looking back

brian and i have been so blessed to be able to travel. we have so many memories and have done so many once in a lifetime things already. lately i have been thinking about life before navy, and even though i wouldn't change the way my life is with her in it, i do miss the freedom not having her allowed. i do count myself lucky though that we did do such awesome things before be had navy. all these pictures are of a trip bri and i took the summer after we got married while we were living in beijing. the first one is of us at about 14,000 feet at sunrise on a mountain in eastern china called Emei Shan. it took us all afternoon and most of the night to climb. we slept next to a buddist monastery and woke up to see the sunrise. so gorgeous.
the next picture in in tibet. we were just walking around the grounds of a monastery and ran in to these monks. they were on there way to bathe in a stream right behind us. we talked to them for a while. one of them knew a little chinese and we spoke a little chinese so we were able to communicate that way. while i tibet we stayed at monasteries, went to early morning chants (kinda like seminary for the young monks), rode yaks up a mountain, and saw enough buddist temples to last a lifetime. last year china opened a railway that goes from china to tibet. when we were there you could only fly in ( too expensive for mst chinese)or take a five day trip in a truck. for that reason there were very few people who visited tibet. now hundreds of people everyday go in. apparently now it is very touristy and nothing like what it was like when we visited. we went just in time.
the next picture is in thailand. heaven on earth! amazing food! so cheap! you can stay in a bungalow on the beach for less than $5 a day. the water is clean and beautiful and warm and you can mostly get by speaking english. everyone should go someday. we hiked around the islands with our backpacks and stayed at a different bungalow every night. we even stayed in a tree house with the water coming right up to the trunk when the tide came in. i felt like i was on the swiss family robinson. the next picture i didn't mean to put up and don't know how to take it off but it is Guilin in southern china. the mountains are like Dr. Seuss mountains. the next one is in thailand again eating dinner on the beach at little tables that were set up close to the water edge. i wish i remember what i was eating.
ok, well that's enough looking back. it's fun to remember. i wrote this post more for me then anyone else. i have never been good at keeping a journal, taking pictures, or blogging (obviously) but i just don't want to forget where i have been and what i have seen.