Finally Settled

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

The Beauty In Art

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

Beautiful Borneo

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

Tạm biệt Vietnam!

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!

My food journey

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

The Ancient City

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

Ocean and Paddies

Cat Ba, Vietnam We enjoyed our time in Cat Ba very much. In fact, for many of us it was one of our favorite places overall. We stayed in a beautiful homestay with a limestone karst behind it and no neighbors other than goats and chickens. We went on some beautiful hikes and a boat … More Ocean and Paddies