Summer in Taiwan

Here are some pics from this summer in Taiwan. It has been a good time and nice final season to end my time here in Taiwan. The weather has been great. Hot as always, but also sunny with blue skies. Enjoy some images of my friends and our good times we have had.

Caitlin and I at DC Stage. This is the venue that we have been frequenting to hear Caitlin's husband, Mark, and our other good friend, Evan, play guitar and sing. Caitlin has become my best friend here in Taiwan and I am so sad to see her go. Just an excuse to go to Canada!

This is Ivan at his 4th birthday party. His parents, Brian and Jenny, are good friends of Ben and I. Jenny just brought Ivan's sister, Andrea, into the world on my birthday! But this day was about Ivan. Happy Fourth, buddy!

Ivan and his birthday gift from Auntie Courtney and Uncle Ben. These trucks didn't leave his hands all night.

The next weekend, I went up to Tainan for another show of Evan and Mark's (mentioned above). I got to spend the day with my friend Jessie who lives in this city that is just north of Kaohsiung. We met up and snacked on a few traditional Taiwanese treats. This is green tea shaved ice topped with jam and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Yum!

The crew at Evan and Mark's show in Tainan. left to right: Danielle, Tristan, Alex, Lyndsay. Lyndsay sings with Evan and Mark sometimes and has a beautiful voice!

Jessie, me, Courtney, and Genner. Yep, there are two Courtneys in Kaohsiung now. I was the original though! Don't forget that! Hanging out waiting for the boys (Evan and Mark) to play.

Jessie and I. Jessie used to work at my school, but has since taken a job at steel company in Tainan. Her English is amazing and I really hope she can pursue her dream to move to the States one day.

Before Mark came up, Evan (on the right with the guitar) played with Simon (on the left on the keyboard). Evan and Simon together go by the name "Gin Lane". They are a great act and so much fun to watch. Simon can play everything, it seems; saxophone, clarinet, keyboards, trumpet.

Caitlin, Lyndsay, and Tristan at the show in Tainan.

Evan, Mark (middle), Simon. Mark has an amazing voice!

Evan and Mark.

Lyndsay finally got up there! I know I said this before, but her voice is AMAZING!!

Tristan and I enjoying some pizza.

We called this our "Oreo"or Asian sandwich if you will. left to right: Lyndsay, me, Courtney, and Caitlin.

All the girls. Back left to right: Tristan, Courtney, Danielle, me. Front: Lyndsay and Caitlin

We had a girl's dance party after the guys played.

Mark had to get in on the fun! He is Ukrainian and he dazzled us with some traditional dance.

The weekend after Tainan, we drove down to our favorite spot in Taiwan - Kenting. This is a little beach town 2 hrs south of Kaohsiung. These beaches rival any that I have seen in Asia. Baisha is one of the beaches that we frequent and was the location for filming for the movie version of "Life of Pi". Here Cait, Jaden, and I are enjoying a late night ice cream from the market in town.

Baisha beach. The picture doesn't do it justice. This water is so clear and blue! I love this place.

Our colorful umbrella for the day.

Mark enjoying a tube out in the water.

We got a room with a balcony so of course - sparklers!!

Me, Jaden, and Caitlin at the beach. Aren't we cute?!

The group left to right: me, Caitlin, Mark, Jaden, and Chris.

Thai food for dinner. Delicious. Chris (left), Mark, me, Jaden.

Look past our silly faces and see how blue the water is! Isn't it amazing? Jaden (left), Cait, and me. 

We have been to several more of Mark and Evan's shows, more trips to Baisha, and other fun events this summer, but these pictures are the jist of it. I love Taiwan and the people here. I have made such good friends and I am sad to see the summer end. I am heading into my last month, October, and then I will wave goodbye to this beautiful place. Sad to leave, but excited for the future. States, here I come!

Baby Evie

Here are a few pictures of Evelynn since she was born last January. I know that I posted some on the Christmas blog, but she is growing so quickly so I thought I would post some more updated photos. They are in order and you can see her growth throughout the past months. The last picture is the most recent. Kelli, Jonathan, and Evie went to Dallas for Labor Day and stayed with my parents. Wish I could have been there, but I always enjoy the pics! Hope you do too.

Incredible Indonesia

Indonesia was unlike any place I have seen. This trip was much more "rough" for me than other trips Ben and I have taken while in Asia. The places we traveled to in Indonesia seemed to have much less tourist infrastructure than Malaysia or Bangkok. These islands are still very wild and extremely diverse. We spent time on the island of Java and on Sumatra. Drank lots of coffee, did many off the track heights, and relaxed by a fresh water lake the size of Singapore. Indonesia is incredible and hopefully the pictures can do it justice.

A typhoon came through as we were leaving Kaohsiung to head to Surabaya, Indonesia (on the island of Java) by way of Hong Kong. Due to the delay, we missed our connection and got to spend a free night in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Island at night is definitely a site worth seeing twice!

Our first stop was Bromo on the island of Java. This volcano is still active yet without barriers so tourists and locals can waltz right up to it, and that's what we did. We camped on this lookout in order to see the impressive site at sunrise.

Brrrrrr!

That is the moon right above Ben's head.

Good morning! That is our humble abode..........yeah, the yellow tent. Can you believe Ben fits in there?

Not a bad view for some quick housekeeping.

After taking in the sunrise we decided to venture off the beaten path. We hiked across the "sea of sand" that surrounds the volcano, then up the crater rim and back down the other side to a lake. We were literally the only ones out there at times.

Here we go!

We thought we were adventurous. At least we had shoes on!

May not seem much from this picture, but I climbed up that hill with my backpack on. One of the most challenging hikes of my life.

View from the top of that giant hill. Totally worth it!

I think Ben agrees.

A quick glance at the rolling, luscious, farm land surrounding Bromo.

Once we hiked down the other side of the crater, we found ourselves in a tiny town that had not seen many foreigners.

We hiked down to this lake. It is in the foreground, covered with moss. Quite a beautiful reward for a day of hard work.

We set up our tent in this abandon Information Center. A warm night's sleep.

There are no buses or trains running from this tiny town out to the major cities. Just a dirt road with trucks carrying crops and animals. We paid a very kind farmer about $5US each to take us to the nearest city in the back of his truck. Not a bad mode of transport.

Ben caught in the reflection.

I got to ride up front.

Back to the city. Here, Ben takes a break for a moment after walking the city of Melang in central Java. This city has a thriving bird market which is evident by the various cages spread about the city.

On to Yogyakarta, still in central Java. We took a day trip from Yogyakarta out to Borobudur. This buddhist monument is quite impressive, as is Ben to a few school boys interested in American culture. 

This site was originally abandon when the Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms started declining and Islam began taking over in Java.

View from the top.

The bottom of a cup of java from the island of Java. Good coffee.

Another day trip from Yogyakarta is Prambanan. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is the largest Hindu temple complex in Indonesia.

Parts of the temple are still being restored. I'm not sure this piece fits.

Ben found his throne.

The main temple at sunset with the volcano, Merapi, in the background.

Sunset in Prambanan.

Ben playing guitar with locals outside a bookshop in the heart of Yogyakarta.

From Yogyakarta, we took a 5 hour overnight train ride to Bandung. Then from Bandung (on Java) we flew to the city of Medan on the island of Sumatra. One more bus from Medan to Bukit Lawang put us just outside Gunung Leuser National Park.

Starting in Bukit Lawang, we did an overnight jungle trek into the National Park. After a few hours of searching, we were greeted by an orangutan. Wouldn't want to be caught in those teeth.

Having a snack. She was so close! The picture doesn't accurately portray the magnitude and excitement of this siting.

And back to her nest. I've had enough of you people.

The river next to our campsite. A welcome oasis after a hot, humid day of hiking.

Our sleeping arrangement for the night. Doesn't look like much, but the genius engineering of our guides kept out most of the water from the middle of the night torrential down pour.

Back in Bukit Lawang. The hostel was situated right along the river.

View from the bridge.

Our hostel from the other side of the river.

A farm in Bukit Lawang viewed from the bus on our way back to Medan.

We didn't spend much time in Medan, but instead jumped on another bus to Lake Toba.

At the market next to the ferry that takes passengers across the lake, this woman is diligently making cinnamon, red bean, and sugar pancakes. If it's not clear, that is a giant trash can size tub of pancake batter. Yum!

Locals milling around waiting for the ferries to take off.

An umbrella covered market just outside our hostel's door.

Finally on the ferry heading to Samosir Island in the middle of Lake Toba. Lake Toba is the largest fresh water lake in south east Asia and measured to be the same size as Singapore.

Beautiful.

Ben hiked to the top of the island one day to take in the view.

I stayed back at the hotel and took in my own sites. This is where I spent my birthday thanks to my loving family, who foot the bill for this portion of the trip as a gift. Thanks you guys!

Happy Birthday!

Not a bad day.

A painted map of the island found on the outside wall of a local's home.

I was sad to leave Lake Toba. It was definitely my favorite part of our trip, but all good things must come to an end. We took the ferry back to town then the bus back to Medan and flew from Medan back to Bandung and the island of Java. We couldn't leave Java without seeing the capital city of Jakarta. I think the overwhelming nature of the city distracted me from taking pictures worth sharing. We were in Jakarta as the holy festival of Ramadan was beginning for the Muslim people. With the sounds of temple activity and public calls to prayer still ringing in our ears, we were content to leave Indonesia and venture back to Taiwan.