Apologies to those of you who have in the past checked my blog, and found nothing new for most of the year. I am so sorry that all these wonderful pictures have taken so long to get put up. As you will see, we had a wonderful time with Mai-Rhea in Thailand, and then India was a time of visiting with old friends, and becoming acquainted with new places and new people.
Arriving in Thailand
We were happy to be met at the airport by Mai, She had been there for about a month when we arrived, so she was a little familiar with how to get around. We took a taxi from the airport to a place where some private buses wait to take people from Bangkok to the area where our Adventist College is. It is about a 2 hour bus ride.
The early part of the year in Thailand is supposed to be "dry season", so we were looking forward to "not so humid", but surprise!! As we neared the college, and because Mai wanted us to see the campus from the top of the hill, we ran into an extreme rain storm, see the pictures below.
We hurried from the bus to the veranda of the guest house, and waited for Mai to figure out which unit was for us, it was supposed to be unlocked, but it wasn't and she had to run around the building to the lower level to get a key. I gave her my sweater, and she came back soaking wet, but not chilled to the bone as one would expect.
Glimpse of Mission College
The main building, housing classrooms, library etc. from the top of the stairs by the Church.
The Church looking up the steps, from the area of the Main Building. As you can see, the campus is very hilly, you are always walking up or down hill. This is a very modern, well kept College, with a very international student body.
This is a typical scene in Thailand, many people move around on small motorcycles, and there is parking specifically for them.
One of the beautiful flowering trees along the lane that we walked from where we stayed to the cafeteria.
Mai in her classroom teaching the younger students. At the far end is her friend Andrew, who also took the Mission Course in Florida from Aug - Dec. Andrew also taught classes of his own, but here he was helping her for this class.
Mission College has long had this rented building in the village, where they hoped to start some kind of outreach for the local people. Even though there is a large church on the campus, it is styled more after the American style, and is not culturally suitable for the local people, so they want to get a local Thai speaking church in the village. These English Language classes were an an introduction of the village to the Adventists. Before Mai & Andrew left in June there was a newly formed body of Thai people from the campus holding meetings for the village people. The new Church was left in the hands of a capable Student Pastor who is mature and has his own family, but is in his first year of Theology, so he will be there for the next 3 1/2 years to nurture this new church.
Seeing the method of transportation is small motor cycles, the pastor loaned this one to Mai-Rhea and Andrew. With Andrew in the village on the 3rd floor of the English school building, and Mai on the college campus, about 3 km away, it was a little time consuming for Andrew to have to come out to get her and then bring her back every time they had classes. So while we were there, she was determined that her dad should teach her how to operate that thing by herself. Here she is working up a sweat trying to kick start it, she really worked on that for a long time that morning.
She finally got it started, and here she is taking her dad for a ride into town, you can see he is carrying the bag of books, and trusting his life to her abilities. By the time we left she was able to handle it on her own, and after that she could go where she needed. She made sure her brothers knew that she was a step ahead of them!! As you can see, helmets are only important for the driver to wear.
Because we were there for 10 days, someone else loaned them another one, so Andrew had a red one, and he didn't have to make as many trips, but if we all were going somewhere, Andrew would still come for Mai, and Hector and I would use this blue one. Then for a few days Andrew had to be away, so if we all needed to go to town, it was a typical 3rd World scene, "the whole family on one motorcycle!!" We did that a few times.
Our first weekend, we had a guest room, but after that, it was rented to someone else, so they gave us an empty apartment, 2-bedroom, so Mai moved out of the dorm, and came to stay with us.
This is the night before we left, she was moving back to the dorm, with a few extra things I was leaving with her from Africa, the basin, and some plastic I had made into a shower curtain, plus our travel iron etc.
The Fruits of Thailand
Dragon Fruit.
Mai's plate full of fruit and nuts for breakfast, using a cup for cereal in the guest room, no bowls.
Guyanese name for this fruit, is sour sap, the Thai people call it something else.
Market day; this vendor must have gotten up early!! And wasn't worried about loosing sales.
Our apartment was sparsely furnished "here" the bowl had to work as a tea cup!
Pamalo similar to a grapefruit inside, but not as tart, the bowl shows how big it is.
Jack fruit
Inside the Jack Fruit. they also have something that is a little smaller, and highly powerful odor, called Durian. People either "Love" or "Hate" Durian, there is no inbetween. It almost tastes like raw onions, and actually will heat up the body temperature, if you eat to much at once.
These are the cutest little things, they have built a side cart that hooks onto their motor cycle, and they go sell their wares along the street.
This lady saw me taking the picture, and seemed quite pleased, I think she is an ice cream vendor.
Just another typical Thailand picture.
I love to take pictures of mail boxes in different countries, here is the Thai Mail Box.
Our last weekend we visited a museum type place which depicts life in Thailand. The bikes were supplied with the ticket price, and this is how we got around most of the day, I was surprised that I was able to move the next day, but no adverse affects. Mai laughs at me, because I put up the 2 fingers, which is an Asian thing that they do for all pictures, the girl that took the picture was putting up fingers instead of counting 'cuz she couldn't count in English, and I thought she was wanting us to give her the peace sign so I did!!
Here Hector is being a rickshaw driver.
Some random pictures from our day in "Old Siam"
Ouch!!!
Not a new sight once out of North America.
I loved the pink taxi's, and finally our last ride was in a pink one, from the bus stop to the Airport.
India
The typical traffic problems in Kolkata (Calcutta). But on top of that it was the eve of one of their festivals, where they throw dye (or paint) at each other. People were all out on the streets purchasing their dye for the next day, and some were starting early, so there was even more confusion.
You soon learn to cover your face, and especially nose, as you travel through the streets with all the vehicles pumping out pollution.
We stayed in the guest rooms at the Kolkata Mission, but our friends Pstor Nirobindu and Rita Das, were so kind to have us come to their house for meals. Their home is very humble, but they are generous, and have no problem, using their bed as the serving place for the meal, which is in the room that you enter when you come from the apartment hall.
Behind the curtian, is the second room, which has their stove, a cupboard, and the boys beds, and off that is the bathroom. But we were happy to spend the time with them, we love their company. Since then they have moved to the Philippines, for him to continue his education.
The Das family, L-R Rita, Rion, Neo, and Niribindo
Pastor Das took us to this area (slums) where the people are really just squatters on government property. They had no water available to use for washing or bathing, never mind for drinking and cooking. they had to walk a long distance to get any water. Some Bible workers had been teaching the Bible to them, and they have built this little church. It might be poor, but it was nicely done, clean, and taken care of. we were very impressed.
Inside the little church.
A group of children who will have an opportunity to learn to read & write, as a teacher had been hired to use the church as a school durung the week.
Someone's dwelling place just a few feet from the church.
There was a little space in front of the church that was not being used, so the pastor instigated the digging of a well there. We left him some money for the concrete rings, and the people went ahead and dug the well within just a few weeks after we were there.
Now they have a well to do their washing, and water for bathing, but evidently they still have to walk a long way to get water for drinking and cooking. (they can use this water if they boil it long enough, but with their little sticks for fire, they probably don't boil water long enough.
We met this family when we walked between the guest rooms and the pastor's house. The mother and little brother had passed away a few years ago from TB, and now the father was sick, and actually passed away while we were there. The grand mother is elderly and not in good health, so she asked that the girls go to christian school. We gave money for them to go to school, and they took a 12 hour train ride up to Raymond Memorial School in Falakata, but we have now heard that they didn't stay, the word is the grandmother got sick and the girls went home. We are sad for them, as an education would have changed their lives.
My India Mail Box
This is a poor picture as my camera was breaking down the last week I was there. But it shows that people put their beds in the street, and sleep there. I was horrified to awake about 1 am one morning, and hear a terrible storm with thunder lighting and heavy rain, what do the people do who are sleeping in the street? Grab their bed and run into the house. Usually they have a small apartment but not enough room for everyone to sleep inside, so some go out onto the street.
Mizoram India
(a State on the far east side of India, between Bangladesh and Burma)
The most amazing place I have ever seen. Everything is built on a steep hillside, and as they tell you before you ever arrive, there is no flat place in Mizoram, and that is no exaggeration.
Look at this stairway!!!
Our Pastor Friend, Patu Biakchhawna and his little girl Melody, who live in Mizoram.
Here she is with her mommy Neghtie
The welcome sign, greeting us to the church we had sent money to build, it is complete, but not yet dedicated.
Inside the new church
Just an interesting picture, (someone's home)
How about a house that looks like this???
Looking from the window of a home down onto the street which is way below, and the house you see, also hangs over the edge and would also look way down to the next street.
Money was donated by a friend in the US, enough to buy a laptop, for this Lay Evangelist(the one on the far right). He was so happy to get this gift, it is going to be such a blessing in his work.
Spicer Memorial College (Pune India, about 30 minute flight from Mumbai (Bombay) but I guess about a 4 hour drive)
Their Beautiful New Church.
The Main Building.
Our Graduating Student Jonathan in his Class room.
Jonathan and family, (wife) Puii, (Baby) Didiki, (Daughter) Lucy.
Hector and Didiki, but she wouldn't come to me, I guess I looked to funny to her.
Puii and Didiki, I think this is the most precious picture.
Jonathan & family lived in the back corner of this rumbled down building for about 3 years while at Spicer. It is called the "Married Student Housing" and Jonathan's first assessment was pretty close, he had written and told us that it was like a chicken coop! Theirs was a bit bigger, as it was at the end, but in general each "compartment" was about 6-7 feet wide, and about 18 feet long.
This was from their doorway looking down the fronts of another set of living spaces.
I just couldn't resist this picture!
When the boys went to find us a hotel, they called us back in Calcutta, and told us it was a very "posh" Hotel, and that is understandable after seeing Jonathan's home. But I took this picture of the entry door to the room, just to show how "posh" the place really was.
The handsome boy beside me is the son of our Friend Grace, (the others are his 2 cousins). We met Grace in 2000 when she came to our church's General Conference meetings in Toronto. Years ago, she was the house girl for friends of ours that went to India as missionaries when I was about 10 yrs old, from that time on I always wanted to go to India, now I have been there 3 times, I love it, and would like to live there if possible.
This is Tetea, we have been sponsoring him to become a teacher. He was baptized at Hector's site back in 2003, when we went on our first preaching trip, and that was to Mizoram. Hector, Royce, Ronald, and Hector's brother Wailu each had a site. (It was he and Jonathan who went to find the hotel for us.) We had met Jonathan in Mizoram, the 1st and the 2nd time we were there, but Tetea, we didn't know, other then that he has a picture of me handing him the Bible he got from the meetings, and we have a picture of all the ones baptized, and he is on there. So this was hen we got to know him, and found out he is a very caring, honest young man, about the same age as Ronald and Royce.
After coming home, we were asked to help this student as well, his name is Zam, he has had a serious accident, and has physical limitations in one arm and leg.
Since November, we are now sponsoring another student Chana, but I don't have a picture of him yet.
This was our mode of transportation from the Hotel in Pune to the Airport. Not our first ride in what we call a putt-putt (auto-rickshaw), not all cities in India allow them to be used. None (or very few) in Kolkata. Lots in Hyderabad, where we did our meetings in 2006. A very interesting experience.
Addis Ababa
We had a 12 hour lay over is Addis, and they gave us a bus ride to the city, and a hotel, and 3 meals. So after sitting in the airport in Bangkok for 9 hours and then flying for who remembers how long, the bed was very welcome. We ate, had a nap, to catch up on the new time zone, and then took a mini tour of the city, before coming back to eat again.
This is an Addis street scene. It was interesting how they herded these goats across the street when the light turned green, and more interesting that I actually got a picture of it, as they were moving and so was the bus.
A view of the city from the hotel.
Another amazing shot, as we drove by, I took it because at the same time, a building was being built here in Kelowna with the same pointed balconies.
The mansion of Haile Selassie, is now part of the University and arranged as a museum. I was most intrigued by the modern looking blue bathroom fixtures in his private bathroom, and the pink ones in the bathroom of his wife.
The Ethiopian Mail Box with my now ailing camera.
Approaching the Airport in the evening, preparing for our next flight. Sorry it is blurred, but a moving shot at night, wasn't the ideal setting for a good picture.
Somewhere between Addis and Washington DC.
The Beautiful West Coast Mountains as we approached Seattle. We had left our car in Seattle in the care of Andrew's mother, and she was at the airport to meet us. We were tired from a very long trip, which stretched out over 72 hours from the time we left Kolkata, and arrived in Seattle, but we were happy to get in our little car, and drive back to Canada.
The crystal Clear North Shore Mountains in North Vancouver the view from where Royce lives. We spent the weekend with him, (without our suitcases which got left in Ethiopia) But by the time we got home, they were here for us to pick up.
Once home, we were still greeted by one more snow fall in April.
My Mother's Day flowers from Hector and the kids. I dried them and they still look very lovely.
My girlfriend Margie & Family sent this lovely bouquet for my birthday, which was one year and one day after my mother passed away on June 22, 2008. It was a very thoughtful thing to do, as I will never celebrate a birthday in the future without remembering that in 2008, I awoke on my birthday with Ronald standing by my bed with the phone in his hand saying "The hospital won't talk to anyone but you mom, so you gotta wake up."
This video, should be with the pictures from Mizoram, but the blog wouldn't allow me to insert it at the right place, and I don't want to risk loosing it and having to download it again, by trying to move it. So please enjoy the Mizo music, it is one of my favorite things to listen to. If you want to hear more, go to YouTube, and type in "Mizo Christian Music" and a number of songs will come up.
Arriving in Thailand
We were happy to be met at the airport by Mai, She had been there for about a month when we arrived, so she was a little familiar with how to get around. We took a taxi from the airport to a place where some private buses wait to take people from Bangkok to the area where our Adventist College is. It is about a 2 hour bus ride.The early part of the year in Thailand is supposed to be "dry season", so we were looking forward to "not so humid", but surprise!! As we neared the college, and because Mai wanted us to see the campus from the top of the hill, we ran into an extreme rain storm, see the pictures below.
We hurried from the bus to the veranda of the guest house, and waited for Mai to figure out which unit was for us, it was supposed to be unlocked, but it wasn't and she had to run around the building to the lower level to get a key. I gave her my sweater, and she came back soaking wet, but not chilled to the bone as one would expect.
Glimpse of Mission College
The main building, housing classrooms, library etc. from the top of the stairs by the Church.
The Church looking up the steps, from the area of the Main Building. As you can see, the campus is very hilly, you are always walking up or down hill. This is a very modern, well kept College, with a very international student body.
This is a typical scene in Thailand, many people move around on small motorcycles, and there is parking specifically for them.
One of the beautiful flowering trees along the lane that we walked from where we stayed to the cafeteria.
Mai in her classroom teaching the younger students. At the far end is her friend Andrew, who also took the Mission Course in Florida from Aug - Dec. Andrew also taught classes of his own, but here he was helping her for this class.Mission College has long had this rented building in the village, where they hoped to start some kind of outreach for the local people. Even though there is a large church on the campus, it is styled more after the American style, and is not culturally suitable for the local people, so they want to get a local Thai speaking church in the village. These English Language classes were an an introduction of the village to the Adventists. Before Mai & Andrew left in June there was a newly formed body of Thai people from the campus holding meetings for the village people. The new Church was left in the hands of a capable Student Pastor who is mature and has his own family, but is in his first year of Theology, so he will be there for the next 3 1/2 years to nurture this new church.
Seeing the method of transportation is small motor cycles, the pastor loaned this one to Mai-Rhea and Andrew. With Andrew in the village on the 3rd floor of the English school building, and Mai on the college campus, about 3 km away, it was a little time consuming for Andrew to have to come out to get her and then bring her back every time they had classes. So while we were there, she was determined that her dad should teach her how to operate that thing by herself. Here she is working up a sweat trying to kick start it, she really worked on that for a long time that morning.
She finally got it started, and here she is taking her dad for a ride into town, you can see he is carrying the bag of books, and trusting his life to her abilities. By the time we left she was able to handle it on her own, and after that she could go where she needed. She made sure her brothers knew that she was a step ahead of them!! As you can see, helmets are only important for the driver to wear.
Because we were there for 10 days, someone else loaned them another one, so Andrew had a red one, and he didn't have to make as many trips, but if we all were going somewhere, Andrew would still come for Mai, and Hector and I would use this blue one. Then for a few days Andrew had to be away, so if we all needed to go to town, it was a typical 3rd World scene, "the whole family on one motorcycle!!" We did that a few times.
Our first weekend, we had a guest room, but after that, it was rented to someone else, so they gave us an empty apartment, 2-bedroom, so Mai moved out of the dorm, and came to stay with us.
This is the night before we left, she was moving back to the dorm, with a few extra things I was leaving with her from Africa, the basin, and some plastic I had made into a shower curtain, plus our travel iron etc.
The Fruits of Thailand
Dragon Fruit.Mai's plate full of fruit and nuts for breakfast, using a cup for cereal in the guest room, no bowls.
Guyanese name for this fruit, is sour sap, the Thai people call it something else.
Market day; this vendor must have gotten up early!! And wasn't worried about loosing sales.
Our apartment was sparsely furnished "here" the bowl had to work as a tea cup!
Pamalo similar to a grapefruit inside, but not as tart, the bowl shows how big it is.
Jack fruit
Inside the Jack Fruit. they also have something that is a little smaller, and highly powerful odor, called Durian. People either "Love" or "Hate" Durian, there is no inbetween. It almost tastes like raw onions, and actually will heat up the body temperature, if you eat to much at once.
These are the cutest little things, they have built a side cart that hooks onto their motor cycle, and they go sell their wares along the street.
This lady saw me taking the picture, and seemed quite pleased, I think she is an ice cream vendor.
Just another typical Thailand picture.
I love to take pictures of mail boxes in different countries, here is the Thai Mail Box.
Our last weekend we visited a museum type place which depicts life in Thailand. The bikes were supplied with the ticket price, and this is how we got around most of the day, I was surprised that I was able to move the next day, but no adverse affects. Mai laughs at me, because I put up the 2 fingers, which is an Asian thing that they do for all pictures, the girl that took the picture was putting up fingers instead of counting 'cuz she couldn't count in English, and I thought she was wanting us to give her the peace sign so I did!!
Here Hector is being a rickshaw driver.
Some random pictures from our day in "Old Siam"
Ouch!!!
Not a new sight once out of North America.
I loved the pink taxi's, and finally our last ride was in a pink one, from the bus stop to the Airport.
India
The typical traffic problems in Kolkata (Calcutta). But on top of that it was the eve of one of their festivals, where they throw dye (or paint) at each other. People were all out on the streets purchasing their dye for the next day, and some were starting early, so there was even more confusion.
You soon learn to cover your face, and especially nose, as you travel through the streets with all the vehicles pumping out pollution.
We stayed in the guest rooms at the Kolkata Mission, but our friends Pstor Nirobindu and Rita Das, were so kind to have us come to their house for meals. Their home is very humble, but they are generous, and have no problem, using their bed as the serving place for the meal, which is in the room that you enter when you come from the apartment hall.
Behind the curtian, is the second room, which has their stove, a cupboard, and the boys beds, and off that is the bathroom. But we were happy to spend the time with them, we love their company. Since then they have moved to the Philippines, for him to continue his education.
The Das family, L-R Rita, Rion, Neo, and Niribindo
Pastor Das took us to this area (slums) where the people are really just squatters on government property. They had no water available to use for washing or bathing, never mind for drinking and cooking. they had to walk a long distance to get any water. Some Bible workers had been teaching the Bible to them, and they have built this little church. It might be poor, but it was nicely done, clean, and taken care of. we were very impressed.
Inside the little church.
A group of children who will have an opportunity to learn to read & write, as a teacher had been hired to use the church as a school durung the week.
Someone's dwelling place just a few feet from the church.
There was a little space in front of the church that was not being used, so the pastor instigated the digging of a well there. We left him some money for the concrete rings, and the people went ahead and dug the well within just a few weeks after we were there.
Now they have a well to do their washing, and water for bathing, but evidently they still have to walk a long way to get water for drinking and cooking. (they can use this water if they boil it long enough, but with their little sticks for fire, they probably don't boil water long enough.
We met this family when we walked between the guest rooms and the pastor's house. The mother and little brother had passed away a few years ago from TB, and now the father was sick, and actually passed away while we were there. The grand mother is elderly and not in good health, so she asked that the girls go to christian school. We gave money for them to go to school, and they took a 12 hour train ride up to Raymond Memorial School in Falakata, but we have now heard that they didn't stay, the word is the grandmother got sick and the girls went home. We are sad for them, as an education would have changed their lives.
My India Mail Box
This is a poor picture as my camera was breaking down the last week I was there. But it shows that people put their beds in the street, and sleep there. I was horrified to awake about 1 am one morning, and hear a terrible storm with thunder lighting and heavy rain, what do the people do who are sleeping in the street? Grab their bed and run into the house. Usually they have a small apartment but not enough room for everyone to sleep inside, so some go out onto the street.
Mizoram India
(a State on the far east side of India, between Bangladesh and Burma)
The most amazing place I have ever seen. Everything is built on a steep hillside, and as they tell you before you ever arrive, there is no flat place in Mizoram, and that is no exaggeration.
Look at this stairway!!!
Our Pastor Friend, Patu Biakchhawna and his little girl Melody, who live in Mizoram.
Here she is with her mommy Neghtie
The welcome sign, greeting us to the church we had sent money to build, it is complete, but not yet dedicated.
Inside the new church
Just an interesting picture, (someone's home)
How about a house that looks like this???
Looking from the window of a home down onto the street which is way below, and the house you see, also hangs over the edge and would also look way down to the next street.
Money was donated by a friend in the US, enough to buy a laptop, for this Lay Evangelist(the one on the far right). He was so happy to get this gift, it is going to be such a blessing in his work.
Spicer Memorial College (Pune India, about 30 minute flight from Mumbai (Bombay) but I guess about a 4 hour drive)
Their Beautiful New Church.
The Main Building.
Our Graduating Student Jonathan in his Class room.
Jonathan and family, (wife) Puii, (Baby) Didiki, (Daughter) Lucy.
Hector and Didiki, but she wouldn't come to me, I guess I looked to funny to her.
Puii and Didiki, I think this is the most precious picture.
Jonathan & family lived in the back corner of this rumbled down building for about 3 years while at Spicer. It is called the "Married Student Housing" and Jonathan's first assessment was pretty close, he had written and told us that it was like a chicken coop! Theirs was a bit bigger, as it was at the end, but in general each "compartment" was about 6-7 feet wide, and about 18 feet long.
This was from their doorway looking down the fronts of another set of living spaces.I just couldn't resist this picture!
When the boys went to find us a hotel, they called us back in Calcutta, and told us it was a very "posh" Hotel, and that is understandable after seeing Jonathan's home. But I took this picture of the entry door to the room, just to show how "posh" the place really was.
The handsome boy beside me is the son of our Friend Grace, (the others are his 2 cousins). We met Grace in 2000 when she came to our church's General Conference meetings in Toronto. Years ago, she was the house girl for friends of ours that went to India as missionaries when I was about 10 yrs old, from that time on I always wanted to go to India, now I have been there 3 times, I love it, and would like to live there if possible.
This is Tetea, we have been sponsoring him to become a teacher. He was baptized at Hector's site back in 2003, when we went on our first preaching trip, and that was to Mizoram. Hector, Royce, Ronald, and Hector's brother Wailu each had a site. (It was he and Jonathan who went to find the hotel for us.) We had met Jonathan in Mizoram, the 1st and the 2nd time we were there, but Tetea, we didn't know, other then that he has a picture of me handing him the Bible he got from the meetings, and we have a picture of all the ones baptized, and he is on there. So this was hen we got to know him, and found out he is a very caring, honest young man, about the same age as Ronald and Royce.
After coming home, we were asked to help this student as well, his name is Zam, he has had a serious accident, and has physical limitations in one arm and leg.Since November, we are now sponsoring another student Chana, but I don't have a picture of him yet.
This was our mode of transportation from the Hotel in Pune to the Airport. Not our first ride in what we call a putt-putt (auto-rickshaw), not all cities in India allow them to be used. None (or very few) in Kolkata. Lots in Hyderabad, where we did our meetings in 2006. A very interesting experience.Addis Ababa
We had a 12 hour lay over is Addis, and they gave us a bus ride to the city, and a hotel, and 3 meals. So after sitting in the airport in Bangkok for 9 hours and then flying for who remembers how long, the bed was very welcome. We ate, had a nap, to catch up on the new time zone, and then took a mini tour of the city, before coming back to eat again.
This is an Addis street scene. It was interesting how they herded these goats across the street when the light turned green, and more interesting that I actually got a picture of it, as they were moving and so was the bus.
A view of the city from the hotel.
Another amazing shot, as we drove by, I took it because at the same time, a building was being built here in Kelowna with the same pointed balconies.
The mansion of Haile Selassie, is now part of the University and arranged as a museum. I was most intrigued by the modern looking blue bathroom fixtures in his private bathroom, and the pink ones in the bathroom of his wife.
The Ethiopian Mail Box with my now ailing camera.
Approaching the Airport in the evening, preparing for our next flight. Sorry it is blurred, but a moving shot at night, wasn't the ideal setting for a good picture.
Somewhere between Addis and Washington DC.
The Beautiful West Coast Mountains as we approached Seattle. We had left our car in Seattle in the care of Andrew's mother, and she was at the airport to meet us. We were tired from a very long trip, which stretched out over 72 hours from the time we left Kolkata, and arrived in Seattle, but we were happy to get in our little car, and drive back to Canada.
The crystal Clear North Shore Mountains in North Vancouver the view from where Royce lives. We spent the weekend with him, (without our suitcases which got left in Ethiopia) But by the time we got home, they were here for us to pick up.
Once home, we were still greeted by one more snow fall in April.
My Mother's Day flowers from Hector and the kids. I dried them and they still look very lovely.
My girlfriend Margie & Family sent this lovely bouquet for my birthday, which was one year and one day after my mother passed away on June 22, 2008. It was a very thoughtful thing to do, as I will never celebrate a birthday in the future without remembering that in 2008, I awoke on my birthday with Ronald standing by my bed with the phone in his hand saying "The hospital won't talk to anyone but you mom, so you gotta wake up."This video, should be with the pictures from Mizoram, but the blog wouldn't allow me to insert it at the right place, and I don't want to risk loosing it and having to download it again, by trying to move it. So please enjoy the Mizo music, it is one of my favorite things to listen to. If you want to hear more, go to YouTube, and type in "Mizo Christian Music" and a number of songs will come up.
