tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69031222761053134932024-03-05T02:06:00.125-05:00Traveling with Annie and BlueUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6903122276105313493.post-86177037445261200362017-02-28T06:04:00.002-05:002017-02-28T06:04:34.106-05:00Annie and Blue in Penang<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">“Selamat” is how
people say “hello” in Malay. Penang is
an island that is part of Malaysia but the people on Penang just say “hello”
because they speak English, in fact, in school they teach both Malay and
English. A taxi driver told us that the
students spend more time studying American history than Malaysian history. He knew all about the Boston Tea Party and
George Washington. We were impressed
because we do not know much about Malaysian history. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">One of
the reasons that English is spoken on the island of Penang is because the
island was first settled by the English in the 1700s. It was the first English settlement in Asia. The
main city, Georgetown, was name in honor of England’s George III. The English
wanted a harbor on the Spice Route safe from </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">pirates. Today spices are easy to
get but in the 1700s they were very expensive in Europe. When Columbus sailed
west and landed in the Americas he was looking for a faster, cheaper way to get
to where the spices are grown. We
visited a Spice Garden where we learned about the many uses for spices and
their importance.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We
loved the diversity of Penang. About 40% of the people are Malay, another 40%
Chinese, 10% Indian and the rest a mixture of other groups. It makes the island very interesting. The Malay people are Muslim, the Chinese are
Buddhist, while the Indians practice the Hindu religion but there are many
Christian churches, too. The Buddhist and Hindu temples are very interesting
and colorful. Several times a day we could hear the Muslim call to prayer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">At our
hotel, the Holiday Inn Resort, there were Malay, Chinese, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Indian, Europeans,
and some from Saudi Arabia. Penang is a honeymoon destination for Saudis. The Saudi women are completely covered in an
abaya, which is like a long coat worn over their regular clothing. Some even
have a face veil with only their eyes visible.
When the lady eats she lifts up her veil just enough so they can get the
food to her mouth. It is interesting because there are Europeans in bikinis.
The Muslim women have a special swimsuit that covers everything but their face,
feet, and hands. One lady had a bright
pink one. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We were
lucky to be at the hotel for Chinese New Year. In the morning we received red
envelopes with chocolate money in it and a orange all symbols of good luck in
the future. There were some people with big drums and cymbals making a lot of
noise while other people set off fire crackers. The noise will drive away all
the bad spirits. Then there was a colorful lion dance with the noise of the
drums and cymbals. The hotel staff had tied small bunches of lettuce high </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">on
the walls. The lions had to jump up or
climb up (there are two people in each lion outfit – so one had to climb on the
other – tricky). When the lion gets the lettuce we all clapped. I was another
sign of good luck. Afterwards the hotel provided a <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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platter with small piles of colorful
food. Each food item meant something
special – long noodles means a long life.
Then using long wooden chopsticks we tossed the food in the air while
shouting <span style="background: white; color: #252525; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“Loh
Hey” </span><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">which literally means to
'move upwards.’ It is a wish for good fortunes to grow during the coming year.
It is called a </span>Prosperity
Toss. That night there were fireworks.
The day we left was a Hindu holiday. We wished we could have been there
to see the Hindu celebration.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6903122276105313493.post-81643450948034771762016-11-10T09:31:00.000-05:002016-11-18T17:18:39.358-05:00Annie and Blue visit Malta<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Can you find Malta on a map? It is in the Mediterranean Sea south</span><br />
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of Italy. The island is very historic. It was a crossroad for trading when the best and fastest way to get around was by water. The first settlers arrived about 7000 years ago and since then many groups of people have visited, conquered, and lived there. Malta was once a colony of England just like the United States. Malta gained its independence in 1964. Like most of the colonies of England the people speak English which made it easy for us to travel around. <br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Malta is an archipelago which means Malta is made up of several islands. The main island is called Malta. We visit St. John’s Cathedral in the capital of Valletta. It was beautiful with gold-covered pillars and painted ceilings. At one time the wealthy people were buried in the floor of the church. The names of those buried under the floor were carved in marble.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">We thought the many colorful balconies on the buildings that line </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">the streets were very attractive. We loved visiting Casa Rocca Piccola. It is a house/museum. The people still live in part of the house and the rest is open as a museum. When we visited the lady of the house was taking tickets and her husband, the Ninth Baron of Budach, was showing some of his family historical papers to visitors. He can trace his family back to the 1600s. How far can you trace your family back? Times were not always so calm and peaceful in Malta. During WW II Malta was heavily bombed. In April 1942 there was an average of 15 bombing raids a day. We went down into their bomb shelter where the family sought safety during bombings.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Today Malta is one of the safest countries but it wasn’t always like that. We saw a presentation at the fort on Gozo. When the fort was attacked in 1551 one of the soldiers saw that the invaders were winning. He didn’t want his family to be captured and made slaves so he killed them and then fought to his death. Over 3000 people did become slaves. What a hard decision to make.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Gozo is a 20-minute ferry ride from the main island. It is smaller </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">with less people and many interesting sites. Many movies have been made in Malta. The set for the movie “Popeye” is now a theme park. There is a cave where they say Ulysses, a Greek god, lived for many years on his long voyage. The Azure Window is a 164-foot </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">
high rock arch with a hole in it showing the blue (azure means blue) sea and sky. People have lived on Gozo for 7000 years. We visited one of the temples they built. Many of the stones used to build it were gigantic. Some weighed 50 tons. The average car weighs two ton. We wondered how they moved these huge stones and shaped them to fit without the tools and machines we have today. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWV_rKccEU0ZFu6T7OEP7rc1hmIxWn6Lu4Dn4Z0kDcQeZuxIXxS1Bs9musdOA1bZhp0BjJ7I5Xgk1BJ_Z62tnOeK3YU4NDIgDBkKea6vYNoBy90tChVYQvXd6wejn0bRSJZJ1ILn3cCOWH/s1600/Octopus11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWV_rKccEU0ZFu6T7OEP7rc1hmIxWn6Lu4Dn4Z0kDcQeZuxIXxS1Bs9musdOA1bZhp0BjJ7I5Xgk1BJ_Z62tnOeK3YU4NDIgDBkKea6vYNoBy90tChVYQvXd6wejn0bRSJZJ1ILn3cCOWH/s320/Octopus11.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">It is fun to visit new places. When we travel we like to try new food. Malta is an island so seafood is very popular. The chef where we stayed, Ramla Resort, showed us how to make a local favorite – pan-seared octopus Maltese style. Have you ever eaten octopus? We had not. We both tried it. One of us loved it. The other liked the flavor but thought the octopus was too chewy. The favorite dessert is the deep-fried date pastries served warm with homemade ice cream. We both loved that. Happy travels.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6903122276105313493.post-21973650118115596282016-03-02T06:35:00.000-05:002016-03-02T06:35:05.785-05:00Annie and Blue visit Nicaragua<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_82tMkmA7eVl18g7VbbBp9ltXOB6M0qW5Bl7bOcC14bvvtH9IYCWc7vCJ94uv5i4Hr9bv4rqA1LWKSAXZRVn3H3fU2Hl4kQZod0TdNm4nJbqr8pR_33rZGBD6FnPNMUOvd7nkmAg-fwND/s1600/DSC04111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_82tMkmA7eVl18g7VbbBp9ltXOB6M0qW5Bl7bOcC14bvvtH9IYCWc7vCJ94uv5i4Hr9bv4rqA1LWKSAXZRVn3H3fU2Hl4kQZod0TdNm4nJbqr8pR_33rZGBD6FnPNMUOvd7nkmAg-fwND/s320/DSC04111.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Can you find Nicaragua on a map?</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">It is the largest country in Central America
and it has a coast on both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">While in Nicaragua we visited an island in
Lake Nicaragua.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Lake Nicaragua is the 19</span><sup style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">
largest lake in the world and one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">The island we visited is called Ometepe which
in the ancient language of the Nahuati people of Nicaragua means two
</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggk1GW8HXoIG5PNR_Dgy5fMtDNh16jgBl9P4fbEF41Lr4IMrFDwU4yawnQguIPdIK2k1oaecMuqNAksBIPBCwazb0-EJEnjkfTuG7I3L0UlCaK8KKSvec-T-AnRBvY0YbsYQcrQhILTScg/s1600/Conception+Volcano+on+Omepete+Island.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggk1GW8HXoIG5PNR_Dgy5fMtDNh16jgBl9P4fbEF41Lr4IMrFDwU4yawnQguIPdIK2k1oaecMuqNAksBIPBCwazb0-EJEnjkfTuG7I3L0UlCaK8KKSvec-T-AnRBvY0YbsYQcrQhILTScg/s320/Conception+Volcano+on+Omepete+Island.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
mountains.<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">The island has two volcanoes.
One is dormant (inactive) but Conceptcion is still active.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">It last erupted in 1957 but in 2010 it spit
out a lot of ash and rocks.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">It creates a
problem when it rains a lot for several days because there can be huge
landsides of ash and rocks. That happened in 2014 when the ash and rocks
blocked the road and destroyed some houses in its path.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">At one time, many thousands of years ago the
two volcanoes were not connected by land but now they are.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">The sands washed in and over a very long
period of time created an isthmus.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">That
is where the best beaches are.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Mark Twain who wrote “Tom Sawyer” loved to travel. When </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwOtSW2G8DxmzDri5rILTmqQW8dy30n5q5eo-vvabwt7NEth8aSejvNQqGbdGkvieVvOWoTfLXCuOBKRK2XK1sGQGqrXMTydCXe-nGXAENbfM61Uw5SBcKRgUY7E9lpecU7Vyqsqhv3a6/s1600/DSC04061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwOtSW2G8DxmzDri5rILTmqQW8dy30n5q5eo-vvabwt7NEth8aSejvNQqGbdGkvieVvOWoTfLXCuOBKRK2XK1sGQGqrXMTydCXe-nGXAENbfM61Uw5SBcKRgUY7E9lpecU7Vyqsqhv3a6/s320/DSC04061.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Twain visited Ometepe he said the island
was, “<span style="background: white; color: #333333;">Two magnificent pyramids, clad in the
softest and richest green, all flecked with shadow and sunshine, whose summits
pierce the billowy clouds.” It still looks that way today. Things may change. A very rich Chinese man wants to build a
canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific through Nicaragua. It would be bigger than the Panama Canal so
that wider ships could use it. Nicaragua
was considered the best place to build a canal in the early 1900s but for
various reasons the canal was built through the Isthmus of Panama. If a canal
is built across Nicaragua there will be many changes in Nicaragua and Ometepe.
Many people don’t think there will be a second canal because it would cost a
lot of money. </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQWS3qTePJTYFd7ePa5keeCiKhgVeZnMVMWgoFl8FAjzFV8d12VfKM8_03FkEjgtWH-IMBy0bwYqXqPlWx8dDfKLSXiMH5GYg_6iCV-K6qAiWlNd-6MlEhnXMSVSkaWCNz-2DWYs0DJdb/s1600/Carla+showing+us+around+the+museum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQWS3qTePJTYFd7ePa5keeCiKhgVeZnMVMWgoFl8FAjzFV8d12VfKM8_03FkEjgtWH-IMBy0bwYqXqPlWx8dDfKLSXiMH5GYg_6iCV-K6qAiWlNd-6MlEhnXMSVSkaWCNz-2DWYs0DJdb/s320/Carla+showing+us+around+the+museum.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">At one time the island was home to the Nahauti people. We
visited a museum where Carla showed us around. There are a lot of artifacts
(objects made by people long ago) that one man has collected to create his
museum. The island has been occupied for
at least 5000 years. The ancient people
created </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1GJNguJ2EE_0nl_8k3cYPb1GWYQHiXrqUsGjmL0t25GqNUXHB4MbpAfp-WsH2Ifp6iXE8acOn4SYAqLX2SoWFJjsZ9Tr2kLYG7gOVxRupJ_mnX689TnZ0tJdNkkO26GrYrSIyuZiwSWb/s1600/Burial+jars+at+museum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1GJNguJ2EE_0nl_8k3cYPb1GWYQHiXrqUsGjmL0t25GqNUXHB4MbpAfp-WsH2Ifp6iXE8acOn4SYAqLX2SoWFJjsZ9Tr2kLYG7gOVxRupJ_mnX689TnZ0tJdNkkO26GrYrSIyuZiwSWb/s320/Burial+jars+at+museum.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">beautiful pottery and carvings on rocks called petroglyphs. There were interesting large clay containers
that the people were buried in. It was
their version of a casket. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The museum also had a section devoted to money. Every new president issues new money but the
earliest people used cocoa beans for their money. Chocolate is made from the cocoa beans. For
100 cocoa beans one could buy a slave.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">One day we stopped at the home of Jairo Sandino in Los
Ramos. An 83-year-old man, Fauto Aleman,
has been teaching his family the culture of the island. Like most of Central
America the culture comes from the Spanish who conquered the area over 500
years ago. Mr. Aleman played the guitar, sang and danced for us. For one song he put on a mask which
represents the Old Man in the Mountain. His very pretty granddaughters,
Scarleth Aleman </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiicNSaxANjH_De_Uixg6RcqukRcm-AhMsLSqsn6Pf8JvuYrQHtzUvKD-0FEHcrr9eFectA11iG5MnvJVsu4lnOyUbT3FiCx_xitOyQu6USWfjwdx73HZ9Pm3CX3EPQLTNw4WTdg7l4pdlC/s1600/DSC04124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiicNSaxANjH_De_Uixg6RcqukRcm-AhMsLSqsn6Pf8JvuYrQHtzUvKD-0FEHcrr9eFectA11iG5MnvJVsu4lnOyUbT3FiCx_xitOyQu6USWfjwdx73HZ9Pm3CX3EPQLTNw4WTdg7l4pdlC/s320/DSC04124.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Martinez and Alba Ligia Sandino danced for us as did Alba’s
father. One dance was about a bull fight
with Alba’s father pretending to be the bull.
The entertainment took place in their home which made it seem more
special. We think it is <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM3IuC37GPdNv0XgH1Lp4Qi60Mtf2T6hXTPhl7AWSYFWGJPmq5aKfz6_WGO4mKbeAOn4KC1vIyazGudgoJOeuyKuJRzvZEFO2v4no7mTUat5vwe6ze3EA0TxrXh9YyNJJZ8yOj3HRdBBim/s1600/Cultural+show.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM3IuC37GPdNv0XgH1Lp4Qi60Mtf2T6hXTPhl7AWSYFWGJPmq5aKfz6_WGO4mKbeAOn4KC1vIyazGudgoJOeuyKuJRzvZEFO2v4no7mTUat5vwe6ze3EA0TxrXh9YyNJJZ8yOj3HRdBBim/s320/Cultural+show.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
important for
people to remember their culture and share it with others. Just about everyone
in Nicaragua has a cell phone and even the smallest, one-room homes (some
without indoor toilets) have a satellite dish so the people know more about the
United States than most of the people in the United States know about
Nicaragua. With all the modern
technology many places, worldwide, and losing their old ways and adopting
American ways.</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6903122276105313493.post-76823584516908327942016-03-02T05:59:00.001-05:002016-03-02T05:59:48.434-05:00Visitng Copan in Honduras<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaXRi3kO148lNFiLG2WUPQKHTfEsTdwT1F_2sm1ck12raLwQmxzi67k9XnnkOK9Uf8Le_qorbk5A2hasqrze1Qjz2XgpbFw5D23WPqxWbEqv3bE2dxNJKpISJ5lSbTAnNCgkv8aSNtpz0o/s1600/Copan+model.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaXRi3kO148lNFiLG2WUPQKHTfEsTdwT1F_2sm1ck12raLwQmxzi67k9XnnkOK9Uf8Le_qorbk5A2hasqrze1Qjz2XgpbFw5D23WPqxWbEqv3bE2dxNJKpISJ5lSbTAnNCgkv8aSNtpz0o/s320/Copan+model.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Ever wonder what the place where we live will be like in 1000 years? We do. Some people say the climate is getting warmer and that the ice caps are melting. If that happens many of the places along the water may be underwater. We visited the amazing Mayan ruins of Copan in Honduras. The Mayan people created a large, powerful </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfAu4YuN3eBuZPEBvE7LvCPq8n3zHJPS-Lv-Iaw7L6qnOxq5ZV4hefY_uTzd6muaj-1Z0Mx5RztT1qZGMpa5SML57QEtnKKCTtvfSt2txExhUiU3ApIco8v9fZs3vCLEYanXmDoF0waRtM/s1600/Copan+-+staircase+sketch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfAu4YuN3eBuZPEBvE7LvCPq8n3zHJPS-Lv-Iaw7L6qnOxq5ZV4hefY_uTzd6muaj-1Z0Mx5RztT1qZGMpa5SML57QEtnKKCTtvfSt2txExhUiU3ApIco8v9fZs3vCLEYanXmDoF0waRtM/s320/Copan+-+staircase+sketch.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">nation in Central America many, many years ago. We doubt the Mayans ever thought their flourishing city would one day be overtaken by the jungle. Copan is just one of the great Mayan cities with pyramids, temples, and where art flourished. Copan is considered the most artistic of the Mayan cities and sometimes referred to as the “Athens of the Mayan World.” Copan started as an agricultural settlement around 1000 BC and reached its peak between AD 300 and 900. Today all that is left are the impressive stone works. At <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaM5TJ6OW3Fy1vFj3PqjbnOZyjhHDkPON20jlGqVt7IJpN9uZRaSak3bl-80qodPZ_bR3b_DFnuBmZp8BwvfBb_h_ww9dAvXC7eDIGXAcClysPCB9fETOZl-EZcB_SC62IY_xlDuI5X4G9/s1600/Copan+Temple+16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaM5TJ6OW3Fy1vFj3PqjbnOZyjhHDkPON20jlGqVt7IJpN9uZRaSak3bl-80qodPZ_bR3b_DFnuBmZp8BwvfBb_h_ww9dAvXC7eDIGXAcClysPCB9fETOZl-EZcB_SC62IY_xlDuI5X4G9/s320/Copan+Temple+16.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
one time the temples were bright and colorful. We wondered what happened to this once great city. We were told that one problem was that they had too many wars and also the city grew so big they could not raise enough food to feed their people. Another problem was disease brought to them by European explorers. We have some of these problems today: war, people going hungry and disease. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAV67dQnyYJYJ5_awnJX_tq1HeIvUaKKQReepy9Zv4G4SIQty1YXz4ca6CiDJgOcR0lF-2K8wASImsQjzWSPrVTmqZqYWe911LG_4OIBR-zfUBcYSRnwbNwYFhcMUzlgq5eFjR4d_AbQ5C/s1600/Copan+-+staircase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAV67dQnyYJYJ5_awnJX_tq1HeIvUaKKQReepy9Zv4G4SIQty1YXz4ca6CiDJgOcR0lF-2K8wASImsQjzWSPrVTmqZqYWe911LG_4OIBR-zfUBcYSRnwbNwYFhcMUzlgq5eFjR4d_AbQ5C/s320/Copan+-+staircase.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">One of the most impressive sites is the hieroglyphic staircase which contains over 1250 blocks of stone. Hieroglyphics are designs, symbols, and/or pictures used to tell a story instead of words made from an alphabet. Each stone of the stairway is engraved with part of a Mayan story. When the staircase was discovered many of the stones had been disturbed by nature and people looking for treasure. At one time the Mayans were very rich and had a lot of gold. When stones were replaced in the </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCYkbiVE9g0SOJE0O-V7B7C50pvIlsGwmKU_C55y1esBmB-_tRcvNXLnNwZiXkN1UMJMofxXDuoujEHf7ESsI5cHIvh8ZriQbRo_qNj_IZigrBSvk4iDstFUnAbytFdUQng3DhMfnAnqlX/s1600/Copan+-+glyph+in+museum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCYkbiVE9g0SOJE0O-V7B7C50pvIlsGwmKU_C55y1esBmB-_tRcvNXLnNwZiXkN1UMJMofxXDuoujEHf7ESsI5cHIvh8ZriQbRo_qNj_IZigrBSvk4iDstFUnAbytFdUQng3DhMfnAnqlX/s320/Copan+-+glyph+in+museum.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">stairway the people didn’t understand the language so the stones were not put back in the proper place. The staircase it like a history book with 1250 loose pages with no page numbers and in a foreign language. Even today we don’t know what all the hieroglyphics mean so we only know part of the story. There is much to learn. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlrevgKC5WpihG8GeoHXwernhfyUuxFV7WzsyPFyDeT-4RRadUKMFy3tMies880nG8PPqbNC6PB3-6kDMQuCk59qzfFRCPICxKMYp1Clsd42gLstbHUQ9cfM4U_O38XBuvEfTr3-9RCXvN/s1600/Copan+-+ball+court.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlrevgKC5WpihG8GeoHXwernhfyUuxFV7WzsyPFyDeT-4RRadUKMFy3tMies880nG8PPqbNC6PB3-6kDMQuCk59qzfFRCPICxKMYp1Clsd42gLstbHUQ9cfM4U_O38XBuvEfTr3-9RCXvN/s320/Copan+-+ball+court.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">One of fascinating sites is the ball court. The game was popular throughout Central America and it was more than just a game. It was often part of a religious ceremony where the losers not only lost the game but their lives. The exact rules are not known but the object was to get the rubber ball through one of the rings high on the side wall. The players couldn’t use their hands. Today the site is quiet but sitting on one of the benches looking around at the impressive stone temples and altars we </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-p4j3phrZUecwWkyz7YQCBELtighRy9H4hZprB3sZBfmt7N0ed_RNq0c8G9WGOQWMAgIpyTIUv3sGesIO3NNRXUHxWyB21WgM31H7aoXccpPjl3ysHlSla2ESudWe490VZKtW-WHlk-NO/s1600/Copan+-+temple+in+museum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-p4j3phrZUecwWkyz7YQCBELtighRy9H4hZprB3sZBfmt7N0ed_RNq0c8G9WGOQWMAgIpyTIUv3sGesIO3NNRXUHxWyB21WgM31H7aoXccpPjl3ysHlSla2ESudWe490VZKtW-WHlk-NO/s320/Copan+-+temple+in+museum.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">wondered what Copan was like when it was full of people and all the buildings were painted bright colors. At the museum we saw a large model of the Rosalila Temple. It is beautiful. From pictures we know the rulers and religious people were brightly dressed and often used the bright feathers from the local birds like the beautiful Macaws to decorate their headpieces and clothing. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZh4owDjtnX73VQOw6UrIjonxmGS9cF41ffEZ_Oyc1Qecac3pZzihiRKXp89Gvm67MnIaZwQ7__1f_1d8VGjZGVB93aY-fiNSlzHbaYfpuM-Ey1L0xtE_YjH7iBQrbndQf2IsGszs5S8Vk/s1600/Copan+-+Macaws2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZh4owDjtnX73VQOw6UrIjonxmGS9cF41ffEZ_Oyc1Qecac3pZzihiRKXp89Gvm67MnIaZwQ7__1f_1d8VGjZGVB93aY-fiNSlzHbaYfpuM-Ey1L0xtE_YjH7iBQrbndQf2IsGszs5S8Vk/s320/Copan+-+Macaws2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Not far from Copan is the Macaw Mountain Bird Park & Nature Reserve where there are many macaws and other colorful birds. The people at the park are working to protect, preserve and breed macaws and then reintroduce them back into the wild. Several of the bright, beautiful macaws are once again free to fly in and around the great city of Copan. </span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6903122276105313493.post-28960804344560388792015-11-24T12:12:00.000-05:002015-11-24T12:12:38.929-05:00Annie and Blue explore Bonair<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjESV_iFW9V91rwT3vQ86it3AC7VJgAoJE-lyhy1P2aQt8w549jYKl7b_LlsX9AwKJZ_Wfb2lXowVZ4b7HfDSY6cS3XWIsOKoIV9kHUdh7s_pz77TWId3dgLBybOvn8f7YLCyDb01bwDGSU/s1600/Bonaire2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjESV_iFW9V91rwT3vQ86it3AC7VJgAoJE-lyhy1P2aQt8w549jYKl7b_LlsX9AwKJZ_Wfb2lXowVZ4b7HfDSY6cS3XWIsOKoIV9kHUdh7s_pz77TWId3dgLBybOvn8f7YLCyDb01bwDGSU/s320/Bonaire2.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Get your atlas out and find Bonaire. It is a small island off the coast of Venezuela. It belongs to the Netherlands. The people speak Dutch, English and Papiamento (the language of the original people of the island). They say Bon Bini which is “Welcome” in Papiamento. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Bonaire is a popular place for people who love to dive and snorkel. The island is ringed by coral reefs that are teaming with fish. We love to snorkel. We try to float quietly in the water so the fish in the reef are not afraid and come out of hiding. We try not to touch any fish or the coral. One of the fish we saw </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRbJD7pH1AbFmxYS2ZbDDMQeQ3C7lD4Fax4zZN8wlINVzdXsF6P_Hn9OaRA43me13NnulHEUPiddvSXXcoBHwo0oUcyaKOAu2V2pPe9UQfbH3_rNVoAC8-BCKPcZrbMhxydgr_Idlee0D/s1600/Diving+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRbJD7pH1AbFmxYS2ZbDDMQeQ3C7lD4Fax4zZN8wlINVzdXsF6P_Hn9OaRA43me13NnulHEUPiddvSXXcoBHwo0oUcyaKOAu2V2pPe9UQfbH3_rNVoAC8-BCKPcZrbMhxydgr_Idlee0D/s320/Diving+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">was a lion fish. It is the one fish that guides are allowed capture. The fish was not originally from the Caribbean Sea. It is called an invasive species. It doesn’t have any natural enemies in the Caribbean. Scientists think someone in Florida dumped the lionfish from the tropical fish tank in the ocean; they spread and multiplied. Today there are too many and they are killing off native plants and animals. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Did you ever think about where your salt comes from? It may have come from Bonaire. We were amazed by the huge pyramids of salt on the island. Roland, our guide, explained how the salt was produced. All salt comes from the ocean at one time. Some of it is mined from underground. There was a huge salt mine in Syracuse. That is why Syracuse is called, “The Salt City” and there is a street called “Salina” which comes from the word “salt.” We visited the Salt Museum in Liverpool and learned out they used to mine salt in Syracuse. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">In Bonaire they get the salt directly from the sea. They say the salt </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZneXU34jgoyK2djk97ijrjTOht7BK-YMPwGoTHOexejGkKq0HScu2TID9vbytCkSzuAHUvnxXI08V0yzMf0sd02Uny7j22NtRuhmhghGjYGlp83kezkBJ51KUX2oIZiFPY8-SY-App6yo/s1600/Salt+wind+mills.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZneXU34jgoyK2djk97ijrjTOht7BK-YMPwGoTHOexejGkKq0HScu2TID9vbytCkSzuAHUvnxXI08V0yzMf0sd02Uny7j22NtRuhmhghGjYGlp83kezkBJ51KUX2oIZiFPY8-SY-App6yo/s320/Salt+wind+mills.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">is made by the “sea, sun, and wind.” There are wind mills that control gates that allow the sea water to flow into what they call “salt pans” but are really shallow lakes of salt water. As the water evaporates the salt water in the pans turns light green and then a beautiful rose color. It is a pretty sight. After many months the sun and wind <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi516npQpyW8Qx1tDe-Rd7B7PcxRxzSiInA3ag25jYDx0XuNavFn3Wp9otIf6ua5ToQ3Ca4xXCYwd8Oddmgc0P5txyzqfFTDGQWfTldJAWbK6dAdJoGtNA06-7oy0zNfd_JD9E1G2g0W1qB/s1600/Annie+and+slave+huts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi516npQpyW8Qx1tDe-Rd7B7PcxRxzSiInA3ag25jYDx0XuNavFn3Wp9otIf6ua5ToQ3Ca4xXCYwd8Oddmgc0P5txyzqfFTDGQWfTldJAWbK6dAdJoGtNA06-7oy0zNfd_JD9E1G2g0W1qB/s320/Annie+and+slave+huts.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
cause the water to evaporate leaving just the salt. The salt is scraped up and piled high – very high – in pyramid shaped mountains where it stays until a ship comes along to be loaded and shipped all over the world. Roland showed us small slave huts. During the slavery time the slaves were used to work in the production of salt. The huts we saw were a big improvement from the ones they had before that. The slave’s homes and families were in Rincon at the other end of the island. When the slaves had time off they had to walk six hours or more to visit their families </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Salt has been important for 1000s of years. It is used for many </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDBvJcFhp1Wt6XFAbRGoYx6Tz1dIFmFwHLxF_FaPU8XfHWxHhrV00wXJmcAPj-SSCiTDddzPmmPFaY4hpMmGbkj2lz3EH7nnJQb_N6jimk-Tvkeb94P43c1UPlGU-YGlxbvpoxuN8Ea6x2/s1600/Salt+Mountains2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDBvJcFhp1Wt6XFAbRGoYx6Tz1dIFmFwHLxF_FaPU8XfHWxHhrV00wXJmcAPj-SSCiTDddzPmmPFaY4hpMmGbkj2lz3EH7nnJQb_N6jimk-Tvkeb94P43c1UPlGU-YGlxbvpoxuN8Ea6x2/s320/Salt+Mountains2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">things. We use it to make our food taste better and to melt the ice on the roads but it is used in 14,000 different ways including making plastic, paper, glass, soaps, and many other things. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The word “salary” comes from the Latin word for salt because some people think that the Roman army was paid in salt but it is possible that they only guarded the salt road. Jesus told his disciples, “You are the salt of the earth,” Which meant that they were extremely important. Until the 1900s people in the African country of Ethiopia were paid in salt. We didn’t realize how important salt is. </span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6903122276105313493.post-48507298044612741682015-03-23T01:05:00.001-04:002015-03-23T01:07:09.601-04:00Visiting Myanmar's Golden Rock<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Mingalabar is how we say “hello” in Myanmar. Myanmar was once</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmEEZzjLdLo9fpaemQa4V41yKiS4U_iT4-b4Zw51dbrbd3W1gYrgg9hfeugT8vHc_JyQcdU4AiDxDFYViV0dS-LT0_AP0mKPK7t6aQOr6OtYYYT2bNpjriI7HjkzFNrH8p2CBEUXcAhV9V/s1600/Golden+Rock3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmEEZzjLdLo9fpaemQa4V41yKiS4U_iT4-b4Zw51dbrbd3W1gYrgg9hfeugT8vHc_JyQcdU4AiDxDFYViV0dS-LT0_AP0mKPK7t6aQOr6OtYYYT2bNpjriI7HjkzFNrH8p2CBEUXcAhV9V/s1600/Golden+Rock3.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> called Burma. It is nicknamed the “Golden Country” because it has so many beautiful golden temples. One of the most amazing golden holy sites we have seen is the Golden Rock. Myanmar people try to visit this holy Buddhist site at least </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbr838Vp04wPpC2ZJYjSx3z1qdYi7YD7AXotZZcMyVaBOQ4z2M_q3nmazyjcS9bWYZKzV7gJ4Kua5CAWoHmRpevwXADRg9rvHV48OzpSh3fFS9BlVKJrP6d7m6rwNj9i0uAr2egpZ9vBHJ/s1600/Golden+rock+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbr838Vp04wPpC2ZJYjSx3z1qdYi7YD7AXotZZcMyVaBOQ4z2M_q3nmazyjcS9bWYZKzV7gJ4Kua5CAWoHmRpevwXADRg9rvHV48OzpSh3fFS9BlVKJrP6d7m6rwNj9i0uAr2egpZ9vBHJ/s1600/Golden+rock+4.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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once a year. The Golden Rock is a very large rock covered with gold leaf and balanced on a flat rock on a mountain that is 3600 feet high. Getting there was fun. At the bottom of the mountain there were trucks lined up to take people up the twisty nine-mile mountain road. We climbed into the back of a <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Ucj_xlY8txNBwBXx5MxEx1OxfBU0n1HU_laeaARA0Pw_huFoMf9xqxTqIsylfkeTX-atUf_GwLHTBINad32blBzEp9mrGoBNUt9U0Swel6p8oGHq7SV3qgwbUCWzCUO_RSm7di_J3mmi/s1600/Truck2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Ucj_xlY8txNBwBXx5MxEx1OxfBU0n1HU_laeaARA0Pw_huFoMf9xqxTqIsylfkeTX-atUf_GwLHTBINad32blBzEp9mrGoBNUt9U0Swel6p8oGHq7SV3qgwbUCWzCUO_RSm7di_J3mmi/s1600/Truck2.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
truck with rows of narrow, padded benches - six to a bench and ten rows. Some people walk up the mountain but it takes hours. The ride up the mountain takes about 30 minutes. After we climbed out of the truck it was still about a 30-minute uphill walk to the <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiux7se_OCO17y4S8olDcs_GUb9g0H3xXJKYO71sMB9RHtxVK6v-DHN53QFt66XgfJNq6lF6Wr1LaHuHqb7_UEJq9RPekp_DrAp33ytCjIJyAzNk_JftoaEcSVR4mp0cf0fBGRRUEhW7V_2/s1600/Sedan+Chair.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiux7se_OCO17y4S8olDcs_GUb9g0H3xXJKYO71sMB9RHtxVK6v-DHN53QFt66XgfJNq6lF6Wr1LaHuHqb7_UEJq9RPekp_DrAp33ytCjIJyAzNk_JftoaEcSVR4mp0cf0fBGRRUEhW7V_2/s1600/Sedan+Chair.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Golden Rock. Most people walk but some hire a sedan chair with four porters to take them the rest of the way. It is said that 2,500 years ago Buddha gave one hair to a hermit who carried it until he found a boulder that looked like a head. The hermit built a pagoda on top of the rock to hold the sacred hair. The rock and pagoda has survived several violent earthquakes. It is amazing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Another amazing place is a hotel on the Bay of Bengal (get your </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">map out and see if you can find it and Myanmar). The hotel is </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ZdNB24cb-XRKUv1ignhWOSv2T_sHcEcf3wl4lTxTt6leY2jmsX2viYFUcjhTGVmRWXsOVKHVJJB32vPawgfumH6peCIllDkdHatCh2dM64KMmxdHgfa0M5SEMQ2mNZLRAW5cJUrhncRK/s1600/Annie+and+Blue+with+Nyein,+Pho+Pho,+Cho+Me+and++Nilar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ZdNB24cb-XRKUv1ignhWOSv2T_sHcEcf3wl4lTxTt6leY2jmsX2viYFUcjhTGVmRWXsOVKHVJJB32vPawgfumH6peCIllDkdHatCh2dM64KMmxdHgfa0M5SEMQ2mNZLRAW5cJUrhncRK/s1600/Annie+and+Blue+with+Nyein,+Pho+Pho,+Cho+Me+and++Nilar.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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called Amazing Ngapali Beach which is the perfect name. The people at the hotel are wonderful and very kind to us. We love the beach. Each day a lady comes along with fresh fish and prawns asking us to eat at her restaurant. They told us about a school nearby started <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXhii-wKdGGXuEkyzg7FYfhdg3OKD0xWcUlRRed22awKU9Q_yutCFQpFXRFmoU5TUbeFqzGSVpXyyxrpoKMH8Vqei-B1Fnf9f6853dOmsLtYQavNQLLMbLYvN_Rq7SoLGYiGMtgND0elY/s1600/Mama+Sue's.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXhii-wKdGGXuEkyzg7FYfhdg3OKD0xWcUlRRed22awKU9Q_yutCFQpFXRFmoU5TUbeFqzGSVpXyyxrpoKMH8Vqei-B1Fnf9f6853dOmsLtYQavNQLLMbLYvN_Rq7SoLGYiGMtgND0elY/s1600/Mama+Sue's.jpg" height="236" width="320" /></a></div>
by an English lady, Susan Ozturk (Mama Sue), where the students learn English. The school is called the Vera Thomson English School. It was named after Mama Sue’s mother who was a very kind lady. Calling older people “mama” and “papa” is a way to show respect but does not mean that they are their parents. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We did a program at the school. They had a lot of computers but </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_Cd2eQn8u5uj_Z9TlWvg29BivsbXftr1xzKwUw9AJt1IEy6AmTLwnsdk_RfOuZcQS5oAQGN_vJMMaVPHWE5WMV1a7mT-CsGHI1PNrd8lGfKpnJnC38vgaKQOh5qJKfNFJWRKYK4A-xL6/s1600/Mama+Sue's%2B3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_Cd2eQn8u5uj_Z9TlWvg29BivsbXftr1xzKwUw9AJt1IEy6AmTLwnsdk_RfOuZcQS5oAQGN_vJMMaVPHWE5WMV1a7mT-CsGHI1PNrd8lGfKpnJnC38vgaKQOh5qJKfNFJWRKYK4A-xL6/s1600/Mama+Sue's%2B3.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">many of them didn’t work. It is very hot in Myanmar and there is a long rainy season which is not good for the computers. Also, they do not have electricity 24-hours a day so that causes a problem, too. The school is free and has about 300 students. We were impressed. In one classroom the boys sat on one side and the girls on the other. When the teacher, Chaw Su </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBgrJuN2B2KEqXwsUFpTb6m0Li3bm8co8zXAvpJhrGJfVCvq6Xtd_YeGPcQp71jOdK8fsU6LLxRhyphenhyphenqLSl8XMHdVjCR3QxsTUtmpgLmqQy-JKfmuXHCV7Pd373WlquJVXaz09yAhFDnG2Fn/s1600/Mama+Sue's%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBgrJuN2B2KEqXwsUFpTb6m0Li3bm8co8zXAvpJhrGJfVCvq6Xtd_YeGPcQp71jOdK8fsU6LLxRhyphenhyphenqLSl8XMHdVjCR3QxsTUtmpgLmqQy-JKfmuXHCV7Pd373WlquJVXaz09yAhFDnG2Fn/s1600/Mama+Sue's%2B2.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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Khaing, asked a question the students eagerly raised their hands to answer. When the teacher called on them they stood up to answer. The children spoke excellent English. When we asked the students what they wanted to be, most said tour guides but one young man who spoke excellent English said he wanted to be an English teacher. Without Mama Sue’s school they would not have the chance. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Notice some of the people have cream-colored powder on their </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAA23TgV_g9YygTo4iEjj2Aq6wjMqPqFv31QckgZEpd1XboQCgspoPz_WNoPlNoxbuvVnBGakXl1lKlc19orZ1Ll_oBbb5UQ_iLu4GfbX3OXhyphenhyphenn8ii8Emx7y0wzi0jHw6uBybFIHtGqae7/s1600/Dinner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAA23TgV_g9YygTo4iEjj2Aq6wjMqPqFv31QckgZEpd1XboQCgspoPz_WNoPlNoxbuvVnBGakXl1lKlc19orZ1Ll_oBbb5UQ_iLu4GfbX3OXhyphenhyphenn8ii8Emx7y0wzi0jHw6uBybFIHtGqae7/s1600/Dinner.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">face. It is called thanaka and protects the skin from the sun. It is very popular in Myanmar but things are changing. At one time all the people (men and women) wore long wraparound skirts called longyis. Many people still do but now some people are wearing more Western-style clothing. One day we were on the beach and the students from Mama Sue’s rode by on their bikes and yelled “Mingalabar.” It is easy to make friends in Myanmar!</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6903122276105313493.post-77155628001220784562015-03-19T23:35:00.000-04:002015-03-19T23:36:56.911-04:00Xin chao from Vietnam<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOxN84qBRdOguEierwhXvwMpA6Lmrc6ZZB9186HEIdVN2nTBIsxoNMczNlj4H5Ui6SSOLumIx6wy8PEiGEXEdJdSghy4V-SGR-gHscpO82CGA5upnCBv8mlgN55ke7a8SpTwxbOesIcHIg/s1600/Buying+treats+in+ChanVillage.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOxN84qBRdOguEierwhXvwMpA6Lmrc6ZZB9186HEIdVN2nTBIsxoNMczNlj4H5Ui6SSOLumIx6wy8PEiGEXEdJdSghy4V-SGR-gHscpO82CGA5upnCBv8mlgN55ke7a8SpTwxbOesIcHIg/s1600/Buying+treats+in+ChanVillage.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Xin Chao (sounds like “sin chow”) or “Hello” from Vietnam. Vietnam is a fascinating country with a long history. For about 1000 years it was controlled by the Chinese, then 100 years by the French and then about 10 years of the American War (as it is called in Vietnam). It is finally governing itself. More than half the population was born after the American War. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8G_GVqs2CF4mWMyts3DMPrD34UR0bOegS4M6gky8VpqsfkluqdpbRUjDCxsdwTjJw0Pv364psSMmmGJz7Bp6B0QNkQ8baA0UkkX74PsRvXGgtL8gYzaIyUOtwLnsmvL3BvZ1ZXT3HlosJ/s1600/Children-bath+time+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8G_GVqs2CF4mWMyts3DMPrD34UR0bOegS4M6gky8VpqsfkluqdpbRUjDCxsdwTjJw0Pv364psSMmmGJz7Bp6B0QNkQ8baA0UkkX74PsRvXGgtL8gYzaIyUOtwLnsmvL3BvZ1ZXT3HlosJ/s1600/Children-bath+time+.jpg" height="235" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We have been to Vietnam a couple of times. This time we decided to take a boat from Cambodia down the Mekong River to the Mekong Delta where there are many cities and villages. The Mekong is the 12th longest river in the world and borders many countries. The Mekong Delta is called a “biological treasure trove” because over 10,000 new species have been recently discovered in the unexplored areas of the Delta. Where the Mekong River flows into the delta area the river divides into many branches – some are large rivers others very small </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9OhwZo6D9uToL63KXWtqLw7EO0Lrvn6N8fGjcX-vWsVo8GcdrmWOr3O5ta-QRLXCmoL0-pzId44cxHgfVTQAXgPADe_pn8vvtuAQWLAj4_CvAoY5gs4YGvLQHs5wmjEmGSAVTI1z-8fCd/s1600/serving+lunch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9OhwZo6D9uToL63KXWtqLw7EO0Lrvn6N8fGjcX-vWsVo8GcdrmWOr3O5ta-QRLXCmoL0-pzId44cxHgfVTQAXgPADe_pn8vvtuAQWLAj4_CvAoY5gs4YGvLQHs5wmjEmGSAVTI1z-8fCd/s1600/serving+lunch.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">streams. Along the river there are many rice fields and fishing villages. Many people live in houses on stilts because during the rainy season the Mekong River floods and during the hot, dry season it allows air to circulate under the house helping to keep it cool. We visited one small village where some people were playing marbles, a girl was weaving, a lady was selling soup, and others had small shops selling a variety of things. We bought some delicious snacks from two girls. We visited a fish farm and a huge fresh food market where they sold fruits, vegetables, fish, meat and many other things. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyyE07-8rkEBl0ZPJHVDaz69MTwIhwd-OVdl9pMNZMTmSSc5tOczsaS2sVv51ppkcbK8GW20oULbdgIBrveUR2mfBUcE-gjqO5avH65Fh_470AUG4DFlEzIs1q7F6ElnfZjup-jRqw5sMu/s1600/beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyyE07-8rkEBl0ZPJHVDaz69MTwIhwd-OVdl9pMNZMTmSSc5tOczsaS2sVv51ppkcbK8GW20oULbdgIBrveUR2mfBUcE-gjqO5avH65Fh_470AUG4DFlEzIs1q7F6ElnfZjup-jRqw5sMu/s1600/beach.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We decided to visit someplace different on this trip so we took a five-hour car ride east of Ho Chi Minh City (also known as Saigon). Mui Ne is a beach destination on the South China Sea most famous with travelers who like to kite surf. Kite surfing is an exciting sport </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfrJuzEPnrTZmhyphenhyphenDDqVyOV9UVDIHeJYQfiS9zDydb3KOpugdoTmHdiJlQ56soX4aUbHEwKqXuUYLG0wWLeKJfzIMoFpRdsFdorllL6Z6Bx849KpVPsbqmsD46nByTvXUr3Dt4rqzf8B26/s1600/Mr.+Lee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfrJuzEPnrTZmhyphenhyphenDDqVyOV9UVDIHeJYQfiS9zDydb3KOpugdoTmHdiJlQ56soX4aUbHEwKqXuUYLG0wWLeKJfzIMoFpRdsFdorllL6Z6Bx849KpVPsbqmsD46nByTvXUr3Dt4rqzf8B26/s1600/Mr.+Lee.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">where people get up on a board like a surf board and are attached to a huge kite that zips them across the water. The waves and winds were strong so it is mainly for experts. It is very exciting but we only watched! Less exciting but just as wonderful was watching the sun come up over the South China Sea. It was especially interesting because the fishermen in </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyQeRIqmeA04jrcm-naw5rFX9zR0RujgROB5c4d-UEu3hrLanyf_NSdQAE7l70Akiqq9MUY-qM9pRirUgQ5UZXrrGu0aOsjDLhdR-uDLlne2kUL7kejNzwRlwnh9pdX8BeENuu8Z3cexy_/s1600/Round+fishing+boats.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyQeRIqmeA04jrcm-naw5rFX9zR0RujgROB5c4d-UEu3hrLanyf_NSdQAE7l70Akiqq9MUY-qM9pRirUgQ5UZXrrGu0aOsjDLhdR-uDLlne2kUL7kejNzwRlwnh9pdX8BeENuu8Z3cexy_/s1600/Round+fishing+boats.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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Mui Ne have unique boats. They are round and reminded us of the nursery rhyme “Rub-a-dub-ub Three Men in a Tub” but most of the boats called coracle had one or two men in it. Originally they were made <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJO0Syt5dwH27WJXbg5ecXwzu_BYrWmns7z1-j_hRZZGjOrv-L1mD4_4iZ1NXkJmCbYbhEBlsEOP8mgNXSSxdE72x-25UgOED9c6AQhZFJ6BTuIQDUsVQlbn-_RYoP50LxhEdb6Sc4Ibq/s1600/crocodile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJO0Syt5dwH27WJXbg5ecXwzu_BYrWmns7z1-j_hRZZGjOrv-L1mD4_4iZ1NXkJmCbYbhEBlsEOP8mgNXSSxdE72x-25UgOED9c6AQhZFJ6BTuIQDUsVQlbn-_RYoP50LxhEdb6Sc4Ibq/s1600/crocodile.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
out of woven reeds but now they are fiberglass. Each morning hundreds of them would row out to check the nets for fish and then sell them it in the market. We went to one fish market and they even had a small crocodile for sale. We have eaten crocodile. Have you? It doesn’t have must taste but it was good.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc204aThATp0pG_POfyCxIPg0SBs-BfIK_0TPNAwH8IvDzl9F-QH8F4RoDha9k8jCuQFh0WaotOsTeD3SuPYWtfl3U1oV5o_Sz6cUCC38-rjB_DiqBfJuQoFF7C2N4sE4guPzD1Tep1BSw/s1600/Buddah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc204aThATp0pG_POfyCxIPg0SBs-BfIK_0TPNAwH8IvDzl9F-QH8F4RoDha9k8jCuQFh0WaotOsTeD3SuPYWtfl3U1oV5o_Sz6cUCC38-rjB_DiqBfJuQoFF7C2N4sE4guPzD1Tep1BSw/s1600/Buddah.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">One day we took a tour to see a reclining Buddha 160-feet long and 36-feet high. A tram took us to a cable car that went through the forest to near the statue but there were still many steps to climb in order to see the statue. We also stopped at a dragon fruit farm. Dragon fruit is good: red on the outside and white with tiny black seeds on the inside. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlbxdd_hyphenhyphenJOpuK59iJROoICVRa-W4ErcW3UzD0vYsek53a172EJx2_-TTChQG5Kao85CUvhHZSQvb1C5t96WOLnMAneFaNrprMHbxzq0J0eF1e2djFpz_r8DHPoJpbyT9vulc5EkRj7KDN/s1600/Dragon+Fruit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlbxdd_hyphenhyphenJOpuK59iJROoICVRa-W4ErcW3UzD0vYsek53a172EJx2_-TTChQG5Kao85CUvhHZSQvb1C5t96WOLnMAneFaNrprMHbxzq0J0eF1e2djFpz_r8DHPoJpbyT9vulc5EkRj7KDN/s1600/Dragon+Fruit.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Most countries have their own kind of money. In Vietnam their money is called VND (New Vietnamese Dong). One US dollar is about the same as 0.000046 VND. If the T-shirt you want to buy in Vietnam is 300,000 VND how much would that be in US dollars? </span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6903122276105313493.post-37571277795150827432014-12-07T10:48:00.000-05:002014-12-07T10:48:07.011-05:00Learning About the Boston Tea Party<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmny6sQmCHEYc1mMtU9uF64VeG2CEALigSECr57EBXZZ3SxBsC6vlu7h7PG5qJuiBlT709RETOUfoVlGTcf4m6LMIuowJbAuDh5iZm9gQ0tWXhgO_hZkkzuF8JYc6Us0LwRbnNt_KSkteF/s1600/Tea+Party2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmny6sQmCHEYc1mMtU9uF64VeG2CEALigSECr57EBXZZ3SxBsC6vlu7h7PG5qJuiBlT709RETOUfoVlGTcf4m6LMIuowJbAuDh5iZm9gQ0tWXhgO_hZkkzuF8JYc6Us0LwRbnNt_KSkteF/s1600/Tea+Party2.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We enjoy visiting places where history happened and it is even better when we get to participate in the event. We visited the Boston Tea Party Museum and helped throw tea into Boston Harbor. We knew the basic facts of the Tea Party. On the night of December 16, 1773, colonists dressed as Indians boarded three ships in Boston Harbor and threw crates of tea overboard to protest the Tea Tax. Many of the people belonged to a group called the Sons of Liberty. It was a secret group because they did many things to show they were angry at the British government that controlled the colonies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">At the Boston Tea Party Museum, the staff dressed like people in the 1700s called us to a meeting by ringing a bell. We all got a feather to stick in our hair so we would look like the Sons of Liberty who were dressed as natives because their actions were illegal and they didn’t want to be arrested. Some were the most famous people in Boston. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihmF2ys01-nKYuztWXGTk9MxdDjmGYnoFlfckK14yGwc__n1qW11WcbRA02T5IK-y_RetpD9pshcjv_gTEgNTVVtC39G-MdLvUaWQe2sPVmfmMN3-nrqu7xzrjs6tfGqhXKhe9qVSs6j_5/s1600/Tea+Party+participants.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihmF2ys01-nKYuztWXGTk9MxdDjmGYnoFlfckK14yGwc__n1qW11WcbRA02T5IK-y_RetpD9pshcjv_gTEgNTVVtC39G-MdLvUaWQe2sPVmfmMN3-nrqu7xzrjs6tfGqhXKhe9qVSs6j_5/s1600/Tea+Party+participants.jpg" height="227" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The room looked like Old South Meeting House where the protestors met before dumping the tea. We were given name cards of actual participants in the Boston Tea Party. One of us was Francis Akeley who died in 1775 so he never lived to enjoy freedom under a new American government and one of us was Thomas Porter who did live long enough to see America get its independence. The original meeting was loud with many people shouting out why they hated the British government. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We didn’t realize that the Tea Act actually reduced the tax on tea and would have made the tea half the price paid by those in Britain. The protest was not about the tax but the fact that the colonists had no say in the governing the colonies. The cry was “no taxation without representation.” The British reaction to the Tea Party caused more protests. As punishment the British parliament passed what the colonists called the “Intolerable Act” which closed the port of Boston until damages were paid. Many people in Boston made money by working in and around the port. Also, more hated British troops were sent to Boston which made the colonists more upset. Tea protests took place in other colonies but the one in Boston wasn’t called “The Boston Tea Party” until 50 years later. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">After the protest meeting, we went outside and boarded the ship </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">where we took turns dumping the tea crates in the harbor. It was fun tossing tea into the harbor and exploring the ship. The sleeping area for the ship’s crew was very small and crowded. They had rats that ran free on the ship – not real ones now but during the 1700s there were real ones. No one died during the 1773 Tea Party but one participant was knocked unconscious by a crate and thought to be dead only to awake hours later. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Our tour continued inside where the only known surviving tea chest is on display. In the Minute Man Theater we saw an excellent movie called “Let it Begin Here” where the sounds of the horses galloping and musket firing made the events of the American Revolution come to life. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-wlDHbWDRLdL5bpaPNUwq5v7wJ98CSmjlYJnxgMDPLwyepogVUUYLeXpg_LwUIodBswapYwsVd__OImGxTydiIyIuMT5-DUDgjcok9iu084YlGdlOUjunMzSBpa9Tg7ciCgF6OMfZ53fo/s1600/Old+South+Meeting+House.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-wlDHbWDRLdL5bpaPNUwq5v7wJ98CSmjlYJnxgMDPLwyepogVUUYLeXpg_LwUIodBswapYwsVd__OImGxTydiIyIuMT5-DUDgjcok9iu084YlGdlOUjunMzSBpa9Tg7ciCgF6OMfZ53fo/s1600/Old+South+Meeting+House.jpg" height="200" width="139" /></a><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">After our Tea Party experience, we went to Old South Meeting House where the actual meeting took place on that fateful day and we learned more about the revolutionary actions in Boston. Boston is a great place to learn about American history.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6903122276105313493.post-13072093497423654512014-10-02T12:07:00.000-04:002014-10-02T12:07:20.094-04:00Learning about China's Great Wall and the Yangtze River<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisJXOwpNy32PjyMkkfWnPP4uv_ryizDyfi_JxTbqSOVe4GVUWgPxGqy8JQmaSazyCHc-KBznrgYyULA0rLHPBc5iJlpJTCFWcPKScqVGnrFnqASwGlCeKIV14E2gSLsD_oiPHJ_OJHmNVK/s1600/A&B.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisJXOwpNy32PjyMkkfWnPP4uv_ryizDyfi_JxTbqSOVe4GVUWgPxGqy8JQmaSazyCHc-KBznrgYyULA0rLHPBc5iJlpJTCFWcPKScqVGnrFnqASwGlCeKIV14E2gSLsD_oiPHJ_OJHmNVK/s1600/A&B.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Ni Hao from China. </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Ni Hao is how we greet people in China. China is an amazing place with a very long history. It is one of the largest countries in the world and it has the most people. Before we went to China we watched a video called, “The Last Emperor.” It was about Puyi who became emperor of China when he was two years old. He lived in a palace called The </span><br />
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Forbidden City. It was called the Forbidden City because only the royal family and their servants, of whom there were many, were allowed inside the walls. It sounds like a wonderful life to have so many servants and be the Emperor, doesn’t it? Things didn’t turn out so well for Emporer Puyi because there was a revolution and China created a new kind of government without an emperor. Emperor Puyi was put in prison for many years and when he was released he spent years as a gardener. He was the last emperor of China. We visited the <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFY5XLUhk8_pwE8neVzRO-JfN7MEWYiZ1C086eje584KEHMf5bf6QXLnt5cxWDDS4HnkUUj4_8UFjJBtvoEB-7OnEl2puIKYKWdychTnITRifjo3rp_nAzt-Ck-rOAEWNBNAVKImmMS2mp/s1600/Forbidden22.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFY5XLUhk8_pwE8neVzRO-JfN7MEWYiZ1C086eje584KEHMf5bf6QXLnt5cxWDDS4HnkUUj4_8UFjJBtvoEB-7OnEl2puIKYKWdychTnITRifjo3rp_nAzt-Ck-rOAEWNBNAVKImmMS2mp/s1600/Forbidden22.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Forbidden City which is in the Chinese capital of Beijing. The Forbidden City, surrounded by a moat and a wall, has many beautiful buildings. It was built in the 1400s and had nearly 1000 buildings. Today, it is the most popular place for tourists and thousands visit every day. We loved the beautiful red buildings and stone bridges but our favorite place was the garden. There were many old trees and small colorful buildings. I think Puyi may have enjoyed being a gardener.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The other popular tourist site in China is the Great Wall of China. How long is it? It is hard to be sure because some of it has been destroyed but it is about 5,500 miles long. If it was in the United States it would go from the East Coast to the West Coast with plenty left over. It was started in 476 BC (BC means before the birth of Christ) and they continued to build parts </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">of it until the 1600s. It was supposed to protect them from invaders</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> but it didn’t. It is the longest structure every built. In some areas the wall is 30 feet wide and 26 feet high. It is impressive. We visited one section where we had to walk up a hill to a cable car that took us nearly to the top of the wall but there were steps the rest of the way. The area was mountainous. We thought that building the wall so many years ago without the machinery we have today must have been very difficult. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">While we were in China we took a boat trip on the Yangtze River, the third-longest river in the world. It is nearly 4000 miles long but we only traveled on a short part of it. We were in the Three Gorges area where there is a huge dam with a power plant that generates electricity. It is one of the world’s biggest. When they built the dam it backed the water up into the gorges and flooded many villages so the government built new villages on higher land for over one million people. Many people were upset </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">but China needed the electrical power. One of the places we visited along the river was the Tribe of the Three Gorges. It is a village that preserves the traditional life of the people who used to live in the area. While we were there they performed a traditional wedding ceremony which was very colorful. The groom did not know what his bride looked like until the end of the ceremony when he lifted her veil. Today, China is very modern and clean. There are many interesting things to see and do. </span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6903122276105313493.post-40549476219682805492014-04-13T17:36:00.000-04:002014-04-13T17:36:28.531-04:00Annie and Blue travel on the Mekong River<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Sabidee! (“Hello” in the Lao language) The Mekong River is
the 12<sup>th</sup> longest river in the world. We went on an eight day boat trip
on the Mekong River. The river is the boundary between Laos and Thailand. We
loved our boat, the Mekong Explorer, because it was built of mahogany and teak
in the traditional style. We liked sitting on the top deck or in our cabin
watching life along river. Actually, the
river is rather quiet in the area where we motored. It was the dry season so
the water level was low exposing the banks where the soil is good for growing
vegetables. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">During the dry season there are many sandbars in the river.
One night we tied up to a sandbar. The crew prepared a bonfire and a wonderful
BBQ of meat, chicken, prawns, fish and shish kabobs. Afterwards the crew sang
some Laotian songs. It was a wonderful evening. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Each day we took a shore trip sometimes on the Thailand side
and </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">sometimes on the Laos side of the river.
On our trip to Phu Brabaht Historical Park we saw amazing rock
formations. The rocks probably provided shelter for people two to three
thousand years ago. The local people have created stories or legends about the
rocks. We liked the legend that said a beautiful princess lived in the rock
that looked like an upside down shoe. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Another day we visited the Buddhist Sculpture Park where the
statues were built about 35 years ago by a Buddhist monk and his followers. One
was incredible. It was a 65-foot high
seven-headed Naga snake protecting Buddha. There are many Naga snake statues in
this part of the world. Nagas, like dragons, are not real. A favorite trip was a ride in a small boat on
a lake covered in red lotus flowers. It
was so quiet and beautiful – like a dream.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Our favorite day started with a long-tail boat ride up the
Khading</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> River to the Lao village of Ban BagBang. A long-tail boat is very
common in this part of the world. It is
called a long-tail because there is a long pole from the engine to the
propeller. It is better for traveling on rivers where the water levels might be
very low. The village is home to <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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about
80 families. The village had traditional wooden houses and also brightly
painted concrete houses that are replacing the old-style houses. There was a
new school for grades 1 to 5 provided by the Korean government. It was Sunday so there were no classes but we
met several students and one of the teachers. After grade 5 the students go to
school in a larger village where they stay with relatives. All education including college is free. We
were surprised to see so many satellite dishes and everyone seemed to have a
cell phone. Technology is changing the world.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">In the afternoon our onboard Laotian cooks taught us how to
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">prepare a traditional Lao dishes – Laap (a spicy chopped chicken salad). Laap
is served on special occasions. In the
Lao language “laap” means luck or good fortune. It is special because it
contains meat which is very expensive for Lao people. Laap is served cold
making it perfect for celebrations that can last for several days. One such
celebration occurs when a baby is born. Friends come to the house of the new
parents, eat laap, and play a betting card game which can go on for several
days. The money won from playing cards goes toward the baby’s future. Sounds
like fun!</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6903122276105313493.post-97461179445078792014-04-13T17:14:00.002-04:002014-04-13T17:24:01.121-04:00Revisiting Myanmar<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">“Hello” from Myanmar or “Mingalaba” as they say in Myanmar. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiElCdUhDZje2KDFYpXtECgTRg829FoG_gnU-RWdXAqNbUDFkW0oDRp0c7w2seZqmjZsOSEIJkf6JUdyoGeaSQPAn5-pRGGsJWC5Qz4cxdYGQt0YQeLlAdA3rkxcPkQK2xl4FemyVZ-CIGg/s1600/DSC09845.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiElCdUhDZje2KDFYpXtECgTRg829FoG_gnU-RWdXAqNbUDFkW0oDRp0c7w2seZqmjZsOSEIJkf6JUdyoGeaSQPAn5-pRGGsJWC5Qz4cxdYGQt0YQeLlAdA3rkxcPkQK2xl4FemyVZ-CIGg/s1600/DSC09845.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">We really like to visit Myanmar and have many times. We like many things about the country. The people have retained their culture. There are no McDonalds or other American-like fast food restaurants but that may be changing because they now have coca cola which they didn’t before. We love the beautiful beach in Ngapali. Our hotel, </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGtoJ93IgDJuE_t7Wtr5rEJ7mtq_DMNn3KmHrr04Vj2Df2dP_JRQ_-YUCGX4zoN1tjzpEzSxeugyurDpksAHR_XF-6xPU2m5OXbqlqay1uxgBq4rbr2buYBAjdNHzpymEQ1pFSlDVtLSqT/s1600/L-+rock+carrying.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGtoJ93IgDJuE_t7Wtr5rEJ7mtq_DMNn3KmHrr04Vj2Df2dP_JRQ_-YUCGX4zoN1tjzpEzSxeugyurDpksAHR_XF-6xPU2m5OXbqlqay1uxgBq4rbr2buYBAjdNHzpymEQ1pFSlDVtLSqT/s1600/L-+rock+carrying.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Amazing Ngapali Resort was the first hotel after leaving the airport. We were surprised to see three new hotels being built. In one place they were building a break wall to hold back storm waves that sometimes happen on the Bay of Bengal. We were very impressed with the ladies who carry heavy rocks on their head. The people still wear traditional longyis which is a wraparound waist-to-ankle skirt-like garment worn by men and women. The women usually have ones that are brighter in color and design. Many people also wear thanaka on their face. It is a yellowish white powder made from the bark of a tree. It protects their skin from the sun which is very hot. It is usually hot in Myanmar.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">This year we visited Mandalay and toured the Royal Palace. The </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">British forced the last king and his family out of the palace more than 100 years ago. The royal family went to live in India. The palace became a British fort until World War II when it was destroyed by bombs. Now it has been rebuilt and is quite beautiful. We like all the open pavilions. It must have been a very nice place to live. We also visited </span><br />
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Mandalay Hill where there are many Buddhist pagodas. While we were there we saw a pre-school group on a field trip. The teachers were teaching them the proper way to give respect to Buddha. They all kneeled down with the bottoms of their feet pointing away from Buddha and their hands folded like Christians do with they pray then they bowed and recited a prayer. Some things the people in the Buddhist religion do reminded us of things Christians do. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We also visited the ancient city of Bagan. About 1000 years ago it</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> was a capital city with over 10,000 Buddhist temples, pagodas, and monasteries but today there are only about 2000 left. It is magnificent. There must have been 1000s of people living there but now mainly tourists and some farmers. In the evening it is a great place to watch the sunset and the farmers leading their cows home from the fields. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Our hotel, Amazing Bagan Resort, took us to Jetawan Buddhist </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd5QW0OAyK4G3RzkXRTkQhQLnTbvfX_j1bqNMXxW1pIRUw_6SXhgK_6LRFxeh6bUFnqTaZroZu8Eyo4gQZzZFtERt7_Oz4wOLvz909Mqtx0fgE4qCOOGI-dJuv5TPY5XPxxPBdg7v9LBMJ/s1600/A&B+with++Phyo+Phyo+Hlaing+&+Tun+Min+Myat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd5QW0OAyK4G3RzkXRTkQhQLnTbvfX_j1bqNMXxW1pIRUw_6SXhgK_6LRFxeh6bUFnqTaZroZu8Eyo4gQZzZFtERt7_Oz4wOLvz909Mqtx0fgE4qCOOGI-dJuv5TPY5XPxxPBdg7v9LBMJ/s1600/A&B+with++Phyo+Phyo+Hlaing+&+Tun+Min+Myat.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Monastic Education Center where we visited an English class. They have a great teacher, Daw Mya Mya Win, because the students had a good command of English. English has become an important “connecting language.” We are glad we speak English because no matter where we go in the world we can find English speaking people. The school has grown from 46 students in 2006 to 375 this year. They even had a computer room. We loved visiting the school. They had some wise sayings. “The golden jar of learning cannot be stolen.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">In the evening Amazing Began Resort had a free puppet show. Wooden puppets were used to tell the stories from Myanmar history and about the life of Buddha but there was also some funny parts. Before people could read, watch TV or go to the movies puppets shows were a fun way to teach lessons.</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6903122276105313493.post-51571810997404213802014-02-11T04:21:00.000-05:002014-02-11T04:21:48.049-05:00Visiting Hong Kong and Macao<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">Hong Kong and Macao are like sister cities. Today both are part </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDj0rGfv5nlJS3CijMs6iaBp3r4uyFnC0Ztotg0f3yrBjbHyAt5O0mK1K4rxOu7FEx6nCFZSIhzDeePk61qBzy-4LBy3JDxXlGUevG06QbNhcYw90pl73QQSKPbSzkrP8p8wSvhR2QNmTG/s1600/L-Venetian4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDj0rGfv5nlJS3CijMs6iaBp3r4uyFnC0Ztotg0f3yrBjbHyAt5O0mK1K4rxOu7FEx6nCFZSIhzDeePk61qBzy-4LBy3JDxXlGUevG06QbNhcYw90pl73QQSKPbSzkrP8p8wSvhR2QNmTG/s1600/L-Venetian4.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">of China but for many years Hong Kong was an English colony and Macao was a Portuguese colony. Hong Kong is very prosperous with many huge skyscrapers. We like to say Hong Kong is where people make money and Macao is where they go to spend it. Today Macao is t</span><span style="font-size: large;">he “Las Vegas of Asia.” They have many casinos including sister casinos to the ones in Las Vegas. The ones in Macao are bigger. In fact the Venetian Macao is the largest casino in the world and one of the world’s largest hotels.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">During our visit both cities were decorated for Chinese New Year which starts on Jan. 31. It is a celebration that goes on for many days and it like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter all rolled into one. Each year is represented by one of 12 animals. The New Year will be the Year of the Horse. People born in the Year of the Horse are said to be warm hearted, intelligent and full of energy. Even though they use our western calendar, according to the ancient Chinese calendar it is the year 4712. Emperor Huang-di invented the calendar in 2637 BC.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Kung hei fat choy” is the traditional New Year greeting, it means,</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigsLAu3aLK_A4Jx0JulouCAQgvusfRGW0YQbCBVfsGYlW-NboNrqsKIl3yW2Ff-ORG9jnMHXnq2sa2kPayIx859qcOJrnDTFLegYh7LO25PXITxeVJKLCwDmVXTAuLyCywWf2BGTQzoNL9/s1600/Tangerine+trees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigsLAu3aLK_A4Jx0JulouCAQgvusfRGW0YQbCBVfsGYlW-NboNrqsKIl3yW2Ff-ORG9jnMHXnq2sa2kPayIx859qcOJrnDTFLegYh7LO25PXITxeVJKLCwDmVXTAuLyCywWf2BGTQzoNL9/s1600/Tangerine+trees.jpg" height="295" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"> “Wishing you success and prosperity.” To get ready for New Year’s people go to the Flower Market. Flowers are an important part of Chinese New Year and instead of a Christmas tree they have a small tangerine tree. Tangerines are a symbol of good luck because the word for tangerine in Chinese has the same sound as "luck." Everything has a special meaning. Chinese New Year’s Eve is like our Thanksgiving. The whole family gets together for a huge meal but fish is the most important food because the Chinese word for fish sounds like the word for abundance. This is the time it is traditional to give children red envelopes with money inside. These are called lai see envelopes which means “lucky.” There are many special celebrations with the start of the new year including the Lion Dance, parades and fireworks. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are always so many things to do in Hong Kong. After a long flight to Asia from the United States we like to go for a walk in the park and beautiful Hong Kong Park was close to our hotel. The park has a tea museum, ponds, an aviary, fountains and other interesting things. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ggORSPvb2IKdaCsuO3n-UVPsxsJU92aCd1gqDX8RQEqtf1jmnzHuHS7tpnHMdmmXZDVPUTDsotbyLqIix703lz3qNQ95v1gjsPEqmh6QUgW8NBI3hDilIuEUnHhwQhBnpzRKFzUqgh9x/s1600/DSC09545.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ggORSPvb2IKdaCsuO3n-UVPsxsJU92aCd1gqDX8RQEqtf1jmnzHuHS7tpnHMdmmXZDVPUTDsotbyLqIix703lz3qNQ95v1gjsPEqmh6QUgW8NBI3hDilIuEUnHhwQhBnpzRKFzUqgh9x/s1600/DSC09545.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">It is easy to travel between Hong Kong and Macao. We took a fast ferry from Hong Kong and we were in Macao in one hour. There are many ferries every day. The ferry is a lot like an airplane with food service and televisions to watch. It is not possible to walk outside while the ferry is moving. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In Macao we stayed at a small hotel that was part of a college that prepares students to work in hotels and restaurants. The hotel is called a pousada which is a Portuguese word for small hotel. It had little inside patios with Portuguese tile decorations. While we were there we learned to make a Macanese recipe called Shrimp and Rice Vermicelli Soup. Macanese food is a combination of Macao and Portuguese food. They say it is Portuguese cooking methods using Asian ingredients. Chef John told us it is important to taste-test. If it is too fishy then just add water. And, if you like hot spicy food, then just add a bit more red peppers. We like learning about different cultures</span>.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6903122276105313493.post-62980994281781296592014-01-10T18:37:00.000-05:002014-01-10T18:37:11.378-05:00Aloha from Hawaii<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc0BlyxxflFKFwu7oQB8cfqZGJbu5jVlUyJhwvfGFP_IdlndJQJKO7mkZG4LTPNd0iYvg7TvYsSe1882wqab4AQasQnqL3Lv3CG_GRQpDfqq_InQoQKJx8B1k6ooqudbjY-wp9RsQ7hvqv/s1600/L-Safari+Explorer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc0BlyxxflFKFwu7oQB8cfqZGJbu5jVlUyJhwvfGFP_IdlndJQJKO7mkZG4LTPNd0iYvg7TvYsSe1882wqab4AQasQnqL3Lv3CG_GRQpDfqq_InQoQKJx8B1k6ooqudbjY-wp9RsQ7hvqv/s1600/L-Safari+Explorer.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hawaii is different than most of the other states in the United States. It is a group of islands located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and it was settled by Polynesians. There are eight major Hawaiian Islands and we visited four of them on the Safari Explorer, a small cruise ship with only 23 passengers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One night we went snorkeling off the Big Island to see the manta rays but first learned about manta rays. They look like huge underwater bats and can have a 20 foot wing span. They are very gentle but we were cautioned not to touch them because they have a protective mucus coating that protects them from infection and touching them can remove the coating. In the water they do flips which are interesting to watch. They have good eyesight but can’t see behind them so flipping is a way to check what is around them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Another day went snorkeling off Maui and saw sea turtles. It was </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAkNYFuTC-EGMbSLKnnLu5i0MSXgdu2oitJ4bRqsMErtEPN9R4N-BiVOLVdC9Q4LfYl590yGZ7yHq9o5-ah52n6G4tD3iXaIZjm8J5t0UYrKXdIMb1FOl0NtY4zdu-PzbECTOAFEMPhlBh/s1600/Turtle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAkNYFuTC-EGMbSLKnnLu5i0MSXgdu2oitJ4bRqsMErtEPN9R4N-BiVOLVdC9Q4LfYl590yGZ7yHq9o5-ah52n6G4tD3iXaIZjm8J5t0UYrKXdIMb1FOl0NtY4zdu-PzbECTOAFEMPhlBh/s1600/Turtle.jpg" height="146" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">interesting because there places our guide, Jill, called “turtle cleaning stations.” It was fascinating to watch. Alga grows on the turtle’s shell so they sit on the sandy bottom and let the surgeon fish eat the algae. We think it is a great example of cooperation. We also saw many other beautiful fish. We especially liked the bright yellow tangs and the Hawaiian state fish the humu-humu-nuku-a’pua’a, which is also called the Picasso Triggerfish. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">On shore near one of our snorkeling spots there is a monument to Captain Cook. Captain Cook may have been the first European to visit the Hawaiian Islands which he called the Sandwich Island in honor of the Earl of Sandwich. At first the Hawaiians welcomed Cook and his men as gods but things turned bad when one of the crew died which meant that they were not really gods and fighting broke out. Captain Cook was killed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">While we were sailing we saw spinner dolphins, false killer </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMIkVPOibUagN9Blm811ISmyLyvDJia0uYYVKP1wzIg2n2kvgKj1V5ypX0WTKKoJIOcT0UqWt5HkyzHJQzVOsWMMTi3lLTLIqqNqjNraRVNkoMGHWLTj_-k1rik7NCDW1nso63LSCL4Pcl/s1600/Tail+of+the+whale.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMIkVPOibUagN9Blm811ISmyLyvDJia0uYYVKP1wzIg2n2kvgKj1V5ypX0WTKKoJIOcT0UqWt5HkyzHJQzVOsWMMTi3lLTLIqqNqjNraRVNkoMGHWLTj_-k1rik7NCDW1nso63LSCL4Pcl/s1600/Tail+of+the+whale.JPG" height="135" width="200" /></a><br />
whales, and humpback whales. The humpbacks whales are amazing. They spend the summer in waters around Alaska then travel 3000 miles to Hawaii where they give birth to their babies. We saw a newborn and one about a year old. The humpbacks can be 40 to 45 feet in length, weight up to 40 tons and can eat a ton of food a day. When they jump out of the water and flapped their tail we would all cheer. They probably couldn’t hear us but one day while snorkeling Jeremy, the captain of the skiffs, put a microphone in the water and we could hear the whales singing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of our favorite days was spent in the Halawa Valley on the island of Molokai. The Halawa Valley is considered where the first civilization in Hawaii began around the year 500. We met with Anakala Pilipo and his family whose family has been living in the valley for 50 generations. First one of his son’s blew on the conch shell to warn the people outsiders were arriving. Then we walked</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> into the village, presented gifts of food and made the traditional greeting called a “honi.” A “honi” is when we touch foreheads and noses. Afterwards one of the sons, Greg, showed us how to make poi out of taro. It is a favorite Hawaiian food,. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRF0fwrtPFSDHQfURsfcvzQ-6kkWlgu2mhzxxy3urwaPv-a4Rc9fg2HomxNBYR9Z90GfjkkpVIS_P9_QUn1QbRJAYCWyuZDjS1HGpX-tFLtEyr1UHLYbLOBurI9JBwNtjP0vrZUNDQ3jMR/s1600/IMGP5130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRF0fwrtPFSDHQfURsfcvzQ-6kkWlgu2mhzxxy3urwaPv-a4Rc9fg2HomxNBYR9Z90GfjkkpVIS_P9_QUn1QbRJAYCWyuZDjS1HGpX-tFLtEyr1UHLYbLOBurI9JBwNtjP0vrZUNDQ3jMR/s1600/IMGP5130.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We loved Molokai because there are no stoplights, no McDonalds, no movie theaters and no malls. There is a sign that says, “Slow down. You are Molokai.” The Island of Oahu is very busy with many people. It is where we visited Pearl Harbor and learned more about WW II. There is much to learn about Hawaiian history and culture.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6903122276105313493.post-27131464423546258342013-12-02T13:54:00.000-05:002013-12-02T13:54:25.992-05:00Annie and Blue in the Dominican Republic<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Santo Domingo is the capital of the Dominican Republic and the first European-built city in the <br />
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New World. Santo Domingo was founded by Christopher Columbus’ brother Bartholomew in 1498 who was lieutenant-governor of the Indies. Christopher Columbus landed on the island in 1492 and called it Hispaniola. Columbus thought he was in the Indies and we still call the people Columbus met Indians. Columbus never learned he had found a large continent not known to Europeans. And, he never found the gold and other riches. When he died he thought he was a failure.<br />
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Do you know where Columbus is buried?<br />
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When we were in Seville, Spain we saw the bronze coffin with four statues holding it as if they were carrying it. It is said to hold the remains of Columbus. However, the people of the Dominican Republic say he is buried in Santo Domingo.<br />
In Santo Domingo we took a city tour that says learn about “500 years of history in 45 minutes.” On the tour the guide pointed at the cathedral and said in 1877 workers at the cathedral found a heavy lead box with bones in it. A sign on the box said “Illustrious and distinguished male, don Cristobel Colon.” In English it would be “Mr. Christopher Columbus.” The box was returned to where it was found until it was moved to the Lighthouse in 1992. The Lighthouse was built to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ voyage to the New World. In Santo Domingo the resting place is simpler. The huge new building is called The Lighthouse and is shaped like a cross with a bright beacon at night.<br />
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We think it is amazing to walk the same streets that Christopher Columbus walked over 500 years <br />
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ago. A lot of history has taken place in the historic center of Santo Domingo and, at one time, it was a walled city. Many of the walls and gates are still there. We visited the house of Columbus’ son, Diego, and Casa Reales, which is where the royal court met. Both are museums with many items from the days of Columbus. They had a great map of Columbus’ voyages. Columbus never made it to what is now the United States. <br />
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Before Columbus arrived the island was inhabited by Native Americans call Taino. It was thought at there were three million Tainos when Columbus arrived but 50 years later there were only about 5,000 left. They died from overwork, mistreatment and diseases brought by the European for which they had no immunity. It is still possible to see Taino carvings on rocks. We saw some when we visited Los Tres Ojos which means The Three Eyes in English. Los Tres Ojos is a series of small underground lakes that must have been a special place for the Taino. It is magical looking with roots and greenery hanging down from the open hole in the <br />
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ground above the small lakes. To get to one of the small lakes, our guide, Juan pulled us across a lake on a raft hooked to a rope and then we walked a short distance to a beautiful lake. There were a lot of stalactites and stalagmites. Do you know what they are? They are pointy stone formations found in limestone caves. Some hang down like icicles others point up. We learned that “the mites go up and the tites come done” but maybe a better way to remember which is which is that the one with a “g” in it refers to the one on the ground and the one with a “c” refers to the one on the ceiling. I think it would have been fun to go swimming there but it wasn’t allowed. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6903122276105313493.post-88634444670694933862013-11-06T09:57:00.000-05:002013-11-06T09:57:47.602-05:00Visiting Haiti<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Haiti is a very interesting country on the Caribbean island
of </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Hispaniola. Christopher Columbus stopped in </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Haiti in 1492. France and Spain
divided the island with the French getting control of the western part that is
Haiti. In the 1700s Haiti was one of the richest colonies in the world. They used slave labor to produce coffee and
sugar. But in 1804 the slaves revolted and created the first black republic in
the world and the first country in the Western Hemisphere to abolish
slavery. Other countries that had slaves
were afraid their slaves would revolt, too, so they isolated Haiti and didn’t
trade with them. Haiti became a very poor country. And, things got worse for Haiti on January
12, 2010 when a powerful earthquake occurred in the capital of Port-au-Prince killing
300,000 and leaving about one million homeless. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We found the people of Haiti to be friendly and working hard.
There were many interesting things to see.
In the capital of Port-au-Prince one of the interesting places we
visited was called the Iron Market. It
is a market filled with people selling things. It is like a mall. The building was made of iron in France and
was supposed to be a train station in Cairo, Egypt but it ended up in Haiti
during the 1800s. The earthquake damage
has been repaired and it was reopened in 2011 by former President Bill Clinton
who has a foundation that is helping Haiti. Many of the shops in the Iron
Market have crafts made by the Haitians.
We visited the village of </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Nouailles where we could hear a lot of
hammering because the people were making beautiful works of art from old steel
drums. And, in Jacmel we visited a shop
where people were making bright, colorful objects from cardboard. Amazing what people can make out of nothing!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">While we were in Jacmel we went to a folkloric show. We
love folkloric shows because it is a way people preserve their heritage. The
dances were very colorful. We also saw Paper Mache creations and masks that are
part of a huge celebration and parade called Carnival. We would like to see the celebration to watch
the parade, see the dances, and hear the great music. When we were at Moro’s shop </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">he put on one of the Paper Mache masks he made – a
giraffe mask.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">In the north of Haiti we visited the Citadel. It is the most amazing </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">fort we have every
visited. Most forts are built on the water to stop armies from attacking but
the Citadel was built on top of a mountain.
The Citadel was built so the Haitians would have a safe place on the
mountain to defend themselves if the French tried to recapture the county. We learned something interesting. One of the
reasons the French sold the Louisiana Territory to America was so they would
have money to recapture Haiti but it didn’t work out and luckily Haiti was not
attacked. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The Citadel was constructed by 20,000 workers between
1805 and 1820. To get to the fort we took a road half way up the mountain to a
parking lot where we got in a four-wheeler called a Rhino to go the rest of the
way. It was very curvy and steep. Along the way we saw the school children
walking home from school. Can you
imagine walking one hour or more up a steep hill with the temperature 90
degrees to get home from school – every day? They must have been tired and hot
but the girls looked so nice in their colorful uniforms and matching ribbons in
their hair.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6903122276105313493.post-43532010089750901712013-05-28T12:28:00.001-04:002013-05-28T12:28:26.626-04:00Exploring new things to do in Singapore<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We think Singapore must be the world’s cleanest country. It is against the law to sell chewing gum or to </div>
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bring it into the country. That’s because people were sticking it in the subway doors and spitting it on the sidewalks. They really enforce the laws prohibiting littering, graffiti and drugs. They want to keep the country beautiful. There are so many trees and flowers it is called “The Garden Country.” We think they are very clever. Instead of a sign saying “Do not jaywalk” the sides of the streets are lined with shrubs so the only place to cross the street is at the legal crosswalk.<br />
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We visited the newest attractions, Gardens by the Bay. It is amazing and concerned about the environment. They have what they call Supertrees. Some are 150-feet tall and are connect by a garden walkway. The Supertrees serve several purposes. Singapore is hot and sunny so they provide shade and also as a structure for plant life. They are designed to store solar energy and rain water that they use in the gardens. Inside the Flower Dome was just as impressive with plants, flowers, and trees from around the world. </div>
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From the Gardens by the Bay we had a great view of Marina Bay Sands Hotel which is very unique looking</div>
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with three tall pillars of rooms with a flat top. We went to visit because we had heard about their swimming pool. The swimming pool is on the roof 52 floors above the ground. It has incredible, heart-stopping views of Singapore. It looks like people could swim over the edge but they can’t. <br />
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There is an ArtScience Museum as part of the hotel. Do you have LEGOS? They had an exhibit, The Art of the Brick, with all the sculptures made of LEGOS. The artist, Nathan Sayawa, was a lawyer but he found enjoyment sitting on the floor creating artwork from LEGOs. When he found he could make a living by creating with his LEGOS so left his law practice and now does what he loves to do. We loved that story and were amazed by his creations. </div>
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Singapore was a trading port – and still is. Over the years traders from</div>
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the countries of Malaysia, India and China settled there. When the Chinese traders married the Malaysian ladies there cultures mixed creating a new culture called Peranakan. We went to the Peranakan Museum to learn more about their ways. Mostly, there were hard working and successful. They use to live in places called shophouses. Their shops would be on the ground floor and they would live on the top floor. Like their clothing and dishes the shophouses were brightly decorated.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq536fuXPtK9nQQUm4Dkukd8fnLPZhpJFCrBCKGjwXpuG3xEn1u6sRM-PHp5tCDDQDxp8ywkVJjIrMN8KwZyPOFdiWQKmMq0uRPaoD-3oQVTrHs90JFG-LaofNX0jNLFRRF6Vk0iHrdeDm/s1600/3.Lena+Tan+Making++Kueh+Dadar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq536fuXPtK9nQQUm4Dkukd8fnLPZhpJFCrBCKGjwXpuG3xEn1u6sRM-PHp5tCDDQDxp8ywkVJjIrMN8KwZyPOFdiWQKmMq0uRPaoD-3oQVTrHs90JFG-LaofNX0jNLFRRF6Vk0iHrdeDm/s200/3.Lena+Tan+Making++Kueh+Dadar.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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We went to a shophouse which today has a store on the ground floor but the floor above is now a cooking school. We learned to make three Peranakan recipes. One was chicken satays – chicken on a stick which is served with a spicy peanut sauce. It is very popular in Singapore and very good. We also learned to make another popular local noodle dish called Fried Kway Teow. And for dessert we made Kueh Dadar which are thin pancakes with coconut filling. We really liked them. Making the pancakes can be a bit tricky. Our teacher, Lena Tan said, “The first one is a test. Experiment to get it right. It you get it wrong you can just eat it!”</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6903122276105313493.post-87211166619275055792013-04-10T10:05:00.002-04:002013-04-10T10:05:43.425-04:00Annie and Blue in Thailand <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwMLC1E5HvbF0ZYjSMgyGRGiHnfOIJ_7BkmYROL2WLWrHuJiPB_PCFVQr-1l6GlNuwLLcxh3tRiVs9Jml7Kv4rfbsjITTaVeb1LBm5PlO57_IXa74dXyrcN3jtkAuvHPf3qXOBuK9g44z/s1600/L-Salt+Fields.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwMLC1E5HvbF0ZYjSMgyGRGiHnfOIJ_7BkmYROL2WLWrHuJiPB_PCFVQr-1l6GlNuwLLcxh3tRiVs9Jml7Kv4rfbsjITTaVeb1LBm5PlO57_IXa74dXyrcN3jtkAuvHPf3qXOBuK9g44z/s200/L-Salt+Fields.JPG" width="200" /></a>Sawadee! Hello from <st1:country-region w:st="on">Thailand</st1:country-region>. People like it when visitors want to learn
more about their culture. At the
InterContinental Hotel in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Hua Hin</st1:city>,
<st1:country-region w:st="on">Thailand</st1:country-region></st1:place>, the
hotel makes it easy. Hua Hin is about three hours south of the capital city of <st1:city w:st="on">Bangkok</st1:city>. The drive was
interesting. Have you ever wondered where salt comes from? On the way we saw where farmers harvest salt
so we asked our driver to stop. The fields are divided into large squares. Using a small wind-driven pump like a little
windmill the salt water is pumped up from the ground into the squares. During the dry season from November to March
the sun evaporates the water leaving the salt which they sweep up to be taken
away where it is cleaned and packaged for sale. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPsljrskYkCk_rrn4PshLRgyA_3_co3XIuLMDXHEE5Y6b12UxabvmJP9wvUnnr7hv_9O2FnWyjPVljVHP3rMgBfurZekOJDZ3NF3EN96ncyKyJl2JIZcNtI2Rzp-FI9mDTYNuaDoEhjfe5/s1600/L-HH-momk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPsljrskYkCk_rrn4PshLRgyA_3_co3XIuLMDXHEE5Y6b12UxabvmJP9wvUnnr7hv_9O2FnWyjPVljVHP3rMgBfurZekOJDZ3NF3EN96ncyKyJl2JIZcNtI2Rzp-FI9mDTYNuaDoEhjfe5/s200/L-HH-momk.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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At the InterContinental Hotel they offer several cultural
activities. One morning we got up early, at dawn and walked down to the beach
where the hotel had prepared woven bamboo baskets that contained food. After a few minutes a Buddhist monk walked
by. We called to him and gave him the basket of food. He gave us a blessing and continued on his
morning walk. It is very common for Thai people to give food and money to the
Buddhist monks especially when they are on their morning walk. It is called
“making merit” which is basically doing good deeds in an attempt to become a
better person. It also reminds us not to be selfish and to share. Buddhist
monks live a very simple life. They are only allowed to receive and eat between
dawn and noon. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqZNZuNN3lIKRfTCaDyV6TGAeZ7hCAAJVTtNi6ndyDstyb6lRkx-onzUfzRXRHDuTPEf5hI6eBxcnwoYr3lkfgCBFP_oXat7Pny4l_tqE103Pdrwc2Y-ZYThnizI33n-8rGcNGHBKu7UGq/s1600/L-HH-Market.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqZNZuNN3lIKRfTCaDyV6TGAeZ7hCAAJVTtNi6ndyDstyb6lRkx-onzUfzRXRHDuTPEf5hI6eBxcnwoYr3lkfgCBFP_oXat7Pny4l_tqE103Pdrwc2Y-ZYThnizI33n-8rGcNGHBKu7UGq/s200/L-HH-Market.jpg" width="200" /></a>The InterContinental also offers Thai cooking classes. We love Thai food because it has a lot of fresh fish, shellfish, fruits and vegetables so we decided that we would like to take a cooking class. But first we had to buy the ingredients. In the morning we went to the market with Chef Worawut. It wasn’t like any other market we had been to. It was huge, crowded and had all sorts of things we had never seen before along with things we recognized. We saw fresh fish, dried fish, along with fruits and vegetables. We saw peppers in many colors and sizes. We were surprised to learn that the smaller the pepper the hotter the taste. Thai food can be very hot if they add just a little of the tiny red peppers. We saw so many interesting things. They also sell ready-to-eat food and clothing, actually a little bit of everything. The floor is usually wet because the fish are laid out on ice and the people who sell veggies are sprayed to keep them fresh and clean looking. Most of the Thai people shop every day because they want the ingredients to be fresh and because most people in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Thailand</st1:country-region>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixxMCbyQMBKJO5_NSxsydSI9Em05lpoW15acpOoVVh8IiSBrS_xdKubwH3WxEv9CZSq73_o-H8HKDiiT4oufAEbpXKGDEi7kfuMaxbqxzDHASaRBNF5WccKYoGrnRxtDMbBk1cRgOQ-BB2/s1600/L-A%252BB-cooking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixxMCbyQMBKJO5_NSxsydSI9Em05lpoW15acpOoVVh8IiSBrS_xdKubwH3WxEv9CZSq73_o-H8HKDiiT4oufAEbpXKGDEi7kfuMaxbqxzDHASaRBNF5WccKYoGrnRxtDMbBk1cRgOQ-BB2/s200/L-A%252BB-cooking.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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When we
returned to the hotel we went to the restaurant where we learned to make Green
Mango Prawn and Lemon Grass Salad, followed by a main course of Prawns with
Tamarind Sauce. Prawns are like huge
shrimp. We love lemon grass flavor. It is common in Thai food. Tamarinds are a fruit that looks like brown
pea pods. Inside the fruit also looks like peas. When it is ripe it is sweet
and makes great sauces and jams. For dessert we made Taro in Coconut Milk and
Palm Sugar. Taro is a root. We told Chef Worawut we didn’t think we could buy
taro in our area. He said we could use
potato instead. We think a cooking class is a good way to learn about other cultures.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6903122276105313493.post-46737112160604178862013-03-04T09:41:00.001-05:002013-03-04T09:45:29.894-05:00We love Myanmar<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaiSoMCoFMFP4bfAU7HmNrPkNhm_fKIptwNXOoS9XP4udfZa3CiLAGC0u7Lqxfha4xYQBGBGlLCgQyTRCyNVGVrqFLLVsPTCm8bXJBOfwyxTR_-a_kwgQgRJfohABSWlrIJSCPgAt-uTCG/s1600/L-amazing+095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaiSoMCoFMFP4bfAU7HmNrPkNhm_fKIptwNXOoS9XP4udfZa3CiLAGC0u7Lqxfha4xYQBGBGlLCgQyTRCyNVGVrqFLLVsPTCm8bXJBOfwyxTR_-a_kwgQgRJfohABSWlrIJSCPgAt-uTCG/s200/L-amazing+095.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgmFhNXDSxHW7gwX5yenY0Z8_AxKZcVqRD3sL6NrylMxyGsb5Wb7rb0egCGvVt8pI3GFDcMPwSlj3By2ZgkptRt00Ab1NoIzcpfakHTohEJP0ytk3u2sj91qVIBEctTcukg8t0B0RAkUz/s1600/amazingBeach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgmFhNXDSxHW7gwX5yenY0Z8_AxKZcVqRD3sL6NrylMxyGsb5Wb7rb0egCGvVt8pI3GFDcMPwSlj3By2ZgkptRt00Ab1NoIzcpfakHTohEJP0ytk3u2sj91qVIBEctTcukg8t0B0RAkUz/s200/amazingBeach.jpg" width="200" /></a>Mingalabar, or “hello” from <st1:place w:st="on">Myanmar</st1:place>. We have visited <st1:country-region w:st="on">Myanmar</st1:country-region> many times because we love to stay at
Amazing Hotel on <st1:placename w:st="on">Ngapali</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Beach</st1:placetype> on the <st1:place w:st="on">Bay of Bengal</st1:place>. The beach is long with soft sand perfect for
walking and the water is warm. We like to use the hotel’s inner tubes to ride
the waves. Every time we visit there is
always something “amazing.” This time we
were so happy when one of our waitresses, Khin Khin Phyu, invited us to her
wedding and reception. She is Catholic
and he is Buddhist. In the morning we
went to the Buddhist Monastery with Khin Khin and her husband, Zar Ni. They brought the monk gifts of food as is
traditional and received his blessing recognizing their marriage. Buddhist monks do not perform ceremonies. Khin
Khin wore a beautiful yellow Myanmar-style dress. In the evening we went to her
house for the reception which had been going on all day long. In the evening
she had on another beautiful dress. This time is was white more like our
wedding dresses. The neighbors do all the cooking but the food was provided by
Khin Khin’s family. Zar Ni is from another
village so after a few days they went to his village for a similar celebration
and his family will provide the food.
Khin Khin and Zar Ni will live with his family.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIEmD3LVm2dm0BZVaWKych99opFccPQV9bMz4FPMOvxecETdLc_418qLvhUovTY8wIS-PJGK2NG1DpYccGfH9Wbmk2r3sCaEMsZbEwG9V_tMiBUQQqakLoVKBo4Ltlh48nzyyIxEukGnAd/s1600/KhinKhim+wedding2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIEmD3LVm2dm0BZVaWKych99opFccPQV9bMz4FPMOvxecETdLc_418qLvhUovTY8wIS-PJGK2NG1DpYccGfH9Wbmk2r3sCaEMsZbEwG9V_tMiBUQQqakLoVKBo4Ltlh48nzyyIxEukGnAd/s200/KhinKhim+wedding2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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After we left <st1:placename w:st="on">Ngapali</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Beach</st1:placetype> we went to the capital of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Myanmar</st1:country-region>, Nay
Pyi Taw. It is a <st1:city w:st="on">new city</st1:city>. They started building it in 2002
and until recently people needed special permission to visit. We hired a car
and driver to take us from <st1:place w:st="on">Yangon</st1:place>, the old capital,
200 miles to the new capital. We were
told there were no flights. The road is
also new, four lines divided by newly planted trees and flowers. We saw very few vehicles because the toll is
$30. We found the city very interesting
with lots of lights and very, very wide roads – and virtually empty of traffic.
I think they have built a city that will meet their needs in the future. There is building going on everywhere. </div>
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We visited the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Gem</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Museum</st1:placetype></st1:place>. <st1:country-region w:st="on">Myanmar</st1:country-region> is
famous for rubies and jade. At the new Buddhist pagoda we were happy to see
that there were four elevators to get to the temple because it is hot in Nay
Pyi Taw – very hot. The golden pagoda is
beautiful outside and inside. Inside the
pagoda there are statues of Buddha and along the walls stone tablets that tell
the story of Buddha’s life. The only place we could not go was where the new
governmental buildings are located. From a distance they look beautiful – maybe
some day. The city is huge even though it is basically empty of people and cars.
From the center of the city to the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">National</st1:placename>
<st1:placename w:st="on">Landmark</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Garden</st1:placetype></st1:place>
it was a 30 minute ride and it was still in the city. We were happy to have a
golf cart tour and guide because the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Landmark</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Garden</st1:placetype></st1:place> is huge. It is
divided into the many ethnic groups of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Myanmar</st1:country-region> and had replicas of each
area’s famous landmark. It was like a tour of the whole country of <st1:place w:st="on">Myanmar</st1:place>
in one hour. One place we want to visit
is the Golden Rock especially after we saw the replica on our ride. There were also amusement rides and a hotel. </div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">One evening we went to the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Water</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Fountain</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Garden</st1:placetype></st1:place> with many ponds,
fountains, and gardens all colorfully displayed. One large water fountain had music videos
projected on it and there was an undulating suspension bridge that was a bit
shaky to walk on. We enjoyed both. We think Nay Pyi Taw will be a beautiful
capital when it is completed. </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6903122276105313493.post-38151620368428748272013-02-14T11:00:00.001-05:002013-05-12T20:51:23.872-04:00Our first visit to Sri Lanka<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Ayubowan! That is the greeting in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Sri Lanka</st1:country-region>. It means “Wishing you a long and enchanted life.” We think it is a wonderful way to say “hello.” We love to visit countries for the first time. There is so much to learn. We spent a few nights in the capital city of <st1:city w:st="on">Colombo</st1:city> and one of the places we visited was <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Slave</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Island</st1:placetype></st1:place>. Today is it is a nice park in the middle of a lake but many years ago it is where slaves, mainly from Africa, were held when the Portuguese and Dutch ruled over <st1:country-region w:st="on">Sri Lanka</st1:country-region>. They were used to build canals after which most were returned to <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place>. Later <st1:country-region w:st="on">Sri Lanka</st1:country-region> was ruled by the British but it has been an independent country since 1948. In 1972 it changed its name from <st1:country-region w:st="on">Ceylon</st1:country-region> to <st1:country-region w:st="on">Sri Lanka</st1:country-region>. Can you find <st1:country-region w:st="on">Sri Lanka</st1:country-region> on a map? It looks like a tear drop or a pearl off the southern tip of <st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region>.</div>
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The history of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Sri Lanka</st1:country-region> goes back several thousand years and we enjoyed visiting their archeological sites. There are eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Sri Lanka</st1:country-region> which is amazing for such a small country. But we especially loved seeing all the animals. One day we stopped along the road to see a monkey eating corn on the cob and then again to see a man feed a huge monitor lizard. They look a lot like alligators and have sharp teeth and claws.</div>
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One day we went on a safari hoping to see a tiger but they are very hard to find. We did see wild boars, elephants, deer, water buffalo, and many birds. We also visited the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. We got there at 9 a.m. so we could watch them feeding the elephants. They feed them milk from a very large baby bottle. One elephant was missing part of his foot and had a problem with his other leg because he had stepped on a land mine. Land mines are a problem in many countries where there have been wars. They injure people, too, because no one knows exactly where the mines are hidden. It was fun watching the elephants play with a rubber glove which they would stretch and then let it snap back. And, twice a day they led all 70 of them across the road to the river to play in the water. We watched three young ones trying to dunk each other.</div>
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The beaches of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Sri Lanka</st1:country-region> are home to five species of marine turtles, all of which are endangered. After the turtle comes on shore and lays her eggs she goes back to the sea and the eggs are often eaten by birds and other animals. At the Turtle Hatchery they rescue the eggs and put them in a safe place until they hatch. And then they keep them until they are big enough to be returned to the sea. The ones that can not survive on their own stay at the hatchery. They have an albino turtle and also some blind ones. One in every 1000 is born blind. Others have been injured in fishing nets and are missing legs. </div>
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We spent a few days at Jetwing Beach Hotel and they have a foster school – a school that they support. We were excited to be able to visit the school. It was very nice. The hotel provided us with a projector and screen so we could do a power point presentation about schools and customs around the world. Many people speak English in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Sri Lanka</st1:country-region> but at the school most of the students did not so Mr. Charmara from the hotel came along and translated for us. The children in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Sri Lanka</st1:country-region> all wear uniforms. The girls wear a white skirt and blouses while the boys wear white shirts and dark pants. They all wear ties that tell what school they go to. Education is free, compulsory and the government supplies the uniforms and books. Consequently, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Sri Lanka</st1:country-region> has a 97% literary rate. That is excellent. The people of <st1:place w:st="on">Sri Lanka</st1:place> are very friendly.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6903122276105313493.post-57325235688303998212013-01-21T06:51:00.000-05:002013-01-21T06:54:44.975-05:00There are always interesting things to do in Hong Kong<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We have been to Hong Kong many times but there is always something different to see and do. Hong Kong is very modern. It is a vertical city much like New York City. But Hong Kong has more skyscrapers than New York and they are still building more tall buildings. Most of the skyscrapers are apartment buildings. Some are 70 stories tall. Very few people in Hong Kong live in private homes.<br />
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We stayed at the Ibis hotel on Hong Kong Island where we had a new taste treat for breakfast – glutinous rice wrapped in a lotus leaf and steamed. Another name for glutinous rice is sticky rice which we think sounds better. Regardless of the name it was very good. We like to try new foods. <br />
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Hong Kong is very modern but we like to find places that remind us of Hong Kong from many years ago. One day we went to Man Mo Temple. It is a Buddhist temple. Buddhism is very popular in Asia. They say it is a philosophy but it is a lot like a religion. The colorful Buddhist temple is surrounded by tall buildings. We love the smell of Buddhist temples because worshippers burn incense as part of their prayers. They also light candles and bring offerings of food. The Man Mo temple was built by a rich man in the early 1800s to honor the God of Literature and the God of Martial Arts. Beside statues honoring the two men there were huge drums and bells. On feast days they put the statues of the men in gold-covered chairs and carry them in a procession that includes people ringing bells and beating drums. We would love so see that some day. It must be very colorful and exciting. <br />
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Outside the Ibis Hotel there was a stop for the historic tram which has been in operation for more than 100 years. There is advertising on the trams and we were surprised to see a big ad for Spam. Spam is an American ham-like product that is very popular in Asia. The American soldiers shared their Spam with local people during World War II and now Asians eat more Spam than Americans.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1UIRkFhTwaNB1swyLfg67VgnXT4B6o7sVDHW7-8amf1nJ_IXUBg9AKHOcpg2TrT5P3u_JtmsTZzvdL5Z6CZXEfdOJLHVSBryf1g78DnNkbk3ilBke11tku0mjUtGu3xaph09vlKDx1kHq/s1600/Petty+Person+beating+paper+with+her+shoe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1UIRkFhTwaNB1swyLfg67VgnXT4B6o7sVDHW7-8amf1nJ_IXUBg9AKHOcpg2TrT5P3u_JtmsTZzvdL5Z6CZXEfdOJLHVSBryf1g78DnNkbk3ilBke11tku0mjUtGu3xaph09vlKDx1kHq/s200/Petty+Person+beating+paper+with+her+shoe.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
One day we took the tram to a spot that was very interesting. We found a place where they still practice an ancient tradition right in the middle of a very modern city. In a space under the highway overpass there are ladies who do what is called “Petty Person Beating.” A petty person is someone who annoys you. The old ladies have little shrines set up with statues of Buddhist gods and saints. The lady had us write down the name of the person who annoys us. Then she burns some incense. Then she took a paper with designs of people on it and beat it with an old shoe after which she wrapped it in another piece of paper with a tiger drawing on it. Then she set it on fire along with the paper with the person’ name on it and waved it around us. All the while she is chanting a prayer. We wonder if it works regardless I think the annoyed person feels better. The ladies were quite busy. We think it is interesting to learn about the ways other people do things.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6903122276105313493.post-12023030555238621072012-12-09T14:46:00.001-05:002012-12-09T15:06:29.187-05:00Philadelphia is Where America Started<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We travel all over the world and it is a great learning experience but there are many wonderful, exciting places to learn and enjoy in the United States. We love Philadelphia. It is where America started. Really! The Declaration of Independence was written during the Continental Congress held in Independence Hall in Philadelphia. We visited Independence Hall and saw the room where it was written and learned, that just like politicians today, there was a lot of arguments about what they should do. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh52XsM8dLp-86EBbgtVXa5siKK7dj3RsLyIm2Oypk3eThXLW07Cje2xvt0W_eP6VMKgItkxLYXsc2ecMwWKdYWupBZpRhgoLIWmIYj1qEpaoZ4HEIwvcjbe0AJQYx19uWDwUbgXTlXcbNg/s1600/Independence-with+Washington's+chair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh52XsM8dLp-86EBbgtVXa5siKK7dj3RsLyIm2Oypk3eThXLW07Cje2xvt0W_eP6VMKgItkxLYXsc2ecMwWKdYWupBZpRhgoLIWmIYj1qEpaoZ4HEIwvcjbe0AJQYx19uWDwUbgXTlXcbNg/s200/Independence-with+Washington's+chair.jpg" width="200" /></a>The Constitution was also written and signed in Philadelphia. We saw the chair that George Washington was sitting in during the meetings and the decoration on the back of the chair had a small painting of a sun. At Independence Hall, as the delegates signed the Constitution, Benjamin Franklin pointed to the president's chair, and said, "I have often...in the course of this session...looked at the sun...without being able to tell whether it was rising or setting; but now at length I have the happiness to know that it is a rising and not a setting sun." Franklin felt that the greatness of the new country, America, was on the rise.</div>
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Guess what? We signed the Constitution. The US Constitution is celebrating its 225th anniversary. People are invited to sign the Constitution at the National Constitution Center or on line at their web site. The signing room has statues of all the original signers of the Constitution. So many people have signed that there are books and books of signatures. The Center has a lot of great hands-on learning experiences about the Constitution. <br />
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Philadelphia has the most historic square mile in the United States. That means that there are so many great places to visit within walking distance. The Liberty Bell is in a building in front of Independence Hall. We made friends with Makayla while we were waiting in line. She was from California and she was all excited about seeing the Liberty Bell because she wanted to tell her class that she had actually touched it. The bronze Liberty Bell weighs about one ton and at the top it says, “Proclaim Liberty” but it wasn’t until the 1800s that it was called “The Liberty Bell.” The people who were working to free slaves used it as a symbol. Today it is a worldwide symbol of freedom.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeizXae4IMvKT16b3pi-iTzcPguyD8y8W3r4EaFSbLnRfAcRPWwTafj_iGIbRHvSpesTsUHb_msJK0U5e7ZoWMgdnRSS02xG_N3H0OKZaOMYahfrCEx9bDSBa3RwlTzKXyt-tTcEfU1jQd/s1600/Betsy's+five-point+star.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeizXae4IMvKT16b3pi-iTzcPguyD8y8W3r4EaFSbLnRfAcRPWwTafj_iGIbRHvSpesTsUHb_msJK0U5e7ZoWMgdnRSS02xG_N3H0OKZaOMYahfrCEx9bDSBa3RwlTzKXyt-tTcEfU1jQd/s200/Betsy's+five-point+star.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Who designed the American flag? Many people think it was Betsy Ross. And, maybe it was but there is no written proof. We visited her house where we learned that she designed the five-pointed star that is on the flag. It was easier than making a six-pointed star because she could fold the cloth and cut it in one snip.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPnPVYG1rLHpMsYnjP4kHkwVPgcr3hyphenhyphen51wfuftnI-sZBTSqTOUcXb3PG_9YDwwTy_yjQI9XSnWAbI4E63XNeXX7HDYSJo8jhfI0jrqqsTn_Kj_VaosdkEUSq8oebq-GJmNAAUAkKdZZWJg/s1600/Liberty-Everyone+can+help.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPnPVYG1rLHpMsYnjP4kHkwVPgcr3hyphenhyphen51wfuftnI-sZBTSqTOUcXb3PG_9YDwwTy_yjQI9XSnWAbI4E63XNeXX7HDYSJo8jhfI0jrqqsTn_Kj_VaosdkEUSq8oebq-GJmNAAUAkKdZZWJg/s200/Liberty-Everyone+can+help.jpg" width="200" /></a>There are many things to do in “America’s Most Historic Square Mile.” We saw Liberty 360, a 3-D film highlighting America’s most treasured gift – liberty. While we were waiting for the show we sat and listened to a story. There are “Once Upon a Nation” benches at historic sites with storytellers ready to tell historic stories for free. The Visitor Center has great free videos where we learned that not everyone wanted to create a new country. There was a lot of disagreement. Only about one-third of the people were in favor of breaking away from England. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMTbUvP87081TyPhZi-bfkSgtLUEPTvE6PaqqjgaGYKWP8dA0jPXgHcG5lJ9Bux_BugyU21N3CXrNKmvMHrA_2_8r4wrAUzb4L08AJ8pAmiAMc_fKVx0MM837cB9t9G2x2oq3crjE1G77Y/s1600/Liberty+Musuem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMTbUvP87081TyPhZi-bfkSgtLUEPTvE6PaqqjgaGYKWP8dA0jPXgHcG5lJ9Bux_BugyU21N3CXrNKmvMHrA_2_8r4wrAUzb4L08AJ8pAmiAMc_fKVx0MM837cB9t9G2x2oq3crjE1G77Y/s200/Liberty+Musuem.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
We loved the National Liberty Center where they had excellent displays about what “freedom” means to people. There is the freedom of religion, freedom from hunger, and freedom of expression. We like the display called “Power of 1” which meant we can all do something to promote freedom including respecting others. We liked the sign that said, “Freedom is not a spectator sport.” There was a lot to see and do in Philadelphia’s History Square Mile – and, a lot to think about. From 1790 to 1800 Philadelphia was the Capital of the United States.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6903122276105313493.post-29411703685551797312012-06-19T16:24:00.008-04:002012-06-19T16:48:06.175-04:00Nihao (hello) from China!There are so many things to see in China. Even though the cities <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBR8j1vLlNxBYxsvlyTYM32Vo71cghzhKpS0xfveO4X9lP3_xB87XEznkfDNt1wyrDTH1adlyGfQix_gr9pqnYz4b56-uBXrz8eJii0n0oaGF6qYaWOLB4y2k9FAI14Z0_v5-mRjTqo_nk/s1600/L-terra.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5755852331193732546" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBR8j1vLlNxBYxsvlyTYM32Vo71cghzhKpS0xfveO4X9lP3_xB87XEznkfDNt1wyrDTH1adlyGfQix_gr9pqnYz4b56-uBXrz8eJii0n0oaGF6qYaWOLB4y2k9FAI14Z0_v5-mRjTqo_nk/s200/L-terra.jpg" /></a>look new and modern China is a very old country. In Xian we visited a place that was the tomb of the first emperor of China. He wanted an army to protect him after he died so he had 700,000 people work for 36 years to build him an army as part of his massive tomb. That was 2,200 years ago. It was buried and while a historian of that time period had written about it no one knew where it was until 1974. A couple of farmers were digging a well and found some pottery which led to the discovery of more than 7000 terra cotta (clay) figures. The figures are mostly soldiers. The soldiers are amazing <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCBahfshNOPDHeTyh4FluDyioFqET2_tZUbQ7Tcqv1Sad2HpgwYfF6VHzwT_1Zrq340qs9tGWFr14DFxvSFzPiYLDXcsOfs_N5ePxsTiktztl8mVqSD4iM0jdi0_Ul96ltsvxuxVdBZjyH/s1600/TerraCotta3.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 105px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 162px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5755851757612543602" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCBahfshNOPDHeTyh4FluDyioFqET2_tZUbQ7Tcqv1Sad2HpgwYfF6VHzwT_1Zrq340qs9tGWFr14DFxvSFzPiYLDXcsOfs_N5ePxsTiktztl8mVqSD4iM0jdi0_Ul96ltsvxuxVdBZjyH/s200/TerraCotta3.jpg" /></a>because they are life size and very detailed. Even the veins on their hands can be seen. Each one is different. At one time they were brilliantly colored. There is much more to be uncovered because his tomb is almost a mile away from where the terra cotta warriors were buried. Most of the Terra Cotta Warriors were broken so workers have been piecing them back together. It must be the world’s biggest puzzle! Today the city of Xian has about eight million people.<br /><br />We also visited Nanjing another city with about eight million people. We visited the historical places but our favorite was visiting a school. Even though one out of every six people speaks<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1hVG6cTw23JyeiIphoOQpbF32TKCKH7uD93jjFP2AQFq2g7-dkNyXMn90AFntdmIZVuZcgfsugDAivxNAq2GF2olw7HDAjWL_xBY4jv5gYZKuV4dMy-5TCE7S3ktIhrPo7Cxfe9TBb75Y/s1600/Shanghai+004.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5755851124766400658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1hVG6cTw23JyeiIphoOQpbF32TKCKH7uD93jjFP2AQFq2g7-dkNyXMn90AFntdmIZVuZcgfsugDAivxNAq2GF2olw7HDAjWL_xBY4jv5gYZKuV4dMy-5TCE7S3ktIhrPo7Cxfe9TBb75Y/s200/Shanghai+004.jpg" /></a> Chinese, English is the most common second language. We call it a connecting language. If you speak English you can go anywhere is the world and you will find many people who speak English. Chinese parents think it is important for their children to learn English. Some send them to international schools where only English is spoken but others enroll their children in English language night <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCAmhzkzKZy4DIyFyAfE_hiNVi2xYWPalZ-d5G6gtAXbIpo4nyBWWDOzPxgK7vMlkFKQIDoJhyphenhyphenFJKnDkOERVpP7e2BSz0SyS23uIpXcwA4I05L6D98T0RThuFAi_MpROWwKnxfGwAmwOM5/s1600/Nanging+school.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 203px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 166px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5755850653322831794" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCAmhzkzKZy4DIyFyAfE_hiNVi2xYWPalZ-d5G6gtAXbIpo4nyBWWDOzPxgK7vMlkFKQIDoJhyphenhyphenFJKnDkOERVpP7e2BSz0SyS23uIpXcwA4I05L6D98T0RThuFAi_MpROWwKnxfGwAmwOM5/s200/Nanging+school.jpg" /></a>schools. We visited the Jump A-Z Training Center. It is on the 13th floor of a skyscraper. The school has 1000 students. It is very modern and colorful with lots of computers. We were very impressed. About 70 students from grade 3-5 crowded into the multi-purpose room along with many parents to see our power point program, “Schools Around the World.” It is always fun to meet students in other countries.<br /><br />China is about the size of the United States but China has the world’s largest population with 1.3 billion people while the United States has only 300,000. There are many, many big cities in China and they are building huge skyscrapers with 40 or more floors. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtkDhfINoVQRuqVnVdbfyZ-yYGE9ugzMuZ8V6vGHKnz1KgrKSlTLxVauxfinza15xXZHQqYSuGarTNlrdylaV5yqOoapvkFfJkhNZz3yEQNRoROwTLCX9r-SXMYLEPmh91Fsn-XOLTMVN6/s1600/8.+Pudong+skyline.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 230px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 171px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5755847414749733330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtkDhfINoVQRuqVnVdbfyZ-yYGE9ugzMuZ8V6vGHKnz1KgrKSlTLxVauxfinza15xXZHQqYSuGarTNlrdylaV5yqOoapvkFfJkhNZz3yEQNRoROwTLCX9r-SXMYLEPmh91Fsn-XOLTMVN6/s200/8.+Pudong+skyline.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Our last stop in China was in Shanghai, a city with more than 20 million people. The city is known for its amazing buildings. It has more skyscrapers than New York City and there are building even more. Like many of the cities we visited in China they have beautiful parks and trees. We visited People’s Park where they have a <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdt2U-6gaGrl1g_jWqkstTrgKW5zK59Ebn-pyw3ATpCwIedC1x8g-0ijnJJNSOTGCK_-yqjF6oqsRQl7aFFZBwZclbBQiYk7KivRMbcddO7QlcGUbMfqtMknQk7jcHMp6VO9kx-oA9rJL3/s1600/Shanghai+-+we+met+this+girl+near+in+the+park.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 189px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 223px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5755849297711933010" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdt2U-6gaGrl1g_jWqkstTrgKW5zK59Ebn-pyw3ATpCwIedC1x8g-0ijnJJNSOTGCK_-yqjF6oqsRQl7aFFZBwZclbBQiYk7KivRMbcddO7QlcGUbMfqtMknQk7jcHMp6VO9kx-oA9rJL3/s200/Shanghai+-+we+met+this+girl+near+in+the+park.jpg" /></a>musical fountain and hundreds of doves. It is also where the Shanghai Museum is <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_t7xkj8hPjFYgFfhvYkcc9PtlEb7ewjStnR4eqz3bDwIWGS0uxBjv68tfMTSpLNHPSKBqzCfdNDCZjemHfwPoz6Cdo3xdMH56u2ibMKucB06gLCrh6ne57Qk4cHJeLeIlQ5QGTsqIiE-/s1600/Shanghai+-+we+met+this+girl+near+in+the+park.jpg"></a>located. A museum is a great place to learn about a country. We especially like the gallery in the museum where they showed all the different ethnic groups that make up China. At one time each group had their own beautiful style of clothing. Today it seems that everyone dresses in the same style. Children in China dress just like children in America and elsewhere in the world. In a way we think it is sad for people to lose their traditional ways of dress.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6903122276105313493.post-62470769109479170692012-05-29T09:45:00.011-04:002012-05-29T10:55:42.478-04:00Visiting schools around the worldWe love to visit schools to learn more about an area’s local life and to share with students what life is like in other parts of the world. We have visited schools in many parts of the world. Sometimes we just chat and make new friends. Other times we do power point programs. We have a variety of programs including one that highlights schools around the world but we can develop a program that meshes with the student’s current curriculum. Here are some of the schools we have had the pleasure to visit. We maintain contact with some school sending them postcards and newsletters (via e-mail) about the various parts of the world we are visiting. We have learned the “Everyone Smiles in the Same Language.”<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUTFtje61igaMHXZGTzZRygHinHhBE-pVYYdC0bq7ohJSRS8hIHvbaIf6jqKiI0PyZRZglquD7fNh3O8iGd74Wkyw42hIag28vuW__1NkP74raL0j7p7XTgTseJ2IOoIxgj82kBEG9R_VY/s1600/Studying+at+the+Buddhist+monastery.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 178px; HEIGHT: 121px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5747965750365606370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUTFtje61igaMHXZGTzZRygHinHhBE-pVYYdC0bq7ohJSRS8hIHvbaIf6jqKiI0PyZRZglquD7fNh3O8iGd74Wkyw42hIag28vuW__1NkP74raL0j7p7XTgTseJ2IOoIxgj82kBEG9R_VY/s200/Studying+at+the+Buddhist+monastery.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZvMlum8tw-NH_zbZjti7OAX3B_vGxzJ5vrUxAVjkt8PhAig7kOLy8jUlQKr-cwb1RmoOeDSaF9a8skvY_TPFYNBBPwLR7d8Ed8TZkMHtRvvCnU3G3aQ7wCxdOwythk9VEacEiGWGlX20/s1600/IMGP0033.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 170px; HEIGHT: 124px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5747965764733731058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZvMlum8tw-NH_zbZjti7OAX3B_vGxzJ5vrUxAVjkt8PhAig7kOLy8jUlQKr-cwb1RmoOeDSaF9a8skvY_TPFYNBBPwLR7d8Ed8TZkMHtRvvCnU3G3aQ7wCxdOwythk9VEacEiGWGlX20/s200/IMGP0033.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUhMf4R8ljpig6-kVJCY0803_dFelEnkRbgH0ZdpL9G7EA3T7LkeaVJRLd7XxCmPftwWk9LfrCv2daeqtdGFngrJ4xpnIKd45Fy-XRzkwrWEIdKo2F7vCafT5pjtjjDYQ9CeVRfu9HtL3C/s1600/Vietnam2+046.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 175px; HEIGHT: 125px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5747965759995745074" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUhMf4R8ljpig6-kVJCY0803_dFelEnkRbgH0ZdpL9G7EA3T7LkeaVJRLd7XxCmPftwWk9LfrCv2daeqtdGFngrJ4xpnIKd45Fy-XRzkwrWEIdKo2F7vCafT5pjtjjDYQ9CeVRfu9HtL3C/s200/Vietnam2+046.jpg" /></a><br />Myanmar: a Buddhist school in Ngapali<br />Thailand: A public school in Phuket<br />Vietnam: A Buddhist orphanage school in Hue<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPiIkuGo8I8Y-asPFD1G0m3dNxHTmyIxJe1KKp5xoHFnIWMqSZB05XNwKtS1mDrGTakVEzjtQeW9bfWD3wi8iDXXPqXqZc2mtXf0nZeaJHnzAjq18S8JL3tfq1YU1pr0q2C51bT0vxocI/s1600/School2.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 175px; HEIGHT: 128px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5747961406287462002" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPiIkuGo8I8Y-asPFD1G0m3dNxHTmyIxJe1KKp5xoHFnIWMqSZB05XNwKtS1mDrGTakVEzjtQeW9bfWD3wi8iDXXPqXqZc2mtXf0nZeaJHnzAjq18S8JL3tfq1YU1pr0q2C51bT0vxocI/s200/School2.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNL31uUNnVf6FJ3YU6-vITf1D6_IFqtZO8VBhdeP8y1TioDIx6VFv4k_Z9qcMOijfmXqC6YVikn0C-Y-LytetWMxKosO8zhbEOERTrd_gAlf9po9HN3DUpJfJQ7BSmDOax8ixDvlNA0cho/s1600/school.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 170px; HEIGHT: 126px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5747961410053319266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNL31uUNnVf6FJ3YU6-vITf1D6_IFqtZO8VBhdeP8y1TioDIx6VFv4k_Z9qcMOijfmXqC6YVikn0C-Y-LytetWMxKosO8zhbEOERTrd_gAlf9po9HN3DUpJfJQ7BSmDOax8ixDvlNA0cho/s200/school.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4OtBC-wMz3RoHatEK7pv5HJz_3CzPG7sr0Nk_m1BPSReMlAar10qmfv201-5POKqJ84eMNgMtO4o38wAN6hcxACM2NFfLX7FsuZoLjwfxwSDuNIFZyvIQdUHM04YVSif_zjzUfvJHRSlA/s1600/ChinSchool.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 176px; HEIGHT: 125px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5747961414987978418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4OtBC-wMz3RoHatEK7pv5HJz_3CzPG7sr0Nk_m1BPSReMlAar10qmfv201-5POKqJ84eMNgMtO4o38wAN6hcxACM2NFfLX7FsuZoLjwfxwSDuNIFZyvIQdUHM04YVSif_zjzUfvJHRSlA/s200/ChinSchool.jpg" /></a><br />Guam: A public school<br />Laos: A public school in Vientiane<br />Myanmar: A public school in Chin State<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPYRTLDnII_BRHMkdI2ujW9qExL34HTwcMvmgTTzxBHcVVqTNTNZf2xZJ00IahEnLd1HRPkdLBPYj26DKqUCr-axvqprgxCAf8glNhb5x2axhEUuh9ebasNCXXKfeAl3_b58EFJO4ZcKg2/s1600/A%2526BVillage.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 175px; HEIGHT: 130px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5747955334914586258" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPYRTLDnII_BRHMkdI2ujW9qExL34HTwcMvmgTTzxBHcVVqTNTNZf2xZJ00IahEnLd1HRPkdLBPYj26DKqUCr-axvqprgxCAf8glNhb5x2axhEUuh9ebasNCXXKfeAl3_b58EFJO4ZcKg2/s200/A%2526BVillage.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtkM5Nv0jxzJHUtu2hIO-o5__aihea5RiP_9I9FbR_Dp9p0QIzMa5GhenSXRkKa74EtrY8L2rWa7QpIFNul45nD9-ht5ASsdp20PhNjrKUdGb6RMCLD74KHqRd0BF5LLRtxqOvhyrCc8S0/s1600/SantaCruz3.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 172px; HEIGHT: 130px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5747955331902062754" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtkM5Nv0jxzJHUtu2hIO-o5__aihea5RiP_9I9FbR_Dp9p0QIzMa5GhenSXRkKa74EtrY8L2rWa7QpIFNul45nD9-ht5ASsdp20PhNjrKUdGb6RMCLD74KHqRd0BF5LLRtxqOvhyrCc8S0/s200/SantaCruz3.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkrDdr3x-Y4HyZ0HRCQgWH4dECHY-5PxrCxOYT56hR6k1B3xwfgLd3nHO6gigv2m8k_DwB2ygE-1Fe_PBN3itOJ12gOwsCOyouW5N1YUBczZNJ086KT_mLCHNvqDHvBkL7mqtqrTdEPzl/s1600/Angkor-orphanage8.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 177px; HEIGHT: 131px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5747955339992931538" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkrDdr3x-Y4HyZ0HRCQgWH4dECHY-5PxrCxOYT56hR6k1B3xwfgLd3nHO6gigv2m8k_DwB2ygE-1Fe_PBN3itOJ12gOwsCOyouW5N1YUBczZNJ086KT_mLCHNvqDHvBkL7mqtqrTdEPzl/s200/Angkor-orphanage8.jpg" /></a><br />Brazil: A jungle school in the Amazon<br />Bolivia: An English-language school in Santa Cruz<br />Cambodia: An orphange school near Siem Riep<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQiBefj4b6B1euEnwnVlArBuQrrsrOqDpBac4N-m9_EXl89f6Reb8F8fkgDq1DSavtTcRU-orfm4uSrXiUO8m6ERXdWgSmp1DBF6BxXsr632cj4xRusbIz2IzOR-ql9SrxQYRRvRqECGcg/s1600/BaliSchool.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 176px; HEIGHT: 131px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5747954421273273138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQiBefj4b6B1euEnwnVlArBuQrrsrOqDpBac4N-m9_EXl89f6Reb8F8fkgDq1DSavtTcRU-orfm4uSrXiUO8m6ERXdWgSmp1DBF6BxXsr632cj4xRusbIz2IzOR-ql9SrxQYRRvRqECGcg/s200/BaliSchool.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAXxXjNlMKR345ijkIpvme2eoSSvBu4c3aTxqW_9EcikBNRJ2kTayLGz57gdzMzutKobrnMveqcjgN9U3qmEJdbv7ibtYzJpua-d68RhGGbqoiGKB1vH0apM1bn-Uzr8uiXpsRwrbbXEzl/s1600/Olympia-3.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 169px; HEIGHT: 130px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5747954412980401746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAXxXjNlMKR345ijkIpvme2eoSSvBu4c3aTxqW_9EcikBNRJ2kTayLGz57gdzMzutKobrnMveqcjgN9U3qmEJdbv7ibtYzJpua-d68RhGGbqoiGKB1vH0apM1bn-Uzr8uiXpsRwrbbXEzl/s200/Olympia-3.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHow5n0lP4mKYzy16Z5K7qbx8_TzM_mV-9xcKggfhh4dQuIhob9QPiQjZ1AXXBR8IyL9kma0F_StJ7NqvR1QOld1zwbQcUF2L0sWnc0RRc0UGMskrlEQdpq8xo0DEcfOjmXvN0Z8pPl1Sz/s1600/Mrs.+Boonsond%2527s+class.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 172px; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5747954406828567970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHow5n0lP4mKYzy16Z5K7qbx8_TzM_mV-9xcKggfhh4dQuIhob9QPiQjZ1AXXBR8IyL9kma0F_StJ7NqvR1QOld1zwbQcUF2L0sWnc0RRc0UGMskrlEQdpq8xo0DEcfOjmXvN0Z8pPl1Sz/s200/Mrs.+Boonsond%2527s+class.jpg" /></a><br />Indonesia: A school for the deaf in Bali<br />Greece: A fourth grade in Olympia<br />Thailand: A kindergarten in Bangkok<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaNONqJKoxmM0GrZcyaTwkG4KuCA7wIC3gPmFpT4CUb3YG3D5wLRVMtfBFk10ioK8oprP7lxN9piIRtS37QlpiYTqQgn4yvqlnFr9sxIRkhkaaxusPbet-Phgc42G5oHMZ3mNEuhPW_R5x/s1600/kerala+school+%25282%2529.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 178px; HEIGHT: 131px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5747953804194696018" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaNONqJKoxmM0GrZcyaTwkG4KuCA7wIC3gPmFpT4CUb3YG3D5wLRVMtfBFk10ioK8oprP7lxN9piIRtS37QlpiYTqQgn4yvqlnFr9sxIRkhkaaxusPbet-Phgc42G5oHMZ3mNEuhPW_R5x/s200/kerala+school+%25282%2529.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcEdy0lUZTwReL9beFMjNdXCqE4enpMBHg7OEi5tAYaiINyuvh3t7t0ASEyGIv0iwb_B0M1bn4WNddhFclL-xI60KdMwjG96C4Ubaw-reiDVaH7ixIMmxYmQ-ir33hrjR1HSv0ZgWhyyLH/s1600/HKIS.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 171px; HEIGHT: 129px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5747953794723944242" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcEdy0lUZTwReL9beFMjNdXCqE4enpMBHg7OEi5tAYaiINyuvh3t7t0ASEyGIv0iwb_B0M1bn4WNddhFclL-xI60KdMwjG96C4Ubaw-reiDVaH7ixIMmxYmQ-ir33hrjR1HSv0ZgWhyyLH/s200/HKIS.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLc_qCzic7YNgsb43WiCF0idXeeLwvVjmb9UTyeGNCrek79LE3iqP7i1bz6rv7brnf7LXI0NI6ahw-sbH0916joQPHAixUh0Bvnn9F97uYaugDW8x-Ww6YndBgPEExUrufyVTlmFxrimNr/s1600/A%2526B-NH.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 167px; HEIGHT: 130px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5747953790024022098" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLc_qCzic7YNgsb43WiCF0idXeeLwvVjmb9UTyeGNCrek79LE3iqP7i1bz6rv7brnf7LXI0NI6ahw-sbH0916joQPHAixUh0Bvnn9F97uYaugDW8x-Ww6YndBgPEExUrufyVTlmFxrimNr/s200/A%2526B-NH.JPG" /></a><br />India: A school in the Backwaters of Kerala<br />Hong Kong: An international school<br />USA: A school in New Haven, New York<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj85DQTcMQ0in_sIb2kkoX-xEbO53jxv3MwaKrZRuNeBauV5OglTefm1B1vq3-X-GjAYc3uu8c8VB4TC2Ijka-ZJGTUsHY7nV22_0t3jW46fjs4qoic-lmmv67b7lgrv7VyCGovnEYmJZMm/s1600/053.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 177px; HEIGHT: 123px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5747953244323832738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj85DQTcMQ0in_sIb2kkoX-xEbO53jxv3MwaKrZRuNeBauV5OglTefm1B1vq3-X-GjAYc3uu8c8VB4TC2Ijka-ZJGTUsHY7nV22_0t3jW46fjs4qoic-lmmv67b7lgrv7VyCGovnEYmJZMm/s200/053.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieymxIzgXFmw4VaD7TqH5PnEUi-EcxsVQoS9FHaXXrJ9iQO-QCishguawkGkN5bNkVnuFNQAJ0L2aI2I-eQDRtLecVMqAUqv5DEDHBGmdVgMfUZ7FdJgUqp3krv2W5vc94TNxNqsZLbL-E/s1600/2%255B1%255D.+Cambodia+School.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 167px; HEIGHT: 123px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5747953241711034626" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieymxIzgXFmw4VaD7TqH5PnEUi-EcxsVQoS9FHaXXrJ9iQO-QCishguawkGkN5bNkVnuFNQAJ0L2aI2I-eQDRtLecVMqAUqv5DEDHBGmdVgMfUZ7FdJgUqp3krv2W5vc94TNxNqsZLbL-E/s200/2%255B1%255D.+Cambodia+School.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFh_74OuGFZuNK2RLsFge45-Id53baSx9A0VjYQv8GFSXMvbiYZuCJamkBB-JicKYYhvX-mxHA1hQuyrtRTz5Ik7gkl3A0gKhidsSMsrY8uAWa01wuYDEm8Q8H2eszdR7D9J7Efe6T78zP/s1600/2.Harkrishan+School.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 174px; HEIGHT: 121px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5747953229107587090" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFh_74OuGFZuNK2RLsFge45-Id53baSx9A0VjYQv8GFSXMvbiYZuCJamkBB-JicKYYhvX-mxHA1hQuyrtRTz5Ik7gkl3A0gKhidsSMsrY8uAWa01wuYDEm8Q8H2eszdR7D9J7Efe6T78zP/s200/2.Harkrishan+School.jpg" /></a><br />USA: A school in Hudson, Ohio<br />Cambodia: A Catholic school near Siem Riep<br />India: A Sikh school in DelhiUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6903122276105313493.post-462624279607298862012-05-01T00:11:00.005-04:002012-05-01T00:22:08.391-04:00Minglabar from Myanmar<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]-->Minglarbar is how we greet people in Myanmar. When Myanmar was a colony of the English it was called Burma. People often ask us, “How many languages do you speak?” <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ3ifJ0RWL-ABe3E8aH_UEtTNi___aoQ2NiPs3cSf_f2bT3fSc884ZMe9fipQ67GYmWjZ0t_TgYovwU67593n9TgP3om9bNeVyMIA4FaaUxoi3Y29vTQs7CTrTWwUJWRlV5_D05BccaD_D/s1600/Sunset+and+lights+of+fishing+boats.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ3ifJ0RWL-ABe3E8aH_UEtTNi___aoQ2NiPs3cSf_f2bT3fSc884ZMe9fipQ67GYmWjZ0t_TgYovwU67593n9TgP3om9bNeVyMIA4FaaUxoi3Y29vTQs7CTrTWwUJWRlV5_D05BccaD_D/s200/Sunset+and+lights+of+fishing+boats.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5737413409474498434" border="0" /></a>We are very lucky that we speak English because it is the most common second language in the world. In Myanmar some people speak English very well while others only know enough words to do their jobs.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Many signs and products in Myanmar are in English.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span> <p class="MsoNormal">At night we love to watch the sun set on the Bay of Bengal. When it gets dark, on the horizon where the sea and sky meet, there are nearly 100 twinkling lights.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Ms. Nilar, our waitress at Amazing Resorts, explained that the lights are from fishing boats.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The fishermen from the many nearby villages fish at night because the lights attract the fish.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Then one night there were no lights.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We asked Ms. Nilar what happened and she said that it was full moon. The moon light is so bright on the water that the fish are all spread out so the fishing is not good.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Full Moon Days are important in the Buddhist religion because many important events in the life of Buddha happened on Full Moon Days.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>On Full Moon Day there is no school.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">One day we<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJo7IQ5KJfGYbQ_lLdSAS9VWJPjnimh3ReK4aZvbamTokfqgP8at4w5BN2g8pR2VRqoFhYSGpUlAgmUskFowpCOApuqbPdWGWvJnhykSvkZyNBlhDhpdD5dBUHuDgwjOAidFnKenu-wHue/s1600/Helping+mom+in+the+fishing+village.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJo7IQ5KJfGYbQ_lLdSAS9VWJPjnimh3ReK4aZvbamTokfqgP8at4w5BN2g8pR2VRqoFhYSGpUlAgmUskFowpCOApuqbPdWGWvJnhykSvkZyNBlhDhpdD5dBUHuDgwjOAidFnKenu-wHue/s200/Helping+mom+in+the+fishing+village.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5737413867912329874" border="0" /></a> went to visit the fishing village. It was in the middle of the day so it was quiet.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The fishermen were sleeping waiting for night when it was time to go fishing. In the morning they bring in the fish and then some of the fish are packed in ice and sent to the cities but local people also come to the dock to buy fresh fish.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">One day we heard music and cymbals so we rushed out onto the street to see what was going on.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was a funeral procession for the head monk from the Buddhist monastery t<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDMSR5ap55_nKhzIfO15A0qkkDGvCyPHSy6o7lZIMXh9o3-Uvtsid5rxjiyB9DHs2az5mf-1FCMt6ckJ-Zww-kRJUHHxBNnfX7qeK8GhOV8cP_nhZ-bLSnGb4M_dCl9E8xrnG_HiVtJTH/s1600/Procession.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDMSR5ap55_nKhzIfO15A0qkkDGvCyPHSy6o7lZIMXh9o3-Uvtsid5rxjiyB9DHs2az5mf-1FCMt6ckJ-Zww-kRJUHHxBNnfX7qeK8GhOV8cP_nhZ-bLSnGb4M_dCl9E8xrnG_HiVtJTH/s200/Procession.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5737414203882234130" border="0" /></a>hat was across from our hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The procession was impressive.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A few days before we went to visit one of their Buddhist temples that was nearby.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Buddhist temples are very beautiful. There are many temples in Myanmar because most of the people belong to the Buddhist religion. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">We were in Myanmar in January. The sea was warm and during the day it was 75 to 85.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>However, the local people think it is cold.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Foreigners are in bathing suits while the local people have coats on.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We told them “If you think 80 is cold then you will not like snow.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>“Oh, no,” they say, “We dream that one day we can see snow.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Another interesting thing is the foreigners try to get a tan while the local people cover up because they don’t want their skin to get darker.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We like to say, “As a rule man’s a fool.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When it’s hot he likes it cool.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When it is cool he wants it hot. Always wanting what is not!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Walking on th<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfbD1809QYdvCpnauBAAlaEbIqFbKOXSliFjInTYAOUMMDo7KJ4u7v3d-ol9kFr6-MKSEQ_sBSm9X0wOTwN09ZMlzY2_4hvI19eTUu0FhvnsVPNUwL29NOoH2M4lk6Y1yEaWCx4t9T65Q-/s1600/Amazing+018.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfbD1809QYdvCpnauBAAlaEbIqFbKOXSliFjInTYAOUMMDo7KJ4u7v3d-ol9kFr6-MKSEQ_sBSm9X0wOTwN09ZMlzY2_4hvI19eTUu0FhvnsVPNUwL29NOoH2M4lk6Y1yEaWCx4t9T65Q-/s200/Amazing+018.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5737414779237129090" border="0" /></a>e beach is interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The beach is about two miles long with a little pagoda on a rock at one end and a mermaid statue on a rock at the other end. Sometimes we stop to talk to a Buddhist monk other times we watch people fixing their boats.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>People are very friendly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">There are many interesting things to see. Myanmar does not trade with many countries so most things are made in Myanmar. Imagine a country with no fast food chains. Most of the vehicles are very old. The hotel van started out as a Chevrolet during World War II and today it is a mix of parts from many vehicles and is still running.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The world is very interesting. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6903122276105313493.post-43189406410315549002012-04-20T21:20:00.001-04:002012-04-20T21:20:25.431-04:00Annie and Blue learn about pandas in Chengdu, China<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2swd1bNl01YMhhfxbdsYSM-DS22bRRKUQxI7WP_jlLxvbzsEksKJSC_mR-7RX3wdr-aQeAu4UZAqEy6rhNQ9c6UtUeypqdiq4sd75Nd1WvnJI5oi6tn-X3vWKhdHPIYZ4IIZpEGiKTRR/s1600/Panda+007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2swd1bNl01YMhhfxbdsYSM-DS22bRRKUQxI7WP_jlLxvbzsEksKJSC_mR-7RX3wdr-aQeAu4UZAqEy6rhNQ9c6UtUeypqdiq4sd75Nd1WvnJI5oi6tn-X3vWKhdHPIYZ4IIZpEGiKTRR/s200/Panda+007.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
We love pandas. Pandas are one of China’s natural treasures and the
Chinese symbol for peace. We visited the Panda Breeding and Research Center
just a few miles from Chengdu,
China. It is an
important center for preserving the pandas. If it wasn’t for the Panda Breeding
and Research Center they might go extinct as they are
on the endangered list. There are two
main reasons that the survival of the panda is in trouble. A lot of the land where the panda use to live
has been turned into farmland so now wild pandas live mainly in a few mountain
areas. <br />
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Their main food is bamboo and bamboo plants only grow in a
few places. Each panda eats 20 to 40 pounds of bamboo each day so in the wild
they spend most of the day looking for food and eating. Giant pandas do not hibernate since their
food is available all year long. The rest of the time they relax or sleep. We
saw several who were sleeping in trees. At the research center the caretakers
sometimes give them special treats - carrots, apples and sweet potatoes – which
they love. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR8uUvoK27pFnUsPvspf3WRYk9eopHMbDBw9nCpiy10V00A22WdwaJmnUrqb_HGKyhc0xSw7cvoYtW2DKN9Va7kUeGoEBuP9sqI4JBnXqGnGWrUdYDBvTPsokcFG1-dc1sVrnw0oGHL-0T/s1600/Panda++eating+bamboo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR8uUvoK27pFnUsPvspf3WRYk9eopHMbDBw9nCpiy10V00A22WdwaJmnUrqb_HGKyhc0xSw7cvoYtW2DKN9Va7kUeGoEBuP9sqI4JBnXqGnGWrUdYDBvTPsokcFG1-dc1sVrnw0oGHL-0T/s200/Panda++eating+bamboo.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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We saw a sign that said, </div>
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"In the end we will conserve
only what we love;</div>
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we will love only what we </div>
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understand; and we will understand
only what we are taught."<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwR8Sc2BNVXxuqjGFrVlR3UhAkb5g7wNICigR6_IJnakjaydSZ9XdSB6RtMrJIiVp7qRlD0adKSM6mT4fVL7qWDCVhRJPkNYumckY6OYbqq4rAlkw-iPE1cy10XmLzaqILBJhISVS7qoA/s1600/Panda+trying+to+climb+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwR8Sc2BNVXxuqjGFrVlR3UhAkb5g7wNICigR6_IJnakjaydSZ9XdSB6RtMrJIiVp7qRlD0adKSM6mT4fVL7qWDCVhRJPkNYumckY6OYbqq4rAlkw-iPE1cy10XmLzaqILBJhISVS7qoA/s200/Panda+trying+to+climb+up.jpg" width="200" /></a>The
center teaches people about pandas. It
also breeds and raises pandas. The
babies are basically born prematurely and can not survive on their own until
they are several months old so their survival in the wild is difficult. Pandas
are rather solitary creatures and first-time mothers do not always know how to
care for their newborns right away. If
fact ,they said some first-time mothers are frightened by the mouse-size,
hairless, crying baby and bat it away. A
mother panda usually has one baby at a time.
A newborn panda weighs about three to five ounces. It is pink, hairless and blind. They do not open their eyes until they are
six to eight weeks old which is about the same time they develop their black
and white fur. They can not move about on their own for three months. So, the
mothers have to work hard to make sure their babies survive. The babies usually
stay with their mother about two years.<br />
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We didn’t see any newborns but had fun
watching a toddler panda try to climb up to a platform. He would get almost to the top which was
about three feet off the ground and then tumble back. It took about five tries before he finally
made it. Panda cubs grow very slowly. They stay with their mother for one to
two years. They are fully grown in 2-4 years.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrEN1B9VniF85T7djg-3Rgl2Yfoi15AtBxG01PN9KbCA3vDidmhraKTlgYMqsjiCfzN0DJFlcTghYQzHmFZGWu1XYpFm2eK6kt6NUhGxty3p24M3YWcK2xGPNX4zgai76w1YNr_CMKpo9R/s1600/Panda+Sleeping+in+a+tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrEN1B9VniF85T7djg-3Rgl2Yfoi15AtBxG01PN9KbCA3vDidmhraKTlgYMqsjiCfzN0DJFlcTghYQzHmFZGWu1XYpFm2eK6kt6NUhGxty3p24M3YWcK2xGPNX4zgai76w1YNr_CMKpo9R/s200/Panda+Sleeping+in+a+tree.jpg" width="200" /></a>Pandas may be really cute but they are still bears and can
be just as dangerous as any other bear.
Wild animals even in a preserve or zoo are not something to play with.
The giant panda is about the size of our black bear and, when standing on all
four feet, it is about two to three feet tall and weighs about 250 pounds. There are about 1,600 living in the wild and
about 300 in zoos and breeding centers around the world. </div>
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The Panda Center is beautifully landscaped with many trails.
Luckily they had a trolley to take us to the panda viewing area and other parts
of the park. After watching the pandas
in several viewing areas we took a trail to the area where we saw Red Pandas
which are similar to North American raccoons. Actually they are not really
pandas even though they call them that. The center also has a butterfly museum
and a lake with storks and cranes. The center helps to insure the survival of
several species but mainly the panda. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4k-as3GSbKiXFEd5BCYchu1XqEcc7H336BRtsuN8ONDvAXbSuNWBxQuiZH6-ZF3f286zDets6G8UGmhf-y8jL4WKfKXEYAGB6HhQX3BXAYjeg0b1F_saLowLo4SiMxBh0QlfUkw9-aSU4/s1600/Panda+sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4k-as3GSbKiXFEd5BCYchu1XqEcc7H336BRtsuN8ONDvAXbSuNWBxQuiZH6-ZF3f286zDets6G8UGmhf-y8jL4WKfKXEYAGB6HhQX3BXAYjeg0b1F_saLowLo4SiMxBh0QlfUkw9-aSU4/s200/Panda+sign.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">We saw another sign that we liked that quoted <span class="shw">Cecil Frances Alexander. It
said, “All things bright and beautiful. All creatures great and small. All things wise and wonderful.” We are glad there are places we can visit and
learn about our natural world.</span></span>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com