Asia

We've been in Asia for a couple of months now, and the time has gone by so quickly.  I remember that when we were in Hong Kong, home seemed like so far away.  Now, we'll be home in just a couple of weeks.  We're trying not to think of home now, though.  We're on the beach in Thailand right now, snorkeling and swimming. 

My favorite parts in Asia have been: swimming, seeing relatives in China, going to the beach, and surfing.  Swimming is just fun like it always is.  Who can resist going for a swim in high humidity and heat?  I'd been looking forward to seeing relatives for the whole trip, so of course that was a highlight.  And going to the beach has always been one of my favorite activities. Last of all, even though I just learned how to surf, it's so fun, and I love the feel of standing at the top of the waves, approaching the shore.

Even though we're almost home, going to Asia for the first time has been amazing.

Week in Hunan

A few weeks ago, we spent five days with relatives in Hunan, China.  All of the relatives were so open and friendly, it was as if we had known them forever. The week consisted of banquets, spicy food, sports, and karaoke.  I'm so glad that we got to meet relatives and see where our family was originally from. The week went by quickly, but we did a lot in a few days.

The relatives that we met seemed to be good at everything.  The first night at karaoke, some of them sang like professionals.  The next day we played badminton and ping pong.  Two of my uncles (my mom's first cousins), were playing in a city tournament of badminton, and we went to cheer them on.  The family's also very athletic.  One of the uncles who was competing in the badminton competition is also one of the best swimmers in China.  

All of the relatives have good connections, so they managed to have someone open a huge pool for us, get us into the "Governors" karaoke room, and more.  It was so nice of them to take their whole week off and hang out with us!

Although we did a lot that week, my favorite things were probably going swimming in a river off of a boat, seeing the place where Avatar was filmed, and all the good food we ate.