Howdy from America!

Never have the words "home sweet home" meant so much to us as they do this week. On our 300th day (exactly!) we headed home from London to Portland. We're all feeling a mix of emotions being home, like "did we just do that?" or "we WERE gone a really long time!", but mostly we are thrilled to have a home, friends and lives to return to.

For some reason, after all of our careful saving and budgeting for this adventure, we ended up spending our last couple of weeks in 2 of the most expensive cities on the planet. After a fun and sunny week in Provence, we headed for Paris and once again braved the summer tourist crowds in the City of Light. Highlights were frequent trips to the Eiffel Tower (near our hotel), regular morning visits to the patisserie for croissants and pain au chocolat and a trip to one of Emmett's favorites, Playmobil Park.

From Paris, we headed for London. We spent far more time negotiating the Paris train system and Charles De Gaulle Airport than actually flying, but finally made it on Aug. 1. Highlights in London were the Tate Modern Museum, good English beer and a visit to Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station (you Harry Potter fans know what I'm talking about...).

And now home in Portland...thanks to Deb's sister Tristin for meeting us at the airport (and for the goody box!). It's amazing how quickly we have all settled back into our house again and we are all thrilled by even the smallest things: familiar bed, home cooked meals and clothes that are NOT the same we've been wearing for 10 months.

(soapbox statement follows) As we all know, global climate change is an issue we can no longer ignore. We've experienced that first hand as nearly every place we visited was having "unusual" weather as the earth is trying to cope. We've calculated the "carbon profile" for our trip and are using a web-based group called Climate Care to offset our emissions by funding sustainable energy proects. We encourage you, as you make your future travel plans or even after you travel, to do the same. The site is www.climatecare.org.

Thanks to you, faithful blog-reader, we've had over 11,000 hits on this site! Words cannot express our thanks for the support we've received from our family and friends during this adventure. Even though there were only 4 of our traveling, we felt you all there along with us!

Bon Voyage for now...

-The Crawford Family

Home Sweet Home remains copyright of the author kcrawf, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Bonjour from Provence!

After a generous, fun filled stay with Mirjam in Rotterdam, we headed to the Eastern part of The Netherlands to the town of Enschede to visit even more friends! We met Nicoline and Sander while in Belize last year on our "trial trip" and took them up on their offer to come and stay. While there we toured the countryside by bicycle, shopped at Nicoline's store, visited a Saturday market and played a lot of games with their daughter 4 year old daughter Mara. Again - showered with kindness!

From The Netherlands we headed to Germany for a stay in a castle along the Rhine River. We explored hidden passageways, went for a beautiful hike, ate our fill or Schnitzel and Spatzel, and wandered the rolling hills and forests the country had to offer (a welcome break from the big cities we've been visiting). Oliver spent a good part of the afternoon collecting wildflowers and Emmett built a fort of branches.

Our next stop was Ulm, Germany where we stayed with a giving Servas family, Franz and Renate, who opened their doors to us after we spent an exciting day at Legoland playing and building. We then zipped down the highway to Freiburg where my (Debi's) brother resides during the summer months. We stayed in the city proper for a few nights in a friend's house before heading out to the countryside where Travis lives with a family of 5. Among other things, we celebrated Emmett's 5th birthday, helped feed the cows, picked wild mushrooms, blueberries, and raspberries and had great meals with Tamara, Markus, Mika and the twins.

Today we are ending a glorious week with Keith's entire family outside the small French Provencial town of Cazan. His parents host a reunion somewhere fabulous every two years - a wonderful way to keep the brothers and all of the cousins connected. The beautiful weather has kept us swimming, dining in the cool of the evening with fresh local cuisine and getting to know one another again. What a treat!

Tomorrow we head to Paris to 4 nights, then London for 4 more before returning home. Wishing you all the same blessings at home that have been bestowed upon us here...The Crawfords

The Hills are Alive... remains copyright of the author kcrawf, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Groeten from The Netherlands!

We are fast approaching our ninth month on the road and are all starting to feel a bit anxious for home. We have 5 weeks left to go (fly home August 5) and are excited about the final adventures awaiting us, determined to enjoy every one.

We also wanted to share with you all some of "realities" of travel that don't make their way into the bright and wonderful world of our blog. To be honest, travelling constantly with 2 young kids for a long period of time has its challenges. We've had our share of long bus rides, questionable accomodations and unrecognizable food. Just recently we got on the wrong train, had to hop off at the next stop and spend a fortune on a taxi to race to the airport to catch a flight. We have had more than a few meals where Emmett would order only bread for lack of a better choice. Not to mention the frequent trips to bathrooms that nearly defy description. Top that off with 24/7 family togetherness for 270 days (we love each other dearly but that is a LOT of togetherness) and you've got an idea of some of our challenges. These, however, are the challenges that have made us all appreciate the good old USA (despite the current administration), our city, our friends, our family and mostly each other.

Now, back to the fun... After our last entry we spent a few relaxed days on the island of Syros, Greece. We explored the beaches, rented scooters and enjoyed the great food (yogurt with honey, fresh seafood and gyros).

We then spent 2 great weeks in Italy arriving first in Milan from Greece. Our highlights there were a local pizza place near our hotel (best pizza we've had yet, claims Emmett) and seeing Da Vinci's "Last Supper". We had made reservations weeks before - a must in tourist choked Italy. The painting covers a wall in a small, unassuming church (in what used to be the dining hall of the monks) and is just spectacular.

From Milan we travelled by train to Venice. We stayed in a great old hotel there and enjoyed roaming the narrow pathways, watching how life works in a city with water streets and finding the best gelato shop. We finally decided to splurge and took a gondola ride (80€ or about $110 for 35 minutes!) but it was fun and a great way to learn about the city.

We then travelled to Florence, an amazing city full of history and incredible art. Deb found an apartment for us to rent about 3 blocks from the Duomo. We ate most of our meals in (a treat for us at this point) and the boys enjoyed having a place to call home for a few days. We climbed the Duomo tower (465 steps!), visited the Uffizi gallery (Michaelangelo and Botticelli) and took long walks after dinner.

Our final destination in Italy was Rome. We had booked 2 cabins in a campground in a suburb of Rome as a break from the crowds and city. It had a good pool (which was necessary as it was hot!) and the boys enjoyed having some room to run around. We travelled into Rome (shuttle bus to train, train to subway, subway into city) and joined the masses in visiting the Colesseum and Vatican City. We were all amazed to hear about the crazy events that used to take place in the Colesseum (not the least of which was a fight between a man and a hippo!) The Sistine Chapel is truly incredible and we were glad we braved the crowd and heat to see it.

We then flew from Rome to Barcelona, Spain and a different sort of week. I was fortunate enough to have some good buddies from home fly over to join me for our first ever "International Boys Trip". We had fun taking in the sights, trying the local sangria and even managed a round of pitch-and-putt golf. Travis Dietz joined Deb and the boys (2nd time so far this trip!) at an apartment and they had fun navigating the subway and exploring the architect Gaudi's works like The Sagrada Familia Cathedral, just blocks from their place.

Last night we flew to Amsterdam and are now visiting Deb's friend Mirjam and her family (with whom we also met up in Portugal earlier) in Rotterdam. We are again enjoying unbelievable kindness of our friends as Mirjam has provided us with a place to stay, use of a car and is a great host teaching about all things Dutch.

We look forward to seeing a lot of our friends and family in August when we return and hope you all are having a fabulous summer.

Gyros, Gondolas, Gelato & Gaudi remains copyright of the author kcrawf, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Yassas from Greece!

On May 10th, we left Portugal making our way to Malaga, Spain to meet my parents: Bill and Barb Dietz. On the way, we made a stop in Seville taking in a dramatic Flamenco show (which an exhausted Emmett slept through). We spent a week relaxing with G-ma and G-pa at a condo on the beach; playing mini-golf, eating in, learning how to make sangria and catching up with the folks - (thanks mom & dad!).

From there we flew to Melilla, Spain (an ancient enclave still owned by the Spanish on the northern tip of Africa) where we were met by an old teaching friend of mine, Melodie, before travelleing into Morocco. The border crossing was colorful and one of our more memorable: smugglers with everything from sneakers to cereal, families returning home and a guy with a fridge on his back (!) all sharing the dusty road into Morocco.

From the border we travelled to the city of Fes where we spent the day wandering the Medina (old walled city) taking in the exotic sights, sounds and smells. The Tannery, where they soften and color animal hides, was fascinating. We were all given branches of mint to hold under our noses while we toured around to block out the smell. Donkeys carried loads and people through narrow streets as men answered the Muslim call to prayer and headed towards the mosques.

Next we made our way to Izemouren where the non-profit group "Friends of the Rif" is based. This small group of workers is helping rebuild several mountain villages after a devestating earthquake in 2004. Our friend Melodie has been there for 7 years and welcomed us into their home to live and work for 10 days. While there, sharing the 2 bathrooms with 20 people, we white-washed houses, carried rocks, mixed and poured a concrete floor, picked and shoveled a foundation, all by hand, Moroccan style. We enjoyed interacting with the Rifi people (the local kids loved drawing, playing dice games and building Legos with the boys) and picking up a few Arabic words along the way.

After a few hours of work in the morning, the family on whose house we were working would bring out sweet mint tea, flat bread and olive oil as thanks. Lunch time was shared with the Moroccan workers in the new building soon to be a Community Center, scooping up Chicken Tagine with our hands. One lucky day they prepared for us goat organs and testicles - yum!

During our stay we were all refueled in different ways. Oliver loved the volunteer group visiting from Arizona and the full-time guys from England and the U.S. (always someone to play a game with). Keith and I enjoyed working outside and interacting with and meeting new people - including rekindling a friendship with Melodie (keep up the great work Mel and keep practicing your ping-pong!). Emmett was happy to unpack his backpack and stay put in one place for 10 days. Both Oliver and I celebrated birthdays this week that neither of us will ever forget. We were all blessed by Melodie, Tom, Nate, Joey, Danni, Danni, Musa, Big Mo, Smalls, Brian, Siham, Selawa and the villagers.

Today we are relaxing on the Galissa Beach on the island of Syros, Greece after traveling through 4 countries in 4 days to get here. Soon we will be off for Italy - there's still time to book that flight to meet us! Missing you all...

Little by Little... remains copyright of the author debic, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Bom Dia from Portugal!

We've returned to the northern hemisphere this month and are all happily enjoying spring time in Portugal. So far our plan of following the sun is working out well as we've had either spring or summer since we left Portland in October.

During the last week of April we finished our time in South Africa along the Garden Route. We watched, fed and the boys even rode Ostriches in the Ostrich capital of the world, Oudtshoorn. We then spent a couple of days in the "Napa Valley of S. Africa" - a town called Franschhoek wishing our wine friends (you know who you are!) were there with us to enjoy some of the fantastic local vintage. Finally, we returned to Cape Town for one last tour - a sobering and moving visit to Robben Island, the prison where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years behind bars. A former political prisoner was our tour guide who shared his story - his spirit of hope and reconciliation was inspiring for us all.

We then flew from Cape Town to Lisbon, Portugal - a beautiful, vibrant, fun city and a great place from which to start exploring Latin Europe. Our Portuguese friend and former Portlander, Patricia Gaspar met us in Lisbon and helped us navigate the city, the menus and the sights. We then drove north to the city of Leiria, Patricia's hometown. Oliver got to spend a day working with Patricia, helping teach English to the local kids. Her family has a beach house in nearby Pedrogao that they graciously offered us as a home base for our visit here. Once again, our friends have shown incredible kindness and generosity. Patricia even did some babysitting for us so we could enjoy a rare night out...Obrigada!

We were joined for a few days by our friends from The Netherlands: Mirjam, Marc, Isabel and Carsten. It was nice for us all to have some friends join us here as we visited the local sights including The Monastery at Batalha, the walled city of Obidos, the University town of Coimbra and the Leiria Castle. The Leiria area is also home to the famous Chapel of Fatima - where, as legend has it, 3 young shepherds were visited by The Lady of The Rosary and then many people witnessed a miracle on May 13, 1917. As this day draws nearer, we are seeing many pilgrims walking (and some crawling on their knees) towards Fatima from the surrounding areas.

We continue our adventure as we head for Spain on May 12th. Missing you all and wishing you a warm and beautiful spring...

Big Birds, Chardonnay and Castles remains copyright of the author kcrawf, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Sawubona from South Africa!

We are alive and well and now in our 8th country, 3rd continent and approaching our 7th month on the road! We all had a fabulous week in Perth, Australia thanks to our gracious hosts: Amy, Chris, lil' Oliver, Rodney, Clair, Victoria and especially our roommate John who put up with us all invading his home. Thanks to them, we are now fairly well versed in the rules of cricket, know the best fish 'n chips spot in Fremantle and are all huge Bombers fans (Aussie Rules team from Essendon).

We then hopped on another plane and headed due west (for 11 hours!) to Johannesburg, SA. We were fortunate enough to have a great guide and driver from our guest house, Patrick, who showed us around. We visited the township of Soweto, site of famous uprisings during the era of Apartheid and home to some of South Africas most beloved people (Desomond Tutu and Nelson Mandela among others). We visited the hauntingly powerful Apartheid Museum and even got to tour Nelson Mandela's home where he lived prior to being imprisoned.

We then drove northeast about 6 hours to Thornybush Game Reserve, a private game park adjacent to the famous Kruger National Park. We all quickly settled in to enjoy our first (and probably last) 5-star accomodation as a splurge we felt was worthwhile. We spent the next 3 nights and 4 days seeing and learning about the amazing animals, eating fabulous food and enjoying the beauty of Africa. Our daily schedule was up at 5 (!), coffee at 5:30 and then on to the open-air Land Rover for a sunrise game drive. Back for a hearty breakfast around 9, then time for swimming, relaxing until lunch at 1. Tea and coffee at 3:30 and then back out for another evening/sunset drive until about 7, followed by an amazing dinner. Brendan was our Ranger and Rexon our Tracker for our entire visit and we all enjoyed learning from them about life in the bush. We saw almost too many animals to count, but among the favorites were the White Rhino, an entire Pride of Lions, a Leopard and a surprising (and small) favorite, the Flap-necked Chameleon. The safari was a trip highlight that we will not forget...

We then returned to Jo-burg and flew southwest this time bound for Cape Town. We stayed for 6 nights in a small beach town south of the city called Scarborough. From there, we launched day trips to Table Mountain overlooking the city, Boulders Beach and its penguin colony and Simons Town. We are now 500 kms east of Cape Town, along the famous Garden Route in a town called Knysna - famous for its hiking, forests and resident sea creature the Sea Horse. This area looks a lot like Oregon and makes us all a bit homesick, but nothing that a good cup of coffee and a long hike won't cure.

On April 26 we fly to Lisbon, Portugal to begin our final 3 months in Europe. We miss you all and hope our Portland family and friends are starting to dry out from the long wet winter. Until next time....

Where the Wild Things Are remains copyright of the author kcrawf, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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G'day from Australia!

We began the Australian leg of our adventure in the fabulous city of Sydney - the Opera House, Harbor Bridge and Toranga Zoo among our favorites. We were blessed by a family (Simone, Stuart, Alice & the twins) who welcomed us into their home after only meeting us once in a cafe in Kyoto, Japan! They helped us plan our 5 weeks in Australia - stops that included Port Douglas and the Great Barrier Reef, Darwin and Kakadu National Park, Alice Springs and Ayers Rock, then on to Perth on the West Coast. Each place is startlingly different from the last.

In Port Douglas we enjoyed having our own condo (out of the backpackers lodges - yippee!) with a pool and a short walk from the beach, town and harbor. We made 2 snorkel trips to the Reef, wearing stinger suits to keep safe from the jellyfish (it's a good look, really). It is truly an amazing coral reef filled with more fish than we could count.

In Darwin we learned more about the Aboriginals and animal life in the monsoon rain forest. We were awaken by Cockatoos from our "bush bungalow" and during our days watched dingos, wallabies, wild horses and a vast array of bird and insect life. After visiting so many of them, the boys are now creating their own "cultural centers" wherever we go.

Leaving the humidity (and welcoming the black flies) we flew to Alice Springs - the great Outback desert. Wearing fly nets over our heads to keep the buggers at bay, we hiked around the base of Ayers Rock (9.5 kms!) and through the spectacular Kings Canyon. On our drive out of the park we spotted a wild camel (there are 1/2 million of them roaming the desert here - who knew?)

Tomorrow we are off to Perth, our last stop before departing for South Africa. In Perth, we are once again blessed by the generosity of others with a place to stay and a car (thanks to Amy Jocker's niece Amy). We look forward to enjoying one more week in this bold and beautiful country.

Until our next entry, as the Aboriginals say - "boh boh" from the Outback...

Jellies, Didgeredoos and a Big Red Rock remains copyright of the author debic, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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We are in Australia now (see us in front of the Opera House?) but wanted to wrap up our 2 months in NZ with some of our favorites...

1. Exploring the Wellington BOTANICAL GARDENS

2. Reading "KAPAI THE KIWI" books in public libraries all over the place

3. Riding the LUGE in Queenstown

4. Going to the BAY OF ISLANDS and finding mussels

5. Visiting the Earthquake & Volcano exhibit at the TE PAPA MUSEUM in Wellington

6. Watching the Maori in their WAR CANOE in Rotorua

7. Going to AQUATIC CENTERS (big fancy swimming pools)

8. Cheering for the Wellington Hurricanes during their RUGBY game

9. Kayaking in CABLE BAY

10. Learning NZ birds: KIWI, Tui, Pukeko, Morepork & Kea

11. Riding BIKES around Nelson

12. Riding the snowcat and seeing Emperor PENGUINS at the Antarctic Experience in Auckland

13. Learning new Kiwi words like: jandals (flip flops), sunnies (sunglasses), LOLLIES (candy) and torches (flashlights)

We miss you guys and will see you all in 5 months (we're halfway!)...

-Oliver & Emmett

Oliver & Emmett's Top 13 Best Things About New Zealand remains copyright of the author Oliverc, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Cheers from New Zealand!

We are all fabulous down here and enjoying our second summer of the year. This truly is a land of jaw-dropping beauty and genuinely friendly locals have made us feel very welcome. January 17th marked our 100th day of travel - one third of the way through our trip. Oliver is busy with his homework, Deb is busy teaching him, Emmett is busy working on his letters and looking for cool keychains and I'm busy managing the budget. OK, so we're not really that busy (especially compared to our old lives) but we are certainly not lacking things to do....

On Jan. 24th, we left our cozy rental home in Nelson to take a whirlwind tour of the South Island. In 11 days, we drove 2350 kilometers and saw and experienced some amazing things. In Kaikoura, we hung out with a colony of seals. In Christchurch, we got up close and personal with real (and endangered) Kiwis and watched a traditional Maori performance. In Dunedin/Otago Peninsula, we saw Albatross soar and the rare Yellow-Eyed Penguins surf into their beach homes. In Te Anau, we stayed on a deer farm and took a cruise through the spectacular Milford Sound. It was raining (as it usually does in this area) and there were more spectacular waterfalls than we could count. In Queenstown, Deb and I took another sort of plunge, this one off the legendary 142 ft. Kawarau Bridge attached to Bungy cords - a thrilling way to take a dip in the river to say the least. The boys chose the luge (3-wheeled cart you drive down a mountain course) as their adventure sport. In Wanaka, we tackled the 1.5km outdoor maze at a wacky place called Puzzling World. And at the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers, we did lots of tramping (NZ term for hiking) and finally made our way to the ice (at least to a big chunk that had fallen off the glacier). We ended our tour with a final swing up the West Coast back to Nelson and are glad to be "home". Yesterday we had the privilege of taking part in the seasonal sheep shearing on the farm of the family that owns our house. We all helped give haircuts to about 100 of the 39 million (!) New Zealand sheep.

We are here for 2 more weeks and then will travel around the North Island before heading for Australia on March 1st. We send our love and warm weather wishes to all of our family and friends.

Kiwis, Maoris, Bungys...Oh My! remains copyright of the author kcrawf, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Cheers and Happy New Year from New Zealand!

Thanks to our amazing families and friends, we had a VERY Merry Christmas in Mui Ne, Vietnam. Santa even managed to find his way to our little beachside bungalow. We gave some of our travelling toys and books to local kids from the fishing village nearby and we all shared a blessed and unforgettable holiday together. We spent a fun New Year's Eve in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - our last hurrah in Asia after 3 months of travelling. We all enjoyed a street festival in central Ho Chi Minh City where the boys joined local kids trying their hands at various games and we toasted to a great year past and a fabulous one ahead with (believe it or not) Margaritas and Quesadillas. Despite the bombings in Bangkok, we boarded a flight on Jan. 1 and flew from Vietnam to Bangkok to then catch our flight to Auckland. The Thai people (at least the ones we spoke to in the airport) seemed unphased by the attacks and were refreshingly upbeat about the new year. 12 hours later we landed and although NZ is similar in many ways to the US, we have no doubt that we are far from home. It IS nice to once again enjoy some of the many things we take for granted in our safe little worlds- drinkable water, traffic signals (and drivers who obey them) and recognizable food. We rented a car and headed south, stopping at NZ's largest body of water, Lake Taupo and then to the southern tip of the North Island to Wellington. A ferry ride and bus trip later, we arrived in Nelson on the northern tip of the South Island - our home for the next 6 weeks. We've rented a house here and are enjoying some of the mundane things like cooking and laundry and unpacking. We are now in search of some cheap bikes, cheap groceries and cheap thrills - this is an expensive place (especially after Asia). We hope 2007 is off to a fabulous start for you all and might we suggest as an added resolution - meet us somewhere around the world! You still have 7 months to find us...

Down Under and Unpacking... remains copyright of the author kcrawf, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Xin Chao from Vietnam!

December 6th, we flew into the bustling Northern city of Hanoi, Vietnam and were welcomed by a multitude of scooters, people and shops of all kinds. Here we learned how to negotiate a street crossing with non-stop traffic zipping around us and refuse a purchase by the most persistent shop vendors. Calls of "you buy!", "where you from?", "special price", "lovely boys!", "cyclo ride-one hour!" echoed constantly. We had some fabulous Vietnamese foods like Pho Ga (chicken noodle soup) and Seafood in a Clay Pot with Green Banana and Silver (rice) Paper and took in the famous Water Puppet Theatre show. We then took a 3 day trip to Halong Bay ("Halong" translates into "where the dragon descends into the sea") and toured around a few of the 3000 islands in a Vietnamese Junk. Touring Monkey Island by kayak was a highlight until one of the monkeys nearly attacked us for a Pringle. By night train, bus, airplane and taxi we've travelled down Eastern coast through Hue, Hoi An, Nha Trang and finally to Mui Ne where we will spend Christmas. Highlights include exploring the many cultures of Vietnam at the Museum of Ethnography, Oliver steering our boat in Halong Bay (much to our surprise), bicycling through the rain (a bit of our good old Portland weather caught up with us), watching a Water Buffalo plow a rice field, hiking through the ancient city My Son with still visible signs of damage from the war in the 70s, and negotiating a fair price for a small rosewood sword for Emmett. Travel in Vietnam has not been without its challenges. The fact that it is a bit less travelled is both a blessing and source of frustration. It IS great for our budget: good hotel for 4 people with breakfast included: $25, dinner and dessert: $10, 5 hour bus trip: $3.

We are reminded every day of how lucky we are and so grateful for this experience and for our friends and family who've been so supportive. We are thinking of you all this holiday - and YES, there have been numerous Santa sightings on this side of the world -we hope he knows how to negotiate a thatched roof! We wish you a blessed season and a fabulous 2007!

Santa Sighted in Vietnam! remains copyright of the author debic, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Sabaidee from Laos!

We have had an amazing couple of weeks and continue to be enthralled by Southeast Asia. In Northern Thailand, we had the privilege of visiting a place called The Elephant Nature Park http://elephantnaturepark.org. This sanctuary takes mistreated or injured Asian elephants and gives them a second life. There are no rides on the elephants or other tricks performed, rather the guests and volunteers spend their days hiking with, feeding and bathing the 27 elephants. We spent 3 days there and truly enjoyed getting to know, by name, some of these magnificent creatures. A couple of favorites were Mae Boon and her baby Aura. They both were always hungry and we all enjoyed feeding time where we tossed whole pineapples, bunches of bananas and pumpkins right into their mouths.

After a few days in the restful and laid back mountain of Pai, our time in Thailand came to an end and we took the infamous 2-day slow boat trip down the Mekong River into Laos. We are now in a fabulous town, Luang Prabang - enjoying riding bikes around, eating (still) amazing food (fish cake wrapped in banana leaf for Debi, pizza for Emmett), visiting waterfalls and temples and meeting some other great travellers. Debi and Oliver have school every day while Emmett and I work on his letters and writing.

In two days, we leave for Vietnam where we will spend the rest of December. Our love and best wishes to you all!

Mae Boon and The Mekong remains copyright of the author kcrawf, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Sa-wat-dii Kha from Thailand!

These past few weeks have been filled with rest and adventure. We spent some wonderful time on two beautiful island beaches in Southern Thailand: Koh Samui and Koh Tao. Keith and I both had Thai massages on the beach ($7 for one hour!). Oliver and I took a snorkel daytrip around Koh Tao and the tiny island of Koh Nang Yaan (3 small islands connected by a sandbar). Oliver had his first motorbike ride on the way to the Thai doctor in our first official trip mishap. On our last day on the beach in Koh Tao, he stepped on some glass and we got to see firsthand the inner-workings of Thai medicine. $35, 20 minutes, 3 stitches (and a whole lot of screaming) later we were on our way. Soon thereafter, Emmett got seasick on the water taxi back to Koh Samui. Luckily that is all behind us as we are now in the Northern Thailand city of Chiang Mai. The food is fabulous: Pad Thai, Panang Curry, Green Papaya Salad, Fried Chicken with Cashews, Tom Kaa Gai Soup and of course, Pizza. Yesterday we hired a Tuk-Tuk (small scooter taxi) to drive us around and visited the Prah Singh Temple, an Umbrella Factory, Insect Museum, Wood Carving Center and Silk Factory. The boys were fascinated with the silk making process from the worm to the cocoon to the thread and finally the weaving. Last night Oliver and I took a Thai cooking class together. After shopping for our ingredients at the local market, we chopped, mixed, fried and stirred. We departed with full bellies and recipes to share with our friends when we return. We miss you all and Happy Thanksgiving!

Stitches and Silkworms remains copyright of the author debic, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Ni Hao from China!

We are now in our 4th week of travel (sometimes it feels like we've been gone 4 months!) and all is well. We had a great last week in Japan staying with the Tensaka family in Morita and enjoying some fabulous hospitality: amazing (and often mysterious) food, three 40th birthday parties for me, and Karaoke - all the while making some great new friends. We said goodbye to Travis (thanks for all of the help T-Bone!) and hopped our next plane to Beijing. Needless to say, China is very different from Japan. We are gathering some great research for Oliver's "Potties Around the World" book here. We have visited the Forbidden City, watched a Chinese Acrobats show, hiked along the Great Wall and eaten some interesting snacks (scorpions and squid at the Donganmen Yeshi Night Market to mention a few). Tomorrow, Nov. 5, we are off to Thailand and are all looking forward to getting out of the big crowded city and onto the beach! We hope everyone is fabulous and we miss you all...

Scorpion on a Stick remains copyright of the author kcrawf, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Konnichiwa!
We are slowly adjusting to life in Japan. Oliver is fixated with the fancy toilets (and some not so fancy) and Emmett is desperately hunting for pizza. The food for the rest of us is delicious: bento boxes with chicken or unagi (eel), pickled okra, rice, salad, miso soup, tempura, udon noodles and sushi. We are busily navigating the subways and train lines with Keith's good directions. Our Tokyo hotel is near the Shinjuku Station - one of the world's busiest with nearly 3 million users each day! Make that 3 million and four with us here. Oliver's new favorite place to be is the bathroom as the toilet is fascinating. Emmett decided he was happy to be in Japan while at the Nijo Castle in Kyoto and at the Pokemon Center in Tokyo. We are off tomorrow for a trip to Mt. Fuji and then will go up North with Uncle T-Bone to his old stomping grounds. It will be very different from Tokyo he keeps telling us. I guess that means no fancy toilets...Love to you all.

A Toilet Seat that Washes and Warms! remains copyright of the author debic, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Turning Japanese remains copyright of the author kcrawf, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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