Saturday, March 14, 2009

Pictures (Sentosa)

2 of my g12 girls, Oyuka and Ogii Tseegii and I, cooling off in the shade.


Me, baby boa, and a nice Indian man.


Me and my Baby (in the bright SUN!)


Holding a starfish...


Horses!


The Underwater World


Greasing up at Palawan...I have never been so white!

Friday, March 13, 2009

Ok La

That's how they talk here, they put "la" on the end of everything. Kind of like how Americans say "ya know?" ya know?

We visited Sentosa and had some fun at Palawan beach. We swam and played on the beach for a while and then headed over to the underground aquarium to cool off and look at the incredible marine life they had displayed there. We got to touch stingrays and feed them. I got to hold a baby boa constrictor, too.

The highlight of our Sentosa visit was the Dolphin show. I had really wanted to see it, even though I'm not one of those people who LOVE dolphins. We got there just as it was starting and there were about 300 people seated. The commentator asked for 2 volunteers to come up and I raised my hand. She picked me and I got assigned to a trainer and a beautiful, pink female dolphin named "Han". As I walked into the water and Han swam up to me I suddenly got choked up and began to cry. She looked at me with such beautiful and serene eyes and it just took me by surprise. The trainer was shocked. He asked me if I was ok but I just couldn't speak! I felt silly but it was just too powerful for words. As I stood there in the water, chest deep, she came up and planted a "kiss" on my cheek. I hugged and kissed her back.

As I got out of the water the commentator asked how I felt. I cried into the mic and all I could manage to say was, "She's so sweet!". I was still shaken an hour later. What a thrill! I will upload pictures as soon as I get a few more minutes.

More soon la!


Before I go, a quick picture for my sweethearts, Abi, Nate and Kenny:


Singapore!

We arrived at 9pm on Tuesday night and were greeted at the airport by our friends, Pastors Melvyn and Linda Mak and by our hosts, Stephen and Cynthia.

Since the time we got here we have not had the chance to feel hunger-- our hosts have been feeding us and feeding us. =) We've had some pretty interesting foods, all of them very delicious and I'm not just saying that because they might read my blog one day (hi, guys). My favorites so far have been jack fruit, BBQ stingray, and Satay. Also the pork soup and roasted duck were very good. Argh! I could go on and on!

We have been blown away by the Singaporeans thoughtfulness and hospitality. They are such friendly and loving people, always ready to help with whatever you need.

On our second day here we decided to take a tour of the FCBC (the church that is hosting the g12 conference) offices and buildings. It was nice to see where many of our pastor friends work every day.


Me and the girls, L-R: Nandia, Dolko, Ogii tseegii, Naraa, Ariunaa and Oyuka

This guy kept following me around getting into all my shots...


L-R: Sheika, Bogi, Shagai, Demchik,Ganbold, Hetee and Daagii



After that, it was a quick trip to the market to buy sandals and shorts for some of the people on the team. I was thoroughly enjoying the hot weather, by the way and was trying to avoid air conditioners as much as possible. We grabbed a quick bite at the "Hawkers Market". Mmmm, yummy Malaysian food!




After this it was to the beach for a quick stroll and planning for the next few days. We didn't have time to swim but it wasn't a very nice beach anyway.

Hetee and I did make it to Palawan Beach in Sentosa. More on that soon!

Korea

Here are some pics and updates from our trip. We hope you enjoy!


On the plane to Korea


My first Burger King meal in 5 years. Strange, the things you miss.

We had a great flight to Korea, despite the fact that I'm not a fan of flying. It was fun watching our team members who had never flown before during take-off and landing. They got the hang of it after a while. Then they weren't fun to watch anymore and the flight started getting boring.

We had a 12 hour layover in Korea. We couldn't leave the airport to get a hotel. Well, I suppose I could have because Americans don't need a visa. But the Mongolians are not allowed into Korea without a visa. So, we spent our time snoozing, walking around, eating and enjoying the free showers.

More to come...