Dear family and friends - we've started a new blog to provide updates on the growing Wasden family - http://www.wasdenbaby.blogspot.com. Much love!
Mike, Norah, and Lewis
Goodbye to our Round the World Travels!
It felt so strange after two months to be packing up to go home for good. We were very tired and really looking forward to our home in NJ, but it had been such an amazing adventure. It was hard to leave it all behind!
THE SILK MARKET
We spent many, many hours here in intense negotiations on all sorts of gifts and knock-offs.
Forbidden City
Mike at the Forbidden City - it was very, very cool!
Riding the zip line
This is Mike riding the zip-line down from the Great Wall hike.
Great Wall
Another beautiful view
Hiking the Great Wall
It was a sunny, beautiful, and hot day, but we absolutely loved the breathtaking views at the Great Wall - it's truly incredible!
The Lotus Flowers
At the Summer Palace, there were tons of beautiful ponds with lotus flowers.
The Ancestoral Palace
A really neat site - very peaceful with lovely gardens.
Us and Mao at Tiananmen Square
It was amazing to be here and see so many sites we've dreamed of for a long time!
The Drum Tower in Xian
We loved catching a concert at this tower, as well as hitting a few drums ourselves!
More little soldiers!
Cool!
The Terracotta Warriors - Xian
This was an incredible site! Hundreds of little carved guys - cool!
The Temple in Hong Kong
Visiting the LDS temple in Hong Kong was a wonderful memory and experiene for us. (And doesn't Mike look sharp in his new, custom-tailored suit from Vietnam?!?)
Boats along the skyline
We enjoyed the city skyline one last time on our last night.
Victoria Peak - Hong Kong
This is the view that we briefly enjoyed, and then unwittingly took the tram down the mountain!!!
Leaving Halong Bay
We felt so relaxed after a couple days of swiming here - it was just gorgeous...we feel like our pictures just can't capture it!
Twilight on the Bay
As the sun went down, Halong Bay was lit up by stars and looked even more amazing!
Halong Bay Cruise
Mike enjoying the upper deck of our boat as we toured Halong Bay.
Water Puppet Show
This was a highlight for us, both for the music and the cute, creative puppetry work.
Botanical Gardens in Hanoi
We enjoyed wandering and came across these gardens - beautiful!
Harry Potter Knock-Off!
Norah spent a couple days soaking in every exciting moment of the new Harry Potter book just a couple days after it came out. Her knock-off copy only cost $5!!!
A personal fav!
Terrifying, huh?
Mike and the boys!
We befriended some teenage boys and Mike spent the afternoon helping them learn how to do flips on the beach. They loved it!
Restaurant at the Beach
This was the restaurant we ate at after spending the day at "China Beach".
Vendors on the beach
These sweet ladies walk around in the intense heat all day and sell various things for such a small amount. They are amazing.
Motorbikes!
When there are no taxis, just take motorbikes!
Doing Vietnam in Style!
It's the hats, isn't it...we look fab!
Rafting on the Mekong Delta
We took a tour to the Mekong Delta and had a really fun time experiencing the scenery there.
Bayon Temple
This temple has hundreds of faces carved into the rocks.
The tree temple
This was one of our favorites - the trees have overgrown the temple here, and it's SO, so cool! Tombraider was also filmed here!
The Carvings
Each temple had such intricate carvings.
Climbing the steps
Each temple had incredibly steep steps heading up to the towers and sanctuaries.
Angor Wat - Sunrise
We got up early so that we could get to the main temple of Angor Wat before the crowds, and before the heat!
Biking along the road.
This typified the sights we saw while there. What an incredible difference to the life we lead.
Selling Bananas
People begging and trying to sell things to the tourists became a little overwhelming. It was hard to see.
The Village
Each home is normally a one room shop and bedroom for the family.
The Floating Village - Siem Reap, Cambodia
This is one of the poorest areas in the world. The people make their lives along the river here.
The islands of Southern Thailand.
We absolutely loved the sunshine, the beaches, the snorkeling and kayaking...basically everything except for the sunburn!
The cove where we went snorkeling.
The tropical fish were so beautiful - we loved it!
Visiting Monkey Beach on Ko Phi Phi in Southern Thailand
These guys were cute!
Norah's favorite new purchase!
Don't I look cute!?!
The Thai fingernail dance
We spent an evening at the Chang Mai cultural center watching some of the local dances.
The joys of Thai bathrooms!
This is one thing that we were not sad to say goodbye to!
MIke playing soccer with one of the boys in the village
He was the cutest!!! (The little boy...Mike is the hottest!)
A Hill Tribe family
We stayed in the village of this Hill Tribe overnight, which was such a neat experience.
Riding elephants in the jungle!
We fed our big guy lots of bananas and sugar cane!
Cooking up fried bananas for dessert!
This was an incredibly yummy and a zero calorie dessert! We're pretty sure, at least, that the vat of coconut margarine was fat free.
Thai Cooking School in Chang Mai
This was one of our favorite experiences on the whole trip! We learned how to cook 6 courses, and we had never been so stuffed and so happy.
The beautiful tiles on one of the temples at the Grand Palace
This was one of Norah's favorites.
The Grand Palace - Bangkok
We had never seen so much gold!
A Monk Induction Ceremony
We loved watching this ceremony where some new monks were being initiated. In Thailand, about 99.9% of men become monks, normally for about 2 months.
Exploring Hezekiah's Tunnel
We waded through these tunnels for about 30 minutes - it was a great tour!
The Dome of the Rock
We loved visiting the Temple Mount. There was such a beautiful, peaceful feeling there.
The "Apartheid" Wall at the West Bank border, leaving Bethlehem
The locals call this wall the "Apartheid" Wall. It's being built by the Israelis to try and prevent violence. For obvious reasons, it's very hated and much protested. (Also perhaps because they're using the wall to expand their illegal borders) It was very sad to see.
The Church of the Nativity - Bethlehem
We had a neat tour of the church on the site where Christ was born in Bethlehem.
The Monostary at Petra
We hiked up a mountain to a beautiful overlook into Israel where this monostary stood.
Petra - Jordan
One of the 7 Wonders of the World - and one of our most favorite days!
Garden Tomb
Place where many believe that Christ was buried and resurrected
Look Ma - No Hands!
Floating in the dead sea...this was right before we went fishing (not even a bite!)
View of Old City Jerusalem
This is the view from BYU-Jerusalem, where we attended chruch and 2 concerts
Main Street of Dubrovnik
This street is marble and absolutely stunning!
Sunset in Mljet
True beauty - and a nice sunset too (our hotel beach in Mljet)
The red sky of Dubrovnik
One of the many breathtaking views from out walk around the city walls.
The harbor front on Lopud
Looking over the Adriatic towards the coastline of Croatia.
The beach on Lopud
This is beach we walked over to from the quaint harbor on Lopud - our favorite of the Elafiti Islands.
Mike's big Birthday Shot
At the end of Mike's scavengar hunt, he hit balls into the ocean!
Handstands
Fiona and Mike doing their stunts!
Fun at Weyoble Castle
This one is a family favorite with lots of walls to climb and dungeons to discover!
Three Cliffs Bay
Norah's Favorite Beach!
Singing at Oxwich Castle
Mike asked the harpist if she knew the Welsh classic, "All Through the Night"!
The Family
This is up on the cliff right by our home - out for a walk after dinner
Mike at Three Cliffs
Our first hike from Three Cliffs Bay home to Caswell Bay
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