On the journey to China (July and August 2011)

We have taken the time to go though the 11,000 plus photos we have taken with our camera since we were in Winnipeg (and got the new camera) up till our last trip (this weekend) to Hong Kong.
(A side note: we made a trip to Hong Kong to get me, (Matt), my third travel visa. I had one from Canada good till December. In December I went to Hong Kong and got one that was good for 30 days and I could enter China twice. I used those up and I used up the 30 days. I was able to get a 6 month visa and I can leave and enter China whenever I want now. )

Back to the photos...

We went to the park after we got the camera. Here is one of our new friends in Winnipeg.











After the park we went to Jenny's for the going away party (or as Jenny called "Bon Voyage").
We had a great time with our friends in Winnipeg. It made me (Matt) think of the summer of 2008 and how we always partied at Jenny's house and stayed up way too late and then had to try to work the next day.

After the party we started our drive to Ontario. We had a few stops before we got to Hamilton.

Our first stop on the trip. Kenora, Ontario. We went to the community center. I built this wall of rocks with Lakefront Restorers in October 2011. 3 guys and 3 days and we finished!

















Here we are in the car during our loooooong journey through Ontario. The weather was beautiful and we were stopped for about an hour due to construction, so we took the time to take some photos...








It was Amanda's first time in Toronto!!! We took the subway, saw the CN tower, CBC building, Matt's College, and the Toronto Skydome, (Roger's Centre), for hotdogs! We also went to a restaurant called O Noir. You eat in pitch black and are served by people who are blind. It was a pretty cool experience and the food was delicious! Thanks Candi and Wes for telling us about it! ;)

Next stop:
Niagara Falls. We met up with Matt's sister, Bobbie and went on a rainy day. It was beautiful!














Okay, that's it for now! Hope you enjoyed. Next up: Our first days in China!

Matt and Amanda :)

Holidays and Home Sweet Home...

Hello everyone!
So we are back from our long vacation and getting back into the routine of teaching and life in China.
Christmas Eve was spent with friends and we had a wonderful potluck supper. Then we walked around our community and looked at the lights display they set up for Christmas. Christmas morning was spent opening gifts and talking with family. We had a special dinner in the evening. The next day we left for Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (formerly Saigon).
Our holiday was spent in Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. We started in southern Vietnam and worked our way all the way up to the north. We spent a lot of hours on buses, (many of them sleeper buses), and saw a lot of the country. It was a bit of a whirlwind - we did the country in 12 days. Every city we went to in Vietnam felt very different from the next. It is a fascinating, busy country with a fascinating history. We were able to go to the DMZ area, walk in what used to be an underground city made up of tunnels, sleep on a boat in the beautiful Halong Bay, visit many caves, floating markets, museums, and markets. We also got some clothes tailor-made.
Next we went to Laos, where we slowed down quite a bit. We enjoyed the slow pace of the country, the beautiful landscape and the interactions we had with people. Some highlights were visiting and teaching at a couple of schools, working on an organic farm, and enjoying some really good food.
Our last country was Thailand. We decided to spend a week in the north of the country in a city called Chiang Mai. There we did a 2-day trek in the mountains, slept in a wooden house on stilts, rode elephants, went white-water rafting, helped build a bamboo fence at a school, visited with relatives, and did some sewing for a local orphanage. We had a great time there. In Bangkok we revisited where I lived and worked 5 years ago, spent Chinese New Year in Bangkok's Chinatown, went to a floating market and did some more shopping. We also went down to an island for a couple of days in the sun and on the beach.
We had a great trip, had unforgettable experiences, met great people, but we were glad to go "home" to our little apartment in China.
My first two days back at school with the kids have been great. It feels like a fresh start, and my kids have been working hard. They are little cutie pies :)
This weekend we went into Guangzhou with a friend to an all-you-can-eat Japanese/sushi restaurant. Today we ventured out to the Western Market in Guangzhou. Even though we are back from traveling, there are many adventures to be had here. Going out into Guangzhou is always an adventure. We are really blessed to enjoy where we live and where we work, and for the great opportunities we have to travel and see the world.

What’s new in your part of the world?

Blessings,

Matt and Amanda

(Posted by Amanda)

This is the view from our apartment.

Our little Christmas tree.

Matt at work. :)

Home sweet home

We are now back in the Clifford estates after travelling around southeast Asia for the last month. It was awesome! We went to Vietnam, Loa, and Thailand. We are working on get pictures up here soon. First we just need to go through the 3000 plus photos. We are glad to be in back in our apartment in China we missed it.

Posted by Matt