The Howdens in China: 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.