To Be Continued…

Our time in Bali was nothing like we anticipated. We planned for three weeks of bliss, sunshine, and relaxation…what we got was a little chaotic. I guess God did not want us to get bored!

The island of Bali, Indonesia is much bigger than people expect. It has everything from beaches to jungles, waterfalls to coffee plantations, rice paddies to busy streets.

We started this leg of our trip with a few days in the beachside town of Sanur. We relaxed by the pool, strolled along the beach, and ate some DELISH Italian food. We quickly fell in love with Bali!

Then we continued on to the town of Ubud, in the middle of the island. We loved our time here, it is truly a jungle paradise! This was a fun travel day because our driver who drove us from Sanur to Ubud loved country music!! George Strait is not something you hear often in Southeast Asia.

On our first morning here we woke up with the sun to explore the Campuhan Ridge Walk. This was a short hike with beautiful jungle views! We were glad we did this early in the morning, because boy does it get hot!

We expected to come back to our hotel and enjoy a nice leisurely breakfast before relaxing by the pool for a few hours. However, upon our return we found out from a boat operator that our next destination, the Gili Islands (off the coast of Bali) were closed to stop the spread of the coronavirus. It was soon after this that the United States updated the Global Health Advisory to a level 4, which means if you are out of the country, get home now!! We decided it was time to try to change our flight back home. After spending 13 hours on hold with Expedia/Turkish Airlines, we were still unable to change our original Turkish Airlines flight. We had to buy a completely new flight that took us: Bali –> Taipei –> Seattle –> Boston. God was truly watching over us though because all Turkish Airlines flights were cancelled, so if it was not for this last minute flight through Taipei we would have been stuck!!

Anyways, after booking this flight, we still had few days to ‘enjoy’ in Bali. We did our best to have a good time, but we were constantly checking to make sure the airport was still open and our flight was on time.

We panic-bought all sorts of gifts for our families (and ourselves) since we hoped to be heading home in a few days before heading to the Monkey Forest.

This forest is a sanctuary with walking paths where monkeys roam free. It was quite exciting to see them playing and interacting with each other. They were grooming each other, cannonballing into a small pond, and eating corn on the cob. The last time I was in Bali (three years ago), I was ambushed by two monkeys in this forest, so needless to say, I was a little hesitant. This time we were having a great time until a monkey jumped onto my backpack because he was interested in my baggage tag. Once he realized I did not have any yummy treats, he jumped off (definitely not as traumatic as last time!).

The next day we explored the Hidden Canyon. A wonderful local guide took us through two slot canyons. We spent a few hours trekking, swimming, and climbing.

We had a great time and the scenery was absolutely beautiful!! It was a great chance to get our mind off of the coronavirus chaos!

On our second to last day we explored the rice terraces and waterfalls of Bali. Our first stop was the Tegalalang Rice Terraces. It is a beautiful sight, rice paddies built right into the hill side.

Next we visited four different waterfalls. We are glad we got the chance to do this because the following day most tourist attractions started to close to stop the spread of the coronavirus. We definitely got all of our steps in for the day, walking up and down stairs to the different waterfalls.

On our last day in Ubud, and the last day of our trip, we took a cooking class. We cooked alongside a British couple, Dominique and Jack, and we had a blast! This was the second cooking class Reid and I took on this trip and they have been great! We are less than talented cooks, but these classes make it pretty much impossible to mess up!

We ended this day with my favorite dinner of the whole trip!! Reid made me order coconut milk curry noodles, something I would otherwise never order and it was SO GOOD!!! For dessert, we had vegan gelato (even Reid thought it was good!).

This trip has been nothing short of incredible. Reid and I had the chance to learn and grow together in new, fun ways! The question that we were asked most frequently by our friends and families: “Are you sick of each other yet?”

Short answer: NO!! There was only one time the whole trip we were apart. In Ubud, Reid went down the street to get a haircut and I stayed at the hotel to take a nap. Reid was gone for all of 45 minutes, and it was WEIRD! Quality time together is something that we have learned to cherish because it does not come along often for us.

I also must say how proud I am of Reid! Backpacking through Asia was completely uncharted territory for him and he took it like a champ! He was an expert navigator, always knew what to do if something went wrong, and he (quite literally) picked me up when I was down. Seriously, in Phuket I fell down carrying both of my backpacks and he grabbed my big Osprey bag to stand me upright. I do not know what I would do without my Florida cowboy/world traveler.

Although this once-in-a-lifetime trip has come to an end and we are thrilled to be home with our families. We are already looking forward to future adventures together!

Thank you to everyone who kept up with our travels. We truly appreciate all of the prayers and well wishes!

Love,

Sorrell

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding: in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” -Proverbs 3:5-6

Marvelous Myanmar

Myanmar was one of the countries I was most excited to revisit when we originally planned this trip. Myanmar is not very popular on the Southeast Asia circuit, especially when compared to places like Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia.

We arrived in the capital city of Yangon on March 3. Our hostel was in the downtown area, close to many other hostels/hotels and restaurants. However, it was seldom we saw another tourist. It was not uncommon for us to be walking down the street and be completely and utterly stared down by the locals. It was never in a rude way, but more in a curious way. We looked and dressed very different from anything they were used to, I am sure we looked quite out of place. (We wondered how they would react to my sister, Ellery, with her red hair!)

On our first day in Yangon we explored the National Museum. This museum had everything, from traditional clothing to prehistoric fossils to paintings. There were 5 floors of exhibits that gave us the history of everything Myanmar!

The next day was what I had been looking forward to the most. The Yangon Circular Train. In my opinion, it has been one of the most authentic experiences we have had in Asia. It is a 3 hour train ride around the city. The locals use the train to get to work, transport goods, or simply travel through the city. We arrived to the central train station and were immediately lost. There are many different tracks and most of the signs were in Burmese. However, there were signs everywhere that said “Warmly Welcome and Take Care of Tourists”. Locals would go out of their way to check on us and see if we needed any help. People quickly guided us in the right direction at the train station. We are so thankful for the kindness of the Burmese people!

We payed approximately 25 cents for this three hour train ride. We sat on hard bench seats with no air conditioning in a train car packed with locals. It was definitely not the most glamorous day of our trip, but it was quite the experience. Vendors walk up and down the train cars selling water, fruit, and hard boiled quail eggs. As the train chugged along we caught glimpses of local life, children playing volleyball, farmers tending to their crops, and friends meeting at a makeshift restaurant. There were so many sights, smells, and sounds, Reid and I felt a little bit overstimulated. However, we loved the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the local life and culture!

I fit right in, don’t I?!

On our last day in Yangon we explored the pagodas (A pagoda is just a different type of temple). We explored the Sule Pagoda which is right in the downtown area, they have even built a rotary around it. We also saw the Shwedagon Pagoda, which is over 300 feet tall and contains 22,000 gold bars!!!! With the sun shining on it, it was so bright that is hurt my eyes!!

That night we made our way to the bus station to head to Bagan. The bus station was 11 miles away from our hostel, but took 2 hours to drive there!! Yangon traffic is next level! We were very thankful that we made it on time! We got on the bus, each took a benadryl, and did our best to sleep the next 10 hours. Our very last night bus trip went quite smoothly. Even better though, our hotel in Bagan let us check in at 7am! We were able to get a few more hours of sleep which was awesome!

Bagan is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that we were very excited to visit. The area once contained over 4,000 temples, now there are about 2,000 left. The temples were built approximately 900 years ago, so time, weather, and earthquakes have taken their toll on these beautiful treasures. The most common way to explore these temples is by e-bike. E-bikes are very similar to motorbikes, except they are electric and do not go as fast.

For a day and a half we were able to explore the ancient city of Bagan with our e-bike. We drove down dirt roads with no plan other than to see a cool looking temple in the distance and try to find a road to take us there. We did our best to stay off the paved roads and away from the busy temples and tour buses full of people. The only part of Bagan that we did not like was the 100° weather in the afternoon!! (Thank goodness for AC!)

After leaving Bagan, we took a bus through winding mountain roads to Inle Lake. We had two fun filled days in this small town!

The first day we went horseback riding! I was so excited about this. We discovered Inle Horse Club on a map when we were searching for a hostel to stay at. So of course we had to go for a ride! We road two Abyssinian horses. Mine was ‘Thit Sar’ and Reid’s was ‘Thu Da Nu’. Our guide was riding a spunky three year old horse, so I ended up leading most of the ride, how fun! We are counting down the days until we are back at RTR!!

The second day we went to Red Mountain Estate Winery and Vineyard. It took us about 20 minutes to bike there from our hostel. We were treated with the most spectacular views on our bike ride and at the vineyard!! It was a great end to all of our activities in Myanmar!

Reid and I each got a few glasses of wine and a late lunch. Neither of us know much of anything about wine, but we still had a great time. I still don’t quite understand how they grow grapes at Inle Lake, it is so hot, it feels like we are cooking in an oven!!

We are so happy to be able to have explored Myanmar, but now we are on to Bali!!! Indonesia is our final country of this trip, we will be here for 25 days before coming back to the United States!! It’s the home stretch!!!

Stay Tuned,

Love,

Sorrell

P.S. Don’t worry everyone, we are staying safe from Coronavirus. Currently the United States has about 40 times the amount of cases that Indonesia does. Also, the travel restrictions are not affecting any of our flights so far!

“And do not forget to do good and to share with, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” -Hebrews 13:16

Laos Living

Our plane seemed to skim the tops of the surrounding mountains as we descended on the city of Luang Prabang. It was almost like we could breathe a sigh of relief. We made it! We had escaped Hanoi, the city of constant car horns, endless people, and busy streets.

Luang Prabang, the largest city in the north of Laos, is 19 times smaller than Hanoi! We welcomed the slowed pace and quiet lifestyle. However, the true joy came as a taxi drove us to our hostel, and we did not hear one car horn…not one!! It seems like a trivial noise to be joyous about not hearing, but the sound of car horns was overbearing in Hanoi. We were thankful for Luang Prabang, we just had peace and quiet.

Our first day in Luang Prabang we spent at a school called Big Sister Mouse. We volunteered at this school in the countryside, helping teach the students, having intentional conversations with the teachers, and even doing some learning ourselves.

This school was started as a training center for adults, but quickly turned into a primary school for children. The parents in the surrounding villages were desperate for their students to learn English, but the public school system was failing them. The school serves students ages 3-10, but they currently building a middle school so they can grow with the students. We used the schools limited resources to teach the students positional words (under, on top, inside, beside, etc.) and play games. We also learned Lao sign language from a deaf teaching assistant. My favorite part of this day was speaking with the teachers. Their incredible stories proved that “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps” is possible. One teacher I spoke with divorced her cheating husband and was forced to leave her children with him because she did not have a way to support them. She worked as a dishwasher to earn enough money to then put herself through cooking school. Then as a chef she worked 12+ hour days and took time to learned English. Once her English was sufficent, she was able to become a teacher. This incredible woman finally had the money and the work schedule to regain custody of her children. Today, her children love learning English and they dream of being a doctor and a businessman one day. Now, The New York Times and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, may think it is impossible to pull yourself up by the bootstraps, but I assure you, AOC, if it can be done in rural Laos, it can be done in The United States.

Another exciting part of our time in Luang Prabang, was the day we spent at Green Jungle Park doing a high ropes course! It was slightly terrifying, but loads of fun! We challenged ourselves with different obstacles high above the ground. Thank goodness for our guides, I definitely would not have made it through without their help.

After the course, we walked through a beautiful garden to soothe my rapid heart rate and tense muscles.  We even got to see two ostriches and pat a very friendly water buffalo.

We spent our last day in Luang Prabang going to Kuang Si Waterfall. This is one of the most popular destinations in the area, so we were sure to get there early! The falls and the natural swimming pools are a beautiful blue-green color. But do not let the pictures fool you, the water was freezing! No seriously, it was the kind of cold that takes your breath away!

We spent the morning hiking around the waterfall, taking in the beauty of the area, and swimming. I had a hard time with the swimming part, besides the frigid water, there were little fish nibbling on my feet the whole time. Let me tell you, I did not find that pleasant at all! On our way out of the falls, we stopped to see some rescued moon bears. These bears typically fall victim to poachers in the area, so when they get rescued, they live happy, healthy, safe lives!

The following day we made our way to Vang Vieng. We took our motion sickness pills to prepare for what we knew would be a difficult, winding road. However, I do not think anything could have prepared us for the trip. Our minibus was loaded down with ten backpackers, plus the driver. We took the “new” route to Vang Vieng. It boasts a smoother rider and is 1 1/2 hours shorter than the “old” route. While the drive was only 100 miles, it took us over five hours because of the condition of the road. The road began twisting and turning and there were signs that warned us of “CHARP CURVE AHEAD”. (One of my favorite parts of Southeast Asia is the mis-translations). Then we were warned with a graveyard of trucks and cars on the side of the road. Some were overturned, but most had been pulled up from the steep dropoffs on the side of the road. Through it all, we survived the very bumpy, not completly paved journey to Vang Vieng.

Vang Vieng is a small river town that became a backpacker’s haven in the 2000’s for all the wrong reasons. You could order drugs on a menu just as you would order a beer and drug/alcohol related injuries became a commonplace at the small town hospital. In 2011, over 20 people died while tubing down the river, these deaths were due to drowning or head injuries from diving in the rocky river. By 2012, the government rebranded the town. Vang Vieng is now quiet, relaxed, adventurer’s paradise.

On our first full day, we decided to be as adventurous as possible. We rented bikes, and biked 20-30 minutes to a trailhead for a morning hike! From all accounts we read online, it should take us 30-45 minutes to hike to the first viewpoint and about the same time to walk to the second and third viewpoints along this mountain trail. That did not sound too bad to us!! ….Well we were sorely mistaken! We rented brand new mountain bikes from a nearby hotel. They were assembled that same morning, and not everything was quite right. Screws were loose and we kept having to stop and jury rig our bikes. By the time we reached the trailhead, we were exhausted!! We ended up only making it to the first viewpoint and not continuing one to the second and third viewpoints. We were still rewarded with a wonderful view and a nice place to  stop and rest for awhile!

The next day we tubed down the Nam Song River, one of the most popular activities in Vang Vieng. We started early before all the backpackers got to river. After noon, this is still quite a party scene with riverside bars, loud music, and large groups. (Reid is 20 and I am 22, you may think we would find this fun, but I think we are old people at heart!) Our tubing started around 11 am and it was pleasantly quiet. Our trip was sunny and relaxing and peaceful!

Our journey is Laos ended with a few lazy days, as we have both felt a little under the weather.

We have safely made it to Myanmar and we have 10 days here before continuing on to Bali. This trip has been such a whirlwind, we cannot believe there is only 5 weeks left!

Stay Tuned!

Love,

Sorrell

“Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” – Psalms 37:4

What We Miss About America

Reid and I are absolutely loving our time here in Southeast Asia! We are meeting awesome people, exploring new places, and most importantly growing closer to each other and God! ❤️

However, as you have learned from the title of this post, there are some things from home that we are missing! Here they are:

1. Popcorn: Well not just popcorn, we miss all food from back home!! The food here is quite yummy, but it doesn’t quite compare to the variety we have back home. The next time you eat a steak think of us!!

2. Real showers: Most bathrooms here are very different from back home. The shower head is not separated from the rest of the bathroom, and there is no designated shower or bathtub.

3. Washing machines: For the past seven weeks we have been doing our laundry in the sink or in a bag! We have to strategically plan our laundry days around our travel schedule so our clothes have enough time to air dry.

4. The Ranch!!!!!: We talk about RTR daily and we are so excited to return in May. The horses, dogs, scenery, people, etc…we miss is all!!

5. Tap water: The only water that is safe to drink is bottled water or filtered water. We miss being able to drink tap water without fear of getting sick!

6. Being able to pat animals: There are dogs and cats everywhere here!!! Even some water buffalo! Sadly, not all the animals are safe to pat. Some are not friendly, others may carry diseases, or are very dirty. I hate to pass up a chance to pat a cute dog!

7. The US dollar: We are always having to do conversions in our head or on a calculator. It is not uncommon for us to take out $1 million in local currency!

8. Country music: Alabama, Johnny Cash, Garth Brooks…we do not get much of that here!

9. Family: We would not be here without our wonderful and supportive families. We miss them terribly!!! The first hugs when we get off the plane will be so special!!

10. Friends: We are so grateful to have such wonderful friends that make us miss home. When we FaceTime with Lauryn and Ally, it feels like we are all back in Colorado together.

11. Church: It has been great to listen to sermon podcasts from Elevation Church, but nothing beats real church!! It’s a good thing we will be back just in time for Easter!

12. Jeans and boots …and all of our clothes! If y’all can believe it, I got Reid to wear shorts and chacos! We both have about 4 or 5 outfits that we have been wearing this whole trip, so we are looking forward to getting back to our full wardrobes!

13. Camping: There is nothing like an evening spent by the fire and a night in a tent. We are looking forward to lots of camping trips this summer!

14. Home ❤️: There is truly no place like home!! We love traveling, but it makes us realize that we are so blessed to live in the greatest country in the world!

We have a few more days in Laos before we head to Myanmar on March 3rd! Life is good!!

Stay tuned,

Love, Sorrell

Vietnam Vagabonds, Part 2

Three weeks later, it has come time for us to say goodbye to Vietnam. We have come a long way from the rainy August day in Pagosa Springs, Colorado when we booked our flights to Southeast Asia. At the time it seemed so surreal; “are we really doing this?!”

Here we are, 6 months later, and it still seems so surreal!! I wonder if the fact that we are traveling through Asia on this completely life changing adventure, will ever actually set in.

We spent the second half of our time in Vietnam in Hoi An and Ha Noi. (In conversation, we mixed up the names of these two cities more times than we could count!)

Hoi An was a lovely quaint town near the coast. We stayed 15 minutes outside of town in a beachside bamboo bungalow (how is that for an alliteration?!). It has been the most unique place we have stayed thus far. It was quite rustic, with gaps in the thin bamboo walls and a much needed mosquito net over our bed. It was beautiful and best of all just a short walk to an awesome beach!!

We spent one day exploring the town of Hoi An, seeing temples and museums, the the quiet streets of an old French town. We ate some really yummy food on this day! A smoothie bowl and vegan pancakes for breakfast, and Banh mi (Vietnamese baguette sandwich) for lunch.

The next two days were spent lounging on the beach, swimming, reading, and listening to podcasts. Vietnam has been the craziest country we’ve been to so far, there are motorbikes everywhere, drivers constantly use their horn to signal to other drivers, and crossing the road feels like you are part of the game Frogger. Needless to say, a few days on the beach was just what we needed to decompress!

The most memorable part about Hoi An was when I locked myself in our room. Reid stayed on the beach and I went to our room to get more sunscreen. Our double doors closed on the inside and outside with a wooden latch. When I got inside our room, the wooden latch on the outside fell down and locked me in! I had to wait for someone to walk by, then I leaned out our window and called for help. I was quite embarrassed to say the least!!

We continued from Hoi An to Hanoi. We left early in the morning on one of the cheapest flights we will ever take. Our tickets were $3 each, and taxes and fees were $22. A $25 flight seemed much more appealing than taking a 17 hour bus ride!!

Hanoi is everything than Hoi An is not! It is crowded and busy, the rules of the road are nonexistent, and the sidewalks are used like parking lots so it is difficult to walk on them.

We took a few days to explore the sights of this sprawling city and a few days to explore other parts of northern Vietnam. One day we took a tour to Ninh Binh. This province felt like a dream! We climbed 500 stairs to reach the top of a small peak that over looked the river valley below. Then later we spent two hours on the river below, slowly rowing through the beautiful scenery, by temples, and through caves. It was an incredible day, we loved being in the countryside and slowing our pace down.

We spent another day exploring Halong Bay. This time of year the weather is typically cloudy, overcast, and chilly in this region of Vietnam. So we were overjoyed that we had a day that was 65° and sunny!!!

Our boat took us through the twists and turns of this beautiful bay, we had a sunny sky and the water was a stunning blueish-green color. We started at a cave that the French discovered when Vietnam was a colony. Sung Sot cave is over 100,000 square feet! It took us about 40 minutes to walk through all of it!

Then we went kayaking. Reid and I are an excellent tandem kayaking pair, and we had a lot of fun! We were able to explore a lagoon that only kayaks (and monkeys) can get to.

Our last stop in Halong Bay was Titop Island. We climbed about 400 stairs to get a panoramic view of the bay. We were exhausted, but it was totally worth it!!

A great part about Hanoi was that we got to meet up with one of my high school friends, Ryan. He has been living in Hanoi, teaching English at a high school, and working with a human rights organization. It was awesome to catch up with him!

As we leave Vietnam, we head for Laos (country #4!).

In our spare time, getting ready in the morning, and on bus trips we have started listening to Christian podcasts. We love the Elevation Church podcast, but if anyone has any suggestions, we are all ears!!

Love,

Sorrell

“Know also that wisdom is like honey for you: if you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off” -Proverbs 24:14

Vietnam Vagabonds

“There is no passion to be found in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living” -Nelson Mandela

The world is big and wide and there are endless adventures to find in the nooks and crannies of far away places. After a little more than a month in Southeast Asia, we are still overjoyed with our decision to take three months off from ‘real life’ to come here. Some day are filled with adventures and we are buzzing from one awe-inspiring activity to the next. And other days are incredibly normal. Like today, we are patiently waiting for our night bus to leave at 7pm from Nha Trang to Hoi An. It is overcast and rainy so we are spending the afternoon in a coffee shop, planning, writing, and playing bananagrams! Sometimes it is days like this that allow us to slow down and remember how grateful we are to be living this amazing life!

We are halfway through our three week journey through Vietnam, and we are loving it!! We began in Ho Chi Minh City at the end of January, and WOW I do not think anything could have prepared us for the craziness of that city! We spent about two hours trying to get through immigration at the airport and that wore us out! Then we proceeded to enter the city of 9 million motorbikes!

We spent the next day exploring the Cu Chi Tunnels. The Vietnamese created a network of tunnels during the Vietnam War to avoid being seen by the Americans. Before this day, I expected the tunnels to just go from one building/house to another, but I was way wrong, they managed to create whole villages underground! The tunnels had three ‘stories’ beneath the surface. There were bunkers that were used as sleeping quarters, kitchens, medical rooms, meeting rooms, etc. They created special ventilation for fresh air and to get rid of the smoke from the cooking fire. This intricate system was all dug by hand, using wooden/stone tools and woven baskets to move the dirt. Since being in Vietnam, we have learned about the war from a whole new perspective.

The next day we went to the War Remnants Museum. We were super excited to go here to learn about the Vietnam War from a new point of view and see artifacts and photos. However, we were sorely disappointed by the results…but that is a story for another time.

The next day was Super Bowl Monday!! Not quite the same as Super Bowl Sunday, but in Vietnam, we will take what we can get. We woke up at 5am, but that still was not early enough to get to the most popular sports bar in the city. People started lining up at 5am, so by the time we arrived there were no seats left. We found another bar to watch the game at, and it was definitely a taste of home! Sitting to our left there were some died hard 49ers fans and to our right, die hard Chiefs fans. I was rooting for the 49ers (Go Jimmy G!!). But Patrick Mahomes played a great game and it was so fun to watch!! After a late breakfast, we immediately treated ourselves to a nap!

We spent our last day in southern Vietnam exploring the Mekong Delta. After a few hours on a bus to the delta, we took a boat to a few different islands. We had such a wonderful tour, and we got to do so much…eat local fruit, listen to folk music, learn about beekeeping and chocolate making, hold a python, learning about coconut candy, go on a bike ride, have a delish Vietnamese lunch, and explore a Buddhist pagoda. This is a very popular tourist destination, but it felt like we were the only ones there!

I am usually very against tea, iced or hot, any kind! However, on this tour we had kumquat tea with honey, and I was in love!!! It was delicious!

The next day we made our way to Mui Ne, to explore the Vietnamese sand dunes! Our morning started off…well basically in the middle of the night. We took a jeep to the dunes. Which in theory, it sounds awesome, but there were no windows and we were going 50mph… it was COLD! As soon as we arrived an ATV operator insisted that we purchase an expensive ATV ride so he could drive us to the top of the sand dunes to see the sunrise. He told us it was 5km (3 miles) away and there is no way we would make it on time. We hesitantly declined and started our walk….10 minutes late (that’s right, only TEN!) we reached the top of a dune to watch the sun come up. We chose a different dune than everyone who took an ATV to the top, so it felt like we were all alone in this beautiful desert landscape. It was incredible, we could definitely see God painting the sky for us.

We also got to walk through the fairy stream. I think it was appropriately named, as the only word I can think to describe it is: magical! The stream was very shallow, only a few inches at the deepest spots. Palm trees hung over the stream as we walked through, then we rounded a corner and it felt like we were in a mini Bryce Canyon. There were red rocks rising up all around us. How awesome!!

Our trip to Mui Ne was short, but quite lovely. We quickly continued up the coast to Nha Trang a beautiful beach town. However, we did not have beach weather. Just rain, clouds, and wind the whole time!! The silver lining to this is that we got to catch up on life, writing this blog, and planning the remainder of our trip!

Since we did not get to do much sight seeing or beach lounging, we did A LOT of eating!! We had some of the best Italian food in all of Asia (which probably does not sound like much a feat, but boy was it good!), and amazing American barbecue with giant smokers and homemade sauces. However, we were most excited about a beach side restaurant called ‘Louisiane Brewhouse”. It was so good we went back twice! Reid absolutely loves that he is of legal drinking age here and can order a beer without being carded!! (But I am sure it will not be so fun for him when he returns home and still is not 21!)

We will finish out our journey through Vietnam with a few days relaxing by a beach in Hoi An, and then a week in Hanoi. We will then continue on to Laos, Myanmar, and Indonesia. We are quickly approaching the halfway point of our trip (February 18)!!

What a journey it has been so far, we cannot wait to see what is to come!

Stay Tuned!

Love,

Sorrell

“And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” -Romans 5:5

P.S. to Reid’s family: He is practically a pro backpacker now, but he is sad he missed the end of rifle season! (You can take the Reid out of the south, but you can’t take the south out of Reid!)

Cherishing Cambodia

Wow, it is hard to believe that our time in Cambodia is already through! We only spent one week in this wonderful country and it has definitely captured our hearts! Cambodia has not had an easy past, but the people could not be nicer!! We were always greeted with smiling faces and we had so many genuine interactions.

We arrived in Cambodia via bus. The bus company helped us acquire our tourist visa and cross the border from Thailand. We found it all very overwhelming and a little scary. We had to get off the bus, then walk through Thai departures, then go through Cambodian entry, then get our passport stamp, then find our bus! I was worried we were going to get left behind or denied entry or forget a step of the process, but it all worked out!!

I was elated to finally arrive in Siem Reap. I was last in this wonderful city in April of 2017, and since then it has been one of my favorite places. This is the gateway to Angkor Wat and the famous Cambodian temples. The central tower of Angkor Wat is about 213 feet tall and no Siem Reap buildings can be built taller than the tower. So most hotels, government buildings, museums, etc. are only two or three stories high. It is such a lovely town with a quaint feel to it. The night markets boast a myriad of spices, flashy clothes, and beautiful paintings. And Pub Street is always filled with people, music, and not to mention delicious food and drinks!

On our first full day in Siem Reap we visited Kampong Pluek, otherwise know as the floating village. However, as you can see from the pictures it is not quite floating! The village is nearby to Tonle Sap, the biggest lake in Southeast Asia. The lake rises 10-20 feet in the wet season, so the villagers learned to adapt. Kampong Pluek is largely dependent on the lake for their livelihood. In the dry season, they grow crops such as rice, and in the wet season they fish in the lake.

It was so interesting to see how these people lived. The whole village, like all others in Cambodia, is built around a central temple. People are identified by what temple they belong to, not what town or village they are from.

My favorite part about this day was getting to talk to the school children. There are two schools in the village, one is Cambodian and one is English. Both schools are free to anyone, so most students spend half a day at each school. At just ten years old, these children had wonderful conversational English. This will be a valuable skill for them later in life!! Sadly, in many other places in Cambodia education comes at a cost. Most families cannot afford this so the children turn to begging and selling food and souvenirs to tourists.

After exploring the village we watched a wonderful sunset on a floating restaurant on the lake. It was unforgettable!!

Next up, temple day!! We woke up at 3:30am to watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat. Despite getting there quite early, we were just a few of over a thousand people trying to catch a glimpse of the sunrise. Thankfully we found ourselves a good spot. We spent the morning exploring five different temples. They all had something wonderful and unique to offer! Angkor Wat is by far the largest temple and one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Ta Keo is like a mountain! The stairs were so steep that I tied up my long dress so I could climb more easily. And Ta Prohm is the Indiana Jones Temple. These temples are all about 900 – 1,000 years old, and Ta Prohm is built in the heart of the jungle. About 500 years ago trees started growing in the temple. Nature and ancient architecture fused into one is quite a sight! After exploring the temples and logging 13,000 steps, we figured we were due for a nap!!

Next was the day we had been anxiously awaiting since we booked our flights back in July…horseback riding!!! We rode two very spirited Cambodian horses, mine was Sky and Reid’s was Rambo. These two boys were not fans of each other so Reid and I rode far apart the whole morning. Nevertheless, this gave us our ‘horse fix’ until we return to the ranch in May.

We spent our last day in Siem Reap on a 10 mile bike ride through the countryside. It was so beautiful and we stopped along the way to see rice fields, a local market, a mushroom farm, and rice wine distillery, and a lotus farm. Our guide George, and avid mountain biker and runner, told us that he has always wanted to see the Rocky Mountains! We told him to come visit us someday, but that we would not be able to take him mountain biking!! (It is much easier to bike on flat roads at sea level, than at 9,000 feet on hilly terrain!)

We spent our last day in Cambodia in the city of Phnom Penh, to learn about the Cambodian genocide that took place from 1975-1979. This is a tragic event in history that is unknown to most.

After the Vietnam War, Cambodia was in a fragile state. Communist General Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge army came into power and managed to kill more than one in every four Cambodians. This happened because Pol Pot decided to take his country back to Year 0, with no technology or outside influence (aside from monetary aide given from China and the United States). He wanted Cambodia to be a simple agrarian society. This meant that anyone with an education (engineers, doctors, teachers, etc.) and their families were enemies of the state and must be tortured and killed. Pol Pot wet as far to say that anyone with glasses or who spoke a second language was an enemy. Innocent Cambodian citizens died from starvation, disease, exhaustion, or execution by the Khmer Rouge.  This was a dark four year period that involved forced labor camps where people worked 17-20 hours a day, prisons where senseless torture took place, and over 23,000 mass graves. This is an incredibly short synopsis of the Cambodian Genocide, there is lots of detailed information on the internet that dives deeper into this topic. This is a great article as well: History of the Khmer Rouge.

We recently passed Holocaust Remembrance Day on Janaury 27th. When reflecting on the heartwrenching history of the Third Reich, the phrase I see most often is “never again”. Never again should we have another genocide, is the claim made by educators, politicians, and other leaders.

It is easy to say ‘never again’, however it much more difficult to enact change and generate action. Since the Holocaust, four genocides come to mind, times where we have failed the promise to never let another genocide happen again. Cambodia from 1975- 1979, the massacre of the Tutsis in Rwanda in 1994,  the ongoing violence in Darfur, Sudan, and most recently, the ‘ethnic cleansing’ violence towards the Rohingya people in northern Myanmar.

I am a huge proponent of being informed and involved in current and historical events. The world needs us to be educated!

“Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. When change is absolute there remains no being to improve and no direction is set for possible improvement; and when experience is not retained, as among savages, infancy is perpetual. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

-George Santayana

Okay, I will get down off by soapbox now!

Thanks for reading! We will be in Vietnam for three weeks, doing our best to evade the coronavirus.

Stay tuned!

Love,

Sorrell

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world.” -John 16:33

Terrific Thailand

It never ceases to amaze me, the way that God disguises extraordinary moments in my everyday life. I am currently living out my wildest dreams, backpacking through Asia alongside Reid. Despite that, everything seems quite normal and calm. How is that even possible?!

We are officially two weeks into our three month adventure in Southeast Asia!! We are quickly settling into a nomadic lifestyle of moving from hostel to hostel, sleeping on buses, and doing laundry in the sink. Sounds pretty glamorous, right??

On our flights over here, there is no better way to describe our mindset than: we were feeling ALL of the emotions…excited, nervous, hopeful, anxious, curious, terrified, thrilled, and just about everything else you can think of. I kept thinking: “Is it too late to back out? What if I just went back home??”

Now I never really wanted to back out, but we always crave comfort, security, and safety. It is difficult to convince our minds to see all those things and run in the opposite direction. However, I have been trying to live my life by the words: great things never came from comfort zones. I say it over and over until I actually feel brave enough to live outside of my comfort zone!

Okay, that is more than enough of my rambling. Why don’t I tell you all about Thailand, the Land of Smiles!

The biggest reason the first two weeks here have been so wonderful is because we had my siblings, Ellery and Tristan, here!! They made the transition so much easier and they really helped us settle in. Ellery was our fearless leader through it all (she is the best!!). And Tristan was always able to search out the best coffee and spicy foods, provide comedic relief, and most importantly, support everyone!! Tristan is my rock!!

We started our trip off with a day and a half in Bangkok. Let me set the scene for you: hot, humid, busy, and polluted. Doesn’t that sound great?! We took no time to adjust to the time difference (or the oppressive heat), we just hit the ground running. We explored Wat Pho and The Grand Palace, two iconic sights of Bangkok. Of course we also sampled our share of mango sticky rice and Pad Thai. Though we were all a little overwhelmed, we could not have asked for a better start to the trip!

After our quick stop over in Bangkok, we made our way to Phuket, in the southern part of the country. We explored two beautiful beaches, Kata and Karon. We ate at a burger restaurant that was started by an expat from New York City. And most importantly, we went to the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary. This wonderful place rescues elephants from all around Thailand. Many were used to transport lumber through the jungle for logging companies, give rides to people for trekking companies, and even entertain tourists in hotel lobbies! Now these elephants are rehabilitated and get to live out their days a sanctuary that promotes ethical tourism!

 

We got to feed the elephants watermelon and bananas. (Each elephant eats almost 450 pounds of food a day!!) Next we took them to the mud spa before giving them a bath and scrubbing them clean. These sweet elephants get pampered every single day, and they help teach people how to support tourism in a sustainable way!

After Phuket our next stop was Krabi, just a short two hour boat ride away. We stayed at Glur Hostel, which is basically a jungle paradise, with a pet bird named Hawaii!! We took a boat to the famous Phi Phi islands for some island hopping and snorkeling, what a beautiful day!! We saw intricate coral reefs, colorful fish, and the most beautiful beaches (with white sand that felt like flour!).

The next day we explored Railay Beach, just a short boat ride from Krabi. Railay is a little bay and is only accessible by boat, so it is a coveted spot. We lounged on the beach before walking around a little bit. We saw a sign that said “View Point” so of course we followed it. It led us on a thirty minute rock climbing journey to a beautiful spot overlooking the beach. It was well worth the fact that I felt like Alex Honnold in Free Solo. (If you don’t know who he is, look him up!)

We spent our last morning in Krabi doing some souvenir shopping and walking down the main road. Ellery and Tristan got Thai massages. Ellery thought it was wonderful and relaxing, but Tristan thought it was a little weird (If I got one, I would probably agree with you, Tristan!).

We went our separate ways that afternoon. Ellery and Tristan on a plane, ultimately to head back home, and Reid and I on an overnight bus to Bangkok. I truly treasured the time I got to spend with my siblings. I love that they were such an integral part of this once in a lifetime adventure.

Reid and I continued on to Chiang Mai, in Northern Thailand. Our first morning here, we woke up and it was around 65 degrees!! WOW! The low temperatures in Bangkok and Southern Thailand were 80 degrees, so this practically felt like winter! We loved it.

While we were here we had the opportunity to explore Doi Suthep temple. It is a beautiful complex situated on top of a mountain (seriously, it took us 45 minutes to get there…up a winding road…in the back of a pickup truck!! ….okay the bed of the truck was covered and had seats, but it was still scary!).

We also went to Art in Paradise, a 3D art museum. There were paintings on the walls done by a team of graphic artists from Korea. The pictures were paired with an app that added effects when we took pictures/videos. We had so much fun exploring this museum and posing for pictures.

On our last day in Chaing Mai we took a cooking class!! This was one of my favorite activities we have done so far. Reid and I are both very inexperienced and untalented cooks, but our teacher, Momay, made sure we did not mess up! We made Pad Thai, coconut milk soup with chicken, and Khao Soi. They were all so yummy. I loved that we could alter the recipes based on our taste preferences. Khao Soi is a notoriously spicy Thai dish and sometimes pepper is too spicy for me, so I only put in a fraction of the curry paste, and it tasted awesome!!

The cooking school also had two dogs and three cats. Here is a picture of Coconut! He came over to Reid and I and sat between out chairs so we would pat him.

We had the opportunity to visit our wonderful RTR friend, Trenna!! She has been a teacher in Chaing Mai since November 2018 and it was so nice for her to show us her home away from home! RTR is such a special place, I have forged friendships that can withstand 8,000 miles!

This blog post would not be complete without informing you all of our Series Of Unfortunate Events on our last morning in Chiang Mai. We went to bed early the night before because we had to catch an early bus the next morning. My alarm went off at 4am and we left the hostel at 4:45. When we arrived at the bus station a little after 5am, we learned that our bus did not leave at 6am like we thought, but not until 10am!!! We were FIVE HOURS early!!!! I misread our voucher and we missed out on a lot of precious sleep!! Around 6:30, I realized I forgot something at the hostel. My beloved travel laundry line (When you have to do laundry in the sink, this is very important for drying clothes!)!!! I was devastated! However, our bus did not leave for four more hours. So we took a Grab (Asian version of Uber/Lyft) back to the hostel to retrieve the laundry line. Then we hung out for a little bit and got breakfast before taking another Grab back to the bus station. It was an unnecessarily hectic morning, but if this is the worst thing that has happened so far, life is good!

So far my favorite activity has been snorkeling on our Phi Phi Islands tour. Reid’s favorite activity has been visiting with the Elephants (and fruit smoothies).

 

Stay tuned! We are now in Cambodia for the next week!

Love, Sorrell

P.S. To Reid’s Family: Not to worry, he is a natural at backpacking! He is settling in well, I am both proud and impressed!!

 

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord -your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”

-Deuteronomy 31:6