As I stated in last week’s blog, Hong Kong may not be the same as it was nearly two years ago when my wife and I visited. The political situation has altered the calm of Hong Kong. This post is a description of the Hong Kong I saw in July of 2018, not necessarily as it is today. For many years Hong Kong has been one of the major shopping centers of Asia. Under the freedom and influence of the…
Hong Kong Impressions
It was just last summer that Hong Kong nearly dominated the news media. There was considerable political unrest going on in the city. Protestors in Hong Kong were upset with concerns about losing freedoms which they have enjoyed that the rest of China has not. News reports showed protestors invading the airport and shutting down the light rail system. With the daily news reports about significant clashes between protestors and the police, tourism was definitely in decline. Our visit to…
Discovering Seattle: Volunteer Park
This coming Friday (4/10/2020) my daughter and I were supposed to leave for the Netherlands, but we are obviously not going. She had wanted to see the tulips, and next week is her spring vacation. However, the COVID-19 has changed so many things including travel. It has ceased, and since I am writing a travel blog, that’s been a bit tough. Fortunately I live in a beautiful area that I can share about with others. Also I have memories of…
Discovering Seattle: The Boeing Plant
Often it is the things in our own backyard that we never get around to seeing. We make a point to visit specific places when we travel, but often we fail to visit the attractions in our own hometown. Such was the case with the Boeing Plant. I knew the company offered tours, but in 40 years I had never visited. I finally changed that after a friend recently told me about his experience. The tour of the Boeing Plant…
Zambia: Travel with a Purpose Part 2
While most teachers take their students on field trips from time to time, imagine taking 16 high school students half way around the world to the third world country of Zambia. This was no ordinary field trip. It was a week long trip to help students experience a third world culture and learn how they could respond. In last week’s post I shared that one of our main tasks in Zambia was doing children’s programs. However, there were other types…
Zambia: Travel with a Purpose
It was just a year ago that I traveled to Zambia but not for a vacation. The reason for this trip was different. Along with three other adults, I was accompanying a group of 16 high school students from my school on a trip designed to introduce them to ministry outside the US. In many ways it was a short trip but with a very loooong flight time. We left Seattle Saturday afternoon and flew overnight to London. We then…
Malawi: Life in a Large School Compound
There are many reasons to travel. This trip to Malawi was not a trip as a tourist. Because of that II didn’t stay in the usual tourist type accommodations. Instead I stayed in a large walled in compound. The compound was originally built for American missionaries. However, there are none in the compound at this time. However, that doesn’t mean it’s not in use. In fact it’s a pretty busy place. The compound is probably about the size of a…
A Sunday in Malawi
Since I went to Malawi to teach, getting out to see the sights was not a top priority. However, my one Sunday between teaching did make for an interesting day. It began with participating in a worship service from which I learned a lot about Malawian church culture. The day ended with a quick trip to the best known tourist area of Malawi, Lake Malawi. It was definitely a good day. The church I attended was on the campus where…
Discovering Malawi, a Red Bricks World
I didn’t go to Malawi as a tourist to travel through the various parts of the country. I went to teach. Most days I never even left the compound where I stayed. However, I did get out a few times, and from that I want to share some impressions of this lesser known country. When I mention going to Malawi, often the first question people ask is, “Where is that?” Malawi is in the southeastern portion of Africa. It is…
Malawi Travel; Whose Plan?
One of the first blog posts I wrote was entitled “Why Travel?” My purpose was to suggest that there are more reasons to travel than just the traditional idea of business or pleasure. However, after a recent trip to Malawi, I think I have found a variation of one of my reasons. See what you think. To understand my thinking you must understand that I am a teacher. I believe teaching is my calling and gifting. While I made my…