[2009] Bali, Indonesia

Highlights!

The Monkey Dance!!  <--A must see by any standards.

Uluwatu<--a surfer's delight

It's a shame...

I spent most of my time in Ubud on a toilet due to some street food in KL.

A Toast to Bali for...

-their naughty monkies. One stole Hayes' sunglasses off his face! 

-having scooters to rent for next to nothing

In Good Company:

Darby, Hayes, Annette

[2009] North Island, New Zealand

I'm having trouble with my blog...it's kind of the reason I have been posting more sporadically. I have come to the realization that I am a Math and Chemistry teacher for a reason.  I hated English in high school! Even though I enjoy learning new languages, I struggle with writing in general. Therefore, I am devising a new format for writing about each location. It's still a work in process, so it may take a while before I finalize on an outline, so here's prototype 1.

Highlights!

-Glowworm cave! We went to a really small one, owned and run by a Mauri family. --- Really cool! Highly higly recommend. Except that I don't remember the location. John Willoughby will know though. Ask him!
-Hayes thinking he contracted Avian Flu!!! 

It's a shame I didn't...
-visit the South Island
-get to go to the fish farms and eat supposedly the freshest sushi in the world.

Things to note
Don't worry if you get lost in NZ, just pull out a map or pull off the road or turn on your blinkers, or just look confused and within 30 seconds someone will stop to help you out. Seriously, I am not even exagerating. The people are REALLY nice!

A Toast to New Zealand for...
-introducing me to pinot noirs! Soooo good!
-teaching me how to drive on the wrong side of the road
-smelling like sulfur in most places.

[2009] Kansas City, USA

I know I have already posted about KC, but it really has so many interesting aspects to it, that I have to post about it again. I know a lot of people don't think of Kansas City as a place to vacation to and I wouldn't suggest that to anyone really, but if you have friends there you should definitely plan a visit! There is just a lot to enjoy. It has a lot of art and all their museums are FREE!! Did you know that this city has the most fountains than in any other N. American city? Cool right!? I also got to go to a Royals games (thanks Will!), to watch them lose...but it is a great new stadium and has an equally great atmosphere.

Another great thing about KC is the food!!!! The following were my top eating experiences in KC:
1. THE best burger ever at Wesport Flea Market. It was so good that I forgot to document what it looked like before I ate it
2. The Peanut has the best BBQ wings I've ever tasted in my life!
3. The Blue Bird for brunch...I had biscuits and white gravy for the first time.
4. Arthur Bryant's BBQ!!!! YUMMMMMM
5. My first Sausage and Egg McBiscuit at MD's. Which I still feel is not as good as the McMuffins, to Hayes' major disappointment.

I should also mention that I saw my first real gun: up close and personal-Thanks Darby!

[2009] Kyoto, Japan

Kyoto was truly a wonderous trip. One of my first on my own. I had a lot of time to journal, reflect and pray. I should really plan to take another trip like this soon. But, then again, one of the biggest lessons I learned from this trip was that I don't enjoy travelling on my own...soooo maybe not.
Japan is where they really believe that beauty is in simplicity. You can find this philosophy everywhere. In nature, architecture, roads, public transportation, etc.
Lucky for me, I made it during the peak of Cherry Blossoms season, so it was that much more stunning! The only downside was it was packed with other tourists. But, I would try to make it back during this time again, if I could time it just right!
Update: Check here for cherry blossom forecasts each year!

[2009] Singapore

This is what Singapore looks like when you do it in 4 hrs!
We saw most of it from a Taxi...but we were able to fit in as much food as possible to get a pretty good taste of it. Although I felt pretty sick leaving Singapore, it was well worth the tummy ache. They have such a great variety of food and drinks. I had a few tips from my friend Amy, who lived there for a semester on exchange during university. So we tried to eat everything on her list.

[2009] MoMa, USA

I love this museum. I wish I had one down the block from where I lived. I would go there once a week!
One of the coolest instillations I saw there was called "Measuring the Universe" by Roman Ondák. Everyone who went through measured their height and wrote their first name and the date. It ended up being a beautiful design and you got to be a part of it.

Last time Yoko Ono had a wishing tree in the square behind the museum where you could write a wish and hang on it. I'm still waiting to see if my dream will come true.