Catching Up - unrecorded travels

Aaron and I just celebrated our 15 year wedding anniversary (and by "celebrated," of course I mean we spent time ALONE - away from all our lovely little monkeys).  As much as I missed the kids, this time was invaluable.  We could do all those gross and boring things grown-ups do when they are away from kids...snuggle in bed without little elbows pushing us apart, hold hands, kiss, talk, etc.  Grammy was home holding down the fort with the help of our amazing helper, and we were in the most beautiful place on earth (which deserves and will get its own blog post at a later date). There, in the comfort of our room, suspended inches from the ocean, I could think.  We could dream.

We dreamt about the future and reflected on the past.  We told stories we've told a thousand times, laughing at all the familiar places.  We shook our heads in amazement of our fabulous kids, grateful for the opportunity to walk alongside them as they grow.  We thanked God for our health, our family, our love.

We found ourselves talking about the amazing adventures we've taken in the last 10 months.  What a whirlwind!  I realized that there are a number of trips we'd taken around Asia that I had never recorded.  Some took place right when we arrived (when my world was turned upside down and I couldn't seem to string a sentence together), some later in the year when we were busy with the daily grind of school and work.

This trip was the perfect time to jot a few notes and share a few pictures.  I was thankful Aaron, with his often annoyingly accurate memory, was there beside me to help fill in all the details...

We arrived in Singapore in September 2015.  After spending 5 weeks in temporary housing, we moved into our home on Maddie's birthday, October 30th.  That same day, Grammy (Susie) arrived to help us unpack.

The following links will take you to our Asian adventures thus far:

Legoland - Johor Malaysia

Kota Kinabalu, Borneo, Malaysia

Penang, Malaysia

Ubud, Bali

Hanoi & Halong Bay, Vietnam

Beijing, China & the Great Wall 

Taipei, Taiwan

Taipei, Taiwan

We arrived in Taipei in the evening.  We were just settling into our hotel when Aaron had to leave for a business dinner.  The kids and I ordered room service, took baths, and had a dance party to the strange music videos we found on T.V.  

The next day, Aaron was in meetings all day.  It was pouring rain.  Refusing to stay cooped up in a hotel room, the kids and I donned our ponchos and headed out.  We found the subway station, bought some passes, and started exploring.  I had read about an amazing park for kids that was just a few stops away.  A quick ride and we were there.  And wouldn’t you know it, thanks to the rain, we had the place all to ourselves!  The first thing Caleb did was stomp straight through a giant puddle.  No towels, no extra clothes or shoes.  I prayed we wouldn’t catch pneumonia.  Gritting my teeth, I smiled and told the kids not to worry about getting wet.  Have fun!  Parker and Maddie gave me uncertain sideways glances. After I assured them multiple times I really meant it, they went to town.  We tried every slide, ride, and climbing wall.  

Leaving the park we [mom] decided we couldn't just go back to the hotel without a teeny tiny bit more sight-seeing.  Yes, we were soaked, yes we were shivering, yes our shoes squelched and leaked water whenever we took a step, but c'mon!  We were in Taiwan!  We might never get to see this place again!  So I dragged the crew to the famous Lungshan Temple.  It was founded in 1738 (rebuilt in 1919) and absolutely stunning.  I've seen lots of temples here in Asia, but none quite like this.  It was constructed of stone, wood, and bronze.  It even had Corinthian capitals on some of the columns.  Beautiful!  

Shockingly [note the sarcasm here] our young explorers failed to appreciate the architectural masterpiece they beheld and began to melt down.  I hurriedly snapped some photos, and we hightailed it out of there, so as not to disrupt the worshippers.  

Once outside, we decided to stop for a snack before heading back to the subway.  As in Beijing, a crowd gathered to count the brood and take pictures.   I had Parker take a picture of the crowd.  It didn't faze them.  I suppose I was thinking they may feel a bit awkward (as I did).  Nope.  Everyone just stood and stared like it was lion-feeding time at the zoo.  We finished our snack and finally headed back to the security of the warm, dry hotel room.

Once rested, we made plans with our friends (one of Aaron’s coworker’s wives and her four kids) to have dinner together. We walked to Outback Steakhouse of all places and enjoyed some traditional Western fare.  Boy did it feel like home!  American accents all around the table, country music, even line dancing performed by the waiters and waitresses.  What a blast!  We made plans to meet up again the next day to visit the zoo and ride the Maokong Gondola.  

Rain, rain, and more rain.  We decided to go to the zoo anyway.  We were joined by Missi and her four children, as well as another coworker’s spouse, Scott, and his two kids.  And so it was that three adults attempted to keep track of ten children in a foreign zoo.  We only lost one.  Seriously.  He was with us; then he wasn’t.  We had all exited the zoo, or so we thought, when we realized the poor kid was gone.  Found him in the visitor’s center.  All’s well that ends well, I suppose.  We snapped a photo in front of the zoo and headed for the gondola.

Tiny frogs we found on the ground at the zoo.  I'm afraid the stroller wheels found a lot of them, too.  

Jack and Caleb were in the stroller.

Did I mention I am afraid of heights?  I can handle gondola rides for short periods of time, but this sucker was nearly 3 miles long!  We opted for the glass-bottomed car, of course.  “

We’re gonna die.  We’re gonna die.  We’re gonna die!” I moaned half the way up.  The kids laughed nervously, “Are we really gonna [die], momma?”  Uh-oh.  I turned away from the window and stared into their wide eyes.  In my fright, I had half forgotten they were with me.  “Um, no, kids, we’re not going to die.  Well, we’ll all die someday, but…”  The terrified looks on their faces weren’t helping matters.  “We’ll be fine!  We’ll be fine!  Mommy just gets nervous that we’re up so high.  It’s unnatural, really…”  

Why couldn’t I just shut up?  I plastered a smile on my face, forced myself to laugh, and pretended everything was fine.  They pretended not to notice their mom had lost it.  Once I was quiet for awhile, everyone began to relax and have fun.  We made it up, then down, then called it a day.  Whew!

Whose kids are those [not afraid of heights]?  Weirdos.

On our last day in Taipei, I took the kids to the 101 building.  Built in 2004, it held the title of world’s tallest building for six years (until some other giant skyscraper in Dubai was completed).  It’s still the world’s largest “green” building due to its energy efficiency.  

Just outside the 101.

Of course, it was still raining, so we weren’t allowed to go to the outer observation deck.  Instead, we rode up to the indoor observation area and were mauled by other tourists.  It was bananas.  I’m not sure where these folks came from, but at one point, security guards approached us to make sure we were okay.  People were picking up the kids, taking photo after photo.  By the end, even Maddie, who typically adores the limelight was burying her face in my stomach (making it impossible for me to move forward).  

Caleb was the only one who didn’t seem to mind.  He reminded me of the penguins on the movie Madagascar: Just smile and wave, boys.  Smile and wave.  So that is what we did: we smiled and waved and shoved our way out of there.  I felt like a celebrity security guard.  Comin' through.  Nothing to see here, people.  Keep moving!  I may or may not have run over a few toes on the way to the elevator.  

I was glad we'd visited, and I was really glad to get home to Singapore.  What a memorable spring break!

Beijing, China

In March, the kids went on spring break.  It was the perfect time to travel, and it coincided with one of Aaron's business trips in Taiwan.   It's always good and bad when we can join him on a business trip.  Good because we save on a hotel room; bad because I am alone in a foreign country with four kids all day and often into the evening.

The first part of our trip we were together.  Thank goodness!  Traveling in China is tricky.  Unless you stay for less than 72 hours, you are required to purchase a visa.  Visas for six folks are pricey.  We decided to make it a whirlwind trip, visiting Beijing and the Great Wall in 72 hours.  Not as easy as it sounds.

We flew into Beijing, and settled into our hotel room.

This is how we roll.

It was great...only it didn't have any cartoon channels or pool.  Yikes!  So, we wrestled, built forts, played, and read.  It was actually great!

We decided to take a stroll.  We were constantly surround by groups of people.  They simply stopped and stared.  Then they counted and recounted the kids.  Shaking their heads they shouted, "Suh!"  At least that's what it sounded like to me.  Apparently that means four.  Four kids?!  In a country where folks are restricted to birthing one child, four made us an official circus.  Lots of pictures.  People posing by the kids, forming peace signs with their hands.  Maddie striking poses.  Good times.

Caleb slept; Jack hid.

We visited the hutongs (narrow streets or alleyways formed by lines of traditional courtyard residences).  We shopped in a small art gallery for wall hangings.  Thankfully, there was a street magician outside amusing the kids while Aaron and I took turns looking inside the shop.  

We walked on and entered the Forbidden City, the largest ancient palatial structure in the world.  Layer upon layer of walls with massive doors enclosed throne rooms and grand halls.  Every ceiling was intricately decorated and bursting with vibrant color.  The buildings had the massive curved roofs I had always associated with ancient China.  It felt like stepping back in time.     

The next day we woke and boarded a van to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall.  

Any description I attempt to write will surely be inadequate.  My mind could barely comprehend the height and length and breadth of the wall.  It stretched on and on, weaving back and forth across the ridges of the mountains like a great stone snake.  I could only imagine the amount of planning and manpower and organization it took to complete such a wonder.  We rode a gondola to the top of a peak…

walked along the Wall…

then hiked down, down, down.  By the time we reached the bottom we were carrying the little ones and all of our legs were wobbly. 

The next day we explored more of Beijing, hiking around the grounds of the beautiful Summer Palace (which is actually a group of lakes, gardens, and palaces).  Cherry tree were in full bloom, their delicate pink blossoms swaying in the breeze.  The sun shone off the lake as boats carved in the shape of dragons carried passengers from the shore to an enormous palace.  

We left the grounds and headed toward Tiananmen Square.  I had really hoped to enter the Square, but with the clock ticking on our 72-hour visas, we snapped some photos and headed back toward the hotel and then on to the airport.  We sure know how to pack it in!  Next stop: Taipei!

Penang, Malaysia

In December 2014, Aaron's office had an off-site family gathering.  When I heard it described that way, I assumed we'd be going to a restaurant or something together.  Nope.  They really meant off-site.  As in off the island of Singapore.  We flew to the island of Penang (another Malaysian island).  The first night we were there, we had a fantastic Chinese dinner over the water.  Tons of kids hanging over the bridge that connected the restaurant to land, watching eels slide through the water.  It was fun, but I think we surprised everyone with how early we left and headed for the hotel.  (Early night vs. full on melt-downs from tired kids?  We opted for the boring couple that leaves early and saves their sanity.)

The next day was full of fun!  We had a scavenger hunt around Fort Cornwallis, visited an interactive art museum where you literally stepped into the artwork to became part of the pieces, and took a rickshaw ride around town.  That night there was a costume dinner with activities and crafts for the kids.  Santa even came for a visit and passed out candy to the kids.  There was a huge balloon release, and though it didn't feel like Christmas, it certainly was festive as we watched the balloons float up through massive palm trees and over the water.

Our scavenger hunt team

Rickshaw selfies!

Rickshaw views

The real entertainment of the evening was the lip-sync-off (inspired by Jimmy Fallon) performed by Aaron (in drag, no less) and all of the other new employees.  It was hilarious.  As I looked around the room at the the dropped jaws, I couldn't help but think Asia isn't ready for the Rausch's!