WilloWanderings

Guilin Mountains

2006-12-12T06:41:00.000-08:00

So a short while ago when Vanya (Vera's bro) was still with us here in China we made it to Guilin, a place famous for its amazing mountains. It was a great 4 days of rest and some quality family time too :)

Here are a few more pictures of our time there...

reflections on the Yulong river

deep in thought...

Posing for their new Rap CD

a bridge over 800 years old

the local Breakfast Bicycle
(inside the baskets are sweet-dumplings)

Our friendly taxi driver. We got a ride with him (in the back) as we
returned from our bamboo rafting trip :)

A village side street

Ladies washing out their ducks for the day :)

Beijing Trip

2006-11-21T05:32:00.000-08:00

Jonathan, Vera & Vanya at the Great Wall...

So we finally made it to beautiful Beijing! We'll be adding more photos and comments soon, but here are a few pics for now:

Inside the "Forbidden City" in Beijing

One of the inner courts in the Forbidden City

Autumn comes to the Great Wall

Silkworms, Sea-horses and Scorpions...a delicious snack! (?)
(Yes, they actually do fry and eat them!)

One of the narrow streets (hutongs) in Beijing

Summer pics

2006-07-13T07:33:00.000-07:00

So here are a few more pictures from the last couple months:

Seeing as we live by the ocean now, we went to the beach for a swim...
and wouldn't you believe it, but a storm rolls in :)
(Thankfully it wasn't a typhoon - which are quite common here. But don't worry,
we're protected by quite a few islands and never get seriously hit).

We had a team from Canada through that specialized in soccer camps. Here we had a
great game against one of the local teams...and would you believe who showed up to watch?
Some very friendly deer! (They were actually on the field for a few minutes, but we
couldn't get the cameras out in time).

Unfortunately in the same game I tore some soft tissue in my left foot.
I was in this cast for a week...thankfully its getting better now :)

To cheer me up Vera ordered some balloons:

(okay, that was a joke. I'm not into Pokemon).

And finally, here are few roses Vera received for her birthday a couple months ago :)

The End.

More pictures from the journey...

2006-05-05T05:39:00.000-07:00

We've been having a beautiful spring here...we're really enjoying the sunny weather and have had the opportunity of visiting some great sights in our free time. Last week was Vera's birthday...we celebrated by hiking up a local mountain (okay, so it wasn't that rugged. Chinese mountains have nicely swept pathways, local vendors selling pop & pineapples, and of course a cable-car to bring you to the top)! But we enjoyed the view :)

Of course, the rest of the time we've been studying the language here. Its encouraging for Jonathan to be able to read quite a few characters now, and converse in simple sentences!
Do keep thinking of us as we continue to study and get to know more people here :)

So here are a few more pictures.

On the nearby mountain for Vera's 25th birthday

A couple shots of the "wildlife" in the area:

And Just for fun...

Genuine basketball slippers coming to a store near you!

A sign in our complex we pass by almost every day...
Can someone please explain what it means??

While climbing the mountain we beheld this sign. For
safety's sake we encourage you to follow its directions!

Spring is here...

2006-03-21T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hey folks,
Yes, the Willoughby's are still alive and well. And we even have a few pictures to prove it!

Below is the Local Recyling man we saw this week, putting into practice the lesser-known 3 R's: "Reduce, Reuse and Really-Cycle"

And then, just 30 seconds outside of our apartment we've got this great 2-lane road. Something tells me the guy who planned it had just a little too much to drink!

Oh...and I love this one...Vera has just learned how to bake home-made apple pies. MMMMMMMMMmm!

And just so you can get a little jealous...its already spring here. Last week the trees were all flowering, like these
cherry blossoms...
Well, that's about it from this end.When you're thinking of us, please keep in mind that we need lots of wisdom as we study the language. As well as physical health and strength (we've been hit by some cold/flu's lately). Thanks a ton..!

Back at Home :)

2006-03-01T03:53:00.000-08:00

Hi again!

It's been some time since we've posted anything...mostly because we've been on the road for a good chunk of this last month. Oh yeah, and our computer crashed. (Thankfully we've got it going again, and almost everything was backed up).
During our time away from home we were able to see a few really nice places, including the famous "Stone Forest"...pictured here.

At any rate, we're back at 'home' now and are diving into our language studies once more. We're also glad to say that we received our new visa's, which will be good til next year. So thanks to those that were thinking of us :)

While we were away we had some breakfast "dim sum" at a local restaurant. The folks that were sitting across from us decided to feast on some delicious 'chickens feet'...mmm! Kellogs should think of a way to market this!

Points to Ponder:

We're extremely glad that we received our visa's for this next year!
We'll be needing lots of wisdom & discipline as we continue to tackle the language here.
We'd like to build relationships and make more friends with folks here.

Pics from Thailand

2006-02-11T02:11:00.000-08:00

Hi all!

Last month Vera and I had to go to Thailand because of our Visa restrictions.
Below are a few pics from our time there :)

Above: Thailand is predominantly Buddhist...

We don't have enough in our budget to buy a whole car...but at least we could get a trunk :)

Below: signs you see all over - "no durian"
(Durian is a fruit with an absolutely horrific smell!)

Merry Christmas!

2006-01-07T00:25:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!

Hard to think that a year has gone by since we arrived here in China :)
These last 3 weeks have been exciting as we've begun to settle into our new life. We're very happy to say that we've been able to find a lovely apartment (with a spare room for guests - so feel free to drop by sometime!) We've just furnished it, so its beginning to feel like home! Its in a beautiful complex, complete with gardens, ponds and pathways. The other day as we were walking along we met some of our neighbours trying to dry out their red-hot chili peppers...

Last week we began language learning...I'm learning the basics, and Vera's doing advanced studies. When you're thinking of us, remember that we need lots of wisdom and understanding in our studies!

We had a great Christmas and New Year with some friends that work here, and are really grateful for their help in settling in. Our city is quite warm at this time of year and feels just like spring (although it did manage to drop to 1 degree a week ago). So its a little different than Ukraine...but we don't mind!

That's it for now. Thanks again for thinking of us at this time :)
A couple things to note:
1) Next week we'll be travelling (Thurs 12th) and trust we'll arrive at our destination safely. We'll be gone from home for 2 weeks.
2) Our studies have just gotten underway...and will continue for the next 6 months or so. We need wisdom & discipline in order to do the best we possibly can.
3) We need to work on getting our visa renewed in Feb...that's quite an important issue at the moment.

Take care and may 2006 be blessed indeed!

Jonathan & Vera :)

The McDrive-Thru orange market down the road from us :)

We've made it!

2005-12-17T00:33:00.000-08:00

Well, we finally made it to China! Our flights went well, (except for being charged exhorbitant rates for overweight luggage!) but we arrived all in one piece. Our first stop was in Beijing where we met up with a friend of Vera's. We went to Tianamen Square (see picture) and it was very cold for this area of the world! (About minus 6 plus wind chill). Right now we're staying with a friend at his apartment, and are looking for one of our own. We're planning on starting language school in early Jan.

Points to Ponder:
1. We're thankful that we made it safely here!
2. We need to find an apartment
3. We need wisdom as we start language school - to find the best teachers, and to be the best students!

2005-12-09T05:06:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our "blog!"
We'll try to keep this updated to let you know how we're doing on our newest journey!

Yesterday we drove 6 hours from our "former" home of Dnepropetrovsk to Kiev - thankfully it was a clear day and the roads were great (except for a few policemen grazing on the side of the highway).
Today we are happy to announce that we finally received our Visa's for China! We're extremely grateful for that, especially as we already had our tickets bought :) We'll be staying here in Kiev until we fly out on Tuesday (Dec 13th) to Beijing...from there we'll travel to our new home.

Keep checking back here from time to time for further updates, points to ponder (and talk to Father about), and fancy little pictures like the one below...

Points to Ponder:
1. Safety as we travel
2. Strength to adjust to the new culture
3. For us to learn the language quickly (especially for Jonathan!)

Here's a pic of Vera and I from a few months ago...