New website and Blog rwandan Collaborations

I'm sorry we never posted this here! We have moved! Onto to rwanda and to a new website space. www.rwandancollaborations.org

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Take care

Jacques, Mudda & the Big One

We were SOOO glad that our dear friend Chuck could meet us in Africa!! We enjoyed a lot of great conversations together and also shared in some fun adventures!
Before taking off to the Serengeti, we took a sporadic trip out to Moshi, which sits at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro. It was spectacular in both the evening light and at sunrise! It was great to be able to observe one of the amazing things God created!
We FINALLY departed towards Rwanda on Saturday (Feb 28th) afternoon. We drove out towards Ngorongoro Crater. After speaking with the park ranger, we decided that there would not be enough time to go through on that night, and the cheapest lodging was around $100 per person per night!! So we went to find lodging back in Karatu, the last village before the national parks. On the way back, we just happened to spot a small sign that read YWAM and we went in to check it out. A married couple from South Korea have set up and are running an outreach center. We spoke to them for some time and had concluded that they were not yet situated to accommodate overnight guests as many of the other YWAM bases do. We said that was fine and just wanted to see their facilities anyway.
They gave us a nice tour of the place, and it was huge!! The main auditorium could seat 500+ people! They also had a loft designated for a library and another loft designated for a cafe! Also it had about 6 lecture rooms and 2 other rooms elected for prayer. As she showed us the lecture rooms, she told us how they need English teachers and had been praying for people to partner with! Maybe it was NOT just shear coincidence that we happened to stumble upon that sign and that they happened to be praying for more workers! (If you feel like you could help there as well let us know!). God was definitely working there! She then said she felt compelled for us to stay, so she showed us the room she did have. It was amazing! It was more of an apartment style with a room with an en suite on each end and a kitchen/sitting room in the middle! It was perfect!
We stopped at a school and Chuck was able to give the teacher a soccer ball for the kids to share. The kids there were really excited and practically grabbed it out of Chuck’s hands!!
It has been interesting to see just what East african people think about "mzungus" (white man). They seem to have this perception that white people only want to eat at fancy restaurants or stay at the expensive hotels. That is not the case with us at all. It’s the opposite, in fact. So, when we go into local eateries, we sure get a lot of looks!! People seem to be a little surprised that us white people like to go where they eat and like to eat the same food. Sometimes it’s quite the spectacle! We went to a local place to see if they served food and they didn’t. When we came back the next day, the same man offered a place for Chuck to sit, and motioned another spot for “mudda” to sit. Yep. I guess that’s me! It’s kind of a term of respect here. And then as Craig was parking the vehicle, he asked, where’s the big one?
We went into town and stopped and saw Pastor Francis. He asked Craig if he wouldn’t mind sharing a short word the next day in church. Craig, of course, said sure. He didn’t know what he was in for!
So we went to church as our new friend David had invited us. It seems pretty common around East Africa, that if you are a visitor, you will be ushered to the front of the church, the VERY front of the church. As in sitting on the stage!!
Now Craig was prepared to share a bit, but as he was called up he asked the pastor just how long he wanted him to share. The pastor responded that somewhere in the range of 30-45 minutes would be good! That was not QUITE what Craig had in mind!! But, he did a great job, expanding on the text that he had picked out. Having it translated into Swahili also helped to stretch it out! They had a time of prayer and they also prayed for us. Apparently, someone thought we were trying to have kids and had not been successful, so they prayed for us to have babies!! Now, just to be clear, we DO want kids, in the future. But it hasn’t been something we’ve been earnestly praying for yet. Hopefully, God will remember those prayers when we are TRYING to get pregnant!
Chuck (or “Jacques” as he was introduced!) and I also shared briefly, and then we were ushered out of the church and into a room, where a beautiful lunch was waiting for us!! It was great to share a meal together! It’s so cool how we are all brothers and sisters in Christ, no matter what country we come from! Now seeing it turned into the afternoon, we once again didn’t have time to enter the parks. So one more night in Karatu.

Ngorongoro Crater

Monday, March 2nd, FINALLY had us cruising in Pole Poa (translated from Swahili- “slow cool”, as Chuck had named her!) through some amazing wildlife. We approached the rim of the crater and it was a sight to see! It’s a vast area, and there are numerous animals congregated inside! From the top, we could only make out the large lake, the hippo pools, and small specs of animals that were gathered together! Even the drive down into the crater was stunning as the flat-topped vivid green trees contrasted against the intense blue sky lined with pure white clouds. Wow, I LOVE the trees in Africa!
Inside the crater was absolutely amazing! We saw thousands of wildebeests and zebras roaming around freely or rolling in the dirt. There were families of wart hogs and we even spotted some rhinos a little further off in the distance. At the hippo pool, there were several hippos submerged in the water and splashing water on themselves to keep cool. Off to the left side of the pool was an elephant with large tusks also taking a dip. He lowered his trunk into the water and then splashed it onto his back! Slowly he raised his enormous body out of the pool, one large leg at a time. Each move was deliberate and precise. It was quite marvelous!
Serengeti National Park
The park was filled with much of the same types of animals. Here we also saw giraffes really close as well. We were driving as dusk had already begun. There were rock outcrops that had begun to appear in the plains and they were quite remarkable. As we were all contemplating this contrasting landscape, Chuck started to make noise from the back seat . It was incomprehensible. But as I looked in the direction he was pointing, I realized why! Two females lions were walking right towards us on the road! We slowed down and stopped to observe them, and they took no notice of us. They passed on our left side less then 2 meters away, and crossed into the field. One even stopped to scratch her face with her paw! It was astonishing!
We drove on, each of us absorbed with our own thoughts as to what we had just witnessed. A short ways further, someone noticed there was an elephant on the side of the road, so we stopped to observe them. Soon, we realized there was not just one elephant, but there was about fifteen! It was quite a site to see, to have this opportunity to watch a large group of animals out in the wild. At this point, we got out of the vehicle, as the elephants were pretty content and were a good distance from us. It was dusk and there was that stillness in the air that only comes about at that time of day. One small elephant came towards us on the road, and by the way it stumbled, it must have still been pretty young. That group slowly crossed the road in front of us and moved on.
As we looked our right, we noticed a few more elephants. But on a closer look, it was ANOTHER group of almost fifteen elephants! It was incredible! They were a mix of mothers and babies. One with large tusks took notice of us, raised her trunk, loudly trumpeted and even took a few steps towards us! I jumped in the vehicle and the guys moved further behind it! She seemed content that we backed off, and the group slowly passed in front of us. There’s nothing quite like watching a sizable group of large animals as they roam free in the vast expanse that is the Serengeti. We also saw quite a few large groups of giraffes.
We carried on driving on as the light continued to fade. About 30 minutes later, it was completely dark, and we had to stop for a large animal on the road in front of us. On a second look, we realized we almost ran into a big hippo! What a day! After spending the night in a hostel, in the middle of the Serengeti, we got up for another full day of driving. We continued to see animals in large numbers. At one point we thought we had seen a couple of lions just off the road. We turned around and went 4x4ing a bit, and sure enough, a male and a female lion laying in the grass. We drove to within about 20m and at that point the male lion started to crouch in an aggressive manner. We then stopped realizing we were close enough. We continued on, and eventually made it Mwanza, the main Tanzanian port city on lake Victoria. After a wonderful 4:30 wakeup from the mosque next door, we started the rest of the way back to Rwanda. We managed to speed our way to the border and makeit for the 6 pm closing time. The roads in Tanzania are really hit or miss; they mostly switch between really nice tarmac and just plain dirt roads, with the latter being the large majority. In our travels across east Africa, the average speed we traveled was around 40 km\h! On good highways you can go as fast as 80 km but any faster and you are really pushing your luck, especially with all the people who walk on the road. Got to www.flickr.com/photos/crftravels/ for more photos and some videos!

We made it back to Rwanda safe and sound and settled back into life here… for a little while. The three of us toured around the city a bit, going to the major points of interest, like the Hotel de Milles Collines (Hotel Rwanda), and the handicraft market. We also paid our respects at the Genocide Memorials, which is really quite difficult, but necessary if one wants to understand the history of this nation.
On Sunday, we attended church with a friend of mine. The service was all in Kinyarwanda, but they had provided 2 translators for us. We came in during the singing, which is a lot different from back home. Group singing is typically upwards of 40 minutes. I liked the songs in this church because there were a couple of songs that were old hymns, so I was able to sing along in English. It’s pretty active, with almost all the kids dancing, a lot of clapping and a lot of random percussion. It was nice to attend church with the local service, but in the end, it went on for more then 5 hours! It’s a little tough sometimes to understand things even through a translator, and I think that after 3 hours, your brain just doesn’t comprehend so well! We DID enjoy it though!
The final week of Chuck’s stay, we cruised around the countryside of Rwanda. We went to a few different places; Butare, Kibuye, Gisenyi, and Musanze. All of these places are just stunning, and the drive between all of them is just as beautiful! The striking scenery that God has created here constantly amazed us.
On the last full day of Chuck’s stay, we tried to arrange for some traditional dancers to perform for us. Being wedding season in Kigali, it was a little difficult to find a troupe that was available. We contacted a friend of ours, and she actually knew of some people who would be able to perform. Seeing Chuck was leaving the next day, and it was both his & my (Ruthie’s) birthdays next week, we thought it was a great time for a party!
Saturday evening rolls around, and it’s just the 3 of us, so we’re beginning to think that we will be the only ones there! But we’re in Africa, so sooner or later, people will come! We had called almost all of the Rwandese people we had met in the 2 months we had been here and almost all of them showed up! The dancers and singers did a superb job! Fantas and snacks were enjoyed by all!! It was kind of fun to bring all of our random friends together and also introduce them to on another. One of the guys had a guitar and as we were visiting after the performance, he was playing. It was cool because it spontaneously became a time of worship!
Our friend told us later that our wanting to hire some dancers was actually an answer to prayer! When we had called her on Friday night, she was actually at one of the dancers houses and trying to convince the landlord not to kick him out. We were just wanted to watch some traditional dancing, but it turns out that because that one particular guy could perform, he would now have money to pay his rent.
I also really enjoyed playing hostess and walking people out. It’s kind of just what they do here. As your guest leaves, you walk them to the bus stand or to the place where they can catch a motorbike taxi. Somehow, as I walked with people out, it just felt right. I realize that’s not very profound, but that’s the best that I can describe it right now.
Well the last few weeks have been of re-adjustment again. We had put a lot of our thoughts and planning into the time when chuck was here, and our now starting over again. Well not completely starting over as we have connected with people from Ywam. We also know a bunch of friends of friends who are working on the base as well. Because the project we originally came out here to help is somewhat on hold, we have been looking for other areas to help out in. We now have moved out to the Ywam base here in Kigali. We were well taken care of at the guesthouse we stayed, but this will be a good change as we can help here and they also cook 3 good meals a day! So for the next while we plan to mostly stay put and help out with some of the different ministries here. And some much needed plumbing help of course! So the natural questions that come up, like, what are you doing here? How long are you staying? Aren’t exactly answered but we are working on them I guess. We probably will head to Goma (democratic republic of Congo) for a couple days this week, and then to Burundi later on, for a short time as well.
Next week is the main genocide memorial week. Officially it is only one week, but unofficially maybe a month or more as people grieve and continue to deal with what happened. It is a real difficult time for the whole country on an individual and corporate level. Please remember us but especially those here that have gone through such terrible experiences. Many relive the trauma over again.
It’s hard to believe it’s now almost April, and we have been gone over 9 months! We really don’t know where the time has gone, but we feel very blessed to have been able to go to all the places we have gone to. Feel free to email, skype or even call we always look forward to hearing from old and new friends!

Long overdue

Alright, I realize it has been a VERY long time since we have blogged, but I’m about to start it, right here, right now. The thing is, we did a LOT of things the last while. Our good friend Chuck was here for 3 weeks and basically we needed the last while to recuperate! Okay, enough of my excuses….
Craig and I hopped on a bus and went to Tanzania the third week of February! It was a long journey, partially complicated by other drivers. In a town in Uganda, a car in front of us slammed on its brakes, causing our driver to veer off into the ditch to avoid him! At this point, the bus was at a precarious angle in the ditch and the people on that side of the bus were NOT happy! Our conductor (the man who checks the tickets) jumped out of the bus, hopped on a motorbike taxi after the other driver! We drove around that town a while, and eventually, the conductor came back with the license plate of that car. The door to our bus was damaged and they had to tie it shut from the inside! Oh, adventures!
26 hours and 2 borders after leaving kigali, we arrived safely in Nairobi at 7 AM! Our friends, Trevor & Andrea, have been living here for the past 7 months or so. We got a chance to visit with them, and also Trevor’s sisters, Leona and Wanda, who we know from back home! It was so great to connect with friends from home! Also, I was able to beat the Mennonites at their own game of Dutch Blitz! Ha!
After a good night’s sleep in a real bed and NOT the bus, we boarded yet another bus to Tanzania. Now this bus ride was only about 6 hours, but it felt like MUCH longer!! The road to Tanzania was terrible! And as we found out later, many roads in Tanzania are quite terrible!
The original reason we went to Tanzania was to hopefully purchase a vehicle. Seeing we have already spent the time and money to come to this part of the world, we want to see some of the many beautiful things that are here; and the best way to see them is with your own vehicle. Craig had seen an advertisement for a Nissan Patrol for a good price, and it’s what drew us to go to Arusha. In the end, the owner was in the Netherlands and just couldn’t figure out where the paperwork for the vehicle was left. This despite the fact that we had been emailing him about for 2 weeks before we went to Tanzania! We spent close to 2 weeks in Arusha and really didn’t enjoy it. It’s very much a tourist town, situated between the Serengeti and mount Kilimanjaro. Because of this it’s difficult not to pay Mzungu (white man) prices, which are MUCH higher than local prices! Thanks to the wonderful tourists who have come before us, spending their money like crazy. Also because it is a tourist town, foreigners are advised to NOT walk around at night, which is very different from Kigali. I enjoy strolling around a town in the evening because it is a little cooler but still warm enough to enjoy yourself without a jacket. In Kigali, there’s little need for concern about safety, even if you’re out and about after dark (which is about 6:30pm).
It’s now Tuesday February 24th and our man still hasn’t come through with the paperwork. So we need to make a decision as to what to do, as Chuck is due to arrive in Nairobi wed morning and needs to know whether to continue on to Kigali or to hop on a shuttle to Arusha. So we’re walking around the town, trying to make a decision, with none of the options seeming any good. Around 4:30, we get a call from an acquaintance. He has found an ad for a Mitsubishi Pajero. So Craig calls about the Pajero, and the guy meets us within 15 minutes and we take it for a test drive. Within an hour, our mechanic friend comes to look over the vehicle and then we buy it! How crazy it that! One hour! And so far, it has proved to be a good decision and a very reliable vehicle! To be continued…

Rwanda - The land of GREAT change

So somehow we have been in Rwanda already for 3 weeks! It hasn’t taken to long to feel at home here, except for some things we weren’t expecting. Now that we have traveled around to a lot of countries and to the everyday places of those countries, we have gotten used to things like garbage, cows, mangy dogs and worse things. In India we got used to walking on the street most of the time because usually the sidewalk was the dirtiest place of all and not even the locals walked there. So coming here I almost felt a little reverse culture shock. It is really, really clean here, maybe too clean! And I know my standards are much lower then they were when we left, but, I still think this place is cleaner than any city of it’s size in Canada. After Singapore and Australia it’s probably the neatest, safest, most organized place we have been. Now some of you may not believe me, and I don’t really blame you.
When we think of Rwanda we think of the Tutsi genocide. Such atrocious things happened here that it is beyond human comprehension. In about 100 days some one million people were killed, often by people who knew them and in an extremely cruel way. Those Hutu’s who would not kill, or even separate themselves from the Tutsi’s with them, were also killed. It was a brutal extermination of a people, who had lived side by side with their would-be attackers for hundreds of years in relative peace. The reasons behind the genocide are many. Many fingers can be pointed to the colonizers and their policies of rule, which were used to control the people. After these seeds were sown, they eventually reaped into one of the most terrible events on memory. “Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.”*


So how can a country, which was extremely poor even before the genocide, turn itself around so quickly?




Yes, Aid money has come in, much of it perhaps from guilt that western leaders have for so blatantly turning it’s back on a country and a people. But no amount of aid money can wash the blood from the hands of those who, deliberately helped the genocidaires, or those who could have helped but turned a blind eye. Being from Canada it’s hard to understand what it would be like to be raised here, and to live in utter poverty with not much hope for the future. Western foreign policy (and aid money) to Africa has done very little to truly develop nations and help the average person long term. In most countries there is extreme poverty, corruption, and war. It’s almost like there has been more problems created as dictators fight over the money and the control it brings. I can’t sum up centuries of problems in a small excerpt, and I don’t want to discount those that have done incredible good here, so I’ll leave it at that.
But as for Rwanda, how can such a small, overpopulated nation turn itself around so quickly? On human terms the biggest chunk of credit has to go to the President Paul Kagame. His vision to make Rwanda into a better place can be seen everywhere. He has basically eliminated corruption, and tried to be a catalyst for change on every level. Some outsiders complain about his authoritarian style, but you don’t here it very much from Rwandans. There is an extreme attitude against corruption, and things like, a yearly audit on government officials ensures it happens. When hearing about certain government officials driving lavish cars, he created a law that had every luxury vehicle checked. If the vehicle was employed for the government he had it confiscated and later auctioned off. He just doesn’t see the need for unnecessary spending when there are huge basic needs out there. I don’t think I have heard of any government official, no less a leader, giving up luxuries that they are “entitled” too. We heard him speak at the national stadium on Heroes Day (we didn’t understand too much at the time because it was mostly in Kinyarwanda, the local language). He talked about small things, like service in restaurants and how it can be improved. He seems to be constantly trying to improve the country often starting at an individual level. If politicians in the West did half of what he has accomplished, they would be exceeding most of our expectations. Well that’s probably enough of a RA-RA Kagame speech for one blog, but what he has done is truly amazing.

I’m sure there are many other factors that are contributing to Rwanda’s success but what it is doing on the level of reconciliation is great. To deal with the genocidal crimes, the government implemented a community level justice system called the Gacaca tribunals. There is no way a western style judicial system could handle the approximately 1 million who were accused of crimes. The method gives room for anyone to speak their account of what happened. It also gives much leniency for those who confess and are looking to reconcile. After all, everyone still has to live together somehow. If justice were done by the “eye for an eye” principal, the killing probably would never stop. Somewhere, there has to be true forgiveness and healing, and people are making it happen here in Rwanda!

Some books to read on Rwanda:
We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families by Philip Gourevitch
A Thousand Hills -Rwanda’s Rebirth and the Man Who Dreamed It, by Stephen Kinzer,
Shake Hands with the Devil by Romeo Dallaire
Left To Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza

Or Movies:
Shake hands with the Devil,
Shooting Dogs, or also called Beyond the Gates in North America,
100 days,
Sometimes in April,
Hotel Rwanda (Hollywood version of the genocide)
The Diary of Immaculee

* Taken from James 1:14,15 NLT

Rwanda Rama!

We’ve finally made it to Rwanda! It seems like we’ve talked about it for a long time so it’s really great that we’re actually here! It’s known as the Land of a Thousand Hills and for good reason. The capital city of Kigali has stunning views from almost anywhere in the city! The rolling blue hills on the horizon, against the lush green vegetation, contrasted against the red dirt are a breathtaking sight to behold! And the climate is pretty alright too. The average daytime temperature is 24 degrees Celsius. It seems to be nice and sunny in the morning with a little rain shower in the later afternoon or evening. Pretty close to near perfect!
Fresh produce can be found in abundance and it’s delicious! We’ve had fresh: banana, pineapple, mango, passion fruit, avocado, and pretty much anything else you can think of!
The people here have been especially friendly too (And not just friendly so they can convince us to buy something from us either). We walked towards the downtown area one day and we had been walking for close to 2 hours. So we decided to stop in at a gas station and see if they had a map. They didn’t but, one guy about our age, Albert, invited us up to his office. He searched his office for a while and when that proved unsuccessful, he tried searching on the internet as well. Our hunt was in vain but he called the tourism office for us to see if they had them as well. That evening we received a text message asking if we were able to locate the map and an invitation to have coffee! We thought that was pretty nice from a perfect stranger!
Yesterday evening, a friend of a friend Valence, tried to help us locate a book store (apparently, THIS is where one might find a map!). We were again unsuccessful, but as we walked, he invited us to come to his house. We agreed and he was THRILLED! He served us Rwandan coffee, which by the way, is AMAZING! In the course of the evening, Valence told us several times, had glad he was that we Mzungu (white men) came and shared coffee with him at his house. Yet we were also honored to have been invited! It was a wonderful privilege!
We haven’t been particularly busy this week, but we have enjoyed walking around and soaking in the scenery. It has been especially great to share coffee and conversation with some local Rwandans! We look forward to doing a LOT more of that!

Aging and the Art of Bartering

Craig and I were out doing a little shopping before we left for our trek in Nepal. We were in need of a few things. Sunscreen, a warm fleece, a new headlamp, and a water bottle, seeing as I left mine in Cambodia. Craig had located our goods and had been in the process of negotiating a price for quite a while. Now the shop owner was quite pleasant and things were progressing nicely. I’m not sure that’s quite accurate, seeing as it often just comes down to a waiting game and seeing who will give in first. Anyways, the owner’s friend decides it’s also time for him to get involved and say his piece. But it was to the owner’s detriment.
His first question to me was “Are you mother & son?”
WHAT????

Really, now, how OLD do I look? Or better yet, how YOUNG does Craig look? I know sometimes he drops a couple of years when he’s clean-shaven, but that wasn’t the case today. The guy proceeded to ramble on about it, saying I looked like I could be his mother, and I am old enough to be his mother, blah, blah, blah. He settled on telling me that I look like I’m 36. I aged 8 years in that store. I’m not sure why 36 but apparently, this is the age that is old enough to be the mother of Craig. I told the owner that I was insulted so he had to give us a discount on the purchase. In the end I think I saved us 200 rupees, which is about $3.50. Not near enough for the amount my pride was bruised. I guess it’s time to stock up on that anti-wrinkle cream!

~R

Christmas in Pakistan

Our Ferrero Rocher Christmas tree!!

Well here it goes. Sorry that many of you have heard parts of this story and that we have been a little slow to post it.
We arrived in Lahore (Pakistan) on the 23rd after spending the night in Amritsar. From there we took a rickshaw to the bus station and then the fun began. Here is what Ruthie wrote later that day.

We had an awesome sleep in a super nice room last night and it was only about $30 Can! (Well, maybe it’s not really that nice. Maybe our standards have changed a LOT since we left!) It was convenient because it was just a 2 minute walk from the railway station. So we easily walked away from the touts. We left at a leisurely time and had no trouble at the border or crossing it. I told Craig that I actually felt excited about being here. Those were my words. And I’ve already come to eat those words. We bargained on a rickshaw and we had our pick of the drivers because there were not many people crossing today. So we agreed on a price. When we got there, the driver said 100 more than what we agreed on. After some discussion, we settled on 50 more than we had agreed to pay. I wonder if it had anything to do with the ‘gift’ of fruit he gave us during the ride. We purchased tickets for the next leg of the trip and sat down for an hour wait. We had a bite to eat and were just sitting around talking. Craig got up for something and came back with stool on the back of his pants that was not his own. We were a little confused by it, thinking it could have come from walking on the street or maybe the rickshaw rides. After a couple unsuccessful attempts of trying to clean it off, he decided to change, as there is no such thing as paper towel here. Next thing, Craig comes running out with the same pants on and his jacket open with his bare chest exposed and yells “they took my wallet!”. He clearly knew what they looked like so he took off after them out the building. They had about a 10-15 second lead, so they were long gone. The next several hours entailed reviewing camera footage, filing a police report, calling overseas to cancel credit cards, and sitting and waiting. It was not that Craig was careless, because he was not. He had become a target to rob, by being an obvious foreigner. He has always been very careful to keep his wallet (money belt) in his pocket and to have it secured to his pant belt loop. These criminals clearly knew that. Craig watched the security camera footage later and they were standing behind us, watching us for at least 30 minutes before the incident happened. They had seen Craig take out money and pay for some food. So that is why they used the diversion of the stool, and proceeded to splash fresh stuff on him even after he had put on clean clothes. It was then, that one of them “helped” to clean him up and in the process of changing clothes had stolen the wallet. Now money isn’t that big a deal. I still have all of my documents, cards and we can get more money. But it is his passport that is so essential. It contains the Pakistani visa that enables us to remain in this country. It also contains the Indian visa that we need to get back into India and catch our flight to Rwanda in a month. I guess we’ll be spending a lot of time in Embassies the next few weeks. Sigh. Please keep us in your prayers. It’s not fun to be robbed.

I think I neglected to the fact about our money situation, in regards to the last entry. After I typed up that last one, we decided to get a little to eat and process through everything. We went back to the bus station and had tickets reserved for the midnight bus to Islamabad. So we walked down a ways to find an ATM to get a little more cash out. Craig had most of our Pakistani rupees, so cash was getting a little tight. After 5 or 6 unsuccessful attempts, at various ATM’s, we decided to return to the bus station. The manager was kind and walked with us again to try and find a moneychanger to exchange our Indian rupees, but they were all closed.
I thought they might give us a bit of a break on the bus fare, seeing the incident happened at their bus station, but no such luck. The bus fare came to 1680 Pak rupees and we had 1650. I refused to give them all of our cash, thinking that was a rather unwise thing to do. We hopped on the bus with 100 Pak rupees to our names, which equaled about $1.50 CAN!
The 5-hour trip was long and rather sleepless, but they did give us food and beverage. We decided to save our chips and cookies until we were REALLY hungry!
We were really thankful when a friend of a friend (now a good friend of ours!) came and picked us up and took us to the Canadian embassy. This was now December 24th, so we did have a few doubts that they would be open, but they were. After having to walk a bunch of blocks, we finally made it. Our friend was not allowed to come through security with his car, (it is Islamabad and with all the incidents, security is pretty tight). Here we started the process of getting a passport, in a foreign country, without most of the necessary documents. After 4 hours of paperwork, we figured out that we could hopefully get a temporary passport in 5-6 days, and then start the process of going to the proper Pakistani and Indian authorities to get visas. And this at the time when there are considerable tensions between Indian and Pakistan.

Now is the part of the story when God shows up. We were in a pretty low state, basically no money, no passport (which you need to show everywhere in Pakistan), no visas, and a person from the embassy quite emphatic that we should not be in the country for safety reasons. As we have written earlier we are not adverse to difficult situations, but this was getting a little close to our limits; and amplified by the lack of sleep, no doubt. So we again called our friend to see if he could pick us up again, and he told us he received a phone call.

The bus station manager had called from Lahore, and they had found the money belt!!! It was found not even close to where the man had left the building, but inside by the other entrance. Who knows how it actually got there, but I’m positive it was only through God’s power. It’s times like this, when we are absolutely helpless, that God can actually do something where only he gets the glory. Maybe that’s why he chooses to wait until we are out of answers before he does the miraculous. Along with the passport, the cards were there as well, (even though most of them are now cancelled and useless). And the other amazing thing is that we hadn’t even left a contact number with the bus station (partially hopelessness, partially too much on the brain), but he had just gone through his list of calls on his personal mobile, as we had used it to call our friend’s mobile. Well welcome to Pakistan!! Now is the point of the story where I’m supposed to say everything else went perfectly with no problems, Well…

Celebrating after getting back the passport!
We found ferrero rocher at the bus station and couldn't resist!

We did have a good Christmas, and after going to church (where even Santa made an appearance!), we had a wonderful Christmas lunch with our friend’s extended family. No turkey or stuffing but enough spices to make up for both. We topped that by an evening viewing of the newest James Bond flick. After picking up Ryan (Craig’s cousin) from the airport, we spent the next couple of days visiting both him and his friends in the area. It was a good time, meeting old and new friends in different places. That is definitely one of our favorite things about traveling, just meeting new people and catching up with old friends (hint, hint!).
After seeing Ryan off, we then decided to catch a bus back to Lahore, where we would hopefully meet up with the managers and thank them again for their help. But we couldn’t get a bus for a few hours, so we decided to hire a taxi to take us right to the border. This seemed like a great plan, we could then make it back to India the same day, and see the famous border ceremony (maybe a little more exciting with all the tensions!).
Two hours into the supposed 5-hour drive, our driver got a little careless and rear-ended a car that had slowed down on the road. After the usual exchanging of pleasantries the other driver then proceeded to take our driver’s registration papers so he wouldn’t take off. Then the fog rolled in, and they shut down the motorway, causing us to take smaller side roads. When we finally got to Lahore the other driver demanded that our car go with him to the mechanic shop & police station. After trying to convince the other guy we needed to go to the border, eventually he took us anyway. By this time the border was closed and we were once again in Pakistan with about 100 rupees. When we finally got to the border, we happily discovered a hotel there, and as a bonus they would exchange our Indian rupees.
After a good night sleep, and some English lessons with the soldiers at the border, we decided to it was time to go. Then at the immigration office we were told that we had not actually received an entry stamp into Pakistan. And this was after we asked the lady specifically to stamp them, because we didn’t think she had done it. After a little while they eventually stamped us in and out of the country. Not a bad week all in all. In the end we were out a few hundred bucks, but other than that we were all right.
Of all the problems that are in Pakistan, we only experienced the everyday type like: theft, car accidents, and incompetence. Although it was an adventure you don’t necessarily want to have, we would absolutely go back! For all the things that didn’t work out, God most definitely took care of us!

Wedding fever!

The Happy groom!!

Well it is wedding season here up in J&K. We attended a wedding this past week and have another one upcoming. And well... to put it plainly they are not quite the same as we are used to, but fun none the less. Well I had fun anyway. Some times I felt like I was the one getting married the way we were paraded around as the guests of honor. Anyways the wedding are usually about a two or three day affair, and we arrived the evening of the first day. We had the first of the large meals which is made up of rice and meat and not much else. Meat is quite the luxury so for big functions they will have it in excess. Later that night we were awoken by our hosts, for a little henna party, And to also be their photographers for the few days. After a few hours of sleep we then woke to breakfast, and soon I was off with the men and groom to the bride's village. It was called a bharat. We spent most of the day sitting around, eating a lot more food, and even playing some cricket. Apparently I'm not the worst player or so I was told. I could kind of make out some negotiations something about giving a horse to the bride's family. I'm not exactly sure about the bride price or how it all works but there is some sort of arrangement and exchange of money.
Then there are the wedding ceremonies. I say ceremonies because there is one for the groom and one for the bride, each saying vows to the local religious leader, not to each other. We then packed up all the brides possessions and drive back to the groom's village. So now the wedding is virtually over besides more celebrating and the bride and the groom have yet to meet!! They may have met sometime in their past or in their 1-5 year engagement but not too likely. It was very interesting to watch and also participate in a wedding that has history that goes back much further than our western weddings. And I don't know if we should be quick to judge their traditions even though it is very different from what we are used to. -Craig

Way of Life

By now, you MUST have snow! Craig has been waiting for 4 months for it to snow there and enjoy the fact that we DON”T have snow here! We may actually see some of the cold white stuff when we go up to the northern areas. Ok, now that I got my jab out of the way…. on to the update.
India’s great, of course! It’s quite a diverse land, not all just curry and chai. Although, we’ve had PLENTY of chai, and it’s been most delicious! We are currently in the city of Jammu in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. From here we will be going to a variety of places including going up further north to maybe Poonch and Srinagar.
One of the things that has struck me the most, has been the nature of the Gujjar people. They are nomads, or semi-nomadic people. Most of them migrate up and down the mountains twice a year, according to their animals. Goat, and sheep are the main migrating animals. As we have been on a couple overnights, we’ve had a little bit of a chance to observe the people. We have always been welcomed with such warm hospitality! We trekked up a mountainside to where these people were living. We were immediately offered chai and roti. After a little bit of visiting and resting, we were then served a delicious meal of rice, dahl and peacock. Second supper, I guess!
While we have seen gracious hospitality almost everywhere we’ve been, the affection of the nomadic people that has really stood out to me. The way an uncle will tousle a niece’s hair. Or the way a grandpa will pinch a baby’s cheeks. More often, it has been the way that people my age are with each other. Girls who are friends will walk arms draped over each other. Or more uncommonly to us, twenty-something-ish guys will walk hand in hand. They are merely displaying their friendship. It’s quite exceptional. It’s also quite heartening, when my friend Nagina grabs my hand as we ramble up the mountain.

We also stayed in a small village in which the people care for water buffalo. They remain at their location year round. It was really neat to be able to visit them. As they are very affectionate with their children, they also take great care with their animals. It was a very grass roots type of farm. Everything was done by hand, although they did have a few hours of electricity per day. Everyone is up before the dawn, milking and feeding the buffalo. Craig had his attempt at milking, but was only “moderately” successful! One of the neighbors was churning the butter just as the sun was rising up. The milk was brought to market on a horse drawn cart.

My favorite time was absorbing the sunrise and the twinkling of the stars just before they disappeared. Here, I got to examine a woman in her 9 month of pregnancy. It was quite astonishing to actually hear the heartbeat of this tiny babe growing inside of her! It was even more fun to let the local ladies hear the heartbeat as well. They were so expressive and excited!
The houses are made from trees, hand made bricks, straw, cow patty\mud paste, and SOMETIMES, cement. The feed for the animals is also made by hand. They don’t have refrigerators, and all of the food is prepared from scratch. With no running water, it makes washing and even eliminating even an adventure! The serenity was wonderful and well worth the extra effort.
We are getting used to dressing according to culture, especially Ruthie. The shalwar chameez and head scarf (duputta) are not my favorite for hiking, but they ARE pretty comfy! Plus, they come in some amazing materials!
All and all it’s been a good time here so far, not to busy, which has allowed us to adjust to this different culture as well. Day to day, we are usually here in the city, with our warm cozy bed and wireless internet. I enjoy the rustic side of life, but I’m also thankful for modern amenities!

SHOUT OUT!

I just wanted to send a shout out to y'all who have sent us messages/email!!
THANK YOU! We appreciate knowing you care enough to write and also to tell us about YOUR lives! Thank you!

Side note... Cambodia continued,

Not everything in Cambodia was harsh and sobering. We had fun too! Last year, we heard a speaker talk about Cambodia at Missions Fest. We went to visit her at "Rescue". It's pretty cool. Right now they have over 160 orphans. They try to keep a family feel as they have about 10-12 kids in each house and a dorm parent or parents. They also have about 16 houses for families who have members suffering from AIDS. Also, there is a house for grannies who have no one left in their families. And, they have a house just for babies.
Everyone who is well enough, works. Either in the garden, or on projects, or sewing. They have a volleyball/basketball court and even a couple of fishing ponds! The property is absolutely lovely, with loads of trees and greenery!
We enjoyed our afternoon there, hanging out with Marie and playing with kids.

OH! We rented a motorbike and cruised out there! It was about an hour ride. It was okay in the country, but I sure HELD ON TIGHT in the city!! Traffic here is like few other places. I'm not sure why they have painted lines for the lanes, as no one bothers to stick within them. Or, follow the direction of flow, for that matter! I was very glad to make it back safe and sound! Craig was sad that we had to return the bike!

So now we're in Northern India, enjoying the chai and the culture! And as always, ever learning!! Much love to you all! ~R

The Khmer Rouge

It’s pretty hard to describe this nation. The terrain is very similar to Thailand except there’s seems to be more rice paddies. But the people have been through horrible atrocities.

WARNING: The rest of this entry contains graphic information

A genocide occurred here from 1975-1979. Haven’t heard about it? We hadn’t either until about a month ago. I guess that’s the thing that is particularly disturbing. Everything about it is rather disturbing, but what really bothers me that the world really doesn’t know, or want to know, about this whole situation. We had no idea that up to 2 million people were executed between those years. Basically, in April 1975, the communist militia won the civil war, and then tried a terrible social experiment.
They said the time was year zero, and everything from the past needed to be erased. They then emptied the main city of Phnom Penh, (where we are currently) which had about 3 million people at the time. They sent everyone to go work in the fields and harvest rice. They had borrowed heavily from the Chinese and now had to pay them back with rice. Money, marketplaces and everything advanced was destroyed. Owning any kind of material things were not allowed, the penalty was death. Thousands starved and families were separated, and everyone was terrified about saying absolutely anything.
We have visited some sobering sights in the past few days. We went to the Tuong Sleng Museum, Also called S-21.

It was once a high school but under Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, it was used for torture and execution of prisoners. Anyone who was a suspect was brought here, and were made to confess to their “crimes”. The method of choosing the victims was quite crazy. Anyone who had any schooling, or any “western association” (wearing a watch or speaking any language other than Khmer) were automatically targeted. Anyone who spoke out against, or was considered a threat to, the rule of Angkar (what they called the new rule) were executed or sent to fatal work camps. Men, women and even children of all ages were victims. Here are three mug shots of some of the accused.

The prison is very much in the same state as it was during the reign of the Khmer Rouge. Many of the smaller classrooms were used a prison cells, and torture chambers. It was eerie to be there. But I feel compelled to write about it. I did not know. I fear that probably many of you do not know about this either. It is of a graphic nature, but how can people help if we are unaware? We may think ignorance is bliss, but truth reigns supreme.
We also went to “The Killing Fields”. It was the extermination camp and mass burial grounds of the S-21 prison. It was pretty horrible. It’s like attending a funeral, but worse. After you enter the grounds, there is a monument (or stupa) to remember those who were killed. Inside the glass cases are skulls.
Thousands of human skulls.

It really hits you in the face when you see it for yourself and up close like that.
Yet Cambodia is a nation of contradiction. As we were walking around the grounds, rain coming down, recollecting about the carnage that took place here, there’s a boy of about 14 walking ahead of us singing out loud, with no apparent concerns.
It weighs heavy on us. It is tragic that human beings can do such things to each other. If you’re still reading, and want to be more informed, there’s some books you can read. “First they killed my father” by Loung Ung. It is her personal story of what happened when she was a child. Also, “Voices from S-21” by David Chandler. There’s also the movie “The Killing Fields”. It came out in 1984 and is based on the story of an American’s journalist who was there at the start of the revolution, and the story of his close friend and helper who was Cambodian.
In 1998, Pol Pot, the leader of the “revolution” died before any justice could be done. His second in command also died before any type of justice could be served. Sadly, this seems like the norm without anything being done officially to give closure, by way of trials or a tribunal.

During that time, millions of landmines were planted in the fields and country sides. This is still a very relevant problem as they estimate there are about 4-6 million active landmines still abroad. On average, about 40 people are injured weekly due to landmines. We have been advised, and followed, to not stray from any paths. All around you see many victims who have lost limbs or been badly burned. We also visited the landmine museum a few days ago. It is run by “Aki Ra”, a former child soldier who’s job it was to deposit the landmines. He now uses his experience in the field to locate and disassemble landmines. Commendably the Canadian government has been quite involved in the abolition of personnel land mines, and their use throughout the world.
Yes, this is explicit, but it IS what happened. We can easily choose to ignore it, just as much of our world has done. Or we can educate ourselves and do something about it. Even telling someone else about it is something! The people who are hurting, starving, and dying around the world are very real; As real as each of us are to each other.

Moto Mania

In Cambodia, the majority of people use motorbikes as the main mode of transportation. Going to the market, picking someone from school, that sort of thing. Helmets are optional, of course. My eyes have been opened to the amount of uses for this motorbike. People here haul around more cargo on their motorbikes than most people do in their pick-up trucks in North America! What can you hall with a moto? More like what can’t you.



Different uses we’ve seen of the motorbike:

Hauling produce... and your wife









Transporting 4 queen size mattresses


















Delivering 3 good size pigs





















Moving scaffolding

























Loads of bananas

















3 monks and a driver





















Here we have a guy carrying three helmets but not wearing one of them!!




We’ve also seen 3 propane bottles on the back of a motorbike but it’s on a video instead.














Here we’ve got the bicycle used to transport a large plank


















I don’t actually know what these are called. They are like a two wheeled tractor that is hooked onto a trailer. They seem to be like an oversized rotor-tiller, where you have to hold the handles down to use it. Plenty of uses with that one! Whenever we are out and about in Cambodia, we just sit back and enjoy the show. There doesn’t really seem to be much for rules. It’s recommended you drive on the right side but not required. Uncontrolled intersections are maybe the most entertaining with all directions going at once, basically the person with the most guts gets to go. There are surprising few accidents, and everyone seems quite calm and relaxed. We’ll continue to update this as we get more on camera. So now you've had a taste the mighty Moto!!

The Kingdom of Thailand

Thailand, every cheap Mennonites dream. Things here are nice but quite cheap. I think that speaks for most of Southeast Asia. Our time here has been good, my folks came out for a few weeks and we had a real enjoyable time on the beach and also in the markets. We spent 5 days in the south at Railay beach, while staying busy lying on the beach, snorkeling and we even got in a couple of dives (check www.flickr.com/photos/crftravels/ for more pictures).
We then made it to Chiang Mai, where yes, there was plenty markets and foot massages. It has been a time of refreshment, if you can refresh in the heat that is. We are off to Cambodia shortly.
Sorry for the long delay between posts, but, sometimes it’s hard to remain faithful on here and post regularly. Partly because internet access can be limited and partly because we sometimes feel like no one is reading anyway. If and when you read this, send us a comment or better yet, send us an email and tell us how YOU are doing. We may be half way around the world, but we still like knowing how YOU are doing. The only way we can know is if YOU tell us. It helps us not feel so out of touch! Thanks for bearing with us.

So what were we doing in PNG anyway?

We went up  to the western province at helped out at a hospital.  Two doctors were visiting from Australia. They were in their 2^nd week of 2 weeks of elective surgery. I helped out in the theatre with prepping before surgery, cleaning up afterwards and getting  things as needed during the procedures. I was able to assist in all kinds of interesting medical things. The doctors were very skilled and did an excellent job!

Craig was busy! The maintainence department was in need of some leadership. Something you can’t  really do when you are only there temporarily. He was able to do a lot of upkeep on the missionary houses. Our house in particular.  He was able to get the gas going so we could cook, and he was able to get the hot water working. (yay for plumbing husbands!!) He was able to show some of the local workers  some new things that are important in relation to plumbing. He also tried to reinforce the fact that some things need regular maintainance BEFORE there is a problem. Craig was also to clean out a lot of the tanks to keep the bugs away!

Both of us had our try at a little home schooling. One of the families next to us were home schooling. I guess sometimes it’s nice to have variety in teaching. It’s probably good for both mom and students!! Craig spent a little bit of time with Tom and I spent a few mornings with Rosie.

It rained a lot there. Sometimes 4 or 5 times as day. It was very humid.  Many things went moldy! Craig had brought a jacket with him. We didn’t wash it there, and we never got it wet. But within 3 weeks, the wrists had grown green fur!!

It wasn’t all work though. The afternoons were hot so we often went for a dip in the river. It was refreshing! Sometimes, we borrowed rubber tubes and went for a float. It was so relaxing and a nice walk back  to the  base.

We also got to take a boat trip out to the village. It was called Sonai. We went with some hospital staff who were doing an immunization clinic. We stopped at various villages along the way, to tell them to come to the clinic the next day.

They had a lot of moms come to the clinic with their children to get immunized! The staff were pretty busy with weighing kids and giving them their shots and talking with the moms about family planning.Kids are the same everywhere ! Most of them were scared and some cried before they even got the needle! Poor little guys! 

We had a great time with the medical staff who came on the trip  and enjoyed visiting with them after the evening meal. We also really enjoyed going on a jungle  walk to collect firewood.  Very humid and slippery!

All in all, it was a very good experience! The scenery was amazing and  more importantly, we really enjoyed the people that got to know!!  We are grateful that we got to have this  valuable experience!

Papua New Guinea

Well we've finally made it, after about 1 1/2 years of planning we have arrived here in the Frontier of Papua New Guinea.  It is a beautiful but rugged country with a lot of diversity.  Not a lot of roads either, making air travel a must to many places (unless you want to hike for a month).  This is usually good but also makes things quite expensive.  The climate here is something to get used to, It rains about 4 times a day, and just when you think it can't rain harder it does.  They get about 6-7 meters of rain per year!!  The temperature has been pretty warm, never lower than about 20 and than goes up to the low 30's during the day (but feels a lot hotter with the humidity in the 95% range).  The place here is quite nice, right on a river where frequent dips are needed to stay cool.  We have a couple more weeks here in Rumginea and than off to Madang for 11 or so days.  

C

In the land of OZ

 

 

It’s been good to be in Australia. A lot cooler than the last place, especially at night. We’ve camped a couple of nights in our little shelter and have been fairly cozy. This week, we took our open water scuba diving course. It’s a little unnerving. It’s a good thing they make you practice everything in shallow water before they bring you down for a dive. Once we actually got out to the Great Barrier Reef, it was good and I felt confident.

We had an awesome first dive actually. First off, we saw dolphins alongside the boat as we went along. Then there was a whale about 100 feet from the boat while we were hanging out on the surface. Underneath we saw tones of amazing fish and coral. We also saw a manta ray, and a sea turtle.

Sea life is so diverse from everything else. Maybe it’s because I haven’t been in or around the sea that much, but I find it fascinating! We’re going to dive again tomorrow!

 

~R

warm showers and washing machines

Yesterday, I had my 3rd warm shower since leaving Canada. Count em. 3rd. (Yes, I have had more than 3 showers, just not warm ones.) That was 38 days ago. Not that it was a big deal in Fiji. It was a lot warmer there then it is in Brisbane. But now that I’ve had a warm shower, it was glorious! And then I did a load of laundry yesterday too. Man, that was easy. We used a washer in Fiji sometimes. But we did a lot of hand washing. There was even a dryer! I have not even seen one of those since Canada.
Ahh, modern conveniences. I think that when you don’t have them, you adapt and adjust. But when you are exposed to them again, you realize their wonderful purpose and beauty. So next time you are having a shower and have the option of turning the temperature up, thank the Lord for the option.
It’s pretty expensive here. Pretty comparable to Canada I guess. But more $ than you feel like spending when travelling for a long time. We’re renting a car and heading up to the Great Barrier Reef on Saturday. Sunshine coast, here we come! ~R

fiji time

Wow I guess it’s been three weeks since our last post. So I guess nothing has been happening then!! Well Fiji has been great thus far. Most of our time has been spent in and around Suva, the capital. We’ve been connected with some people here that have shown us around and taken care of us. They have turned into good friends as well, and we had a hard time leaving them yesterday. We have really appreciated all they have done for us, but much more, the friends they have become. A lot of our days were spent hanging around the city, and then meeting up with different people or groups in the evening. We got to witness the hockey of Fiji, rugby. On a few Saturdays we went to watch a bunch of matches; we missed the brawls but we did see a dislocated ankle and shoulder!! Rugby is everywhere here, you see kids playing in the streets, everything is about rugby.

We also got the chance to go to the small island of Beqa (pronounced Benga). The boat ride out itself was a 2 hour adventure. In a 24’ fiberglass boat we went up down with waves up to 20’ high!! Nobody was dry but everyone was safe despite the wonderful lifejackets, or lack there of. We stayed in one of the small villages there, where we warmly welcomed. We were officially welcomed, by the chief of the village, by a kava (traditional Fijian drink) ceremony. We were than allowed to be anywhere in the village. We were basically treated as royalty throughout our 5 days there. We were always given the positions of honor around the “table” for the meals (which were all eaten at the chief’s house on the floor). The people have a real desire to be hospitable and do a great job of it. One day we hiked along the ocean to the next village where people fed us large prawns freshly caught. We also had coconut milk, right out of the coconut, with the top chopped off with a machete. The coconut is used for everything, it’s like duct tape, 1001 uses. Nothing on it goes to waste, they even make rope out of the fibers.

Yesterday and today were spent at a hostel right on the ocean. It’s quite nice, we’ve enjoyed the ocean with kayaks and the beach quite a lot. Tomorrow we have to get up early, and we’ll get out to the yasawa islands. They are supposed to be among the most beautiful beaches anywhere in the world. Wish us luck!!

Barefoot church, barefoot everywhere!

We spent the night at a nice hostel by suva. We have a balcony that overlooks an incredible lake, surrounded by rain forest. We ate breakfast of crackers, apples, and peanut butter while the birds chirped. It was so pristine. We went to the Methodist church across the highway. A few people were seated and, of course, the sandals were left at the door. We had no problem with that! The service was in Fijian. They sang songs acapella and did the most beautiful harmonies! We were invited to a home for lunch and decided to go. Fijian people are so hospitable and gracious!  They don’t wear their sandals in the house, of course. Vinni (our hostess) set out photo albums to peruse while she and her cousin prepared lunch.  She also came and told me to change into a sulu. (A type of sarong. Guys wear them here too). She also gave one to Craig. She is a widow and has a boy Tukai, who is 4 years old. He was visiting his in-laws for the weekend. We sat crossed legged on the floor and shared in a lovely meal of: mahi mahi , covered with coconut cream, sasate (sausage),  and tapionga. (a type of root vegetable) It was delicious!! Then, they offered us pillows to relax while they made tea. It was made from orange leaves they picked off the tree. She also served a type of bread made from flour and coconut cream. Served with homemade jam. Yum! Then she got ready and offered me deodorant and perfume before we went out. Talk about hospitality! She walked us right back to the lodge while we were still dressed in Fijian style garb. She seemed proud to have us as guests and we were thankful to have met her and her cousin! Fijian people seem to be barefoot in most buildings. I even saw quite a few barefoot on the street in Suva last evening. I think we’ll like it here. ~R

 

Where are you June 25th??

            We left at 1130 pm from LA, on the 24^th .  We arrived at 5 am in nadi, fiji, on the 26^th after a pretty decent overnight flight (10.5 hours).  PTL that my back didn’t hurt too bad, I just had puffy feet!  Our hotel is pretty nice; the grounds our nice and beautiful, with a nice pool and waterslide. There is no safe in the room, but we’re trying to be careful.  We pretty much slept all day on the 26^th we got up for supper and than went back to bed.  Ruthie had a migraine on the 26^th but slept it off.  It has been much needed down time, after the weeks of madness previous.  Today we want to checkout nadi, and probably go to Suva tomorrow.  The time change from Alberta to here is 18 hours or subtract 6 and then add a day.

Craig

In Canada

We are still currently in Edmonton, enjoying that which appears to be spring.  The plan as it stands now is to leave the end of June and head over to fiji.

craig