Wander Susan Wonder

Yall, I’ve saved the best for last. If you are looking for a vacation spot….look no further…book a flight to Thailand right now!! I’m serious, it’s one of the best places in the whole world….I would not lie to you about this…go now!! We started out in Phuket…which is right by the beach.  Now my heart will always belong to the Outer Banks….but tropical beaches are a very close second (honestly, they might be tied). Our resort was crazy and it was a great spot to relax after some busy days running around Asia. We also did a tour of Phi Phi Island. Get ready to get jealous!!!

Is this real life??

This is why I let Brittany do all the planning…she never lets me down

Banana and Nutella is all you need to know!!

Our final stop (sadly) was Chang Mai. We had some friends here and it was so great hanging out with them. They were great at showing us around. My favorite day was spent hanging out with some elephants and tigers….the joy in my heart that day was indescribable….that sounds dramatic….but it was true. We also spent Thanksgiving there with a lot of other Americans. There was no oyster dressing or ice cream and topping….but I definitely didn’t go hungry (I know yall were worried).

Up close and personal…don’t worry mom…we didn’t take this pic

They can even paint!!

pure joy!!

mango sticky rice….it will change your life

my thanksgiving plates….clearly I’m not the type to be shy around strangers

Last meal was BBQ, mac and cheese, and hush puppies….are you kidding me Thailand?!?! Be my friend forever!!

I was so thankful for this time. It is amazing some of the things I get to do…I hope I never get used to seeing awesome places. There are so many new places in the world to explore….but I hope Southeast Asia and I cross paths many, many times.

Our next big stop was Vietnam. I haven’t really explored Asia much up until this point, but I loved it! It was green and there were fruits and veggies everywhere. One of my favorite things was just riding around on a motorbike running errands. I felt like I was in a video game!! We also did a boat tour on the delta. We stopped different places along the water and saw different cultural things…it was really fun!!

Seriously…it was so much fun!!

Our next stop was Cambodia. I really had no idea was I was getting into…but I absolutely loved it!! We went to Siem Reap, which is known for having really ancient Hindu Temples. We spent a day exploring them. Brittany thought I was ridiculous for taking more pictures of trees than of the temples. Yall, the desert is all one color…so seeing green and vegetation just gets me excited these days. It was beautiful. In the town of Siem Reap there are so many outdoor cafes and restaurants. I love being in places where people live their lives outside. I know that seems weird….but it’s such a good change of pace from my normal(?) life.

I get a little crazy around so much grass

Seriously…look how pretty it is!!!

Ankor Wat….the most famous temple

seriously I took 29270485704 pics of this

We also visited a silk farm….did you know it was made from worms??

If you can believe it…there is still more vacay to see…the best is yet to come….man I really need to get back to Southeast Asia!!

This past November (yes I’m still blogging about 2014, but the catch up game is about to be won), I was able to go on quite the epic getaway. This life is weird and hard, but it has taken me to some of the best places in the world…and for that I will be forever thankful. I’ve also been blessed with some good buddies. I know I’ve said this before, but I have the best friends in the world…seriously…I’ll enter them in any competition. Anyways, my go to travel buddy these days is Brittany. If you wanna watch two people have way too much fun….put us together. We have gotten pretty good at this take a vacation thing….really because Brittany does all the planning and I just run around acting like a 12 year old. It works people…and I’m convinced it could make a killer TV show.

Anyways, the Asian Adventure covered 6 countries….so clearly this is gonna need to be a series. I met up with Brittany in Hong Kong….and it was a sweet sweet reunion that consisted of a lot of laughter a couple Starbucks cups. Hong Kong has to be one of the quietest cities I have ever been to. No car honking, no yelling….I couldn’t believe I was in a big city.

I loved the Hong Kong harbor and watching all the boats

I love the Olympics…that is all

We found really cool coffee mugs!!

While staying in Hong Kong, we decided to hop over to Macau. It is a 45min ferry boat ride from Hong Kong. It made for a busy day….but why not add another country to the list?? Macau is known as the Las Vegas of Asia…and it did have its fair share of casinos….but they also had pandas.

There was a slightly unfortunate restaurant incident. I ordered chicken and veggies…and that is exactly what I got (head and all)….I did my absolute best to keep a straight face and choke it down….lets just say I did not have a clean plate….and I got a Dairy Queen blizzard afterwards.

On our way to the next destination, we had a long layover in Singapore. I’ve got one word for you….malls. There is a lot of them. They are huge and themed and overwhelming…but there is also an Outback in one which was thoroughly enjoyed. Part of our layover meant spending the night in the airport…but as you can see….at least one of us (not me) is a professional at doing.

The rest of the adventure only gets better…so stay tuned!!

So back in September (yep I said that right…September…I’m a horrible blogger…can you say New Years Resolution), I got to see this beautiful sight walking towards me (no, it wasn’t Mr. Darcy walking across a field in a long coat…even better)….

That’s right….Simon and Eleyse made it to the desert….and it was so much fun to have them here. They were troopers and even endured long language days with me. For the girl who hates being alone, it was great to have my two buddies with me all the time. We laughed and ate and saw the sights, and they did their fair share of spoiling. I mean, I had to let them get it in while they had a chance, right? Mom even secretly brought my favorite birthday cake and a friend here kept in their freezer until the special day….I know I cried too!!

Anyways, if you know my parents at all…..you know we had a good time and I was well loved on. Thanks so much for coming.

This is pretty much how it is…..always.

He makes friends wherever he goes.

Love You!

So thankfully, there is plenty of water in my part of the desert. I don’t have to worry about rationing it, or waiting for a certain day to wash clothes (praise Him), but on the flip side….this water makes your hair fall out.

Yep…that’s right…I said fall out! The tap water here is straight up from the ocean. Somehow the salt is taken out (blah blah science blah blah), but there is still a lot of minerals in the water that weigh down your hair and make it fall out….lovely. When I first heard about this horrible news, I thought….certainly I have super human hair that won’t be affected….I was wrong. Let’s be honest, I already have enough strikes going against me….I do not need to add baldness to the list, so here are a few ways to combat the thinning desert hair…

First of all, just about every popular shampoo brand here has a “anti fallout” version…so I stocked up on those. Not sure how it helps…but I’m telling myself there is some magic in that shampoo.

There is also hair oil. Basically you massage a handful of oil into your scalp to stimulate hair growth. I usually sleep overnight with the oil in my hair…which means an early morning shower get rid of all that grease. If you know me, you know I’m not very good friends with the morning, but I’ll say hey to her every now and then if this oil stuff helps.

 The whole “do everything you can so your hair doesn’t fall out” thing isn’t all bad. There is actually some pampering involved. In a salon around here you can get aloe treatments. It involves someone literally breaking open an aloe leaf/branch(?) and rubbing it all over your head. Supposedly, multiple treatments cause hair growth. Your head feels really cool and tingly during the process, and you get a head massage afterwards. Clearly, from the pictures I’m having fun with this one.

The last way I try to combat this problem is by rinsing my hair with bottled water. People say that if you rinse your hair with bottled water, it will get rid of all those heavy minerals that weigh down your hair. Needless to say, my shower looks like this now…

Now hopefully you will never have to take all of these measures to keep your locks, but here’s a reference if you ever do. In the meantime, let’s all hope all of my hair doesn’t fall out. But seriously, let’s all pray and fast about this one for a bit.

The last stop on the summer tour was Greece…I know…not a bad way to go out. I found another place I could live in Greece. There are so many sleepy little beach towns, it’s so beautiful, and the people are so nice! I loved everything about it. I didn’t get to explore any of the famous islands. That will be for another trip (Santorini and Mykonos…..I’m coming for ya). I really enjoyed what I did get to see of the country.

I think the coolest part of Athens is that the famous ruins are right in the middle of the city. You can be walking alongside some shops and a Starbucks and you look up and there’s the Acropolis. It was really cool to see everything together like that. I’m not a very good describer…..just go see it for yourself.

Hands down, my favorite part of Athens was Mars Hill (Acts 17:16-34). It is a great view of the city as well as the Acropolis. It was humbling to stand where Paul once stood and spoke truth to those religious men. I hope that view continues to pop in my head when I read story.

Standing on Mars Hill. Acropolis to the right….city to the left

 

Well every new place has new food to try. I’ve grown to really loving trying out local food and Turkey did not disappoint…so here is your food tour of Turkey:

This my friends is the shwarma…. yes…it is a big ole hunk of meat on a stick…but when they shave off some of it and put it in a sandwich….its unbelievable.

This is some taffy like candy being melted and then shaped on a stick when you order it

This is a Turkish waffle!! Move over Belgium….this thing has ice cream on top. Dream come true.

This block of chocolate was brought to our table one night after dinner….you just break off as much as you want…why haven’t I thought of this before?!?

This is a famous dish here…so sorry I can’t remember the name. It’s paste-like and you wrap it in lettuce..not a favorite of mine but anyways.

They put lots of interesting things on a baked potato…including pickles and carrots…but somehow…it all works out.

This was by far the best and most life changing…sure…it just looks like grilled chicken, rice, and veggies, but let me let you in on a little secret…there’s magic inside!!

Soooo since summer is officially over…sorry about that….I thought it was about time to let you in on what I actually did. Yeah sorry, the blogging hiatus has been a little too long….my bad to the 4 people that rely on this for reading material….I’m back and better than ever. I’ve had an awesome summer including a couple big trips that I decided to break down into a series I’m calling Summer Catch-Up (seriously…I’m acting like a blogging big shot with the whole series thing…believe me I know my place). Anyways, lets talk about stop #1: Turkey:

I spent some time in Izmir first and then moved onto Istanbul. Let me tell you….Turkey is awesome. It didn’t make top travel destination lists for nothing. I loved both cities. Probably my favorite thing about each is that so many things are happening outside. In the desert, especially this time of year, nothing happens outside because it’s so hot, but I loved walking around in Turkey and seeing so many people living life outside….and not to mention the water. I am such a happy girl when I can walk beside some water. I don’t know if it’s the consistency of the waves, or seeing how small I actually am, or just those deep grown Eastern NC roots….but I’m so so happy looking out over some water.

Well any good trip starts with the friends you take with you….and you know from previous blogs that I have the most amazing friends ever. I met Brittany in Izmir and it was an amazing reunion….after we actually found it each other (which took a little while). It had been about a year since seeing her and we just had fun….lots of it. She’s a great travel buddy….I recommend her.

We started off in Izmir, which is a really cool city right by the water. Brittany had a friend there who showed us around and gave us the best spots to visit. We also got to visit 2 biblical cities: Smyrna (Rev. 2:8-11) and Ephesus (Ephesians, Rev.2:1-7). I’m gonna be real honest with you….I do not get that excited over ancient ruins. I pretty much have the attitude of “if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.” I know, I know, history buffs all over are turning tables (actually, I doubt many history buffs read this blog). All that said, I loved walking around Ephesus. It is well preserved and it’s really hard to describe being in a place like that..with so much history and where so many faithful people have walked.

View from Smyrna

Me and BB in Ephesus

The library in Ephesus

Along the boardwalk in Izmir

 After a couple days in Izmir, we flew to Istanbul….I love that place. We stayed on the Asia side, so just about every day we took a ferry over to the European side (you know…continent hopping…no big deal). The ferry was one of my favorite parts…I love me some public transportation. We had a great time sight seeing and hanging out. Its a beautiful city…everyone should visit!!

On our almost daily ferry ride

The famous Blue Mosque

View of the mosque from the ferry

One of my favorite places was the Grand Bazaar…I could shop in here for days

There was amazing tile work everywhere!!

 All in all it was a great few days with great people. I would love to visit again and explore some more.!!

So my life has been this fluid thing that is always moving and changing. It’s been like that for a while, and I actually really enjoy it. Most of the time, the thought of settling down in one place makes me all itchy. Of course, there’s some drawbacks. The biggest one is not being able to see all the awesome people in my life on a regular basis. I have awesome friends, and while technology is great, it’s not the same as hanging out with them in person. So the 2 weeks that Jen and Dudan came were amazing….and let me tell ya…went know how to do a whirlwind tour of a country…

Sweet Reunion

We started with this crazy race…see previous post

Then we headed off to Petra

We took all kinds of transportation…

…because we were so stinkin sore from the race

Not the smoothest ride….but effective nonetheless

Made it to the Dead Sea

Dudan makes friends wherever she goes

Jordan River

Citadel

Mt. Nebo

This is how I felt pretty much the whole time they were here!

Soooooo, I have never ever described myself as a runner…..never. I don’t think anyone else would either. Mostly, my life has been spent running out of necessity only…..like when a coach was yelling at me, or something was chasing me, or to get to a plate of cupcakes first.

Well that all changed when I signed up for the Dead2Red race in Jordan. It’s a relay race from the Dead Sea to the Red Sea. I was on a team of 10 that took turns running over and over….and over. The distance is 242km….about 150 miles. Yep, I think I had a psychotic break to make me sign up for this. Up until this point the longest distance I had run was 3 miles….back in high school (you remember that Lance?).

There were a couple huge perks of the race….these kids came to run it with me…..if you’re gonna put your body through ridiculousness…you might as well do it with friends by your side.

The race started at 4pm…and each team had 24hrs to complete the race….that’s right….I paid money to run all night…yep, I’m leaning closer and closer to a psychotic break.

I was expecting to be hard…really hard, but I wasn’t expecting it to be super cold and pouring rain for most of the night…fun surprise I guess..

The hand off between Dudans…a magical moment really

Dead Sea to the left

It was a great feeling to get under the 100km mark

 The morning came, but we still had a long way to go. My team was amazing. They were so encouraging and we passed out the sugary goodness to help each other wake up….there were no naps taken in 24hrs…we we’re all getting pretty delirious….

View from the van

Are We There Yet???

Near the end…we would do anything for a little burst of energy….we came close to another team and our competitiveness kicked in. We passed each other a few times…and then our team had it, and broke into the lead…we were far from winning the race….but we beat that team…BAM!!

The best site ever!!

There were so many time during the race where I thought…this is never gonna happen….we are never gonna get to the finish….but little by little, we made it…..in 21hrs. My team was awesome, and pushed me at just the rights moments….they were so encouraging, and even passed me a giant pixie stick when I couldn’t stay awake. The Desert Divas and David (our team name) are forever bonded together. We rocked that race!! It was such a crazy experience that sometimes it seems like it never happened….like it was all some crazy dream….but as you can see….I’ve got the pictures to prove it!!