It’s so strange,  I can still remember the exciting feeling of expectation for all the unknows that were going to take place...and now here we are packing our bags on the last day of this journey. We have all, Matt, Alex, Ashah and I been richly blessed by this experience. We first had the privilege of spending time with Janice and meeting her beautiful family. Hong Kong was a place we always said we wanted to visit, and it was well worth it...we visited islands, went on cable cars and had delicious Honganese cuisine. 

Vietnam was amazing, the culture and buzz is all around you, in every corner that you look your eyes are filled with so many new and interesting sights...Matt finished his course which I'm sure will be an added advantage for his future and the kids and I had lots of fun roaming around...then to see my parents and travel with them was a great experience too. As far as seeing the sights Ha Long Bay would have to be our highlight and we would recommend you make plans to visit there one day, we were filled with awe seeing God's creation. But to experience the rich culture, people and diversity between Saigon and Ha Noi has made a big impression on us.

Arriving in the Philippines we were excited to meet friends we knew that shared in our love for God, we were with family, we thought it might have been difficult for the kids but I can say that the kids had the most fun in the slum than anywhere else. Alex met some life friends and Ashah got so much attention and had so much fun!! The people in the Philippines were the most genuine, humble and loving people we have met...each group that we were with in Baseco, Talim and Cebu welcomed us and blessed us and showed us so much about what life is all about. I think we learnt so much from them all and we have gone away changed. We saw so much and were encouraged by their lives and how they live, they love God so much and were faithful in the small things and grateful for all that God does for them.

We didn't actually think we were going to get to Korea, after a 10 hour delay the first day and a  3 hour delay the following day but we managed to land safely in the country where our children were born, which still forms a big part of their life today. We love this place. and today we are sad to leave, but we hope we will be back very soon. We have definitely realised that living abroad is not that difficult and that it could be a real option for us in the future, although there would have to be a purpose in living overseas, especially as we want to serve God in all we do. We really have been enriched by everything we have done and especially by the people we have met. I think meeting people is the best part.  If you get a chance to travel go for it you will never regret it....now the new chapter begins as we return back!!

We may continue to use this blog for the ongoing work we are part of in Asia or start a new blog particularly for the work we believe Christ has called us to fulfil with living out our faith everyday!! Thank you and God bless YOU our faithful viewers. 

Southern Korea

We've been travelling for the last ten day around the southern parts of Korea, including Busan, Gyeongju and Geoje Island. We have taken over 500 photos, so we have posted a few more than usual and allow the photos to speak for themselves. Starting to miss home and look forward to arriving home very soon.

Ashah meets her foster mum

We had a very special day the other day, Ashah got to meet with her foster mother, although she was shy, she did end up giving her a cuddle and sat on her lap which was beautiful to see. We exchanged gifts, Ash got some hello kitty sock, and then she also did some writing in her book for her foster mum. Alex will hopefully see his foster mother as well. Just being here this time has been really special, both times we've come to pick our beautiful children up it has been around 0 degree, very cold and snowy, so its so so nice to be here enjoying the sun, today was 21 degrees, so easy to get around and do things.

We seem to leave our room around 11am and not come back till 5 or 6 o'clock. we've been catching the train a lot which is easy, it goes to anywhere you want. We've visited market (which are so overwhelming- too much stuff), seen palaces, bridges, parks and eaten a lot of food (still)...we've actually found this really cheap eat out across the road from where we are staying, the lady is getting used to us so much so that the other day when we went in, she was making sushi, it was fresh, she shoved it in Matt's and my mouth, I got images of nonna Lina...she just wanted to make sure we had something in our bellies while we waited for our food...and tonight she gave us 2 fried eggs on the house, a really sweet lady.

Tomorrow we are going to try and go to the Korean Folk Village similar to Sovereign Hill, Ballarat in Victoria, people dressed in traditional clothes, korean drumming, dance and little homes from different eras. We are here in Seoul till Monday when we will travel by fast train to Busan...so the days are rolling on, we are having lots of fun, but also looking forward to returning home.

Seoul- South Korea- the birth place of our children

For a while there we thought we weren’t going to get to Korea…the first day a 10 hour delay, we had to reschedule and get a hotel for the night then the next day 3 hour delay…we were glad to get here. If we hadn’t had the delays we wouldn’t have met some of the nicest people, so sometimes you can see God is at work for the bigger picture!

Seoul is such a nice place, very clean and organised, with beautiful trees and plants decorating the streets. We are currently staying in the guesthouse where we met our children for the first time. There are about 6 floors, and two of those are used as guest houses. On the 3^rd floor is the little hospital where the babies stay before they are placed with foster families…I took Ashah there the other afternoon, so many cute babies, Matt also took Alex he loved it.

Seoul is a very easy place to live, and very much up with the times…there is a 4 level underground subway system that takes you everywhere and the whole city is wifi (internet that is). The food has been great and we have found a very cheap and fresh quality eat just across the road, the lady there was so nice she had a beautiful scripture up on the wall and there was an older gentleman eating there that looked as if he may have been homeless or poor and she didn’t make him pay for his meal…she even gave the kids extra food, I think we’ll be back there.

The kids are doing really well and we are all adjusting well to the welcomed change in temperature, its been cool but good weather to go around to do things. We plan to stay in Seoul for about 2 weeks and then make our way down to Busan by fast train (it takes over 7 hours by car but only 2.5 hours by train, it goes fast approx. 300km an hour!). Busan is a harbour city and some people that we met at the airport suggested some other destinations close by, so we will probably hire a car and drive along where the mountains meet the ocean and surrounding islands.

Cebu

We arrived in Cebu on Saturday and have had a great time meeting up with people from the church here. The last time I had seen them was 5 years ago, we came to stay here for 2 months, Alexander was only 2 years old... Matthew has been back 3 times with out me but it was really great to now be here all together again. During our time I made friends with many of the young girls that were 9 and 10, and now its been a pleasure to see them grown up into teenagers. It has been a real encouragement to meet up with all the people in the church that we know, they are so hospitable and serve their community with passion...but their love for Jesus shines out bright, you can see their trust and hope in God for their lives, its wonderful.

I went with some of the ladies in the church to the local hospital, they've been doing this for 8 years now, every 3 months. The hospital is less than the standard we are used to, so for me to go in it was hard, but then realised that at least they have somewhere to come to be cared for. We went around praying for people, many shed tears as we would pray for them or their loved ones. It was a very moving experience for me.

Yesterday we were excited to be able to visit Armie and her family... 4 years ago Matt and Rob met her family and saw that her son Jason was ill with a leaky heart valve. Through the help of Children's First Foundation we were able to get the help for Jason (he was nine at that time)...so he came to Melbourne with his mum and was operated at the Children's Hospital. Many of our family and friends contributed to supporting them while they were here. Jason was very sick and was actually close to death...but yesterday it was hard to imagine that it was the same boy, now 13 running around and playing with his cousins. While we were in the same area, Matt shared at a local church, the one that Armie attends, again we were encouraged by the leaders there, we know their difficult circumstances and love the way they talk about God being by their side.

We are now looking forward to our next adventure, we leave for South Korea on Sunday. We are very excited to be visiting the birth place of our children, we will try to travel around the country, as in the past we have only seen Seoul the capital, but now we will try to go south to a place called Busan.

Thank you every one for the response to the pig project on Talim, please keep this in mind, please email us if you would like any more information...or if you would like to know about any other ways you can help.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers as we travel, we really feel them.

Talim Island - Lake Laguna

Greetings to all our family and friends!!

We find ourself back within Baseco Compound in Metro Manila, one of many large squatter communities within Philippines, back with what we would consider family.

The past week we have spent our time with Pastor Joey, a man who has very little and pours his life out daily within the lives of many with needs. His wife is paralysed and he has a family of 5 children and yet still helps families on the island. His unconditional life has impacted us and changed our lives, we have supported his work on Talim island, Lake Laguna for the past 7 years. 

This island is a dormant volcano and homes 33 barangay’s (villages) that are close to the water’s edge around the island. The water is pumped out of the ground from hot water springs...you could almost boil an egg!! We lived within the community amongst some old friends and met many new friends, we had the pleasure to experience their community life. The island is located 6 hours from Metro Manila, our journey consists of motorbike tricycles, jeepneys, bus and boat.

By no means is this a tropical tourist island, many of the families struggle from day to day to provide for their basic essential needs. To live with them and not be messed by the abundance I possess in contrast from their life to mine would be an understatement. The opportunities for work and financial provision are limited, the fresh water lake (Lake Laguna) provides a range of fish and many families have fish pens and work through the night with large nets on their small bancas (boats) to sell for the next day at markets on the main land. Sadly typhoons are a regular event during their cooler months and most fish pens are destroyed yearly and their fish escape. The poorer families walk to the top of the mountains to burn wood and make charcoal (uling) to sell for charcoal fires for cooking or grow sweet potato. We started pig farming as a micro business a few years ago which has been relatively successful. We target poorer families and offer them a no-interest loan which they pay back after 4-5 months when the sell the pig. We purchase piglets of approx 5kg and sell them 4-5 months later around 45-55kg. The family keep all the profits and the initial loan repayed back to us to buy another piglet for another family to start a small business. We really want to begin to grow this opportunity for the families on Talim island as this is a profitable small business for poorer families to provide fresh food and education for their children. If you are interested in purchasing a (few) pig(s) for a family please reply to my email on mattpin@hotmail.com or comment on this post. They are currently costing $60 (2500 peso) for a 5kg piglet. You donation just continues to bless many families because it never ends, it keeps being reused to purchase another piglet.

We were very blessed with all the people and their generosity they have shown us on the island. They might not have much but every night we were always given some food that someone had cooked for us. The children on the island also took Alex and Ashah under their wing, often Alex would be off and I wouldn’t see him for a few hours, and the girls just loved Ashah, holding hands and roaming around playing games.

We really love this place it does hold a special place in our hearts, its very peaceful, no noise of cars, no fumes, but there is a few smells of animals, mostly those that raise the pigs to sell. One of the women that we stayed at on the island came to us while we were out visiting, she was holding a chicken (it was alive!), and told us that this was going to be our lunch the next day, I must say it was quite delicious. Wish we could say more...love you all. Matt, Lisa and kids

Baseco

We have been in Baseco already one week and so much has happened. The people here have been such an encouragement to us, they put up with so much in their day to day, things we would find extremely difficult…but you can see God gives them the strength to do what they need to do with joy!

On Friday we visited another area called Fairview the Baseco church visit their church and preach there, and this time they had planned a big kids crusade. More that 400 kids  came to the crusade, it went for 2 hours, it was really hot but the kids leaders were active and engaging the kids. It was amazing!

Sunday we met most of the people that attend the church, we met many of the mothers whose children are sponsored by many of you. Sponsoring a child here goes such a long way, $90/year provides for all their school fees and needs, but more so it gives then the opportunity that they might not usually get. I have met some of the children and they are all top 5 in their class, classes here have 70 kids, so its amazing to see some of the kids we are sponsoring they are so interested in learning and sit at the front of the class so they can hear and learn. If they can finish their schooling and manage to go to university they can really change the lives of not only themselves but of their family and communities.

The other night, there was a fire in a area close by near the port 5 homes were burnt to the ground, we took some photos. If any one would like to make a donation so that some of these houses can be rebuilt email Matt

mattpin@hotmail.com

We can give you the details on how to go about donating.

We are all well and having a very interesting experience here, the kids are learning and seeing so much. God is teaching us so much, we need to be thankful and grateful for what we have but we also need to do as much as we can for each other, especially those in need. The work that the Christian community here is doing is inspiring. If your interested in finding out more about whats going on in Baseco go to

markpedder.wordpress.com 

(Mark & Christine Pedder are Australian missionaries that live and spend their days in Baseco sharing the love of Christ in spiritual and practical ways). 

Manila Philippines...our second home

We arrived in Manila and probably my second home away from Australia. We have many friends and people we would consider family. It is different being around people you know and within an environment that is a bit more familiar. We are currently staying within Baseco, which is beside the port in Metro Manila. It is Lisa and the kids first time in Baseco and it is a real treat for me to have my family with me in Manila. Alex and Ash are loving playing and hanging out with all the kids.

The last time Lisa travelled to the Philippines was 5 years ago and Alex was 2 years old (this is Ashah's first trip). We spent 2 months here on our first trip 5 years ago although Lisa, Alex and I spent most of that time in Cebu, another island further south of Manila. We will arrive in Cebu the next month too. I have visited Philippines a few times over the past years and have brought family and friends to experience and see what God is doing within the lives of many Filipino's. From a humanitarian perspective the need is great here.

Many people from Australia support some of the work we partner in with filipino nationals and other christian missionaries that feel called to share Christ and help meet felt needs.

For the past 5 years we have provided child education support ($90 per child/1year) to children which would normally not have the opportunity to an education. We are also involved with various small-micro business loans and other support to empower families to make a difference for them to provide for their families future. If any one is interested to learn more and would like to support these things in any way please leave a comment or email me on mattpin@hotmail.com.

The Philippines holds a very special place within our hearts. We love our friends and love to see God provide opportunities where people can be set free and be transformed.

Note: We are living within a squatter community in Manila and the internet is not as accessible and the signal is weak so our blogposts will probably not be as frequent although please email/facebook us because we love hearing from you all!! God Bless.

Ha Long Bay's a true wonder!!

From Hanoi to Ha Long Bay it’s about a 4 hour bus trip. It didn’t feel too long, the kids were great, we were all a little excited and didn’t know what to really expect. It was drizzling and a bit misty…it was a little cold. After about 30 mins we got on a small tender boat that took us to our Chinese Junk (that’s what they call the boats)…not junk by any means!! We arrived on our ‘Junk’ called the Oriental Sails, once we boarded we had refreshments and were shown to our room, it had solid timber floors, walls and ceiling with the timber windows on the port and starboard sides… it really was picture perfect. We were then served lunch which had about 7 courses… too much food, a lot of different seafood, chicken and pork dishes. Soon after we began to cruise slowly through mist, after a short while you could make out the silhouette of the rock mountains coming out of the ocean, they were huge and now appearing everywhere, they were magnificent. The mist lifted and we were amazed…clearly a work of a master craftsman…even Ashah was looking out saying to Lisa, “oh beautiful mum!”  

They anchored the Oriental Sail after a few hours of cruising in amongst the limestone rock islands. We were invited to go kayaking around the islands, which we were all excited to try… we put our life jackets on and Lisa held Ashah in the front and I rowed in the rear seat. Alex went with the guide beside us, I was sure to stay close to him. It was an awesome experience, the kids loved it… we kayaked for a few hours in and out of caves and exploring small beach shores…fantastic.

These limestone rocks come straight out of the ocean, it said that there are well over a 1000 of these rock islands, few with monkeys living on them which we saw on the banks and swinging from the trees suspended out from the rock faces as we kayaked by. Amazing scenery, quite overwhelming, we could not believe what we were seeing and to think that this would be our home for the next 3 days in amongst these islands.

The greatest part was waking up each morning to the amazing scenery, you're on the water and you look out your bedroom window and see the big rocks and all the other boats anchored around, it was a sight to behold. The food and service was fantastic too!

Alex and I were able to fish for squid at night from our boat, we managed to catch and see a few caught which made a fresh meal. We loved the staff on the boats and became good friends with other guests on the boat too. We particularly connected with a Spanish couple that live in Pamplona, Spain where the bull-running fiesta is held in July every year. The bull stories were not really convincing me, but when they began to speak and describe the food at these fiestas I thought I might have to try it. We have been invited to stay with them and become a bull-runner in the fiesta…crazy stuff!!

We would recommend this experience to everyone, it was amazing and not a great expense. It was difficult for us to capture the exact beauty of the place in a photo although Lisa did try.

Vietnam...full of surprises!

Well, it has been awhile since our last post, we have enjoyed the last week of moving north up Vietnam, we have used all forms of travel from train, motorbike, cable car, boat and plane (bike was the preferred consensus by Lisa & the kids)…we have now arrived in Hanoi the capital of Vietnam. Nha Trang was beautiful and for all who know me well, know my love for meat…within the last week I have eaten frogs, ostrich, crocodile, quail, duck, lamb, chicken, pork, beef (I’m sure I’ve forgotten some)…not to mention all seafoods…(I like Nha Trang)…a culinary experience which will not be forgotten.

Again, another different experience in Hanoi, we love the city and have enjoyed discovering the sights down alley ways, over bridges and around beautiful lakes which are set within the city. The food, architecture and culture is different from Saigon, it seems to have been influenced very much by  the French which can be seen in the architecture which adds to the atmosphere. Today we visited a 1000 year old ancient university which had great historical architecture and gardens. We have enjoyed hiring a scooter and finding cheap eat outs and I have had to adjust my motorbike riding skills back to my teenage years of riding my dirtbike (KX125) illegally through the streets of East Keilor where I grew up…note; to conform and become an effective rider you must learn the skill of weaving through traffic and expect that every bike, car, truck is wanting to cut you off  or ride into you…you must prepare yourself for any surprises. You MUST think Vietnamese and ride with confidence and a bit of aggression…and you will do fine!

We have met new people in Hanoi and our children attract and compel people to talk to us…we have enjoyed our conversations and learnt a lot from the Hanoi culture and changes the West is having on the nation to become more global, particularly with the next generation with education preparing them to interact within the world stage.

Tomorrow morning we leave by bus on a 3 hour trip to Halong Bay where the ‘Oriental Sails’ a Chinese boat will become our home for the next 3 days. Halong Bay has over 1200 islands that are an amazing wonder and sight to see within Vietnam. We return back to Hanoi for another 3 days until our time in Vietnam ends and we leave for Manila Philippines.

Thanks to all for following the post and your much enjoyed comments. We will send another post when we return from Halong Bay. God Bless from us all and you are in our prayers 

Nha Trang

After that last adventure regarding the train everything else has run quite smoothly…maybe apart from my dad getting attacked by a monkey! (more about that later).

To all the lovely people who have been leaving comments thank you we get so excited (if you are choosing the anonymous option, if you would like us to know who you are just sign off with your name at the end of the comment).

On the first day here in Nha Trang Matt hired a motorbike…so all 4 of us squash onto the bike and go cruising, it’s the best! You feel independent, the wind in your hair exploring the sights its fantastic…the kids absolutely love it. We’ve been going from one end to the other, past towns, cruising along their tiny streets. You wisk past and you get little glimpses of their way of life. Everyone is outside and the front of their houses are open, so you get to see everything…from ladies lazing on their hammocks, men playing cards outside drinking coffee to the local barber cleaning some man’s ears!

When you book a tour here, you really don’t always know what it will entail…we all decided to go with a private car which actually worked out cheaper, the guide would take us to monkey Island and to the most beautiful beach, with white sand and a seafood market! Sounded really good so we booked it for the following day. The car with guide (which is actually the man that was in the office the previous day that sold us the package, he is also driving and he is our guide…it’s a one man show…which is cool) picks us up at 9am. We first arrive at Monkey Island, my mum is already on edge because we have to get a wooden boat to the Island and is reminded of a bad experience in Hoi Anh, where she nearly tipped the small boat over! And in the car on the way the guide starts to tell us how careful we need to be with the monkeys, don’t go near them and make sure you have no food with you, especially the kids, they like small children. Well…mum and I are having a heart attack in the back seat and nearly refuse to go…but we all get on the boat and arrive. There are monkeys everywhere, I grab Ashah and Matt keeps Alex close. We have to run because the monkey circus has already started and we are late, so we have to run through the grass area and dodge the wild monkeys. When we arrive at the circus show… the monkeys in the show break our hearts, they are cute and do amazing tricks but not good to see animals in a circus like that.

The guide takes us for a walk towards the most disgusting smell…and in the way my dad decides to pull out a plastic bag with his unfinished roll…well, what can  I say one monkey in an instant jumps on him rips the bag and takes the roll and runs off, but the rest of us have jumped a mile, all the monkeys  began to encircle us looking and smelling for food, I was packing my pants… the guide pressed on…was I glad to get off that island!

The adventure continued… the beautiful white beach he spoke of, was not so beautiful, and the seafood market was not what we expected, we were the first customers in 2 months, it was their low season, it was raining so we were swarmed by about 20 ladies almost jumping in our car when we arrived…and we are not sure why… we were told that they were all trying to sell us their seafood…Although we were a bit thrown we did laugh about it later, and made some genuine friends along the way.

We caught up with Matt’s first cousin Tony, he’s working here managing a few restaurants we had a meal it was really good quality food. It’s always nice to see a familiar face.

Alexander would also like to say a special hello to Luca his school friend, and thank you very much for all your messages, Alex loves reading them.

BY ANY MEANS...of transport!!

We got to the train station to go to Nha Trang... when we organised the train booking we chose the train that left at 11pm and arrives around 6am in the morning (7 hour trip), we booked the soft sleeper cabin with a/c (2 bunk bed cabin)…sounds comfortable…right!! We booked the tickets 2 weeks ago and we were all looking forward to our train adventure. It was a long day leading up to catch the train, we’re just hanging around in the room, we get the taxi to go about 9:30pm, we arrive around 10pm. We walk in the station with an hour to spare we thought…we presented the tickets to the lady behind the counter and to our shock we had tickets for an earlier fare leaving 8pm that evening… we had missed our train!! Now we were stuck at the train station.

We almost went into panic mode, what to do? Thank God there was another train leaving at 11pm…(the train we thought we booked…wasn’t our mistake - too hard to explain) BUT no soft bed sleepers left and no refund on our tickets. The only places left were normal seats…we didn’t have an option and bought new tickets... not a new train…speeds of around 40-60kms hours on average. We were expecting it was going to be hard…although it could have been worse. Alex is a star he just made himself comfortable using a fold out food tray fitted to the seat in front for his legs and fell asleep. Ashah on the other hand stayed awake playing games until after 1am, then she falls asleep in my arms.

It’s dark out the window and with her on my lap, I stare into the blackness waiting hour after hour mesmerized by the clacking of the train on the tracks and the door of the carriage banging all night with no door closure. I was just looking out the window waiting for a glimpse of light to reveal the treasures that lie outside…we pass shanty towns, lit up farms on main highways.  Hours pass and the sun begins to rise and the sky lights up…unsettled sleep for us all although we arrived in Nha Trang. We caught up on sleep in our new hotel $20 a night with balcony overlooking the beach…not bad!! Matt hired a motorbike for us and organised one for my dad and mum. Matt took the kids and I on a three hour riding tour exploring Nha Trang…we all loved it!!

Last day in HCMC

This is our last day in HCMC (Saigon) it has been 6 weeks here...tonight we leave for Nha Trang by train at 11pm. It cost us about $54 for all of us on the overnight sleeper train cabin....its a 12 hour trip...we thought it would be a good experience and at least the kids can sleep through the night. I think we feel happy about moving on to our next destination...It has been great though, we have met some beautiful people.

On Matt's last day of school the whole class went to a local eatery for their breakup lunch, I went a long as I have also made friends with those on the course with Matt. It was really busy and the food on the tables looked great, all locals customers (good sign) and about 200+ people...big, busy, cheap restaurant. Well, it was the best food we've had...and for the first time I ate whole frogs with lemon grass...Matt has eaten them before in Philippines...Matt and I went back the following day and we ate a plate full of them, very tasty and lots of meat on their little legs, tastes similar to chicken.

We have got to know the owner of the guesthouse, and yesterday they wanted to treat us by preparing us a farewell lunch. When the lunch arrived the staff asked Matt if we wanted to eat it in our room or out in the courtyard in front of them...well...we regretted opting for 'out in the courtyard'. We sat at the table and I tell you my eyes nearly popped out of my head. It was all very traditional northern provinces food consisting of blood sausages, raw meat covered in a dirt like spice, liver, intestine and other delicacies...and one which we were convinced could have been dog, this is a treat for guests!!!...they said it was pork but it smelled strange and did not look like pork at all!  The worst thing was they were there watching us and asking if we liked it all...it was hard for us to smile as we chewed :)!

Matt ate a lot of it so that we didn't have to (good man)...but I still tried the sausage and ate a piece of liver mmmmm and the kids just ate the rice and noodles, poor things!

Experiencing joy

So I find myself sitting at ‘Snap café’ watching the kids play here probably for the last time. There are lots of mums here from many places around the world, Malaysia, France, Germany, Japan…I think we all come here as a bit of a relax. I can watch the kids play and just sit!

On the way here Matt messaged me to tell me he’s just finished teaching his last lesson! That means no more assignments or lessons to do, I’m so proud of him he’s done so well, it’s been a very intense 4 weeks, most nights he’s been going to bed after 1am. But now we can start to get ready for the next part of our trip and he can just relax. But I know he is so glad to have done the course, he’s learnt so much and now he can literally teach English anywhere in the world! Here we come WORLD…

HCMC is a great place and I would recommend it to anyone, I would stay minimum of 2 weeks here to really get a feel for the place. But there are so many other places to visit while you are here, the Mekong Delta (floating market) which we were unable to do at this point, but you can also go to Cambodia and Laos…we even overheard someone saying they were taking the train all the way to Bangkok!

The guest house where we are staying is fantastic, cheap, very clean and breakfast although basic was great…The people have been wonderful and extremely generous, giving the kids biscuits, bananas and other interesting Vietnamese snacks! The lady who makes our breakfast also cleans our room with another man, both are so humble and we try our best to show our appreciation although we cannot speak to each other (due to the language). Even the 3 young people that look after reception have been great, we’ve been able to get to know them and have good chats (their English is good). I can’t express how grateful to God I am that he helped us to find this place that has been our home…the place to come is Nhat Thao guest house (www.nhatthaohotel.com).

We have met so many fantastic people, I do believe that you may come to a country to see the sights but you are by far, much more rewarded by the friends you make. When you trust God for your life it’s amazing how he can turn any situation, even the bad, into good. Life is multidimensional, there is the physical, the mental and through God he makes the spiritual dimension come alive, you get to see how His hand is at work in people’s lives. It is evident to me that He is constantly searching out people who want to have a deeper relationship with Him…he is a personal God that wants to be part of our everyday life so that we can share in the joy and purpose He has for us….this joy is different to happiness or excitement, its having peace in all the circumstances we find ourselves in, being assured that God will never leaves us or forsakes us. In the Bible there is a scripture that says, “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path” (Psalms 119:105)...I always get the picture from this that he lets us see just enough for that next step…but his light never leaves us!

I’m starting to realize that Ho Chi Minh City is coming to an end...We have met some really lovely people and learnt so much, I think HCMC is a place that you could easily live. The people are really friendly and they are so happy to find out where you’re from and want to know about you. They are happy to share their lives with you also. I know I will really miss this place. The first day we arrived I was pretty upset about being here, I even shed a few tears. It just wasn’t what I thought it would be like, I didn’t know how I was going to cross the busy streets, or how I was going to trust a taxi to take me to the right places or what I was going to do with the kids while Matt was studying. To think that I was going to feel so happy as I do now I wouldn’t have believed it. Now I want to stay here longer!

Now Matt has only 1 assignment and 2 lessons to do and on Friday next week it will be all over. When Matt finishes we will stay here 2 days then catch the night train to Nha Trang…we will be there for about 5 days and then we’ll catch a plane to Hanoi, then we will go to Ha Long and travel around a little and then leave for the next leg of our trip…the Philippines!

Just a little story…I love collecting odd things, I like collecting leaves and Matt likes collecting rocks. We were at an Indian eatery the other night and I was outside talking to a lady and I could see Matt holding up a spoon talking with my parents. I didn’t think much of it. The next morning Matt presented me with the spoon…it had my name engraved on it…so he bought off the owner (what a man)! I see Ashah & Alex having a very similar interest in odd things, they love keeping leaves too especially ones that fall from the sky and land in their lap…but Ash, today… we were in a supermarket and there was one tile on the floor broken and pieces of the mortar under were exposed and loose…we are walking away and Ash looks up at me and says “can I keep this” rock in hand…she held it all the way home and wanted me to put it away to keep J

We've had a couple of interesting and very special days. On Saturday we were invited to go to Matt's student's house for dinner. The whole class organised to prepare Matt and 2 other teachers dinner, it was a feast but more than enjoying the food, it felt so nice to be in someone's home, you really feel part of a place when you can visit a home. You no longer feel like just a tourist, you take part in 'real' everyday life. After we ate the student whose home it was put on karaoke, we were all a bit nervous, they gave the microphone to Matt, then he passed it on to me, it was a song I knew so I started singing...but I didn't have to have the microphone long, because once Alex got it he didn't let it go, he just wanted to sing all night, so did Ashah. But Ash was just singing things that she could see happening around the room in tune with the music...like "the dog is lovely, he's walking I like the dog he is so cute, filo pla ni ma di da play..." She made me laugh so much...I didn't realise how much Alex loved to sing!

Sunday mum and dad arrived, it was so nice to see a familiar face. They are staying in the same guesthouse as we are. I think they really like it, dad said he could "easily live here"...I took them for the longest cyclo bike ride yesterday and then we did some supermarket shopping (you know how much I love them!) We had dinner at the local Pho soup place, which they loved...dad's been having a Pho every day even twice, they get a bit addictive. They've also been enjoying the nightlife! which involves sitting on the corner restaurant looking out onto the street and there is always something interesting to see, I think they said they saw an accident the other night. They have ventured out today going walkabouts...and they plan to take a trip into cambodia this week...real adventurers!

Matt's half way through the course, but there is still a  lot of work to be done, but he's getting there, I think he can't wait until it's over so he can relax with us. I'm loving it here...the kids are feeling quite comfortable too now.

Green mangoes

We had dinner tonight with a friend, a lady that is doing the course with Matt. Such a nice person, she's from the UK. 11 months ago her husband was offered an engineering job here, and she'd always wanted to travel to Vietnam so they came. They sold everything and moved to a quiet coastal village called Hoi Anh. She does some volunteer work teaching students that otherwise wouldn't get the opportunity. It's amazing how we have met so many people that just pack up and go! She seemed grateful for the opportunity to be here and it sounds like she is loving it. Experiences definitely enrich our lives in ways we can't imagine. The fear we may have initially about embarking on a new phase or experience can dissipate once we realize how wonderful an experience it really is.

The kids had a wonderful day today. We went back to the nice playground, Alex found 3 boys his own age and it made my heart so happy so see him interacting and speaking to other kids...Ashah rose to a new level of confidence on the play equipment, she managed to go down a fireman's pole all by herself. They played for about 5 hours, it was really good for them.

Matt is trying his best to keep on top of things, and is really doing a good job with his lessons and assignments. I can see thought that he is worn out by the time he comes home, he has dinner with us and after the kids have gone to bed he begins his work again, preparing and completing tasks. We knew it might be like this, but we are committed to getting trough it...

After the kids fell asleep tonight, I felt like getting a snack, the streets still busy at 10pm, buzzing with activity, it's so nice to be able to walk outside your door and be out on such an amazing street. I thought I was going out to get some chocolate for myself, but instead I was drawn to the lady sitting on the curb selling unripe mangoes, she peeled it, cut it up and put it in a bag with a red salty spice...it was good.

Thanks again to all the people that have written comments...and also an apology for so many food photos, its just that we seem to be doing a lot of eating! Eating good food. Last night we had street food for dinner, loved watching the lady cook it up in her portable wok, 3 dishes for under $3 fed all of us. So far we haven't had any tummy troubles, we are trusting God and praying before we eat (brings saying grace to a new level). Really the food is good and safe. We have found this great place called Stella, it really is a star, because the Italian food is authentic, it's the best we've had, some dishes are even better than home, the owner is Italian.

We look forward now for my mum and dad to come...it's going to be good to see them and share this wonderful and beautiful place with them.

The Narrow Road

I went to church with the kids this morning, sadly Matt had to go to ILA and prepare for teaching tomorrow and complete an assignment, although for us it was really good, singing songs and praising God. It really touched me. Many of the songs today were about God being the same and not changing...regardless of the circumstances around us and or happening within in minds...He is there and we need to trust in His promises. One promise that I love is that He will never leave us or forsake us, we can call of Him, pray and seek Him while in our struggles and also thank Him for all the good in our lives. God is faithful and true, this means He is reliable, He loves us, he has compassion and He is our Shepard...He leads us and guides us if we put our trust in Him.

Although we go about our life and experience new chapters...and our's a new place of discovery like Vietnam...meeting new people, building friendships and trying to help our neighbours. We're also exploring, going out and spending time together but we realise that we can't loose sight of God. To know Christ and invite him to guide us everyday and allow his love to sustain us in a world that lacks purpose and direction at times. Jesus spoke of a road and encouraged all to pursue this path that seems less traveled, a road that may cost you your life, so that he could live in you. So that we could lay down our life with our dreams and ambitions so His dream could shine in us and through us - his light never our own.

Another day in Saigon

Walking around the shopping malls, I am just intrigued at how well they are shelved, everything looks immaculate, and there is anything you could possibly need or want. I’ve been to a few in the last 2 weeks. For some reason I’m just compelled to check out supermarkets when I’m overseas, but I must admit I love the supermarket back home too. But there is only one problem here, with the shopping centers and supermarkets…there’s no people in them buying anything!  There is plenty of staff though. It just makes me think, why is this? Vietnam is definitely changing and the middle class is growing and I think the malls are ready for them but I think it’s a bit premature…its still so much cheaper to buy things at the markets, especially pre-made food. You only see very few families shopping at Lotte (a Korean suoermarket chain) and it seems all they tend to do is fill their shopping carts with detergent, tissues, chips, soaps and whitening lotions. I think it may take some time for the whole supermarket thing to catch on, but at least it’s creating employment for some of the young people.

The kids and I had breakfast out this morning on one of the street corners, we saw some cyclo riders, one in particular was friendly. An older man that looked worn from years of hard work peddling people around.  I thought it might be nice for the kids and Alex was quite keen to go. I picked a place from his worn out little flyer, I offered him a price not knowing where this place was, we bargained then he agreed…we were off. As he rode and rode I began to realize that this place was quite far, even Alex commented to me saying, “mum this poor man is doing a lot of hard work for us.” I started to feel really bad, I knew from that moment I would give him more than I promised he definitely deserved it. By the end of the trip we had discovered a good market, taken some great photos along the way and  the cyclo rider was quite happy with his tip! It’s easy to love this place, the chaotic roads, fantastic food, the people are generous, hardworking and as you get to know them they share with you their life.

It has been really special looking after the kids while Matt is doing his course. There are difficult moments sometimes, when the 3 of us have had enough of each other, but it doesn't last too long! I'm getting to know Alex too, its funny, we send our kids to school and we don't really ever get to see them learning. I can appreciate parents that feel passionate about homeschooling. By teaching Alex I realise how clever he his and what a thinker he is. We've been reading "The Mystery of the Strange Messages" by Enid Blyton together. When we read Alex responds to the text with the right emotions, he gets the jokes and the sarcasm and he uses the right tones and emphasis on words...I love it. While Alex does his work Ashah just potters around with her toys, containers and her drawing things, she's very good at entertaining herself...you can often hear her talking to herself or singing or pretending to be a musketeer.

I've been getting on the motorbikes with the kids to go places. When I walk out of my little lane there are a bunch of men and ladies that sit out there talking and the men waiting for customers for their taxi bike service. There are 2 main guys and they always compete against each other for your service, they are quite friendly, they do a good job getting us where we need to go. The kids love it. Going to the supermarket or bookstore with the taxi bike costs $1 and to go with the normal taxi it's the same but sometimes the taxis don't like taking you on such short trips so the bikes can be more reliable.

Matt's doing well and really getting into it, he's becoming a real grammar freak! He's doing his lesson plans, preparing and getting all his materials ready...do you know why you double the 'm' when you are adding 'ing' to swim? Do you know that there are 44 phonemic symbols to denote all the sounds in the English language, it's like looking at another language completely - kənˌgræt.jʊˈleɪ.ʃən - this is one example, it translate to congratulations! He is also learning how to effectively use auxiliary verbs to assist the main verb using appropriate stressors and intonations in the pronunciation of sentences...I'm not jealous one bit! He's keeping up a good attitude even getting a bit passionate.

Tomorrow's school outing is Dam Sen water park...can't wait

Matt's first day

Everybody started school today...well Matt his course, Alex was my student and Ashah kept telling me she was my teacher! I should let Matt fill you in on how his day went but he's doing homework (already) he has a class to prepare for in the morning. He did enjoy the first day and learnt so much already he had lots to tell me about. He came home at lunch and seemed a bit overwhelmed but when he came home after class he was much more relaxed and confident about approaching the work. Alex was great today and I was so proud of his thinking skills when it came to maths, he picked up a pattern in some addition equations. Ashah was coming around making sure we were all doing our work!

It was ok getting out on my own with the kids today, I was a bit apprehensive about getting the taxi, but it was all ok and worth the trip to the 'Snap' Cafe, a very nice oasis for the kids and I.

Yesterday we finally managed to find the church we were looking for. It was in a house and there were about 70 people. You are only allowed to attend this church if you hold a foreign passport as the Vietnamese authorities don't like their people to be religious. They definitely don't encourage sharing about Jesus or talking about God and have been know recently to terrorise local Vietnamese Christian churches and abuse their pastors. But it was great to see some local Vietnamese people at the church we went to, you realise that with God nothing is impossible, He transcends all circumstances even those that people try to lock Him out of.

Now we are looking forward, as tomorrow is the first day of March, and that means there are 13 days until Nonno Sal and Nonna Carmel come over to join us!

Love reading your comments and also thank you to all the people that have sent private messages we enjoy getting them, thanks for following the blog so far :)

1 day until Matt starts his course

I couldn't imagine that on that first day arriving in HCMC that I would feel as relaxed as I do now. I am now looking forward to the next few weeks, it will be a little difficult because Matt starts his course on Monday and it’s been so nice to be able to do things together. Now I have to brave Saigon with the kids, which I’m feeling confident about. At least we were able to check out a lot of things as a family, so now I have a good idea of good places to take the kids. Alex also starts school on Monday…with me as his teacher! I think we are looking forward to some routine…well I know I am!

We went on our first motorbike taxi ride the other day, Ashah has been adamant about getting on the bikes. It was only a short ride but both Alex and Ash had smiles on their faces the whole way home. Now they keep asking us to go on! You can hire a scooter for about $6 a day. I am sure Matt will hire one soon.

We’ve been meeting a few people, some from Australia. The other day we were at a Mall and there was another Aussie family with their 2 kids, 6 and 2yrs. They are also out adventuring, they’re here for 3 months while their house in Sydney is getting built, they decided to travel here instead of renting a house in Sydney, they had a lot of holidays owing from work. Another lady sold everything in Australia and is now travelling around!

Even with some of the Vietnamese, we are getting to know them and learning about their culture. We met a young man while we were booking our travel for Hanoi (he was the brother of the lady who was serving us). He began to tell us about the situation for young people, his parents live in the Me Kong Delta region which is about 6 hours away, they are very poor. Both his sister and himself came to HCMC to find work. They paid for private tutors to learn English, which cost them a lot and now they both have ok jobs - he works in a hotel and she as a travel consultant. They both only get 100USD per month as a wage. They both rent a room each that costs them 50USD not including utilities so that leaves them with just over 1 USD a day to do everything else. So their lives are difficult, and it’s difficult to get ahead. It makes me realize how grateful we need to be, and make the most of helping with what we have, our finances, knowledge and skills and of course even more than that letting people know that they can be set free from this world systems through Jesus Christ. As there is no greater joy than to know him.

Tonight we went out to an orientation dinner that was held by ILA the school where Matt will do his course. It was at the bbq garden and it was all paid for it was delicious! It was a nice time of meeting new people and great to see the other 17 people that are doing the course. There is an older couple, a few guys and girls, some people that have just arrived in HCMC and others that have been here for a while. I met a lovely lady that has lived here with her husband and 2 kids for 2 years, he husband is teaching in an international school. She is originally from Brunswick and has just signed on for another 18 months, she loves living here. We are really starting to love it too, and I know I will miss this place when I’m home, the hardest part is not letting the time just slip away…

Fun in the sun!!

We’ve been keeping very busy the last two days. Yesterday we visited a shopping centre called Diamond Plaza, it has a kind of ‘Time Zone’ place where the kids can play games, they had a lot of fun. After that we visited the Reunification Palace, it first had the French Political headquarters in 1885 and later was demolished through war and the Americans helped the Vietnamese to rebuild a new Reunification Palace. It had very beautiful gardens and fine ornate furniture, amazingly decorated. It’s still used for some events. For dinner we went to the BBQ garden where you cook yourself on a hotplate, we spotted this place a few days before and had to experience it.

Today we took the kids to the BEST water park ever! Dam Sen Water Par, it is about 10 acres with over 25 pools and attractions all within oriental landscaped gardens surrounding the pools. It had the best slides, wave pool and kids attractions ever. It had a flying fox that you launch off into a pool, you really put your fears and body to the test. Kamikaze High Speed slides. Not sure if Lisa and I had more fun or the kids!! The course starts next week and thought we would enjoy our last few days of no stress as a family. 

Day at the Zoo

The past 2 days have been really great. On Sunday we went to the Zoo, it’s amongst the botanical gardens, which is a beautiful parkland with mature trees, landscaped gardens and grassed areas. There was also a children's theme park with rides and games. The animal enclosures were a little old and probably not to the standards we are used to. But apart from that it was a wonderful day out. Ashah also decided to make some new friends, she actually went up to a group of school children with their parents, they were watching a dvd on their laptop on the grass and she just plonked herself down on their mat, they also offered her some food, which she kindly received and became one of the kids, she is really amazing us!

Today we had some one on one time with the boys going out for lunch and then the girls going out. Matt and Alex went out to a restaurant where Alex ordered Carbonara and Matt ordered a traditional Vietnamese dish, both meals were great. Then when Ash woke up we went to a street stall which was nice, we met an old lady who was very friendly and showed us how to eat our meal.

Absorbing the culture

We are now settled in our new guest house $175 USD a week (inc. b’fast) reasonable rate, Lisa is feeling better so we can all relax now, happy wife happy house. Now that we have a place to call our home for the next 6 weeks we are able to venture out and explore Saigon. We had a fresh, quality Vietnamese dinner down the street from our home under $10 bucks (family), can’t go too far wrong, there are hundreds to choose from.

Then we decided to walk to a night market, through a big park where I’m convinced everyone in Saigon must hang out on a Saturday night, 1000’s of people! Games and street vendors trying to sell you or Ashah every toy gadget imaginable, Ash just freely received them and was convinced this is a great place and then we had to kindly return the toys…then Alex was being targeted…they are acute and sharp on their selling techniques! By the end we taught Ash and Alex to say "thanks, but No," by waving their right hand making the No gesture and smile…it was cute!!

We stopped and talked to people tonight, had a good laugh and even prayed for a young man that really captured our hearts. We loved our walk and the kids have been so good…we plan to visit and make contact with a local Christian church community tomorrow. The world is rich in culture and diversity…exploring is essential and valuable, I recommend it even when you experience culture shock, you can learn so much about others and yourself.

Getting settled

Today was a good day, we managed to find a slightly bigger place that is quite comfortable, the kids still don't have their own beds but they're able to share a queen. It's very nice down here, in a quieter lane way and we are now on the bottom floor, most of the rooms that we looked at were on level 2 or 3.  I was now able to do the girly thing and unpack and make this home,  I can't tell you how I felt, so happy. Sometimes it's the simple things! The kids like it here too as they have a little more space to move around, we also bought them some toys today, so good to see them play. Alex bought some lego (Vietnamese lego) and Ashah bought a doctor's set, and as we speak she is checking Matt's heart with her stethoscope and now cutting him open and doing an emergency operation...

I'm starting to relax a lot more today, as it did take me a few days to feel ok. It definitely takes time to transition into another culture especially when it's so foreign. Yesterday we were eating at a restaurant and a man comes in and starts giving Matt a massage, right in the middle of lunch, I was on the floor, Matt's not usually into massages, this guy does the chop on his back and neck , then finger massage on the head, cracks his fingers, his back and neck, then to top it off he gets out a tissue and cracks Matt's ears! Poor Matt, we all couldn't help but laugh. This is really beginning to feel like an adventure

Just a note, I thought I'd worked out the whole facebook thing, but....now that we are in a new place I can't seem to use the same tricks, so for all those that use fb, I will let you know when we are on again. If you would like to send a personal message just send it to our email.

HCMC buzz

What can I say about this place it is buzzzzing! We have had some of the most amazing food today, you would never run out of places to eat here. There are outdoor kitchen, as you walk past the smells draw you in even if you’ve eaten already. The kids and I had a good rest while Matt was out looking for a longer term place for us to stay…hopefully we’ll find one soon. The sound of the motorbikes never stop here, they are so good at riding them and maneuvering around it is amazing to watch. After dinner tonight we went for a walk to the local open area a bit like a park, lots of things going on, people practicing dancing routines, guys playing Hacky Sack (which were very skilled) and a bunch of guys on rollerblades weaving around plastic cups placed on the ground in a line, Alex loved it. 

Leaving HK...

It was quite sad leaving HK, the people are so friendly and HK in general is so easy to get around, you feel quite safe and the weather was good...very cold towards the end. We left Cheung Chau Island in a rush because we were running late to catch the fast ferry, it usually takes about 20min to walk back to the port although I think we did it in half the time...running down the pathways and most of it downhill. I'm sure the locals thought these crazy foreigners. When we arrived  at central HK we went straight to the train station, you can check in your bags and they go direct to the airport so you don't have to carry them around. Then all you have to do is catch the express train to the airport which takes about 25 min.

Well now we are in Vietnam...very humid and heat (compared to HK), the sound of buzzing motorbikes is amazing. Ashah was sitting on my lap in the taxi, we had the window down, the bikes were coming so close I could have reached out and touched the people. Ashah loved it, she was amazed with all the bikes and people. The city is definitely alive, lots of people and smells of food wafting through the air...I'm  sure tomorrow we'll be able to see a lot more.

Love this place

As we walked the narrow concrete undulating pathways you could hear music of a flute playing up in the homes above. Matt piggy backing Ashah and Alex and I arm in arm, chatting and hoping we could find our way through the maze of homes that were 2 or 3 levels high. Finally just as we realised we were now lost in the maze we saw a man (with English) who helped us with directions...we hadn't gone to far wrong. It was good to see the way people really live and smell the smells coming from their homes.

There are no cars or motorbikes on this Island, their main form of transport is a bicycle, everyone rides, balance is not an essential quality because there are adults riding around with training wheels...you are never too old to learn to ride!

We cannot boast of a authentic and delicious lunch today...get ready for it...McDonalds! Alex said we must do what the kids want too!  But with a little difference, when I asked for 2 happy meals, the young man asked if I wanted fries or corn, and I could also order milk in a small 226ml carton, and can I say I love their sundae's, they have a sprinkle of nuts. Overall we've had a very relaxing time...now we need to pack again as we head off for the next part of the adventure, Vietnam.

freeeezzzzing...

Today the rain did stop which was good, so we decided to take a walk down the mountain. The scenery is beautiful, we are so glad we came here, it is really special. A very cute fishing Island bustling with people, restaurants and market stalls. Today for lunch we went into a eating place that had no English writing, obviously not promoting westerner to dine, but that did not stop us. They placed a menu on the table that had pictures which was good, along with a pot of tea and a bowl of boiling water...as I poured my tea a lady from the another table stopped me and began to show me, the bowl of boiling water was to wash all your dishes before you drink or eat from them! I must say we had the best meal at this place, best bbq pork and vegies (+other meals) all for  less than $30. I went down with thongs and a light shirt, Alex was also freezing, we had 2 goals - eat, which we had done, and shoes & jumper for me, and something to keep Alex warm...my feet were so thankful for the $3 shoes and cosy jumper and Alex so happy with his beanie it made all the difference. We had fun today...this is a very peaceful place, so clean, and the kids (& us) had a great time at the park.

Cheung Chau

Today we made our way to Cheung Chau Island about 35 min fast ferry from HK island. When we woke up this morning it was pouring rain. A few days ago I had done some research on the directions of how to get to Bethany (the place where we are staying) you need to walk up a very steep hill about 1km, I think that it would have been ok, but when we get off the ferry it is still raining heavily. So I carry Ashah, and Matt has both our bags, and we only have 1 umbrella. I thought at one point I was going to pass out, rain pouring down on Ash and I with Alex trying his very best to follow us with the umbrella so we wouldn't get wet, and Matt getting soaked. I can't tell you how relieved we were when we finally arrived. Where we are now is a christian retreat, it is really beautiful and a great place to relax. We are right at the top of the Island, and if it wasn't so overcast and raining I'm sure we would have a fantastic view. But the room is very comfortable and they have a lounge where the kids can play. Hopefully in the next day or so it will clear up and we can get around a bit. Its nice though, to be warm and chill out in our room.

Night Out

Hi everyone this is Alex...tonight we started the night on the tram to Causeway bay we went to have dinner..then we came home on the train and stopped at JUSCO the shopping mall,  there was an arcade on the children's level I played lots of games and had fun after that we had a crepe ice-cream they were really nice. When we came home we watched a movie called Enchanted, I liked it!

Second country in 5 days

Macau isn't a place thats spoken about very much - a tiny country with less that 500,000 population was colonised by the Portuguese in 1511 and they stayed for 442 years, leaving in 1999. So as you can imagine you can see their influence in many aspects of Macau. The signs are written in 3 Languages, Cantonese, English and Portuguese, the architecture is distinctly different and their style of food has a Portuguese twist.  Today thanks to Janice and her sister Rachel we did not stop sampling Macau's best delights from fancy Portuguese style restaurant, to pepper pork pies, Portuguese egg tarts (which were delicious), chicken mince patties stuffed with mushroom, jerky, almond biscuits and handmade noodles...Macau has a hybrid and unique culture which gives the city an air of romance and nostalgia with its cobbled paths, lamp posts, old red doors, big iron gates and Baroque style architecture that sits side by side shrines, temples and Chinese gardens. It was really beautiful!

Alex and Ashah have been fantastic, they are both becoming real adventurers and Alex especially loves learning about the different places including the history...Ashah continues to draw people and make us all laugh! It is a real privileged to be here, we are also very grateful to Janice (who stayed with us in Melbourne for 3 months) and her sister who have had so much patience with us and have spent many hours organising our itinerary, we couldn't have done all this without them.

Lantau to Mong Kok

Today we started at 8.45am and we arrived back at 9pm...It was an amazing day of seeing new things and trying lots of new foods. We went on another cable car which Ashah hearing we were going said "not again, we have to all hold hands." The cable car ride went for 25 min and was about 1000ft off the ground at times, including above water, but I must admit it was the best way to see the coast line and the mountain areas. We also visited the biggest Buddha which they say is about 180 metres high, there were lots of people burning incense and gold paper to help them with good fortune. We then made our way to Tai O fishing village which was so quaint, lots of small lane ways and specialty shops selling dried fish and squid and the famous XO sauce, Janice also helped us to taste glutenous rice cakes filled with sesame seeds, a kind of caramel that they spread between 2 crackers and put a stick in it like a ice-cream..nice, we also tasted bbq squid. Later in the night we returned back on the cable cars and made our way to a popular district in Kawloon and had traditional street food, omelette with oysters and various delicious vegetables, but not snake as some were having! We later went to the first street in the main district of Mong Kok, so many bright fluorescent lights...

Ocean Park

Ocean Park is amazing, so many things to do and see, the kids loved it. Very tired and all in bed now...Alex and Ashah are coping really well, and enjoying all the food, they are in their element just as much as us...Alex especially loves soup dumplings, these are dumplings with meat and soup inside the actual pastry, they are amazing.  Went on a cable car tonight Ashah wanted us all to hold hands, poor thing first time I've seen her scared...but a few seconds later she was happy to open the window and look out! I must admit I was praying during the whole trip, it was so high up, it just confirmed my fear of heights...but we all managed to get on land safe and sound.

Amazed...

Sometimes it's difficult to absorb everything...I kind of feel like I'm in a dream, I really am blown away with how beautiful HK is, the night lights and the old boats on the water with tall skyscrapers surrounding the coast line with mountains as the backdrop, its like nothing I've ever seen. The food is also amazing here, at the restaurant we were at tonight there were whole roast ducks coming out every 5 min, and we saw a waiter taking a brown ball to a table and giving one of the diners a golden hammer to smash it with, we later found out that there was chicken inside that is steamed for 6 hours and you have to pre order it the day before. HK is really so clean and the people are very friendly, a wonderful place...Ocean Park tomorrow!

Ashah's question to us

"Does this place have a drink a water, or no" she was thirsty and not sure if HK has water to drink

We have arrived in HK!

The flight was really easy and  Alex and Ashah were fantastic! when we arrived we could smell the difference in the air...We then caught a train inside the airport to collect the luggage, it went about 80KM/hr the kids were holding on for their life. Janice was waiting excitedly for us and we were so happy to see her face. Janice stayed at our house for about 3 months and we loved having her with us. We all then caught a double decker bus to the place  we are staying...now out for diner

Count Down!!

Only 2 days to go, we are ready for the adventure and are basically packed...to be honest I haven't packed a thing, my wife Lisa has done all the packing to the point that I can't find anything?? We would love to keep in contact and hear about what is happening in your lives too!!

We love learning about new cultures and particularly Asia, we hope this will be a journey that will continue to shape us as a family. We value God and are challenged by the life of Jesus, how he valued people and transformed humanity for all time. Our desire is to be more impacted by how he lived, what he thought was important and what he is communicating to us. There can be no happiness if the things you believe in are differnt from the things you do.

Only 12 days to go now...We've been cleaning out our house, it feels so good to get rid of so much rubbish. Regardless if you're go away or not I think it needs to be done; you end up finding  some real treasures as well, like things you've been looking for for ages. But I am now content. Thinking that we may be away for 5 month is now seeming a little daunting, and I didn't realise what it takes to pack up a family. And how is it that just before you go away you're house starts to have a breakdown - just 2 days ago our toilets seemed to be blocked, but luckily having a brother as a plumber pays off, he came over today to check it out and it only cost us $1.50 to fix the problem...lets hope things run smoothly until we leave

Getting there...

We are all pretty excited, I've made a special calendar that I've put up on the fridge that has the dates from Christmas to the day we leave. Alexander looks at it every day to remind me how many days until we leave (32 now).

So we've organised our passports, Vietnamese visas and I've started to clean up the house ready for it's new residents...we are coming back here, but we are happy to have Andrea and Camille house sit for us :)

So where are we going...

We leave on the 7th of February to go to Hong Kong for 9 days; there we will meet our old friend Janice who lived with us for a few months here in Ascot Vale. Can't wait to see her, she has an amazing itinerary planned including going to Macau which is a city that was colonised by the Portuguese the architecture looks amazing. We will spend the last 3 days in HK on an island called Cheung Chau Island, there are no cars on the island, it's a fishing village, very quiet with small street food stalls and a beautiful view of the shoreline.

Vietnam is next...where we will be for about 8 weeks. Matt starts a CELTA course, which is a n Intensive Teaching English course for 4 weeks. He'll be studying from 9am-5pm, so that's going to be interesting for Alex, Ashah and I. I'm going to try and home school Alex a bit, but most of the time it will be day exploring for the 3 of us. When Matt finishes we are hoping to make our way up to Hanoi...

We are then hoping to be in Manila by late April to visit our friends in Baseco, some of the families there have recently had there houses burnt down which is quite hard
(visit http://markpedder.wordpress.com/ for details and photos).
We are going to stay in the slum @ the church house/office. From there we may also catch up with some friends in Cebu (second biggest city of Philippines) that I met 4 years ago. Matt has since been back twice, as he also went back to visit the tribal people of Mindanao, south of the Philippines.

Our last stop is South Korea. Well what can I say it is the most amazing place, and it will be great to see it green, as we have been there twice and both times it was below 5 degrees. June /July is summer but apparently quite rainy, and very green.

It all seems far off, and surreal at the moment but the day is approaching...there is anticipation in the air at number 37...although there is a little uncertainty about how it will all go, and want to be sensitive to the kids, but we trust God is with us and look forward to the adventure.

please feel free to make a comment, ask questions, we would love any feedback. will keep you posted