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we have decided…. (drumroll please)
…to stay in Chengdu! We will sign a one-year contract and enjoy a restful (just a couple of weddings) summer in the States. We are excited to continue our work here, and are so at peace knowing that this will be our home for a little while longer. Read more
Thailand Pics
Pictures from our Thailand trip are now posted - see all of them in album4 on the pics page.
in Chengdu
Sarah and I have made it back to Chengdu - and it’s not too bad of a time to come back, either. Generally the weather is dreary, especially in the winter, so arriving back in the city can bring a psychological let-down. While certainly not blue by any means, the sky is bright and the temperature is around the 50’s, so we can’t complain! The rest of the week we have time to relax and prepare for school to start on Monday. I trust all is well for you!
Heading back to China
Sarah and I are in the Bangkok Airport, waiting for our plane to board, so I thought I’d post in the little free time left… Bangkok has been a fun place to visit, though a very quick trip. I finally got to eat a Whopper - I’ve been waiting the entire trip for that! There is ample supply of cheap A&W root beer, and we watched “Dreamgirls” in a plush theater for less than half the price it would be to watch in Chengdu. Yesterday was spent sightseeing and bartering for knick-knacks. Pics and summary post to come after arriving back in Chengdu!
blues and elephants
Happy New Year! February 18 is the lunar, or Chinese New Year celebration. Carnivals have been seen and random fireworks have been heard around the island, though not nearly as many fireworks as we’re used to in China. We’re going to buy some and have our own little celebration off of our rooftop before school starts again. 
Here’s another update from Phuket, Thailand - last night we attended the Phuket International Blues Festival. Good times, which got better as the night went on. Cannonball was alright, the Groove Doctors were funny, and the girl who sang (I forgot her name but her Dad is a big singer as well) was wonderful. We didn’t stick around for the last band… a little too late for us to be heading back to our hotel if we did. We’ve been using a rented motorcycle to get around the island - good times!
This morning we went for a ride on an elephant. Interesting. When we get back to China we’ll be sure to post some pictures on the blog, with a complete collection to be seen on the website’s picture page. Tonight we relax, and tomorrow morning we’re off to Bangkok for a few days…
sand, sun and snorkeling
Yesterday we took a trip out to Coral Island - just 15 minutes on a speedboat - where we swam, snorkeled and relaxed on the beach. It was a beautiful day, and the fish were incredible! We have no idea what kinds of fish we saw, but think “Finding Nemo” and we probably saw it. (Minus the sharks) 
There were all sorts of coral and colorful anenomes to see as well.
Our resort is great - not too crowded, nice pool, good breakfasts… We rented a motorbike, so we’re zooming around the island to check out markets, restaurants, mini-golf courses, the usual. Tonight we’re going to a Blues Festival hosted by the Hilton. When we went to pick up our tickets, we realized that we will likely never vacation at such a place… that’s okay, though. We were definitely underdressed!
Four more days of sun and blue skies!!
in Phuket!
We’ve made it to Phuket! 4 days of childcare in Chiang Mai took its toll, but last night we hopped a late flight to Bangkok, slept for 4 hours, and then flew to Phuket and spent the remainder of the day resting and reading by the pool. We’ll post pictures soon of our trip - highlights in Chiang Mai include taking the kids to the local zoo, as well as the unexpected priviledge of going to a SonicFlood concert at Chiang Mai University. We’re off - more later…
In Chiang Mai
We’ve left (overcast, cold) Chengdu, and two plane flights later, Sarah and I are now in (sunny, warm) Chiang Mai. We arrived without a hitch last night. We flew Thai Airways for the first time - a very comfortable flight. Today we made our way around the city, checking out the mall, restaurants, a bookstore… we really appreciate the wealth of Dairy Queens in the city, as well as Dunkin Doughnuts - the pretzel from Auntie Anne’s was great as well! Ahh, international travel. Leaving one culture to be immersed in another. Or something like that. Anyway, I decided to forego bringing our laptop with us, but we’re at an internet cafe right now and should be able to find one here and in Phuket as well. Hopefully we’ll be able to keep everyone updated on what’s going on with us!