A Taste of Home

I know, Christmas is a long way off, but I'm already excited to be in the U.S. this year.  I've already begun to envision all the yummy things and delightful moments I will be able to experience.  Lately I've been thinking about tea quite a bit.  Kim threw me a wonderful tea and cupcake birthday party because I've been going on and on about it for so long.  There's something wonderful about sipping tea with friends and family, and somehow sipping it out of cute little china cups makes it even more pleasant.

What is is about tea time that is worth looking forward to?  Here's what I look forward to about it in Columbia:
Each morning at home, almost no matter what time I wake up, a pot of tea awaits me. Recently my parents have begun making tea in a coffee pot (obviously one that has been purged of all coffee smell and taste).  There's always a pot on along with a can of the stuff that makes it twice as enjoyable as when I make it myself: evaporated milk.  Add some sugar and the best part is still to come.

After the tea is prepared, I go and sit down on our kitchen table bench and cross my legs. There's inevitably somebody there, whether it's my parents having their morning talk or whoever else is staying at the house at the time.  This Christmas I'll miss having Sam around to ask me to play guitar with him and Lucas and Jamie looking bleary eyed from a not so rest-filled night.  If Jamie was there, I could admire her ever artful breakfast. But no matter who is there, there's always somebody there, and we drink tea together... on a bench in the kitchen, tea with evaporated milk and sugar, made in a coffee pot, begun before anyone gets up in the morning.

And that's just one thing I look forward to about going home at Christmas.  I can't wait.

Summer Travels

I finally have internet here at home, so I'm inspired to write about my travels this summer.
Kim and I originally set out to have a cheap but enjoyable vacation traveling in China and exploring the beauty it has.

The Hump hostel in Kunming (I know, strange name)

We first set out for Kunming.  This is a major city in Yunnan province and Kim and I were immediately impressed.  The sky was blue and it somehow seemed less dirty and hustle/bustle than Wuhan. We stayed in a hostel with an awesome patio and view.

But Kunming was just a stopover point.  From there we took an 8 hour train to LiJiang and met an  Indian boxer who was happy to speak English with us.

Our train buddy

We spent 3 days in LiJiang.  Our activities included exploring, shopping, and hiking the Tiger Leaping Gorge.

Garden Inn Hostel in LiJiang

Tiger Leaping Gorge

Women in LiJiang

From LiJiang we took the 8 hour train back to Kunming and spent a night in the same hostel.  Then we had a flight to Guilin.  We only took the flight because they ran out of bed train tickets, and we aren't crazy enough to get a seat for 16 hours.  We took a 2 hour bus from Guilin to Yangshuo.

In Yangshuo, we enjoyed the "karst peaks" and unique mountains by kayaking, bike riding, and wandering around the town.

Kayaking in Yangshuo

Trippers Carpe Diem Hostel just outside Yangshuo

After Yangshuo we took the bus back into Guilin where we enjoyed 3 nights in a 5 star luxury hotel. What a way to end our trip!

We thoroughly enjoyed the pool at the Shangri-La

And then we were back in Wuhan.  We love our new apartment and feel so at home.  Photos to come, but below is one taste of the joy of our new place.

View from our last apartment (no, the guy was not always hanging there)

The view from our new living room (lest you be too amazed, this kind of sky comes only a few days a year in Wuhan)