River Butterflies 2

More butterflies at the river! (Here are the butterflies from last year.) I knew I had to take a video this time so as to help everyone feel like a Disney princess.

A Day at the River

Spent some time with friends at a river about 2 hours outside of the city. It was so good to get out in nature!

AMAZING root system. 

Old grandpa tree.

A bit of hiking

Went hiking and exploring with friends on Saturday. Was reminded, again, how important it is to get away from the city.

Refreshed

Yesterday we took a drive about 45 minutes outside of Vientiane to celebrate Hong's brother's brother-in-law's house-opening ceremony. It was so good to get away from the dust and pollution of the city into the freshness of the partially-jungled parts of Laos.

Sumo loves bananas.

Two Videos

Both of these videos were taken during my time in Malaysia.

This first video is part of a traditional Malaysian scarf dance (during the show blogged about here.)

The second video is of the orangutans. I could have watched these guys for hours! It was so fun to see them without bars or glass in the way.

Kuching! Orangutans!

I was so excited to visit the Semenggoh Wildlife Center about 25 km outside of Kuching. They have over 20 semi-wild orangutans that have been rehabilitated and released into the forest reserve.

We visited during their normal feeding time, but were told not to get our hopes up about seeing any orangutans. They appear less and less as they adjust to life in the wild. We were so happy when, right when we arrived, there were already five orangutans eating!

I could not believe the amount of bananas this guy fit in his mouth. At least 15!

Kuching! Elephant Beetle?

Is that what this guy is? He was on his back when we found him and we thought he was dead. Then we saw one of his legs move and Hong flipped him over. Not dead!

For scale, here's a picture of Hong taking a picture of the beetle. 

I kept thinking that I should be afraid of him, but I wasn't at all. He was so strange and pretty and I wanted to touch him. But I didn't.

Aaaaand we're back

It's so good to be back in Laos! Among other things, I've...

watched my mom eat chicken hearts (brave!),

killed this spider (she was carrying a large egg sack), 

and cuddled this puppy (he had hiccups).

It's so fun to have my parents here!

Dad and Mom in Thailand

It's so fun to have my parents with me in Southeast Asia! After a long trip, we arrived in Bangkok on Tuesday evening. Our hotel is only a short walk away from a night market (pictured below in the daytime) and a large park.

We leave for Laos tomorrow morning! I'm so excited and ready to be back.

Stateside, Colorado- Fire

Driving into Colorado, my mom and I were wondering why we couldn't see the mountains. The entire ridge was covered in a haze. As we drove into the Springs, we saw a giant plume of smoke to the right of Pikes Peak.

The 'Waldo Canyon Fire' has already spread to over 2,000 acres and about 1,000 families have had to be evacuated from their homes.

 This was taken from the Air Force Academy at around 5:00 pm...

 this was about 5:30...

and this was at around 7:00. The wind has died down a lot, so the plume isn't as big, but the fire isn't under control yet.

Please be praying!

Stateside, Kentucky

Last weekend was a delightful one spent with my sister and brother-in-law in Kentucky.

 

Delicious food was eaten, eggs were gathered, fancy dresses worn, horse races watched, bourbon consumed, and Gilmore Girls quoted.  

Stateside, Jet lagged

I've been in Kansas with my fam for a week now and I'm FINALLY starting to recover from jet lag. Apparently, having traveled across 12 time zones going from West to East, I'm supposed to be fully adjusted after 8 days. Tomorrow is day 8 and I'm ready for that adjustment!

This past week has been extremely relaxing. Activities consisted of celebrating my brother's birthday, playing ping pong, eating cheese, Target shopping, and bird watching (activities first and last are pictured below).