India

Once again, our family (minus Andrew who was more than a little jealous) was lucky enough to travel to Bangalore India for thanksgiving. Considering the fact that the staff at the Marriot is our second family, it was the perfect place to spend thanksgiving this year. On our first day, Lisa, Jake, and Thomas and me (lauren) traveled in a rickshaw to a mall right down the street while papa klepper headed to work. The 2 mile drive to the mall (which took 30 min) was more entertaining than the mall itself. We watched as cyclists rode by with as many as 4 or 5 passengers as a time. There were beautiful flowers that were being sold in the streets and different types of fruits along the side. At the mall we watched Jake and Thomas run around in inflatable balls, which entertained us for a while. We also visited Cotolengo Convent, which is a catholic home/ school for special needs children. We went here our last trip and were welcomed like family. We were picked up and swung around with kisses being planted on our cheeks and then stuffed with food. Our time here is always so nice because the children are so beautiful and amazing. They welcome us and always give us so much love. Our second rickshaw experience was one we will definitely remember. We couldn’t remember exactly where the convent was but we thought our rickshaw driver would know. It turns out he and everyone else in the area had no idea. When we were stuck in traffic we would go around asking other rickshaws and cyclists if they knew where to go, but  no one knew. We finally met a nice couple who told us they could take us there, so after 2 hours we arrived. Like every other post so far, I feel like I just have to talk about how amazing the people are in this country. When we went into poppa klepper’s office, we played ping pong and foosball with his co-workers. We have made so many lasting friendships with the staff as well. One day the boys didn’t want to go out with us, so we left them at the hotel and when we returned they were throwing airplanes and running through the hotel with the staff. It is so much fun to be at the hotel, because we feel like it is our second home and we plan on returning to visit them in the future.

Malaysia and Indonesia

Singapore is in the ideal location. Just a 30 minute boat ride away is the island of bintan in Indonesia. We went to this island just for a short weekend trip and relaxed on the beach and walked around a small town on the island. We ate chili crab (or craw dads), shrimp, and lots of rice on the porch of a local restaurant. It was a sleepy town and as we were leaving the restaurant the owner of a spa came up to all of us ( Lisa, lauren, jake, and Thomas) insisting that we need a massage before our boat leaves. We had to accept so we went in and jake and Thomas experienced there first and probably last spa experience. The spa owner then decided he would take us to our boat and we chatted with him along the way. Like the other countries we have visited in Asia, then Indonesians we met were extremely welcoming, friendly, and eager to help us with anything we needed. 

Another weekend trip that we took (lauren, Lisa, jake, and Thomas) took with a friend of ours was to rawa island in Malaysia. This took 3 hours in the car and 30 minutes in a boat. It was extremely beautiful and secluded which was perfect to get away from the city in singapore. We hiked, swam, and snorkeld and will definitely return. 

Vietnam

Our first trip this year in Asia, other than Singapore, was to vietnam. It was one filled with more diversity than you would expect. In the northern hilly part of the region in sapa, we were greeted with some of the friendliest people. We hiked through rice paddies and villages and were followed the entire way by 5 women selling tourist souvenirs like bracelets and wallets. They didn't just follow us to a hotel up the road, they followed us 10+ miles to the house in a village home to the black Hmong  tribe. We stayed with a family from Israel and slept in a loft in a thatched roofed home. And lets just say we would not have been able to do anything during the first part of our trip without our amazing guide/ thomas and jakes best buddy. (Thomas cried during those goodbyes).

We also visited Ha Long Bay which was breathtaking. The rocks looked like they were sculpted perfectly. The locals say that the dragons formed these rocks years back with their fire breath. We spent two nights on the water in a house boat and ate food straight from the water. 

  

I can't get over how welcomed we were by this country and how amazing the food was. Every night was a feast with spring rolls, rice, chicken, noodles, more rice, and veggies. You had to make sure you didn't eat too much lunch so you could save up for the best time of the day. We then ventured to other parts of the country such as Ho Chi Mihn, Mekong Delta, and Hanoi. We got to see old Ho Chi Mihns body for about 5 seconds and then were immediately asked to follow the line out to the exit surrounded by guards armed with guns. One thing we didn't expect was that there was still a strong sense of communism in Vietnam. This was seen when we visited the cu chi tunnels and the Hanoi prison. In the old prison where Americans were held we watched communist propaganda videos. In these videos the American captives were saying how "lucky they were to be held in a vietnamese prison" and how blessed they were as they were decorating a Christmas tree. The vietnamese communist army were the good guys who welcomed the Americans with open arms? I find that hard to believe when we walked through the torture chamber. In the tunnels, we were shown old communist propaganda, yet again, saying how  "evil" and "deadly" the Americans were. Killing only the innocent and showing absolutely no mercy. We had to get up and leave it was so disturbing to watch. We rushed through the "museum" of an old battle ground as people posed with old tanks and in front of the airless tunnels used during the war. Our guide told us later, after a long argument concerning the lack of liberty and fairness within communism, how he could not say anything against his government because he was scared of what could happen to his job or to him. We were not necessarily surprised by his statement but it shows how controlling and frightening even the weaker communist government can be.






This trip was one that we will never forget.It was extremely eye opening as we saw the beauty of the coast, the mountains, and the people, the poverty, the destruction the war left, and the still present communist government. Vietnam is a place filled with amazing history and some of the kindest and sincere people you will ever meet who will welcome you into their homes and feed you anything that they may have.