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Me and Southeast Asia

This weekend, a dream came true and I traveled across the world for the second time in as many years and flew into China. As a young girl, I was fascinated with China. I am not really sure why exactly, but the beauty of it drew me there in my thoughts often. As the travel shows, documentaries, and even the big screen movies featured China, I imagined a chance to come here, but didn't really know when or how. The mountains, the rivers traveled by old boats making a way through the wilds and ancient time all drew me in. It was dreamlike in quality. While I am not in the part of China I had once dreamed about, I can see flavors of it all around me in the people and the architecture if not in the landscape that captured my eye and mind.
Street Vendor with lovely fruit in Foshan

Qinghui Gardens

Last year, I was in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and just fell in love with the area. I was telling my colleague that it wasn't just KL or Malaysia I really enjoyed, but the whole experience. We went on some amazing adventures. Shared meals and learned about each other. The diversity of our team is nothing in Malaysia which prides itself on its diversity and living side-by-side with one another in celebration of that rather than divided by it. In the end, we are all still people. God's people. His creation. His essence breathed into us.
Khunthai Restaurant along the Klang River with my colleagues - most amazing meal!

Titiwangsa Mountains from the Genting Highlands

KL City Center at night

My morning breakfast view each day
I still think about the trip to KL. The food, the camaraderie, the beauty of the sunrise each morning over coffee. Nothing has since compared to it, but I am ever hopeful for the next amazing adventure. In fact, I am heading now to swim before the workday begins. I woke before 3 AM and couldn't fall back asleep. We have a long day ahead of business meetings and learning about our IT operations here in China. I am looking forward to it.
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