It has been a crazy few months and the end is not in sight. To give you a quick recap:
In September, Ken returned from a 3 week trip to the US with an "Exotic Fever", likely dengue fever and was sick for a solid month. There are a few hundred cases of dengue in Texas each year and Ken was lucky enough to pick it up while he was in Austin. Just as he was recovering, he received word that work wants him to work in China for much of the last 3 months of the year. We already had plans to attend a wedding in Agra, see the Taj Mahal and tour other sights in north India. We had invited a friend to come with us on the trip and the 5 of us had a great time on the week long trip. (that will be a separate post). We returned from the trip on a Saturday and on Monday Ken flew to Mumbai to apply for our Visas to China. He received the Visa on Saturday, 12 hours before his flight was scheduled to leave. There was a school function that night so the two of us went to the party and went straight from the party to the airport. 6 days later, the boys and I attended a Diwali celebration then went straight to the airport for our trip to China. We met Ken in Beijing for an 8 day trip. We visited The Great Wall, Tiananman Square, The Forbidden City and a few other places in Beijing. Ken needed to work part of the time we were there but he took a vacation day so we could take the overnight train to Xian to see the Terra Cotta Warriors. I will post more on that trip also. Ken will return in two days but he will need to leave again in two weeks, for 2 weeks, then he will be back for 5 days and then we are all off for a trip to Singapore.
In the middle of all of this, my medication (that needs to stay cool) was stuck in customs for over two weeks. After many emails and extra paperwork, it was finally delivered while I was in China. Thankfully, I had people willing to help ensure it was kept safe when it was delivered.
I have declared that we shall avoid all unnecessary travel in the months of January and February. We are all exhausted. If the trip to Singapore had not already been booked and paid for I would cancel that trip. It has been wonderful traveling and seeing so many wondrous things, but at some point your body just wants to stay in the same time zone and take a break. We figured out that in the last 5 month (one of which Ken was home very sick) Ken has spent at least one night in at least 15 cities, in 5 countries, on 3 Continents. We also figured out that in the last 9 months that Ken has been away from the rest of us for at least 12 weeks. In the past 4 weeks alone we have all been in 6 cities in 2 countries, seen 2 of the wonders of the world, taken planes, trains, and automobiles (and bus) and Ken has been in several additional cities. Did I mention we are all exhausted and need some quiet family time at home?
As I write this a memory has surfaced. I remember when I was a child in a small town and we were relatively poor. Our big vacation most years was to stay in a tent at the state park at the beach. I went to college on loans and grants not for the needy but for the "very needy". I dreamt that one day I would get to visit Russia. Not your typical place to dream of visiting but I wanted to see somewhere that was very different from where I was living. During my childhood, Russia was suppose to be the opposite of the USA so it seemed very exotic to me. Today, I live somewhere that is very different from my home town and I have the opportunity to travel to many exotic locations. In my wildest dreams, I never imagined I would be able to travel to this extent. I also never imagined I would ever travel to the point that I needed a break from traveling. I have not made it to Russia yet, but who knows what tomorrow will bring.
I will try to post more details about the trips (with pictures) but for now I just wanted to let everyone know what we have been up to in general and that I have not forgotten about everyone. We have simply not been home to call anyone. I hope to keep in touch better in the future.
In September, Ken returned from a 3 week trip to the US with an "Exotic Fever", likely dengue fever and was sick for a solid month. There are a few hundred cases of dengue in Texas each year and Ken was lucky enough to pick it up while he was in Austin. Just as he was recovering, he received word that work wants him to work in China for much of the last 3 months of the year. We already had plans to attend a wedding in Agra, see the Taj Mahal and tour other sights in north India. We had invited a friend to come with us on the trip and the 5 of us had a great time on the week long trip. (that will be a separate post). We returned from the trip on a Saturday and on Monday Ken flew to Mumbai to apply for our Visas to China. He received the Visa on Saturday, 12 hours before his flight was scheduled to leave. There was a school function that night so the two of us went to the party and went straight from the party to the airport. 6 days later, the boys and I attended a Diwali celebration then went straight to the airport for our trip to China. We met Ken in Beijing for an 8 day trip. We visited The Great Wall, Tiananman Square, The Forbidden City and a few other places in Beijing. Ken needed to work part of the time we were there but he took a vacation day so we could take the overnight train to Xian to see the Terra Cotta Warriors. I will post more on that trip also. Ken will return in two days but he will need to leave again in two weeks, for 2 weeks, then he will be back for 5 days and then we are all off for a trip to Singapore.
In the middle of all of this, my medication (that needs to stay cool) was stuck in customs for over two weeks. After many emails and extra paperwork, it was finally delivered while I was in China. Thankfully, I had people willing to help ensure it was kept safe when it was delivered.
I have declared that we shall avoid all unnecessary travel in the months of January and February. We are all exhausted. If the trip to Singapore had not already been booked and paid for I would cancel that trip. It has been wonderful traveling and seeing so many wondrous things, but at some point your body just wants to stay in the same time zone and take a break. We figured out that in the last 5 month (one of which Ken was home very sick) Ken has spent at least one night in at least 15 cities, in 5 countries, on 3 Continents. We also figured out that in the last 9 months that Ken has been away from the rest of us for at least 12 weeks. In the past 4 weeks alone we have all been in 6 cities in 2 countries, seen 2 of the wonders of the world, taken planes, trains, and automobiles (and bus) and Ken has been in several additional cities. Did I mention we are all exhausted and need some quiet family time at home?
As I write this a memory has surfaced. I remember when I was a child in a small town and we were relatively poor. Our big vacation most years was to stay in a tent at the state park at the beach. I went to college on loans and grants not for the needy but for the "very needy". I dreamt that one day I would get to visit Russia. Not your typical place to dream of visiting but I wanted to see somewhere that was very different from where I was living. During my childhood, Russia was suppose to be the opposite of the USA so it seemed very exotic to me. Today, I live somewhere that is very different from my home town and I have the opportunity to travel to many exotic locations. In my wildest dreams, I never imagined I would be able to travel to this extent. I also never imagined I would ever travel to the point that I needed a break from traveling. I have not made it to Russia yet, but who knows what tomorrow will bring.
I will try to post more details about the trips (with pictures) but for now I just wanted to let everyone know what we have been up to in general and that I have not forgotten about everyone. We have simply not been home to call anyone. I hope to keep in touch better in the future.
