It's a little odd to be back in the airport; it's only been 12 hours since our flight landed last night from Bali and we're back again. Today we're headed to Shanghai, China! One of the major perks of all of Cody's work travel is the lounge access. It's so nice...plus, anywhere that serves cheese and crackers-with or without the wine, you know I'm a fan of!
We had the most amazing time in Bali: beaches and sun, massages and relaxing...It's a really beautiful part of the world. Lucky for us, it's very close to our new home.
The highlight of our trip was climbing Mt. Batur. We started the assent at 3:30am and made it to the summit for sunrise. Our guide took us around the entire caldera and we were able to see all the way to Lombok since the sky was clear. It was such a challenge, but incredibly rewarding! Here are some of my favorite pictures. (Please notice how thrilled Cody is: he loves it when exercise fits into our adventure.)
We'll be in Shanghai for the rest of the week, then back to Singapore to see John and Halie! Couldn't be more excited! In the meantime...Xiao Long Bao appear to be in the immediate future.
We celebrated Easter just a little bit ahead of our friends and family this year... 13 hours to be exact. Nothing makes you miss Texas more than when your loved ones are gathering together and you have to miss it, but we were able to share in some of the festivities even on the other side of the world. Thank goodness for technology! It was also a wonderful surprise to get an Easter basket from Kaydee: chocolate and a sock puppet bunny made it all the way from America! My sweet Grandboo also sent her love via the Singapore Post. Mail is such a treat over here and we're thankful to have such thoughtful people in our lives.
Oh OH oh!!! My cousin KATELYN IS ENGAGED!!! Her fiance, Tyler, popped the question before Easter weekend and we are just thrilled for the both of them! We got to send our love via youtube-Harlem Shake style.
Cody and I have recently spent some time reflecting on the opportunity that we have being overseas. For me, I am literally living out a dream and crossing off a big time bucket list item. I know that it was God's plan for us to be located where we are and that there are no accidents when it comes to who we interact with. Our prayer is that our lives will be a testimony of the love that Christ has for us. All in all, that's what Easter is all about. Even though we weren't able to be with our loved ones this year, I can rejoice in the promise that we will spend eternity together...when that time comes. For now, we're enjoying this incredible, albeit very different life on the other side of the world.
Have I mentioned how much I miss Mexican food, the Tahoe, and you guys?? Sometimes I forget we live in Asia. :)
XOXO
Christie
P.S. The 4 countries in 4 weeks tour starts tomorrow. Yay!
I'm looking at the calendar and can't believe that a month has gone by since our last post! Time has really sped up for us. Maybe because we're half a day ahead of our Texas time? Still surprising! We have been getting settled into our new place, but have only spent 2 weeks in it. Cody had an audit in Penang Malaysia for two weeks and I got to tag along. That's sort of part of the "deal" of living over here and we don't mind it one bit! Penang is a quiet island off the coast of Malaysia. I spent some time reading and at the pool; Cody had real work. The weekend in between we were able to go out to the National Park and take a boat ride to Turtle beach. The scenery there is green and tropical, but we were glad to come "home".
We hosted our first dinner party here...for Dawn and Quinn the two Aggies that we know- I'm getting pretty confident with this Pad Thai recipe... It's actually REALLY good. We're here for two more weeks before we attempt this next month: Bali(Vacation)-Singapore-Shanghai(Work/Travel)-Singapore(John and Halie are visiting)-Tokyo(Work/Travel). (All in a row) I'll come back from Tokyo a few days early to meet my very best friend, Christina, since she's coming to visit! I can't hardly wait! Here are a few pictures of what we've been up to and of our new place.
Love,
Christie
Old friends in a new part of the world! Lauren & Jon's last night with us in Singapore.
We just got back from a 9 day vacation in Cambodia late last night- what a trip! It's called, "The Kingdom of Cambodia" and it's worlds different than Singapore. We flew into Phnom Penh and paid for our Visas upon arrival- a short tuk tuk ride later and we found ourselves in our first Cambodian hotel. The Indochine 2 was one that was recommended by the Lonely Planet book we're using to navigate: $25/night including breakfast downstairs for two people. 3 1/2 stars in Cambodia does not equal 3 1/2 stars in America, but it was an experience and there was A/C...that proved to be a rare commodity so I'm glad we started the trip with some. We wandered down the Mekong River front to find dinner at the Foreign Correspondents Club.
Make sure to select 1080p for the best quality
The Indochine 2 Hotel
Mekong River Walk
The Royal Palace
FCC & Palace in the background
Music Bar with a great selection of vinyls
Mr. Cody Cook
The next morning we had our tuk-tuk driver from the night before take us out of town about 30 minutes to see The Killing Fields. It was a sobering experience, but one that we didn't want to miss being in Phnom Penh. The drive out to it was eye-opening as well. Cambodia is still part of the 3rd world and it's very evident in some respects.
In our Tuk Tuk
Local selling snails roadside
A commemorative stupa filled with the skulls of the victims
Bracelets left for the children that were victims here
Victims of the Khemer Rouge and Pol Pot
We were glad we went to see the fields, but ready to leave. We grabbed a quick lunch by the National Museum and then explored a little of it as well. A quick nap and it was time to eat again...maybe this should be a culinary blog...we post a lot of pics of food. Cody had done some research and found a restaurant that helps to train Cambodians in the art of service. They provide excellent meals and help the students learn skills to acquire restaurant jobs in the future. It was great! We went to bed early in order to catch a bus to Sihanoukville (6hrs away).
Khemer Amok
Khemer Char K'Dout
Friends Restaurant
Wontons with Chili Sauce
Pineapple and Chili Ice Cream
Seeing Hands Massage
We spent a good deal of time on the bus sleeping and watching movies, but eventually we arrived in Sihanoukville. We spent two nights at the Malibu Bungalows where we could hear the ocean from our room. We had to watch out for the mosquitos and slept by fan- no A/C, but it was beautiful!
Malibu Beach Bungalows
Nice way to relax in the heat
What a view
Valentine's Day
Luckily, we were able to arrange for a private taxi from Sihanoukville to Siem Reap... it still took 8 hours, but we were glad to make the journey to see one of the Wonders of the World! We had a great time exploring the city: Pub Street, etc. and all of the temples...including a 20mile bike ride out to visit Angkor Wat. Cody planned a terrific spa day for my 27th Birthday and perhaps the best part of the trip was when my little brother, William, got released from the hospital in Texas... Thank the Lord!
Angkor Wat
Monkeying Around
Our book of info
Fish Massage
King Angkor Villas
You can't take Texas out of the Cooks!
All in all we had a wonderful trip seeing a different part of the world. We made lots of memories, but were very happy to come "home" to Singapore...especially when we had such great surprises waiting on us.
This week has been filled with new and fun experiences, but also with the realization of how far away from friends and family we are. My sweet little brother William (3yrs old) has been in the hospital for over a week with Ecoli 0157. He's been so sick and is now struggling with acute kidney failure as a complication from the toxins. The doctors are still confident in his recovery, but he's so small and it's beyond hard to be this far away. Not that we could do anything even if we were there- except give him a kidney, which obviously I'd be thrilled to do if it would make him well.
Feeling helpless is the the worst thing in the world for someone with my personality. It's a lesson that God has had to teach me over and over again in the last 10 years and I hate it. I know that I have to just let go of what I can't control anyway and trust that God will handle it the way He has planned and that all things work together for good for those who love Him. Well, I love the Lord and can only imagine the plans that he has for little William's life. This is just a bump in the road, but any and all prayers are heard by God and are so welcome.
Cody and I moved into our new place on Friday of last week and got 3/4 of our furniture delivered. Still waiting on our guest bed and couch, but it's starting to feel like home. No internet yet...I'm blogging in the quintessential coffee shop style right now, due to the free wi-fi. Ready to get on a schedule and be able to stay in contact with everyone at home better!
We're headed to Cambodia tomorrow for 8 days and plan to visit 3 different cities. It'll be a new country for both of us and we've made some pretty bold, "back-packer" plans. (Nothing that involves a motorcycle...yet)
I'll post pictures next time! The only new ones I have are of Chinese New Year... which basically is a Dollar Store explosion into a street filled with too many people to walk all topped off with the essence of Durian wafting in and out.... it was my worst nightmare; the pictures of my face are actually pretty hilarious.
