Historic Moment - Blogging from Taiwan

Over the past couple years, I have been able to post blogs from three different countries. Thailand, Canada and the US of A. Today, I am adding another country. Taiwan. Although it may not be that monumental, can you say that you have blogged from more countries? The funny thing is, Taiwan isn't even a country that I have been to officially. I have been here a few times before but I've never left the airport so I can't count it as a country that I've been too.
For the world travellers that read my blog, here is a review of the Taipei Airport (not sure what the official name of the airport is). It is clean, easy to find your gates, you don't have to get on a bus or a subway to connect like some airports and the best thing is... it is the first airport that I have been to that has free wireless. The only two bad things are the seats are hard and not very comfy (although they're better than the seats in the old Bangkok airport) and two, there are no shops open (but that may be because it is 5 in the morning here). We can't even spend any money but I guess that is good for me.

Awesome Scenery

Last week we had the opportunity to travel to one of the most beautiful places on earth, Banff National Park in Canada. Being a person that loves mountains, the Rockies are awesome. But when you mix the Rockies with beautiful, clean lakes the scenery becomes spectacular. We couldn't have asked for better weather and the crowds weren't even that bad. Tawm and I went with my parents and had a great time. If you ever make it to Alberta, I strongly recommend you check out these places, you won't be disappointed.

A shot of some scenery when you enter Banff National Park

Beautiful Lake Louise

Another pic at Lake Louise

A picture at Lake Moraine (although not as well known as lake Louise, it is just as beautiful

Early Baby Shower

Yesterday we were blessed with our first baby shower. Since we won't be in Canada when the baby is born, my sister and some others decided to give us an early baby shower because Thai people don't have this tradition. They wanted Tawm to have a real Canadian baby shower with games and gifts. We are so thankful to have so many people here in Canada that care for us and we thank God for them.

We played different 'baby' games like, baby food taste test, guess what kind of chocolate bar is melted in a diaper (pic below), and other games too. Tawm really enjoyed herself. She has been enjoying her time in Canada but was sad that we wouldn't celebrate Christmas and exchange gifts. So the shower satisfied her Christmas cravings.

 

1 Down, 1 to Go... Please Help

One of the things that we wanted to do when we came to Canada was buy a new camera because electronics are cheaper here in North America. After much research and debate with myself, we ended up buying a new Canon camera. Tawm has been spending a lot of time fiddling with it and trying to learn all its special features. As of right now, I know how to delete the pictures. Tawm is very happy with the purchase, so I guess I did a good job.

That means one thing down, next item to buy, a new MP3 player. I have an ipod but have had nothing but troubles with it lately. I have done everything that they have told me to do online, but nothing has worked. So the only thing I can do is send it back to Apple to get it fixed. It is no longer under warranty as I have had it for a couple years already and I am scared that the cost of fixing it will cost more than a new MP3 player. So now I am researching and debating with myself which MP3 player to get. Another Ipod? Samsung? Sandisk? I am looking for most bang for the buck and the cheaper the better. Anyone got any suggestions? Do you have an MP3 player that you are happy with and would recommend? Please let me know ASAP!!!

Gotta Go See

 Last night I went to see the movie "Transformers" with my Jace, my brother in law and his friend. Although the theater itself left something to be desired when compared to the theaters in Thailand, the movie itself was awesome. Awesome special effects and great mixture of action and comedy. I had high expectations going into the movie because I watched the transformers cartoon growing up and had a handful of Transformers toys too. Unlike Inspector Gadget, another childhood favorite, the Transformers movie exceeded my expectations. Michael Bay, the director, did an amazing job on this movie. Like my brother in law said, if Michael Bay made a My Little Pony movie, he'd go see it. I think I am in the same boat.

Camping in Cypress Hills

This past weekend, Tawm and I went camping with the family in Cypress Hills Saskatchewan. We had a good time relaxing and eating the food that my dad made. Tawm got to see some moose, she got to play putt putt, ride a motorbike with a sidecar and sleep in a tent trailer. The first day when we arrived out there, the temperature was 41 degrees Celcius. The next day it barely made 20 degrees. I guess that is Canadian weather. Tawm still can't believe that it stays light out until about 10:30 as a result she has a hard time going to bed. I also spent a whole bunch of time playing Caracazone (don't know how to spell). It is a German board game, lots of fun even though I was unable to win. Oh well, there is always next time. Attached our some photos of the weekend.

The new Suwanaphum Airport

Well, after about 39 hours of travel and layovers, we have finally made it to my parents home in Canada. the weather is nice and warm, cool in the evenings. Our flights were quite uneventful, our flight over the ocean had a lot of turbulence and the food wasn't very good, but other than that, it was good. Tawm is doing good.

We learned one very important lesson during our trip, that is, don't eat at a restaraunt that has an ATM and currency exchange inside it!! When we were at the new Bangkok airport, we needed to wait to check in, so we decided to go to a restaraunt to eat lunch. We saw a sign that said "Restaraunts" thinking it meant food court, especially when it had the plural form. However when we got to the top of the escalator, there was only one restaraunt. It's funny because Thai people always forget to add an "s" to words but in this case they added one when it wasn't needed.
When we made it to the top of the escalator, the hostess quickly swarmed us, making us feel like we should eat there. We didn't check the prices before entering and this is how we came to realize that you shouldn't eat at restaraunt with an ATM and currency exchange. When we got the menus, the prices were 10-15 times more than normal. I was shocked, but we ate there anyways. Being a good missionary, I quickly located the cheapest thing on the menu and ordered that. When we got the meal, I realized why it was the cheapest thing on the menu, it was awful. As I was eating, all I could think of was, Wendy's here I come!!!