summer plans announcement

excited to share that we are traveling to the states this summer for the holiday.  some of the tickets have been purchased and plans are being made which makes it all pretty official.  we aren't sure on the dates of arrival and departure as we have not purchased the plane ticket from cambodia to america yet.  paul is working on that part.

the only plans we know of right now are that we will be on a cruise leaving seattle from june 25th-july 2nd to ALASKA.  we will be traveling with paul's parents and we are thrilled.  i have been on one cruise before and paul has never been.  i told him that to get me to go again we had to go somewhere that i think is cool---such as the mediterranean, around the southern part of south america or alaska.  so here we are....going on a cruise to alaska.  i have a few activities i hope to take part of while on this trip--my wish list--1) to hang out/see/participate in dog mushing and 2) to see bears and other animals in the wild.  paul has been doing lots of research on how to best make this happen for me which makes me love him so.

the unofficial plan is to arrive in seattle from PP a few days before the cruise and play in the city.  it's one of our favorite american cities.  then after cruise we will fly to houston to see family and friends for about two and a half weeks or so.  i have started the "to do list" for houston, the "shopping" list, and the "must visit these stores" list.  i am weirdo, i know.  i also have the "friends i must see/visit with" list.  i am list making queen, as many people can affirm.  it works for me.

mark your calendars, peeps!  we are coming to america!

Laos, how i love thee....

on christmas day, we flew from phnom penh to luang prabang, laos via bangkok.  we arrived mid-day to a quaint airport in which one walks on the tarmac to get to the "terminal".  applied for visas, waited in two immigration lines, and picked up our bags to be picked up to go about 20 minutes outside of town into the jungle.  after a bumpy ride, we arrived at this oasis in the jungle.  it was gorgeous!  we stayed in the jungle for two nights.  the time was great, relaxing and full of rest.  we ate, slept, talked, played, and just did a lot of nothing.  it was fabulous.  the first morning there paul and i walked to the elephant village about 15 minutes away to ride elephants.  it was amazing.  it was early, there was a mist looming over the jungle and we rode about 25 minutes or so.  the cool part was that we walked into the nam khan river.  very cool.  i took tons of pictures and our mahout took some pics of us too.  a great morning activity.  the rest of the day we ate, napped and paul played some video games while i read.  the weather in the jungle was quite chilly which was a nice change from the hot and steamy of phnom penh.  i really loved sleeping with all the doors and windows wide open listening to nature's soundtrack.

the next part of the trip we stayed in town in luang prabang.  the guesthouse was small, simple and sufficient.  we did some shopping, ate at various places, had massages, and took heaps of photos.  the first night in town we met friends from seoul that were spending the holiday in laos as well.  we had dinner at the nicest, best rated place in luang prabang--l'elephant.  it was quite good, to be honest.  i had the best pork loin i have ever eaten with garlic mashed potatoes that melted in my mouth.  for a starter, i had a fabulous pumpkin and coconut cream soup with kaffir lime.  wow!

overall, paul and i loved laos and we will go back sooner than later.  it's a unique, laid back, and edgey country.  we loved the vibe, the people, the food and the company.

click here for pictures from our adventures in laos.

new country, new blog

after four years in korea, paul and i are now living in phnom penh, cambodia. since my first blog was started when i was single and chronicled my adventures while living in seoul, i am now making a blog for us and all about our journey while living in asia.

so, with all that, welcome to the falgouts in asia!

we have been here in the penh for about six weeks now. it has been an adventure already. we have set up our apartment, bought furniture, found some great places to eat, had our first overseas visitor, been to siem reap, seen the ancient temples, dealt with communication issues, had curtains made, learned about the local markets, sweat quite a bit, started back to work, meet my students, and managed to keep our sanity. it has been great! we are loving living here and find the people quite friendly. it has been affirming to be here knowing that God has a plan for our lives.

we hope you will join us on this journey that we are on...
stay tuned for more.

--mandy