October 5, 2025 Mardi Himal, Nepal— As the bright rays of sunlight fill the robin’s egg sky, we watch in wonder as the world’s largest peaks are cast in robes of pink and gold. I think back on our trip so far. We have hiked through the forest, draped with vibrant green moss, and across … More Standing Among Giants
This is not the post that I thought I would be writing. In fact, there were so many other things I speculated would be my first note from Nepal: seeing Kathmandu through my children’s eyes, visiting favorite old places and discovering new ones, experiencing the merriment of the Indra Jatra festival. All of those, to … More A Note from Nepal
As we were departing Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on our flight to Kathmandu, I thought about all of the amazing times we had in Vietnam and Malaysia. We have traversed across many towns, cities, even countries, experiencing their unique cuisine, culture, language, and landscapes, among so many other things. But now it is time for something … More Nepal And The Monkey Temple
We have finally made it to our destination: Kathmandu! Our beautiful 360 degree views are the Chandragiri hills behind us, Kathmandu in front of us, and hills and the city on either side of us. Our village in the Chandragiri hills has a court for futsal with a fence, a door, and a metal roof. … More Finally Settled
Borneo, an exotic island where you can find animals nowhere else in the world. Our family came to Borneo to learn about the uniquely adapted animals. While we were on the island, we went to a place called Bako National Park. Bako was a place of wonders, and we oohed and aahed at all the … More A wild ride in Borneo
On our journey so far, we have tasted, smelled, seen, and heard masterpieces everywhere. We have experienced so many forms of art in ways of food, music and so much more. In food, we found our amazement in bowls of steaming pho, rich in flavors of chicken and a deep umami flavor that is too … More The Beauty In Art
I have the ability to dream big dreams. But, in my wildest dreams I did not think I would set foot on Borneo. To me, Borneo seemed too far away, too “big” of an idea to ever become reality. But when we really started looking at maps last winter, knowing that we would be flying … More Beautiful Borneo
In the spring of 2002, I was sitting in the back row of my “International Preservation” class at Mary Washington College when Professor W. Brown Morton III (his actual name), with a mixture of gravity and charm, began telling a story of the Imperial City of Huế, Vietnam—its crumbling walls, its faded grandeur, and the … More Tạm biệt Vietnam!
At home I felt kind of scared of trying foods because I was scared of not liking them. On this trip, I have tried a lot of foods. Now that we are away from home, I feel more confident in trying new foods because I know I will have to eat them the rest of … More My food journey
Hue, Vietnam—a place of ancient wonders, amazing sights, smells, and sounds, and serene river scenes. We visited the ancient citadel, with old buildings decorated with ceramics and colored artfully. We explored many buildings, oohing and aahing at many different things: bright mosaics, lush gardens, interesting exhibits, crumbling walls, and beautiful complexes. We stopped for a … More The Ancient City
