo (an area about 19 hours by train east of Kunming). We both loved the Yangshuo area and had some great days filled with boating on the Li river via a bamboo boat, biking around small villages near Yangshuo, and we even took an amazing cooking class alongside the Li River. All in all we enjoyed China, but we are looking forward to Indonesia.

Neither of us miss work too much (other than missing our work colleagues), we have been travelling well together (i.e. we haven't killed each other yet), and we have become more relaxed during our days over the past few months. We will keep you guys posted on our travels in Indonesia and hopefully provide more posts over the next few months as Indonesia does not censor websites like the Chinese Government:)

No blogging in China

After spending two months in Nepal, we have been travelling in Southern China since mid-June. Unfortunately, the Chinese government still imposes a lot of restrictions on the great world wide web that we have all come to know and love. Blogspot, along with many other websites, are not accessible from China, so we have not been able to update our Blog. But have no fear, our wonderful sister-in-law is making this posting on our behalf. (Thanks, Claire!)

Here are some highlights so far:

1. Lhasa (layover): Thorough medical inspection by a goggled, masked, gowned Chinese medical team upon arriving in China to make sure we don't bring the swine flu into the country. (Jason put the armpit thermometer in his mouth!)

2. Chengdu: Upon arriving, we were shocked by the complete lack of English. Jason dove right into the Chinese cuisine and ate a chicken foot (bones, toenails, and all)!

3. Kunming: A laid-back city with fabulous parks. We searched about 50 shoe stores to find Jason size 11 tennis shoes in a country with teeny, tiny feet.

4. Dali: Small, historic town between a lake and mountains. We rode bikes, rode a chairlift up the mountain for hiking, and ate the delicious local baba bread.

5. Tiger Leaping Gorge: A 3-day trek through a stunning, deep gorge that a tiger supposedly leapt across to escape being captured. (See the photo and decide if you think that's possible.) We were also introduced to the local rice wine which made for a loud, rowdy evening!

6. Lugu Hu: Lakeside village with bright blue water, small islands with buddhist temples, and China's last matriarchal society where the women rule! We were treated to a lakefront BBQ of corn, fresh fish, shrimp, fresh fruit, etc. (We skipped eating the live bullfrog.)

7. Lijiang & Shuhe: Two historic towns with cobblestone streets and manmade canals throughout. A few too many people/tourists and shops, but the architecture and charm made it worth every minute.

We're enjoying our adventures and getting a taste of the Chinese culture while fumbling over the difficult language barriers. We'll probably be in China for another week or two (or more?). From China, we're thinking about dropping into Vietnam or possibly jetting off to Indonesia. Not sure, but we'll keep you posted. Thank you for all the prayers!!!